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Tao Te Ching Verse 51

translated by Tien Cong Tran

The Way gives birth [to all things]; Virtue nourishes; matter shapes; environment
perfects.
Therefore all things without exception revere the Way and honor Virtue, although
they are not commanded, but left to do so naturally.
Hence, the Way gives birth; Virtue nurses, grows, fosters, shelters, comforts,
nourishes, and guards.
It gives birth but does not claim as its own; it does but does not claim its doing; it
grows but does not claim to be master.
This is called hidden Virtue.

photo of Herb Alpert 

Appreciating without needing to possess

Are there things in your life that you feel would bring you happiness if only you owned them?  Could it be a new car?  What about a dwelling place?  Would you be happy if you owned a new kitchen knife set?  A new phone?  A new computer?  What would these things actually do for you?  Could it be possible to feel happiness just by appreciating them without needing to own them?

Now let’s think about people.  When you see a person to whom you are attracted, what is your reaction?  Do you immediately want to be intimate with that person?  Do you start thinking of what a relationship with that person might be like?  Do you start thinking how you could make that person happy?  Do you initiate a conversation sometimes with the intention of waiting to see if an opportunity develops?  What could it look like if we were to internally acknowledge if that person was attractive and just...appreciate that we can appreciate that attractiveness?  Can we be happy with just the moment without needing to do anything about it, either mentally or physically?

Finally, let’s think about our own spiritual status.  Are we at one point in our growth, trying to get to another?  Are we trying to grow actively?  Do we want to get to a place where we are masters of the Tao, or just get good at going with the flow?  Isn’t this like wanting to possess the Tao in a way?  What would it look like if we were content to play our parts, to participate in our lives in the way the Tao orchestrates, not worrying about if we’re spiritual enough?  What if we could be ok with our current state of spiritual awareness instead of wanting to get better?  Do we need to possess our spiritual growth, or can we merely appreciate it when we notice a change in our perceptions?  Just like appreciating a beautiful object or attractive person, we can appreciate the gifts of the Tao and being in Harmony with the Tao.  Let’s remember though that we do not need to force it.  Yes, there are things we can practice, but we can do those things without an endstate in mind.  We can do those things much like a key in a lock makes a new discovery possible when the door is opened for us.

So yes, we can practice emulating the Tao by exercising respect, honesty, kindness, and service to others.  That’s all from a desire to move into harmony with the Tao.  We can also, as this verse states, allow the gifts and the power of the Tao to enter us freely without its needing to possess us.  So we can complete the circle by freely giving respect, freely being honest, freely offering kindness, and freely performing service to others - with no strings, no if I do this then I’ll get that, no expectation of return for any of it.  For if we can do this, we are then truly imitating the greatest thing and no-thing we can.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 50

translated by Anonymous

Humans come and go
Their bodies as the seat of life
Their bodies as the seat of death
Humans get old and decay
Why is that?
It's because they are already dead, but think that they're living
There have been stories told and written about people who had found true life
And wandered around the earth
Not afraid of tigers or rhinos
Those who avoided weapons and violence
And lived in harmony with all creatures
Therefore no creature felt threatened by them
And no weapon could harm them
Why is that?
Because they were only living
And that's where there is no room for death

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Immortality

What’s it mean to be unscathed on the battlefield?  Like swords and bullets literally can’t destroy me?  No, there are laws of physics, so they’ll destroy your biology for sure.  But they can’t touch those experiences.  The swords and bullets can’t do anything to destroy the impact that you've made on others around you.

Rhinos and tigers.  Or bullies.  Or people that have abused you.  Or natural disasters.  None of those things, if you are in ‘possession’ of the Tao, can affect your inner nature.  

So we are talking about non-corporeal immortality here.  And it’s quite simple:  We are expressions of the Tao.  The Tao is infinite.  Therefore, we  are infinite.  

