Chapter 39 – Tao Te Ching

1. The Verse (Original)

In ancient times, those who held to the Onebrought harmony to all under Heaven.

Heaven attained the One, and became clear.Earth attained the One, and became steady.Spirits attained the One, and became vibrant.Valleys attained the One, and became full.All beings attained the One, and came alive.Rulers and kings attained the One,and became the rightful guides of the people.

It is the One that brings this about.

Without the clarity of Heaven, it would split apart.Without the steadiness of Earth, it would erupt.Without the vitality of spirits, they would fade.Without the fullness of valleys, they would dry up.Without the life of beings, they would perish.Without the rootedness of rulers, they would fall.

The low is the root of the high.The humble is the foundation of the noble.

Therefore rulers call themselves“the orphan,” “the lonely,” “the unworthy,”to root themselves in humility.

Do they not take lowliness as their basis?

Thus, the highest glory is to have no glory.Do not shine like jade.Be simple like uncarved stone.

2. The Essence — What Laozi Is Actually Saying

This chapter is about the power of the Oneand the necessity of humility.

“The One” is Laozi’s way of pointing tothe underlying unity beneath everything:

the same Sourcethat keeps Heaven clear,Earth stable,valleys fertile,and beings alive.

Whenever something is aligned with this One,it is steady, alive, and whole.Whenever something disconnects from it,it becomes brittle and collapses.

Laozi applies this to rulers and leaders:

• True authority comes from being rooted in the One.• The moment leaders forget this and become arrogant,they lose their foundation and fall.

So he reminds us:

The high depends on the low.Nobility depends on humility.Real greatness stands on invisibility.

“Don’t shine like jade; be simple like stone” means:Don’t live to be impressive.Live to be real.

This chapter is a hymn to rootedness, simplicity, and inner unity.

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

“In ancient times, those who held to the One brought harmony to all under Heaven.”

Laozi looks back to an ideal image:

Wise beings once lived in conscious connectionwith the underlying unity of life — “the One.”

Because they stayed rooted there,the whole world around them became ordered, peaceful, coherent.

He’s saying:When you stay connected to the Source,everything under your influence harmonizes.

“Heaven attained the One, and became clear.”

“Heaven” here means the sky, the higher realms, the above.

When Heaven is aligned with the One,it is clear — not turbulent, not chaotic.

Picture a vast open sky without storm —this is the image of an unconflicted, unified upper realm.

“Earth attained the One, and became steady.”

Earth is the ground — the support of all things.

When Earth is in the One,it is solid, stable, dependable.

This is the image of foundations:what you can stand on without fear of it crumbling.

“Spirits attained the One, and became vibrant.”

“Spirits” here means subtle forces, unseen energies,what moves behind appearances.

Aligned with the One,they are alive and responsive — not hostile, erratic, or dead.

It’s a way of saying:even the invisible becomes bright when it stays connected to Source.

“Valleys attained the One, and became full.”

Valleys are low places —they receive water, they hold life.

When they are in the One,they are fertile, abundant, overflowing.

This is the image of receptivity blessed by unity:the low, the humble, made rich.

“All beings attained the One, and came alive.”

Every living thing depends on the One —the same underlying breath.

When beings are aligned with it,they are fully themselves: vivid, whole, expressive.

Cut off from it, they wither.

“Rulers and kings attained the One, and became the rightful guides of the people.”

Leadership is legitimateonly when it rests on the One.

When rulers are rooted in unity,they don’t rule by force.Their presence alone stabilizes the realm.

Authority flows from alignment,not from title.

“It is the One that brings this about.”

Laozi underscores the point:

It’s not separate techniques, tricks, or systems.It is one underlying thing:living in harmony with the fundamental Way.

Everything else is ornament.

“Without the clarity of Heaven, it would split apart.”

If Heaven loses its unity,it fractures.

Think of a mind that loses its coherence:confusion, fragmentation, contradiction.

When the connecting principle is gone,things break.

“Without the steadiness of Earth, it would erupt.”

If Earth loses its grounding quality,it shakes, cracks, explodes.

This is an image of instability:systems collapsing when they lose their center.

“Without the vitality of spirits, they would fade.”

If the subtle forces lose the One,they weaken.

Intuition grows dull.Inspiration dies.The inner spark goes out.

“Without the fullness of valleys, they would dry up.”

If the low places lose connection,nothing can be received.

Dry valleys equal barren hearts:no flow, no nourishment, no life.

“Without the life of beings, they would perish.”

If beings lose the One,they die inwardly, even before they die outwardly.

The body might move,but the spirit has gone dim.

