Thus he counseled people to turn away from the folly of human pursuits and to return to one's natural wellspring. The five colours blind the eye. The five tones deafen the ear. The five flavours dull the taste. Racing and hunting madden the mind.
Precious things lead one astray.
Therefore the sage is guided by what he feels and not by what he sees. He lets go of that and chooses this. Te in this context refers to virtue and Ching refers to laws. The Tao was the central mystical term of the Lao Tzu and the Taoists, a formless, unfathomable source of all things. Look, it cannot be seen - it is beyond form.