Of course, I always forget this.  My senses and the life I live have a keen way of pulling me back into thinking that this is all there is.  But there are times when I can remember - in morning meditation, mostly - that despite being biologic, I am part of something way bigger than I think.  And sometimes, I can take this with me when I leave my dwelling and interact with the world.  In those moments, I gotta tell you, everything looks different.  Cars on the road are funny.  The seriousness with which we carry ourselves seems funny.  Money is...idk, this fake concept that everyone’s decided to go with because it’s easier than carrying heavy metal around.  The illusion is displayed in front of me, available for everyone to see and yet it is safely ensconced behind a transparent veil.  And then I realize that I am the one creating the veil by separating from it, too, and I go back to that whole ‘just participate’ thing.

It’s a trip, for sure.  I would encourage you to try this out - if only for a thought experiment.  Take a moment or two, during meditation maybe, to remember that the Tao of you is impervious to physical harm, that despite your corporeal death, that life force, that feeling inside you of being alive and that knowing of being a part of something far greater than imagination, even, is what goes on to infinity.  Then go interact with the world.  Or look at stuff on the internet.  Observe everyone seeming to take things so seriously.  Laugh a little, then go back to participating.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 49

translated by Chou Wing Chohan

The sage has no self that she can call "mine,"
She turns the self of the people into her own.
I act with goodness toward the good,
I act with goodness toward the bad, too,
And so the good is contagious.
I relate with trust to the person who is worthy of trust,
I relate with trust to the person who is not worthy of trust, too,
And so trust is contagious.
The sage lives in the world in her victory and rules the world with her simplicity.
But when all the people look at her and listen to her,
The sage takes care of them, like a mother takes care of her children.

Photo by Vonecia Carswell on Unsplash

Growing relationships

What is the Sage to the people and the people to the Sage other than a relationship?  Sure, it looks a little different than a one on one, but the basic idea is there: one entity or person co-existing in relation to another.  Lao Tzu urges the Sage to treat those who are good well, and treat those who are bad well.  The terms ‘dignity and respect’ come to mind.

So no matter who a person is to me, no matter what they do, I can always find a way to honor their humanity.  Does this mean that I should roll myself out like a doormat and allow people to walk on me?  No, on the contrary - in a relationship, I am at least 50% of it, and allowing another to have their way with me to the point that it is detrimental to me robs them of a potentially beautiful experience they can have.  So no doormatting!

What about personal relationships?   

If I am 50% of a relationship with whomever I treat, I am in a position to impact it either positively or negatively.  Same with the other person.  And while I may have started a relationship with another for business, romance, or friendship, my primary concern needs to be how the relationship grows.  For example, I can meet a colleague that becomes my friend.  I can meet a significant other that becomes my business partner and friend.  So roles, perhaps, are arbitrary and convenient ways to think about relationships.  But what about the magic that happens when I grow in relation with the other person?  There is this give and take, this ebb and flow between us.  My influence and their influence make us a type of One, don’t they?  

Now, if that growth past the initial definition of roles is what creates that beautiful tapestry of humanity for which I’ve got an opportunity to sit and work side by side with the weaver, what is it that keeps the growth happening?  What keeps that shuttle moving back and forth, tirelessly, making imperceptible changes in just a pass but over time creating wonder and beauty?  Treating the other person well all the time, not just when I feel like it or don’t feel like it.  Being sincere and honest with that person, whether I feel like it or not.  

In treating another with love and being sincere with them, I keep that shuttle’s path free of obstructions, and allow it to do its work.  By treating others with equanimity, I make way for the Tao to flow through us and create this precious experience we call life.

If I can practice showing love and sincerity, dignity and respect to others as much as I can and to the best of my ability, I can allow the relationships in my life to grow into stunningly beautiful expressions of the Tao.  

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Tao Te Ching Verse 48

translated by John C. H. Wu

Learning consists in daily accumulating;
The practice of Tao consists in daily diminishing.

Keep on diminishing and diminishing,
Until you reach the state of Non-Action.
Do nothing, and find that nothing is left undone.

To win the world, the Sage must renounce all.
If one still has private ends to serve,
One will never be able to win the world.

