The Story

When East meets West… when Lao Tzu wrote down the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching 2,500 years ago in ancient China, he may not have realised the impact its philosophy would have millenniums later in the West and the newly-emerging profession of life-coaching.

When Julia from Taiwan met Nick from England on a coaching course, they didn’t realise at first that they had a common interest in the work of Lao Tzu. This joint interest soon became a course project. As we explored a few verses of the Tao, we began to see how Lao Tzu’s teachings could be related to personal development and coaching principles.

On this blog we intend to continue this work by exploring one verse of the Tao Te Ching each week. We invite you to join us on our journey and add your own thoughts to deepen our learning. How do you interpret Lao Tzu’s message? And how does it speak to you as a coach?

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Verse 47

Without opening your door,
you can open your heart to the world.
Without looking out your window,
you can see the essence of the Tao.
The more you know,
the less you understand.
The Master arrives without leaving,
sees the light without looking,
does without trying.

[For Personal Development]
  • Beyond all matter is a field of energy (the Tao), that flows though all things.
  • Mastery does not involve trying to do something. Mastery involves a way of being. (A master does not try. A master knows and does. )
  • Open your inner wisdom; the answer is inside.
  • The more you know, the more you realize that there is more to know.

[For Coaching]

  • Great coaching is effortless.
  • When a coach is open to not knowing, the greater the curiosity and understanding about WHO the client is.
  • Trust your intuition. We sense or feel things before we can prove it or understand it. Share it with the client.
Posted by at