How to explain Tao Te Ching

This is a big topic. At least one whole semester should be taught in the university. In this way, I will briefly talk about my understanding for your reference, which may not be correct.

1. First of all, whose Tao Te Ching should I read? This question is an extremely important link in understanding the Tao Te Ching. Just like popular novels and theoretical masterpieces, the audience is definitely different, so the content positioning is different. I think, in the era of Laozi, words are as expensive as gold and as expensive as oil. Books are definitely not for ordinary people, but for rulers and nobles. Therefore, the essence of Tao Te Ching is the management textbook of how the rulers govern the country and the people, as well as the management philosophy and methodology textbook.

2. Tao Te Ching was compiled on the basis of summarizing the early management experience, and extracted the contents of early books such as Jin Renming and Shangshu. Its core is to summarize the laws and characteristics of the operation of the universe into the sky, requiring readers to take the sky as their mentor and use the laws of the sky to implement various human behaviors. It is believed that only by conforming to heaven can we finally reach the ideal state, make the country rich and strong, and make the people safe. The rulers are required to be strict with themselves, not for their own interests and selfish desires, not for the benefit of the people, and strive to become sages. He put forward the important idea of the harmony between man and nature, and laid the most basic philosophical thought for the survival and development of China people.

3. Although Tao Te Ching was the management textbook of the rulers, it was later introduced to the people, and a large number of philosophical thoughts entered the lives of ordinary people. Using these philosophical thoughts, people have developed a series of Taoist cultures with China characteristics, such as Taoism, self-cultivation and so on.

……

It's too much. Stop it. If you are interested, I recommend you to search the audio of Dr. Luo Dawei's Learning the Tao Te Ching Everyday, which is very good.