Photo by Bankim Desai on Unsplash

How to Gain by Losing:

Is there something that is throwing you off balance right now?  Do you feel like things were ok last week or even yesterday, but today, maybe you’re not feeling as content and tranquil as you’d like?

If so, I’d invite you to stop for a moment when it’s safe and convenient, and come into awareness of yourself, your surroundings.  Come into the awareness of your thoughts and feelings.  Come into the awareness of your innate connection with your inner self and with the Tao.

Ask the Tao, ‘please show me what is causing me to feel this way.’  Then, knowing that the request is granted as soon as you think or say it, appreciate and thank the Tao for providing.  If you can do that, the hard part is over!  Go about your day and allow little things around you to come into your awareness, and see where they point.

Remember that the thing that is causing you to be off center is usually something that is the closest to you, which is why it’s difficult to see.  It can be relationships that you think are in a ‘good’ status.  It can be silent ambitions that only you know about.  If you’re open and patient, you will become aware of it.

Once you do, set aside some time to sit with this realization.  I like to sit with a blank piece of paper.  I write the cause down in the middle, then start exploring why.  Why am I feeling this way?  Why is this important to me to feel this way?  How do I think this thing, if I get it, is going to give me emotional security, financial security, prestige, or intimacy?  

When I have answered these questions thoroughly, I find that I’ve got a bead on that little gremlin.  The next thing to do is to take responsibility for him.  I ask myself:  what am I doing to feed this ambition?  How am I running counter to the principles of the Tao?  How am I inserting my selfishness into this situation?  What am I doing or not doing to cut off my trust in the Tao to provide?

I know I have searched and explored enough when I have written everything I can think of and a feeling of stillness comes over me.  Sometimes, the thought, ‘rest’ flashes in my mind. 

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Tao Te Ching Verse 47

translated by Ellen Marie Chen

Without stepping out the door,
Know the world.
Without looking out the window,
See the Tao of Heaven.
The farther one comes out,
The less one knows.
Therefore the sage knows without traveling,
Understands things without seeing them,
Accomplishes without work.

Photo by ANIRUDH on Unsplash

Staying Inside

Lao Tzu says we don’t need to leave the house to know what’s going on.  He says we don’t need to peer outside the windows to know the Tao.  My short time in Brazil and the wonderful things I experienced seem to be defying that, don’t they?  Only maybe not.  Maybe Lao Tzu is talking about volition and desire here instead of actual actions.

Let’s imagine that the house and windows are our corporeal forms.  Let’s also imagine that we who are inside our dwellings are just our consciousness.  So now, the verse reads a little different: To know what’s going on outside of me, I don’t need to leave my body.  To  know the Tao, I don’t need to look outside.  Nope, to know the Tao, I need to look inside, don’t I?  Let’s extend a little bit.  Perhaps the house in this verse is the satisfaction of our corporeal senses.  And looking out the window is the lie we tell ourselves that we don’t have everything we need to grow into harmony with the Tao. 

I think the main takeaway from the first part of the verse is that in order to move into Harmony with the Tao, we don’t need anything external to ourselves.  In fact, those external things are actually distractors.  We talked about Abandoning Desires in the last verse - perhaps desires are those external things that we keep looking for that ultimately don’t hold the answers.  

So literally staying inside the house and not venturing out?  Sure, that’s fine.  Venturing off and experiencing the beauty of a people and language, customs and ways of life?  Sure, that’s fine, too. 
To me, It’s setting aside the belief that I must go outside myself to experience the Tao.  That’s my interpretation of what Lao Tzu is speaking about here. 

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Tao Te Ching Verse 46

translation by Isabella Mears

When Tao was manifested to humanity,
Horses were used for cultivating the fields.
When Tao was hidden within itself,
War horses were reared on the frontiers.

There is no sin greater than desire,
There is no misfortune greater than discontent,
There is no calamity greater than the wish to acquire,
Therefore to be satisfied is an everlasting sufficiency.

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

We are the Warhorses

A horse can be either a utility animal or a weapon.  Just like our ego idea back in verse 39, isn’t it?  We can use our egos for selfish pursuits or we can use our sense of self awareness to create beautiful things.  

