Chuang Tzu's guidance to connect with the Tao emphasizes which practice?

• A. Read Scriptures Daily
• B. Meditate in Silence
• C. Practice Asceticism
• D. Empty Their Minds of All Thoughts and Desires

Answer: (D)

The main idea being tested is that aligning with the Tao comes from freeing the mind of attachments and rigids, so you can respond to life in a natural, spontaneous way. Chuang Tzu stresses letting go of desires, judgments, and fixed ways of thinking to perceive the Tao directly. When the mind is emptied of thoughts and desires, you’re not pulling in different aims or preferences; you’re open to the Tao guiding you in the moment—this is the spirit of wu wei in his teaching.

Context helps: in his parables and stories, true mastery comes not from force or rule-keeping but from an unobstructed, flexible mind that accepts things as they are. That effortless responsiveness is what emerges when the mind is empty of clinging and overthinking.

Reading scriptures daily implies dependence on external texts, which Chuang Tzu often questions. Meditating in silence is related, but the core emphasis is the internal state of not clinging to thoughts and desires, rather than the act of sitting in quiet alone. Asceticism, meanwhile, is at odds with his playful, natural approach that values ease and spontaneity over self-denial.