The secret of a stress free, easy going, effortless and refreshing life is so obvious that we are not even aware of it. It is following the Laws of Nature. Lao Zi tells us in Dao De Jing Chapter 6. This is also the key teaching of the Dao School of Lao Zi & Zhuang Zi.One Word that Describes the Way/Dao
Lao Zi wrote Dao De Jing to tell us about his discovery of the Way of Dao, the way of Heaven and Earth. He emphasized repeatedly in his writing that the Way/Dao works all the time (taking no breaks and not needing them anyway), and doing them quietly, not ever complaining or claiming credit, and its energy is never exhausted. Chapter 6 is the second shortest of the 81 Chapters and summarizes the characteristics of the Way in one Word: Mother. The title for the chapter is "The Way/Dao is the Mother of Endless Love".
The Text and Translation
| Original Chinese Text | English Translation | Comments |
| 1 谷神不死 是谓玄牝 | The spirit of the valley never dies. This is the unfathomable motherhood. | The valley is where we find the richest growth of plants and animals |
| 2 玄牝之门 是谓天地根 | The door of motherhood is the root of heaven and earth. | The Way/Dao created everything and provides the environment for their growth. |
| 3 绵绵若存 用之不勤 | It quietly and continuously spreads out everywhere, and using it will be effortless and tireless. | The Laws of Nature are for life, and they operate quietly. As long as we follow them, living will be naturally easy and revitalizing. |
The above description captures the key attributes of a Mother.
What does a mother do?
- Give birth... Source or Root of everything. v2.
- Love and Care for her children, no matter how old. v1
- Her love is unconditional. Just go to her whenever and whatever your needs may be v3.
- Her love is never-ending or exhausted. v3
- Her love surrounds her always.v3
The Principle for a Stress-Free Living - Let Nature do the Work
The main teaching of Lao Zi for a stress-free, joyful, refreshing living is simple: follow nature and let nature do the work for you.
Develop Your Natural Abilities and Choose a Career where your abilities are the Strengths
For your character and capability development, the principle is simple: focus on the discovery and development of your natural abilities and choose work that fits with your natural abilities. Those things that you do well easily and enjoy doing are your natural abilities. Whenever you use your natural abilities, the more you use them, the more vitalized you become. What about your 'weaknesses'? Outsource them to others with those strengths. It takes a team of members with complementary strengths to become a championship team.
Application to Science - the Clean Energy Sources
Let gravity do the work. A great invention is this GravityLight | doing more with less
Let the waterfalls do the work.
Let the wind do the work.
Let the Sunlight do the work.
Any time we break the law of nature and work against it, we will end up using a lot of energy and creating a lot of harmful by-products called pollutants that we need to handle with the use of more energy.
Your Own Health
For a healthy life, follow the laws of nature. Work well and rest well. Don't overstress and overstretch yourself. Eat and exercise with balance. Your body can tell you when you violate the law of nature for too long.
Remember Mother Nature on Mother's Day - Mother's Laws are for your Good.
The Law of nature is the Law of Liberty. Don't be fooled that the laws are limiting your freedom. Rather, the laws are healthy and promote long life. A life of energy and joy. Follow the laws of nature.
Lim Liat (c) 12 May 2014
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Further Reflection - 13/12/25
We tend to see God as masculine. Jesus asked us to address God as "Heavenly Father". But he also described himself as the mother hen, as in Matthew 23:37 / Luke 13:34: "How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing."
"God is like Father or Mother" is for the understanding of human beings. God has both characteristics toward men. The "Motherly" characteristic is described well in this DDJ chapter 6.
"God is like Father or Mother" is for the understanding of human beings. God has both characteristics toward men. The "Motherly" characteristic is described well in this DDJ chapter 6.
DeepSeek gives the following:
The Motherly DivineThis passage from the Dao De Jing, through its central metaphor of Mother (玄牝), presents a vision of God the Creator that is:
- Immanent rather than transcendent (pervasively present within creation).
- Nurturing rather than commanding.
- Empowering rather than controlling.
- The basis for a life of ease, vitality, and sustainable joy when we live in filial harmony with it.
It is a theology of trust and relaxation into the fundamental benevolence of existence, reminding us that the highest creative power is also the deepest source of rest. This is the secret of the easy and refreshing life.
A further summary of DeepSeek after a discussion about the masculine and feminine nature of God.
Core Thesis
We explored the idea that while God is most often addressed in masculine terms (e.g., "Heavenly Father"), the divine nature fully encompasses the qualities we associate with motherhood: nurturing, life-giving, comforting, and unconditional, sustaining love. This complements rather than contradicts the fatherly image.
1. The Daoist Foundation: The Way as "Mother"
We began with a passage from Lao Zi's Dao De Jing (Chapter 6), which describes the Dao (The Way) as the "unfathomable motherhood" (玄牝). Key attributes identified were:
- The Root of All: The generative source and womb of creation.
- Unconditional Nurture: A quiet, ever-present, and inexhaustible love that surrounds and supports.
- The Law of Liberty: Following the Dao’s "Laws of Nature" is not restrictive but leads to effortless, stress-free, and revitalizing living—like a mother’s guidance for a child’s flourishing.
2. Biblical Corroboration: God's Motherly Heart
We established that this Daoist vision finds deep resonance in the Bible, which uses powerful feminine and maternal imagery for God:
- God as a Mother Giving Birth: (Deut. 32:18, Isaiah 42:14).
- God as a Nurturing and Comforting Mother: (Isaiah 66:13, Isaiah 49:15, Psalm 131:2).
- God as a Protective Mother Bird: (Psalm 91:4, Matthew 23:37).
- God's Wisdom as Feminine (Sophia): (Proverbs 8, Wisdom of Solomon 7)—personified as a co-creator and master artisan at God’s side.
3. The Harmonious Synthesis
We concluded that:
- God as Spirit transcends human gender.
- Masculine and feminine metaphors are both necessary, complementary revelations. They are like two lenses through which we glimpse different facets of God's infinite love:
- Father: Reveals purposeful love, authority, identity, and lineage.
- Mother: Reveals intimate love, nurture, comfort, birthing, and unconditional sustenance.
- Together, they give us a more complete picture of the Divine Parent—the ultimate source, sustainer, and comforter.
The Unifying Insight
Whether called the Dao (The Way) or God the Creator, the ultimate reality is characterized by a love that is both fatherly and motherly in its fullness. It is a love that:
- Creates and births us (the Root).
- Nurtures and carries us throughout life (the Sustainer).
- Invites us into a life of harmony and peace when we align with its gracious, life-giving principles (the Law of Liberty).
Our discussion bridged Eastern philosophical wisdom and biblical revelation to affirm a holistic, comforting vision of the Divine: the Source of all, who is as intimately nurturing as the most devoted mother and as steadfastly guiding as the most loving father.
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