The teaching is the opposite of effort and not the opposite of work
Resonance
Those seeking stillness those who have tried too hard
Symbols
Water buffaloDaodejingPlum treeFly whisk
Mythology Summary
Laozi is the old master who leaves China on a water buffalo and is persuaded to write down the Daodejing at the pass - five thousand characters and then gone. In the religious tradition he is Lao Jun, a god; in the philosophical one he is a teacher who says the way cannot be taught.
Modern Practice
Laozi is read rather than petitioned, and his practice is wu wei: the efficiency of not forcing. His offering is the dropped effort and the simple thing finally done.