So if we can imagine ourselves for a moment as neutral entities, just like the horse in this verse, can we observe how things feel different in peacetime and wartime in our homes, our work, and with friends?

At home, what does it look like when it's peacetime?  Everyone is doing their thing, life is pretty tranquil.  Dinner time is nice.  There is a feeling of contentment there, like ah, this is what it’s supposed to be like, isn’t there?    How do you feel?

But what about when there are disagreements, no matter how small?  Can you feel the ‘not quite right’ feeling?  What do you do in these cases?  Try to weather the storm, add your influence to the strife to make it go your way?  How does this feel?

At work, when everyone is working as a team and the mission is getting done in a productive, feel-good way - how does that feel?  Pretty good, in my experience, like things are as they should be.  Idk about you but for me it feels so good in those moments, like they’re perfect moments, when all cylinders are firing, the machine is well oiled, and it is producing things with precision and with regular timing.

Sometimes it seems that those moments are few and far between, depending on your work culture - who’s there, what the leader’s like, what the chemistry seems to feel like.  And when your workplace isn’t having those moments of pure...purpose, what’s it like then?  Things getting done but with little eddies of discontent flowing around, sometimes catching you and sometimes missing you.  What does that feel like?

With friends, a get together is a happy occasion, isn’t it?  Everyone’s there, enjoying each other’s company, doing their own thing.  Until so and so opens their mouth and starts creating drama, right?  You either watch it, join in, or avoid the drama, right?  Regardless of your level of participation, how does that make you feel?

So we’ve had a look at what peacetime and wartime look like in our daily lives.  And just like the verse, there is a common element to it, isn’t there?  In the verse, it’s a horse.  In your life, it’s you.  Lao Tzu is talking about the state in the first part here - what happens when the state is at peace and at war.  What he doesn’t mention specifically about the state of the state is why it’s sometimes at peace and sometimes at war.  Is it due to outside forces?  Or is it due to the state’s state of discontent?  I think it’s safe to say that while the first part of this verse seems to be about government discontent, we can apply it to ourselves.  So if the common element is you in your daily life, ask yourself - how much of my daily war and peace comes from my discontent?  

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Tao Te Ching Verse 45

translated by Dwight Goddard

Extreme perfection seems imperfect, its function is not exhausted.
Extreme fullness appears empty, its function is not exercised.
Extreme straightness appears crooked; 
great skill, clumsy; 
great eloquence, stammering. 
Motion conquers cold, quietude conquers heat. 
Not greatness but purity and clearness are the world's standard.

Photo by Tolu Bamwo at nappy.co

The Tao Provides

Growing up in rural, southwest PA, I was in the woods often.  I haven’t been there in years, but I remember many things about it.  I remember the broad, green leaves that turned the air cooler and made a slightly different color of shade.  I remember the soil, and how it smelled so earthy - sometimes it was black, sometimes it was clay, sometimes it was rocky.  But it always had this nice, full smell to it.  There were hills and ravines everywhere, and it was impossible to find a flat place that went on for any amount of time.  We had robins, worms, little bugs, we had deer, turkeys, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, the occasional mountain lion and bears.

My travels have taken me to other landscapes since then.  I think the most austere place I visited was the northern tip of the Sahara Desert in Tunisia.  At first glance, there was nothing but sand to meet the horizon.  But after awhile, I started to notice things - little things that popped up out of the sand.  Little hills came up out of nowhere, little bushes that didn’t seem like they could thrive there, sand colored spiders and other insects.  Though it looked sparse from an outsider’s perspective, I found that the desert too was teeming with life.

Regardless of the landscape in which I found myself, I noticed that there was always some theme, some flavor of life that occupied it.  Seemingly abundant or seemingly sparse; it didn’t matter.  There was an entire ecosystem in each place.  There was perfection everywhere.

