Kajenx

Haha, I have Stephen Mitchell's pocket TTC. It was the first one I ever read and still my favorite. If you want a literal translation, though, it isn't that.

You know, this chapter always bugged me because it seemed out of character. Lao Tzu never talks about the sage as someone who cares about perfection, however it appears. "True perfection seems imperfect" and etc. strikes me as a very western idea. Looking at these various translations, I wonder if Lao Tzu is really warning that all these perfect things are unnatual and "not in keeping with the Tao." 1. Most perfection seems lacking, 2. Its function is endless. Maybe perfection is lacking because it's endless. The lines almost look like a manual for confusianism: Intelligence, skill, eloquence, acomplisment. Maybe Lao Tzu is saying, "Look at all these dificult things people worry about. Just be calm and still."

The funny part about your post is that you're worried about how to decide what shirt to pick. Wu Wei means just picking a shirt. ^^ To me, wu wei is efortlessness. It doesn't mean you just plow through life without looking, bouncing off things. It means you don't worry about what you're doing. You'll pick the right shirt if you trust yourself enough to pick a shirt. Even more, if you don't have any intentions or desires, any results are a success. So, wu wei is also the outcome of removing your stake in the world. You win the lottery, good. You lose your house, also good. You can make choices, but they don't come from desires, they come from practicality. When you're hungry, eat. When you're tired, sleep. When it's time to put on a shirt, you'll know what to do.

Happy learning, Taoism is a great way of life.

Hi I'm new too!

I can't really add anything useful here, since I don't know anything about the subject, but I've gotten the feelings you describe when I do my little daily meditation. I know what you mean when you say it doesn't always come, but I think that's because we always start from a diffferent mental state. Maybe some days it would just take longer to unwind everything that gets in the way of that contentment. It'll probably get easier to stay there as time goes on, though. That's my ultimate goal, anyway. You make me want to try Zhan Zhuang.

The Tao that can be spelled properly is not the eternal Tao. Sorry, I had to.