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?

Monday, October 12, 2009

Verse 65

The ancient Masters
didn't try to educate the people,
but kindly taught them to not-know.

When they think that they know the answers,
people are difficult to guide.
When they know that they don't know,
people can find their own way.

If you want to learn how to govern,
avoid being clever or rich.
The simplest pattern is the clearest.
Content with an ordinary life,
you can show all people the way
back to their own true nature.

[For Personal development]

  • A fundamental principle of the universe is uncertainty; thinking you know separates you from the Tao.
  • Opening to not knowing expands the possibilities to the unknown; often that’s outside our comfort zone.
  • Keeping it simple makes life easier.

[For Coaching]

  • Thinking we know the answers disconnects us from ourselves and our clients.
  • Trust the coaching process; the clients will find their own answers.
  • We coach around the “who” and show clients the way back to their own true nature, not just the "what" which is about being clever or rich.
  • We are role models for our clients – embracing who we are helps our clients give themselves permission to do the same.