Dao, method, technique, and tool are the essence of the thought of Laozi, the founder of Daoism. Understanding the concepts themselves does not help us much. To make good use of this wisdom, it is more important to understand how they relate to one another. To understand the relationships among Dao, method, technique, and tool, we need to add “nature” above Dao. We won’t delve into the profound meaning behind “Dao follows nature.” Here, “Dao follows nature” means that everything that exists in this world—visible or invisible, real or virtual, objective or subjective, still or moving—is part of nature. Thus, “Dao follows nature” means that Dao is a principle distilled from all that exists and changes.
The Dao is great wisdom, but that does not mean it consists only of great wisdom; it also contains the common knowledge and principles that ordinary people understand. The Great Dao and the lesser Dao are both Dao. What matters is that Dao can be understood in a way that continually elevates a person. A simple, common-sense principle can be understood as a wiser and more profound one, and likewise as something more abstract, ultimate, and essential—the Great Dao or the Dao of Heaven. That is why Dao can be described as the laws governing everything that exists in nature: it is a principle. Dao arises in accordance with nature.
The relationships among methods, techniques, and tools naturally follow from this: methods arise in accordance with the Dao, techniques arise in accordance with methods, and tools arise in accordance with techniques. In other words, when faced with a phenomenon or a natural entity, we must first understand the laws governing its operation and clarify the direction. We then follow those laws to formulate the right method and identify the right path, match the appropriate technology to that method, and improve efficiency. For the relevant technology, we choose useful tools to amplify the results. This is the essence of the idea that tools reside in techniques, techniques conform to methods, and methods are grounded in the Dao. Once we understand this relationship, many of the things we do become much clearer, more precise, and more effective.
First, spring flowers and autumn fruits exist naturally. But we must first discover the pattern that flowers bloom in spring and fruits ripen in autumn. By following the cycle of spring blossoms and autumn harvests, we learn to sow in spring and reap in autumn. By following that cycle, we study planting and harvesting, and by following those practices, we use plows and sickles. Layer by layer, the Dao, principles, methods, and tools adapt to human needs, and only then do we have food to eat. Conversely, it becomes easy to understand that humans follow the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows nature. What people need to eat depends on what can grow in the soil, which in turn depends on the weather. What governs changes in the weather? How did people discover the pattern of seasonal change? By observing the natural cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, people discovered its recurring Dao. The sun and moon are natural phenomena; the alternation of yin and yang is the Dao. Yang moves and acts; yin pauses and gathers. Working well during the day and resting well at night is the principle; working efficiently during the day and sleeping soundly at night