In this verse, Lao Tzu talks about how things aren’t as they seem.  There is perfection in imperfection, there is abundance in scarcity, there are direct routes through curvy paths.  I feel like taking a look at a desert landscape can help illustrate this for us.  The desert I visited had everything it needed to be a desert.  And life, uh, found a way, despite the most inhospitable conditions it seems nature could hurl at it.

So how is there perfection through imperfection in our lives?  Isn’t everything that we need there as well?  Not only to survive, but to thrive!  In our own lives, our own circumstances, we have our little emotional ecosystems, our little interpersonal networks, and our ‘lifestyles’ all around us, don’t we?  We don’t really need to do anything, nor do we need to look very hard to see that we are supported pretty much no matter what.  

Of course we have the power to change our personal ecosystems.  We have the power to be dissatisfied with them.  And we have the power to become content with them as well.  Everything is provided for us to do so.  

Could the desert change itself into a verdant, lush rainforest?  I think so, given time and momentum gained from small, microscopic changes that could occur over time. But would it be necessary?  That’s my question.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 44

translated by Lin Yutang

Fame or one's own self, which does one love more?
One's own self or material goods, which has more worth?
Loss (of self) or possession (of goods), which is the greater evil?

Therefore: those who love most spend most,
   Those who hoard much lose much.
The contented person meets no disgrace;
Who know when to stop run into no danger -
They can long endure.

Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash

Those who love more spend more, Those who hoard more lose more

Isn’t spending really more fun than saving?  For me it is.  Of course I understand that saving money now helps safeguard against a significant disruption in my lifestyle later.  So I do it.  And to a certain extent, it’s nice to see some of that financial security in the bank.  But it’s still way more fun to spend it, at least in my opinion. 

But what if we’re not talking exclusively about money here?  Maybe we’re talking about spending love vs hoarding love?  Maybe we’re talking about service to others!  What is service but the outpouring of one’s own energy for the benefit of others?  Further: what if by spending my own energy on others, I become more and more like that empty vessel into which the Tao may flow more and more?  

The contented shall know no disgrace

When I’m still, when all is right with the world and me, I feel no need to change it.  When I don’t need to change anything, there is nothing at stake.  When I am not putting myself out there, there is no risk of failure, is there?  But let’s not confuse this with doing the right thing - remember we talked about non-action as really the abstention of inserting our egos into things.  If I am trying to make positive change in the world and do not attach to the outcome, I am still not putting myself at risk for feeling disgrace, am I?  I am doing my part, I am honoring myself by not attaching.  I am still content within.

Who knows when to stop runs into no danger & can long endure

I feel like knowing when to stop is a byproduct of contentment.  So the obvious ones are knowing when to stop consuming things, when to stop in an argument, when to stop doing things.  But what about knowing when to stop not doing things?  Ignoring a certain circumstance because it’s not convenient - isn’t that not doing something, not to be confused with non-action?  What about standing by and not addressing the elephant in the room?  I’ve experienced some dire consequences from both cases.  

So for me, knowing when to stop is knowing when I am either doing or not doing something to serve my corporeal or egoistic desires, reexamining my motives, and adjusting accordingly so I can move into Harmony with the Tao.  I feel like when my waters are calm and my dust is settled, it is easier for me to know when to stop.  

Tao Te Ching Verse 44 (Anonymous):

What comes first, life or status?
What's more important to you, yourself or your possessions?
What's worse, having or losing?
One who wants a lot pays a high price
One who has a lot, has a lot to lose
But one who is satisfied knows neither fear nor disgrace
And one who has stopped playing a part in the game will never be afraid again and will live happily ever after.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 43

translated by Walter Gorn-Old

The gentlest thing in the world will override the strongest.
The Non-Existent pervades everything, though there be no inlet.
By this I comprehend how effectual is non-action.
To teach without words and to be useful without action, few among people are capable of this.

Photo by Courtney Cook on Unsplash

The Dextrous butcher, translated by Burton Watson

Cook Ting was cutting up an ox for Lord Wen-hui. As every touch of his hand, every heave of his shoulder, every move of his feet, every thrust of his knee — zip! zoop! He slithered the knife along with a zing, and all was in perfect rhythm, as though he were performing the dance of the Mulberry Grove or keeping time to the Ching-shou music.

