Daily Tao

[BlueStar]

78.

Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and rigid,
nothing can surpass it.

Everyone knows that the soft and yielding
overcomes the rigid and hard,
yet few can put this knowledge into practise.

The Master remains serene
in the midst of sorrow.
Evil cannot enter his heart.
Because he has given up trying to help,
he is people’s greatest help.

True words seem paradoxical.

The Tao Te Ching is filled with paradoxical words that at first glance might seem nonsensical to the mind, but which can nonetheless be verified upon deeper reflection. Perhaps it was deliberately written this way to shake us out of our complacency, our unconscious assumption that we know exactly how the world works and how life ought to be.

In order to truly know, any pre-existing assumption of knowledge must be discarded, until ultimately the only thing we know with certainty is that we don’t know, that we can’t know, that it is beyond the capacity of our mind to know.

Again and again the Tao is likened to water. Water is the softest and most yielding of elements, but it is perhaps also ultimately the strongest. Whilst wind, fire and even earth have the power to create and destroy, their power is finite. Only water, the seemingly weakest and most ineffectual of substances, has the power to, over time, cut through solid stone and literally tear down mountains.

We are invited to emulate water and in so doing emulate the Tao. Soft and flexible, water exists in one of two states: it is still, or it flows; it is active or passive. It does nothing of itself, it simply follows its nature and effortlessly adjusts itself according to the circumstances around it, manoeuvring around any obstacles and always flowing back toward its source.

[BlueStar]

79.

Failure is an opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end to blame.

Someone must risk repaying injury with kindness,
or hostility will never turn to goodwill.
So the wise always give without expecting gratitude.

Therefore the Master
always seeks a way to give.
One who lacks true virtue
always seeks a way to get.
To the giver comes the fullness of life;
to the taker, just an empty hand.

This verse speaks of the virtue of giving. Perhaps because of the way we are conditioned and brought up, this is not something that comes easily to many people. We tend to reserve our generosity and kindness to a small and select group of people closest to us and close off our hearts to the rest of the world, failing to realise than it reality we are all one family; one being.

We are conditioned to believe that it’s a “dog-eat-dog world” and that if we want to get ahead, we have to be willing to take what we want and beat others to it. This mentality underlies most of the core institutions of our society on both a large and small scale. Competition is the fundamental principle that drives our economy, our politics, the business world and even our education system and entertainment pursuits.

Why not substitute competition for cooperation? Instead of focusing our entire existence on taking as much as we can, how different would it be if we could truly live to give? Anyone that has ever performed an act of kindness for another, however small, will know the joyous feeling that comes from helping someone in need. The more we re-orient ourselves to live in such a way, embodying a spirit of generosity, the more we might inspire others to do likewise. The change always begins with us.

If you look at the natural world, you will see that it isn’t all about taking. The sun shines its light with no expectation of reward, gratitude or acknowledgement. It gives of itself, freely, endlessly, without expectation of anything in return. The same is true of water, without which there could be no life on this planet. Both are essential to our very survival and they naturally give of themselves without question and without end. This is the Tao in perfect expression.

[BlueStar]

80.

Imagine a small country with few people.
They enjoy the labour of their hands
and do not waste time inventing
labour-saving machines.
Since they dearly love their homes,
they are not interested in travel.
Although they have boats and carriages,
they are rarely used.
Although there may be weapons,
nobody ever uses them.
They are content with healthy food,
pleased with simple clothing,
satisfied in snug homes.
People take pleasure in being with their families,
spending weekends working in their gardens
and delighting in the doings of the neighbourhood.
Although the next country is close enough
that they can hear their roosters crowing and dogs barking,
they are content to leave each other in peace.

Here Lao Tzu describes what might be considered a utopian existence; one that is rooted in simplicity, harmony and contentment with what is. The very word ‘utopia’ has a connotation of unattainable, rose-tinted idealism. However, we are each responsible for creating our own personal utopia and we do this through the choices that we make. It is the nature of life to present difficulties and challenges. Once we accept this, we can begin to transcend it. We can choose to live a life that is in harmony with the principles of the Tao.

Instead of constantly striving for more and more, we can be content with what we already possess – and, indeed, perhaps even give some of it away. The need to constantly attain and acquire is a terrible affliction, for there is no end to it and satisfaction is never achieved. Directing our attention to the present moment and appreciating the boundless riches around us, enables us to live more joyfully, more harmoniously and to let go of the pathological need to compete, struggle and strive, a mindset in which we live life as if it’s a kind of trench warfare.