“Without the rootedness of rulers, they would fall.”

A ruler who forgets the Oneis like a tree with shallow roots.

Strong winds come —and down they go.

Power without foundation is temporary.

“The low is the root of the high. The humble is the foundation of the noble.”

Here is one of Laozi’s core teachings.

High branches depend on unseen roots.Noble positions depend on low, quiet foundations.

Whatever looks elevated is standing on what is not seen.

If you forget the low,the high will not last.

“Therefore rulers call themselves ‘the orphan,’ ‘the lonely,’ ‘the unworthy’…”

In ancient China,rulers sometimes used self-deprecating titlesto remind themselves (and others) of humility.

Laozi is not praising false modesty —he is reminding:

A true leader remembers they are small before the Tao.

“Do they not take lowliness as their basis?”

He’s basically saying:Whether they know it or not,this tradition is rooted in Taoist truth.

To stand tall,you must bow inwardly.

“Thus, the highest glory is to have no glory.”

The more you seek glory,the further you drift from the One.

Real greatness doesn’t need applause.It doesn’t need a name.

The highest glory is invisibility:being deeply aligned, even if no one notices.

“Do not shine like jade; be simple like uncarved stone.”

Jade is polished, precious, admired.Uncarved stone is plain, ordinary, overlooked.

Laozi says:Don’t live to dazzle.Live to be real.

Let your value be in your substance,not in your display.

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

A. “The One” → Self as inner unity

In IFS, “the One” resonates with Self:

• the unifying presence beneath all parts• the quiet center that is not fragmented• the field in which everything in you belongs

When parts are aligned with Self,they become clear, steady, vibrant, full —just as Heaven, Earth, spirits, valleys, and beings do in the verse.

B. “Heaven clear, Earth steady, valleys full” → Different layers of the system in balance

We can see:

• Heaven → thought, vision, perspective– Clear when in Self, confused when split.

• Earth → body, nervous system, grounding– Steady when in Self, agitated when cut off.

• Spirits → intuition, subtle felt-sense, creativity– Alive when connected, numb when exiled.

• Valleys → low places in us, exiles and deep receptivity– Full when held by Self, dry when abandoned.

When the One (Self-energy) is present,each level finds its rightful clarity.

C. “Rulers and kings attained the One” → Self as inner leader

In IFS, Self is the rightful ruler:

• not a tyrant• not a suppressor• not a performer

But a calm, compassionate leaderwho listens to every part.

When protectors or managers try to “rule” without Self,they topple — just like rulers who lose the One.

D. “The low is the root of the high” → Exiles as the hidden foundation

The “low” in you — the exiles,the tender, hurt, vulnerable parts —are not shameful mistakes.

They are roots.

If they are despised or ignored,your inner “highness” (spiritual image, competence, identity)becomes fragile and unstable.

True inner nobility grows fromhonoring what is low and small inside you.

E. “Highest glory is to have no glory” → Self doesn’t need credit

Self doesn’t seek applause.

When Self is leading:

• you don’t need to look spiritual• you don’t need to appear healed• you don’t need others to validate your goodness

There is a quiet confidence.A simple, unshowy presence.

This is “no glory” as the highest glory.

F. “Don’t shine like jade; be simple like uncarved stone” → Parts vs. Self-led simplicity

Some protectors want to shine:

• the Spiritual One• the Wise One• the Good One• the Successful One

They want to be jade — polished, admired.

Self is fine with being stone:

plain, grounded, simple, real.

In a Self-led system,you’re less interested in looking like you’ve done inner work,and more interested in simply being with your parts in truth.

5. A Soft Invitation — Not Therapy, Just Curiosity

• What in me tries to “shine like jade”?• Which parts of me feel like “the low” — small, ashamed, or unimportant?• Can I sense how those “low” places might actually be roots holding me up?• Where in my life am I tempted to seek glory instead of simplicity?• What does “being simple like uncarved stone” feel like in my body right now?

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

Laozi says:The One holds everything together.The high depends on the low.Real greatness hides in humility.True value lives in what is plain and uncarved.

IFS says:Self is the unifying field.Your brightest gifts rest on your most tender places.Real healing is quiet.True leadership is gentle.

Both teachings point you downward and inward:

• from glitter to ground• from performance to presence• from jade to stone

When you honor the low within you,your whole inner world becomes more stable.

When you let go of glory,you become more available to truth.

And in that quiet, unseen alignment with the One —with Self —you become exactly what Laozi loves most:

simple, real, rooted,and quietly powerful in a way no one needs to seefor it to be utterly, deeply true.