Savoring Small Happiness (Chapter 12 of the Tao Te Ching)

This time, we will look at a passage from Chapter 12 of the Tao Te Ching.

A person of virtue focuses on filling their belly, not on seeking flashy appearances, is what this means.

In other words, do not be captivated by stimulating things, but rather enrich your inner self, is the message.

While it says "not to the eyes," this is just one example and is not limited to visual things.

Laozi also mentions being careful about the following types of "stimulation."

• Colors that are too vivid

• Sounds that are too intense

• Flavors that are too strong

• Hobbies that are too extravagant

• An obsession with collecting that is too extreme

These are external stimuli, and indulging in them may provide temporary pleasure.

However, our brains are greedy when it comes to these kinds of stimuli.

The law of diminishing marginal utility applies, where the satisfaction felt the second time is smaller than the satisfaction felt the first time.

Therefore, as you go from the second to the third time, you need even greater stimulation than before to feel satisfied.

Then,

"I want that next!"
"More and more...!"

In this way, desires grow without limit.

Perhaps the people of ancient China were intuitively aware of this tendency as well.

Therefore, Laozi recommends cultivating one's inner self rather than relying on external stimuli.

This means to reduce selfish ego and desires.

This means that those who understand how to be satisfied without being greedy will not suffer from humiliation, and those who understand when to stop at the appropriate time will not put themselves in danger.

Controlling your desires and savoring the small happiness and pleasures right in front of you.

Perhaps a calm and fulfilling life awaits beyond the accumulation of each of these moments.

By the way, I continue to make small adjustments so that I can spend my time without relying on external stimuli.

For example, instead of looking at my smartphone as soon as I wake up in the morning, I first open the window to let in fresh air.

At the end of the day, I make time to read quietly.

On sunny days, I go for a walk or relax and sunbathe on the balcony.

As I continue these small habits, there are moments when I am suddenly struck by something.

“The air feels fresher today than usual.”
“I realized I’ve actually read quite a few books this month.”
“It feels so pleasant to soak up the sunlight.”

These are truly trivial realizations, but perhaps because I have accumulated these feelings of “comfort” and “joy,” I feel as though my days have become brighter than before.

Even without relying on external stimuli, if you have the consciousness to enrich your inner self, your days will gradually become brighter.

It was early February when I thought that I would like to continue living days like that this year as well.

This time, I introduced the teaching that one should enrich their inner self rather than being captivated by stimulating things.

With the start of the year or the end of the fiscal year approaching, I imagine many of you have been busy since the beginning of the year.

When fatigue accumulates, it becomes easier to catch a cold, and it seems influenza is starting to spread again, so please take good care of yourselves.

That is all for this time.

See you in the next article 👋

The classics introduced

↑ A book by Professor Kanaya, a leading expert in Chinese philosophy. Includes Japanese translation, kanbun reading, original text, and commentary. It is a good, readable book with relatively large text and furigana. Recommended for those who want to try reading the Laozi.

↑ An introductory book that carefully explains not only the contents of the Laozi and Zhuangzi but also their origins and basic facts. It thoroughly covers the recommended points of both books. Combined with the author's gentle writing style, it is very easy to read. Includes original text, translation, and kanbun reading. It is also convenient to read on Kindle Unlimited.

In this note, I introduce various words from Chinese classics with the theme of "making the wisdom of Chinese classics accessible and easy to understand".

I introduce these while weaving in familiar themes for those who have not had much contact with Chinese classics, so I would be happy if this could be a starting point for you to engage with them.

🔽 Magazine List (organized by classic)

🔽 Membership (a newsletter that delivers history in a fun and easy-to-understand way)

※ This article was created by adding my own interpretation while prioritizing clarity for those who have never encountered the classics.
※ If your interpretation differs, I would appreciate it if you could view it as one form of diversity.