Chapter 60 – Tao Te Ching

1. The Verse (Original)

Governing a large stateis like cooking a small fish.

You spoil itby too much handling.

When the world is governedaccording to the Way,evil has no power.

Not that evil disappears,but its power cannot harm.

Not only can it not harm,the sage herselfis not harmed.

When neither harms the other,their powers come together,and return to the One.

2. The Essence — What Laozi Is Actually Saying

This is one of Laozi’s most famous metaphors.

He’s saying:

Leadership — inner or outer — must be gentle.Too much interference destroys things.

A small fish breaks apartif you poke it, flip it, push it around.

Human beings, societies, and even your inner worldhave the same sensitivity.

If you micromanage your life,your emotions,your parts,your relationships —you agitate everything.

The secret is light touch.

Govern simply.Lead quietly.Interfere less.Trust more.

When you lead with the Tao,even “evil” — meaning imbalance, chaos, destructive forces —loses its ability to dominate.

It doesn’t vanish,but it no longer has teeth.

The sage isn’t harmedbecause she doesn’t engage in the power struggle.

Harmony arisesnot by suppressing what’s dark,but by not feeding it energy.

When both sides stop fighting,they naturally return to unity —“the One.”

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

“Governing a large state is like cooking a small fish.”

A small fish falls apartif you handle it too much.

So does a society.So does your mind.

The gentler the touch,the better the outcome.

“You spoil it by too much handling.”

Too much control creates chaos.Too much force fractures things.Too many rules cause rebellion.

Over-management is dysfunction.

“When the world is governed according to the Way, evil has no power.”

When leadership aligns with the Tao—calm, steady, non-reactive—destructive forces cannot gain momentum.

Chaos feeds on chaos.If you don’t fuel it,it burns out.

“Not that evil disappears, but its power cannot harm.”

Laozi is realistic.

Dark tendencies still existin human hearts and systems—but they’re defangedwhen not met with aggression or panic.

“Not only can it not harm, the sage herself is not harmed.”

The sage is untouchedbecause she doesn’t enter the battlefield.

She leads without force.She acts without provoking opposition.

Non-contention is her shield.

“When neither harms the other, their powers come together, and return to the One.”

When opposition stops,unity returns naturally.

This is the Taoist version of“what you don’t fight ceases fighting you.”

Harmony is the natural statewhen force is removed.

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

A. “Cooking a small fish” = Working with parts gently

Parts bruise easily.

If you push them, lecture them, or try to force change,they tighten, panic, or rebel.

Self leads with a light hand.Curiosity.Calm.Softness.

This is “cooking the small fish.”

B. Over-handling = Blending

When a protector blendsand tries to control everything,the system becomes chaotic.

Micromanaging your inner worldcreates the very problems you fear.

C. Evil = Extreme protector strategies

IFS has no “evil,”but it does recognize extreme behaviorsthat harm the system.

These arise when parts feel forced or cornered.

When Self leads gently,these extreme strategies lose power.

D. The sage is unharmed = Self-led presence

Self does not get pulled into battlesbetween protectors.

It stays steady, unshaken.

Not because negativity is gone —but because Self is spacious enoughto hold all parts without fear.

E. Returning to the One = Internal harmonization

When parts stop fighting each otherand stop being fought,their energies converge.

The system restores itselfto coherence.

This is the “One” Laozi speaks of—inner unity,inner wholeness,inner peace.

5. A Soft Invitation — Not Therapy, Just Curiosity

• Which parts of me do I “over-handle”?• Where am I trying too hard to control outcomes?• What would “light touch” look like inside me today?• What happens when I stop fighting an inner experience?• Can I feel the difference between force and presence?

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

Laozi teaches that gentle leadershipcreates harmony,and force creates fragmentation.

IFS teaches that parts softenwhen met with calm curiosity,and polarizations dissolvewhen Self stops pushing.

Both say:

Use less pressure.Use less control.Use less force.

Lead lightly.Touch softly.Trust the natural order.

Then disharmony loses its power.Then conflict dissolves.Then the system returns to unity —the One at the center of all things.