Chapter 23 – Tao Te Ching

1. The Verse (Original)

Nature says littleyet all things are accomplished.

A whirlwind does not last all morning.A sudden rain does not last all day.

If Heaven and Earth cannot sustain excess,how much less can human beings?

Therefore,one who follows the Taoaligns with the Tao.

One who follows virtuealigns with virtue.

One who follows lossaligns with loss.

To be aligned is to be welcomed.

Those who lack trustare not trusted.

2. The Essence — What Laozi Is Actually Saying

This chapter is the Taoist teaching on naturalness—the wisdom of not forcing, not overdoing, not turning your internal weather into a permanent climate.

Nature shows you something essential:

Storms pass.Winds calm.Rain comes and goes.

Intensity does not last.Excess cannot be sustained.

Laozi is pointing at the insanity of human behavior:we try to make our storms last forever—to cling to passion, fear, drama, ambition, outrage—as if we could fuel them endlessly.

But Heaven and Earth themselvesdo not hold storms for long.

Then Laozi pivots:Your inner alignment determines your experience.

• If you align with the Tao,you harmonize with its ease.

• If you align with virtue (te),you resonate with steadiness.

• If you align with loss—meaning you cling to what is fading—then your life will be shaped by that clinging.

Whatever you identify with,you enter into relationship with.

And people respond to you accordingly.

If you move from trust,others can trust you.

If you move from suspicion, grasping, or force,others instinctively recoil.

This chapter is about becoming natural again—letting things rise and fallwith the rhythm of the Tao.

3. Modern Clarity — Slow, Rich, Beginner-Friendly Line-by-Line Commentary

“Nature says little yet all things are accomplished.”

The Tao doesn’t micromanage.It doesn’t shout or strategize.It moves silently, effortlessly.

Trees grow.Seasons shift.Bodies heal.

No speeches.No warnings.No forcing.

This is how true power operates.

“A whirlwind does not last all morning.”

Storms are intense but brief.Nothing in nature stays at maximum output.

Laozi is teaching you something profound about emotions:anger, fear, passion, urgency—they are whirlwinds.Let them move through.Their nature is temporary.

“A sudden rain does not last all day.”

Even heavy emotionshave a natural endpoint.

Trying to hold onto them—or trying to resist them—creates more suffering.

Rain falls,soaks,stops.

Let inner weather do the same.

“If Heaven and Earth cannot sustain excess, how much less can human beings?”

Even the entire cosmoscannot maintain extreme states indefinitely.

Yet humans try to stay:

always productivealways inspiredalways defensivealways high-energyalways “on”

This is the root of exhaustion.Excess is unnatural.

You are meant to ebb and flow—not to burn without rest.

“Therefore, one who follows the Tao aligns with the Tao.”

If you live simply, naturally, without force,you start to feel held by life.

The Tao meets you.Supports you.Moves with you.

Alignment is not effort—it is allowing.

“One who follows virtue aligns with virtue.”

If you cultivate steadiness, kindness, humility—you begin to resonate with those same qualities in the world.

People respond to you differently.Life mirrors the energy you bring.

“One who follows loss aligns with loss.”

If you cling to what is fadingor fixate on what you lack,your entire system contracts around that perception.

This doesn’t mean “be positive.”It means:don’t bond your identity to what is leaving.

Loss is part of the flow—but clinging to losscreates more loss.

“To be aligned is to be welcomed.”

When your inner state is harmonious,life fits you like a well-worn garment.

Doors open.People soften.Situations stabilize.

Not because you force anything—but because harmony invites harmony.

“Those who lack trust are not trusted.”

This isn’t punishment.It’s resonance.

If you move through the world suspicious,defensive,closed—others feel it and mirror it.

Trust generates trust.Distrust generates distrust.

The sage begins inside.

4. IFS-Informed Understanding — The Tao Inside the Psyche

A. “Storms don’t last” → parts’ emotions are temporary

In IFS, intense emotions come from parts—and parts express in waves.

A protector’s panic,an exile’s grief,a manager’s urgency—none of these states are permanent.

When you stop clinging or resisting,parts complete their cycle naturally—just like weather.

B. “Excess cannot be sustained” → blended states burn out

When a part fully blends,it tries to run the whole system.

This creates:

hypervigilanceoverworkoverthinkingoverpleasingovercontrolling

But no part can hold that forever.

Self-energy is sustainable;blended parts are not.

C. “One who follows the Tao aligns with the Tao” → Self-led presence

When protectors step back,and you lead from Self—

calmcuriouscompassionateclear

—your entire life begins to shift.

You feel more connected.Others feel safe with you.You move with the flowinstead of fighting it.

This is inner Tao-alignment.

D. “One who follows virtue aligns with virtue” → parts follow Self’s lead

When Self leads with steadiness,parts gradually trust that stability.

They begin to soften,relax,and take on their natural roles.

Virtue in IFSis the natural goodness of Self-energy—spontaneous, effortless.

E. “One who follows loss aligns with loss” → identifying with exiles

If an exile carries a burden of abandonment or shameand you blend with that exile,you begin to interpret life through that wound.

Everything feels like lossbecause you’ve aligned with a partthat believes loss is inevitable.

Unblending restores perspective.

F. “Those who lack trust are not trusted” → protector fields

When parts do not trust the world,they create distrust around you.

People pick up on it—the tension, the guardedness.

When Self leads with openness and clarity,others feel that too.

Your inner resonanceshapes your outer relationships.

5. A Soft Invitation — Not Therapy, Just Curiosity

• What “storm” in me do I keep trying to prolong or fight instead of letting it pass?• Is there a protector that lives in chronic intensity because it doesn’t know storms can end?• What would it feel like to align with the Tao inside me—my Self—rather than with fear, urgency, or loss?• Where do I cling to what is fading?• What happens in my relationships when I move from trust instead of defense?

6. Closing — The Tao and IFS Share the Same Gate

Nature teaches that nothing forced can last,and nothing natural needs force.

IFS teaches that no part can run your system forever,and that Self-energy is the only sustainable leadership.

The Tao says:storms pass,excess collapses,harmony returns.

IFS says:blending ends,burdens release,Self re-emerges.

When you stop trying to push reality,stop trying to outshout your parts,stop trying to control the weather—

you find yourself movingwith the quiet, effortless rhythmwhere Tao and Self meet.

And in that meeting,life becomes doable again.