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?

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Verse 79

After a bitter quarrel, some resentment must remain.
What can one do about it?
Therefore the sage keeps his half of the bargain
But does not exact his due.

A man of Virtue performs his part,
But a man without Virtue requires others to fulfil their obligations.
The Tao of heaven is impartial.
It stays with good men all the time.

[For Personal Development]
  • Someone must stop returning injury with injury or hostility will never end.
  • Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness [Confucius].
  • Tao is impartial. To the giver comes the fullness f life. To the taker, just an empty hand.

[For Coaching]

  • People who operate in the context of responsibility declare that they are accountable for their interpretations and behaviour. They are empowered by being the source of their own results.
  • Failure is an opportunity. If you blame someone else, there is no end to the blame.
  • To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you [Lewis B. Smedes]
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