It’s often the simplest things in life that bring us the greatest joy: the feel of sunlight on your skin, the moisture of fresh raindrops falling on your face, a simple cup of tea, the smile of a loved one, a glimpse of the sky at sunset. When our mind is continuously in the future, striving to acquire and achieve more, we are blinded to these simple joys – which are the essence of life itself.

Know when enough is enough. Become more aware of the present moment, and embrace simplicity. Be happy with what you are, where you are and what you have. Immediate and lasting happiness is guaranteed. This, I believe, is Lao Tzu’s message in this penultimate verse of the Tao Te Ching.

[BlueStar]

81.

True words are not eloquent;
eloquent words are not true.
Wise men do not need to debate;
men who need to debate are not wise.
Wise men are not scholars;
scholars are not wise.

The Master desires no possessions.
The more he does for others,
the happier he is.
The more he gives to others,
the wealthier he is.

The Tao nourishes by not forcing.
The Master imitates this,
acting for the good of all
and opposing himself to no one.

One of the insights in this final verse of the Tao Te Ching appears to echo the opening words of the first verse: namely that truth cannot be expressed or contained in words, however eloquent or beautiful they might be.

Truth is beyond words. Therefore there is no need to debate it and even less need to try and seek it through acquired knowledge. Truth is nothing, and yet everything. It is the Tao; the great expanse of emptiness, the unmanifest, the well-spring of pure potentiality from which everything emerges. But don’t get hung up on the words. As Lao Tzu stated in verse one, the moment you try to label it and express it with words, you’ve lost it, for the Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.

Much of the Tao Te Ching is comprised of Lao Tzu’s portrait of the Master: he or she who has fully realised the Tao and who effortlessly embodies it in daily life. Being deeply rooted in the Tao, the Master has no need to fixate on the outward forms of life, the world of the 10,000 things. Why fixate on something (some thing) when you know your true essence to be nothing (no thing)?

Things are just taken care of. There is nothing to strive for and nothing to achieve. The Master’s nature is to give, in much the same way as the sun’s nature is to shine and water’s nature is to nourish. This isn’t a manufactured or calculated giving; it is simply a natural propensity not to old back and contract, but to expand, reach outward and share. What does the Master give? He gives whatever the situation requires and whatever his heart prompts him to give.

The final pearl of wisdom in this timeless treasure of a text, is to refrain from forcing things. The Tao, operating through nature, has no need to force. Any attempts to force invariably end in calamity. Flowers and trees bud and blossom at exactly the right time, just as day follows night and Spring follows Winter at exactly the right time.

There is no need to force anything. Letting go, we can see the perfection inherent around and within us and life becomes an exquisite exercise in allowing. When we remove the obstructions created by our grasping minds, things naturally come into balance. There’s nothing we need to do, but allow the Tao to flow through us, directing our words and actions. Surrendering to this inherent power within us, we come into alignment with the truth of what we are and become an instrument of harmony in this world.

[BlueStar]

Over two years have passed since I initially created this thread (which was from my Daily Tao blog), and although I completed all 81 verses, I have since gone back and have been editing and often re-writing my blog entries. Sometimes it's just polishing up sentence structure, and other times I've felt the need to re-evaluate my original comments. But I am now going to go through and update my original entries. I also intend to compile the content into a book and youtube series. Hope you enjoy

[Lion Spirit Walker]

Thank you very much. A truly wonderful gift.

[BlueStar]

Thank you very much. A truly wonderful gift.

Thanks my friend! It's been a gift to me too, it really has

[BlueStar]

I've now updated all 81 verses (whew!). Rewritten or simply re-edited, it's now complete.

Thank you for joining me in my Tao journey, I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. It's been great revisiting this and revising my commentary. I love the message of the Tao and believe it is as deeply relevant today as it was 2,500 years ago, if not more so.

I have compiled the content of this blog into a small book, originally conceived as a gift for friends and family who might be interested but not especially 'blog people', and I intend to make it available on my website and perhaps even Kindle too. I'm also thinking of somehow translating this blog to YouTube. Stay tuned, I will post it here too I'm happy to spread this wonderful and important message - a better way of living, and perhaps the key to saving our world.

[Lion Spirit Walker]

Well done my wise and wonderful friend.

[BlueStar]

Thank you