The Tao Te Ching is a practical book, likely written in the sixth century BC by Lao Tsu.

I hadn't heard of this book or Lao Tsu until 2008, when a dear friend, Ashok Jainani, gifted me a beautifully bound Xerox copy of it on a hot July evening in Mumbai.

Ashok is a scholar in his own right. I enjoy conversing with him, although we may not always share the same perspective on religion. 

He has a broad understanding of many subjects, gained through dedicated study and research instead of formal schooling. This sets him apart, as he is not confined by any dogma or mainstream ideology.

What initially drew me was the translation of this ancient Chinese classic, which brings Lao Tsu's teachings to life. 

Altogether, it contains 81 poems (though I know it’s not the technically correct term) that express a profound wisdom. 

Lao Tsu’s philosophy is simple: “Accept what is in front of you without wanting the situation to be other than it is. Study the natural order of things and work with it rather than against it, for to try to change what is only sets up resistance.”  

I am sharing one of those 81, with heartfelt thanks to dear Ashok Jainani –

Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub;

It is the center hole that makes it useful.

Shape clay into a vessel;

It is the space within that makes it useful.

Cut doors and windows for a room;

It is the holes which make it useful.

Therefore, profit comes from what is there; 

Usefulness from what is not there.

-          Lao Tsu, China (sixth century BC)