Indian stream·Tao Te Ching·Chapter 64 — Beginnings
A tree of vast girth grows from a tiny shoot
The still is easy to hold; the not-yet-emerged is easy to plan. The brittle breaks easily; the fine scatters easily. Act before it has emerged; order before it is in disorder. A tree of vast girth grows from a tiny shoot; a tower of nine stories rises from a heap of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins under the foot.
Source context
- Theme
- prevention of difficulty before its onset; the art of timely, minimal action and steady perseverance from small beginnings
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Stoic philosophy (Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius)Stoic discipline of prohairesis emphasises acting rightly at the inception of impulse rather than correcting error after it has taken hold, a structural parallel to this chapter's counsel to address difficulty while it is still easy.
- Zen Buddhist practiceZen teaching on beginner's mind and the sustained, undramatic cultivation of presence across small moments parallels this chapter's insistence that the ten-thousand-step journey begins with and depends upon the single first step.
- Aristotelian ethics (habituation, Nicomachean Ethics II)Aristotle's doctrine that virtue is formed through repeated small actions before inclinations harden into character corresponds structurally to the chapter's image of the great tree grown from a hair-fine sprout.
Chapter 64
That which is at rest is easily kept hold of; before a thing has given indications of its presence, it is easy to take measures against it; that which is brittle is easily broken; that which is very small is easily dispersed. Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance; order should be secured before disorder has begun.
The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from a (small) heap of earth; the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step.
He who acts (with an ulterior purpose) does harm; he who takes hold of a thing (in the same way) loses his hold. The sage does not act (so), and therefore does no harm; he does not lay hold (so), and therefore does not lose his bold. (But) people in their conduct of affairs are constantly ruining them when they are on the eve of success. If they were careful at the end, as (they should be) at the beginning, they would not so ruin them.
Therefore the sage desires what (other men) do not desire, and does not prize things difficult to get; he learns what (other men) do not learn, and turns back to what the multitude of men have passed by. Thus he helps the natural development of all things, and does not dare to act (with an ulterior purpose of his own).