“Ah, this is marvelous!” said Lord Wen-hui. “Imagine skill reaching such heights!”

Cook Ting laid down his knife and replied, “What I care about is the Way, which goes beyond skill. When I first began cutting up oxen, all I could see was the ox itself. After three years I no longer saw the whole ox. And now — now I go at it by spirit and don’t look with my eyes. Perception and understanding have come to a stop and spirit moves where it wants. I go along with the natural makeup, strike in the big hollows, guide the knife through the big openings, and following things as they are. So I never touch the smallest ligament or tendon, much less a main joint.

“A good cook changes his knife once a year — because he cuts. A mediocre cook changes his knife once a month — because he hacks. I’ve had this knife of mine for nineteen years and I’ve cut up thousands of oxen with it, and yet the blade is as good as though it had just come from the grindstone. There are spaces between the joints, and the blade of the knife has really no thickness. If you insert what has no thickness into such spaces, then there’s plenty of room — more than enough for the blade to play about it. That’s why after nineteen years the blade of my knife is still as good as when it first came from the grindstone.

“However, whenever I come to a complicated place, I size up the difficulties, tell myself to watch out and be careful, keep my eyes on what I’m doing, work very slowly, and move the knife with the greatest subtlety, until — flop! the whole thing comes apart like a clod of earth crumbling to the ground. I stand there holding the knife and look all around me, completely satisfied and reluctant to move on, and then I wipe off the knife and put it away.”

“Excellent!” said Lord Wen-hui. “I have heard the words of Cook Ting and learned how to care for life!”

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Tao Te Ching Verse 42

translated by Shi Fu Hwang

From Tao arises one;
from one arises two;
from two arises three, and from three arise all things.
All things leave behind them the obscurity (Ying), and go forward to embrace the 
brightness (Yang) and inherit the blending property of the two harmonized polarities.

What people dislike is to be called solitary, unworthy, virtueless;
and yet those rulers regard them matching to their status.
So those things are benefited by being harmed, others are harmed by being benefitted.

While others have taught their precept, I have my own,
- the violent person shall die a violent death.
I will make this the basis of my teaching.

Photo by Martin Engel - Grafiker Hamburg on Unsplash

What's my purpose?

At the beginning of this year, I started questioning why I was actually here on Earth.  I had realized that I am not my body, I am not my thoughts, I’m not my words, all of that.  What I was left with was this corporeal experience I was having.  And I really could figure out what the point of it was.  

I pondered, read some things, and talked with some people.  And at the end of it, seeing how I was still alive, I came to the conclusion that I am here to participate.  That’s it.

So that helped me be ok with this cosmic circumstance in which I find myself.  Chalk it up to a part of the journey.

If that’s the case, and I’m here to participate, I can be assured that the Tao provides every experience I need to be here fully.  So when I find myself in a situation that seems undesirable, I can ask myself: is the circumstance, situation, or the way others are treating me, is it just something I’m supposed to learn from?  Or am I doing something to cause it all so I can learn?

Here’s what that question’s got to do with this verse:

The motion of the yin and the yang creates the universe.  I am of the universe, therefore, I am the universe.  There are others who are the universe as well.  Our perception of time binds us to a linear corporeal experience to allow us all to learn and experience different things.  Your journey is specific to you; mine is crafted for me.  When we look at others and their situations, and we find ourselves wanting what the other person has, be it material, people around them, or social position, we can remember that not only would a  situation like that contain trade-offs - we can also remember that our positions or circumstances may be enviable to others, as well.  Further, we can remember that each aspect of our trade-off represents this constant motion, this ebb and flow of things.

If I were to paraphrase this verse into language for today, I’d probably say something like this:

There is no need to do anything except participate in the universe.  Stop wanting more.  Allow the Tao to provide everything that you’ll ever need.  Be here for your life.  Set aside violent or selfish pursuits by concentrating on being aware of how you can bring the Tao to others.  Move into Harmony with the Tao.