I have never known anyone who has improved his life by sitting on the ground for hours, lighting candles, chanting some mantras, and engaging in so-called meditation. In saying that, I do not mean that I am against meditating. I am just saying that we should do it effectively, so that we can draw real benefits.

Taoist meditation is extremely practical. It aims at figuring out the Enlightened Path, that is, the sequence of actions aligned with the Tao. When I speak of “actions” in this context, I also mean “non-actions.” For the Taoist, it’s as important to know what to do as to know what to avoid.

Chapter 48 of the Tao Te Chung emphasises the non-action aspects of the Tao. It says that, “when we pursue learning, we add something every day, but when we follow the Tao, we let go of something everyday.”

In contrast to Aristotelian thinking, Taoist meditation starts with deletion before addition. Aristotle (384-322 BC) favoured thinking in terms of goals (teleology), cause and effect.

We are told by Aristotle to identify objectives and establish a plan of action. That’s the pattern underlying his “Eudemian Ethics” and “Nicomachean Ethics.” Aristotelian ethics revolve around self-development and the pursuit of specific goals.

Taoists do the exact opposite when they meditate. They look at what’s not working, so that they can get rid of it. They want to make space in their lives before they can take on new tasks. While Aristotelians tend to take too much on their shoulders, Taoists will thoroughly clean up the board before loading up.

Lao-Tzu’s metaphor of the newborn child

Balance is the great advantage of Taoist meditation. In this respect, it is widely superior to any other kind of meditation. A Taoist remains conscious of his constraints of time and energy, and his readiness to undertake new projects is subordinated to his resolve to discard what’s not working.

Stress is the consequence of inconsistencies, overload, lack of clarity, and ethical contradictions. If we raise our goals each month, are we not pushing ourselves beyond what’s healthy?

In the case of Taoist meditation, we would only raise our goals after we have cleared the deck to free up sufficient time and energy. The whole point of Taoist meditation is to perform this reset, that is, to discard the useless and refocus our efforts.

In Chapter 55 of the Tao Te Ching, Lao-Tzu describes this process as follows: “He who is aligned with the Tao is like a newborn child.” Through the process of mediation, the Taoist resets his priorities, cleans up the board, and gets a new lease on life.

What is the key difference between Taoist meditation and other types of meditation? The willingness to immediately quit any activity, project or goal that is not aligned with the Tao.

In the process of meditation, Lao-Tzu advises us to review our goals and assess them regularly to see if they still make sense. Are we going in the right direction? Are we pursuing the correct goals?

Chapter 44 of the Tao Te Ching asks typical questions that Taoists should answer during meditation: Is our public image more important than our integrity? Are we prioritising money over happiness? Is the price of success too high?

The Tao Te Ching and lean thinking

In contrast to Aristotelian thinking, Taoist meditation gives a large weight to maintaining harmony in one’s life. Happiness, as understood by Lao-Tzu, rests on serenity, which is the direct opposite of overload, anxiety and stress.

Chapter 33 of the Tao Te Ching defines a truly wealthy man or woman as someone who has realised that he has enough. In the Taoist tradition, meditation revolves around defining one’s limits, so that we can regularly discard excessive burdens and improve our lifestyle.

In modern industrial management, Taoist meditation can be linked to kaizen exercises or lean optimisation. Those methods aim at removing waste from the production process, so that we can generate valuable products and services efficiently.

Ancient Taoists understand setbacks and failure as prompts for realigning our actions with the Tao. We should listen to the prompts and give the correct reply.

Chapter 58 of the Tao Te Ching states somewhat cryptically that “good fortune hides in setbacks.” It is up to us to employ Taoist meditation to analyse those setbacks, pinpoint their root cause, stop digging a deeper hole, and refocus our actions.

In industrial environments, Taoist meditation translates into kaizen exercises and lean reorganisations. They revolve around identifying waste, duplications, overwork, confusion, unclarity, errors and oversights. In doing so, they free up time and energy for extra output, innovation and profitability.

Taoism and Philippe de Commynes

Meandering, zigzagging, and coat turning do not constitute valid outcomes of Taoist meditation because they have nothing to do with seeking the Enlightened Path. Nonetheless, there are many examples in history of people who have engaged in conflicting actions, while trying to present them as wise and enlightened.

Philippe de Commynes (1447-1511), who many view as the first modern European historian, wrote more than six hundred pages of memories, covering the key periods of his career. His reminiscences were not intended as Taoist meditation, but they correspond to what many people consider valid meditation.

Commynes personal history was thoroughly chaotic. In the course of his career, he served the Duke of Burgundy, then he changed sides and worked for King Louis XI of France. After the latter’s death, he tried to land a job with the new king, but ended up joining the anti-royal party.

The king sent Commynes to jail for eight months, but those adventures did not deter Commynes from later seeking a post as French Ambassador to Venice. He spent his last decades in relative obscurity, devoting himself to writing his memories.

Commynes’ memories represent the opposite of Taoism and the Enlightened Path because they do not look for self-improvement, wisdom and doing what needs to be done. The idea of letting go of detrimental habits didn’t guide Commynes’ thoughts and actions.

When Commynes changed sides or jobs, he did not claim to pursue the Enlightened Path in absolute terms. He considered Louis XI superior to the Duke of Burgundy, but in retrospect, one can see little idealism or consistency in Commynes’ career choices.

A Taoist would have probably opted for staying out of high office, so that he could live inconspicuously and happily. Let’s learn the key difference between Taoist meditation and chaotic self-justifications. The former builds on the natural order, and the latter tries to pass inconsistency off as wisdom.

If you are interested in putting rational ideas into practice, I recommend my book “Sequentiality: The Amazing Power of Finding the Right Sequence of Steps.”