The Tao is empty
but inexhaustible,
bottomless,
the ancestor of it all.

Within it, the sharp edges become smooth;
the twisted knots loosen;
the sun is softened by a cloud;
the dust settles into place.

It is hidden but always present.
I do not know who gave birth to it.
It seems to be the common ancestor of all, the father of things.

–

Infinity is very difficult concept for humanity. Numerous mathematicians have sought to quantify it, and in doing so eventually lost their minds and committed suicide. When I read this verse, so many other fields of interest spring to mind; Zero Point Energy – the infinite power source the world desperately needs, the work of Marko Rodin, the Measurement Problem, it all seems to hang off these simple words, first written over two thousand years ago by Lao-tzu. I could write hundreds of words on these topics alone, but I have chosen to brush over them in the interest of spirituality.

If the Tao is the infinite source of creation, ever present and within us all, then it safe to assume that we are all products of the Tao. The Tao connects us, and though we may appear and feel separate, I think we all know deep down that we are all connected.

I’ve spoken about the Measurement Problem before, about the power of the observer in Quantum Mechanics. It has been shown that nothing exists in reality, until it is observed. As observers, that makes us all co-creators of this universe. This may not be exclusive to humans, it may be possible that the very energy that makes up the atoms that our bodies are made up of is conscious. That the brain is actually some kind of recording device allowing us to record observations made by the greater consciousness in the interest of physical survival.

If there was no observation, then everything we think of in reality – the ten thousand things referred to by Lao-tzu – would exist everywhere and nowhere. In the real reality, all of us, and everything does exist everywhere, and nowhere. The probable truth is that the universe we think of is a hologram, a projection of ourselves. We are the Tao. In this superposition there is no time, and no things, just an infinite realm of relationships between thoughts. It’s so difficult to get your head around that I’m waffling now, unable to grasp the infinite as so many before.

The frustration of man (or so it would seem) is this: Our hardware is ill equipped to sense the infinite. We are led by our senses, and our senses (in most cases) only perceive the manifestations of our observations.

Is the Tao the Chi, the Zero Point energy, the Spirit? Lost to science due to its immeasurability perhaps. But for how long?

Verse 3.

Putting a value on status
will create contentiousness.
If you overvalue possessions,
then people begin to steal.
By not displaying what is desirable,
you will cause the peoples hearts to remain undisturbed.

The sage governs
by emptying minds and hearts,
by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.

Practice not doing…
When action is pure and selfless,
Everything settles into its own perfect place.

—

Whilst seemingly obvious, there is a depth to this verse that is not immediately apparent. Overall, it is a verse about priority and contentment.

Lets start at the beginning:
We are prone to seeking out higher status, be it social, monetary or intellectual. But status ultimately leads to separation, and isolation from the eternal, spiritual, and from unity with all.
How many times has your judgment prevented you from getting to know someone who could have changed your life? You will probably never know.
By valuing status, we condemn ourselves to solitude. And limit the pool of positive experience available to us. After all, when the day comes that you are about to pass on, will your status or possessions really matter to you? Or is it the memories and experiences that will truly matter? I know I would rather look back on my life knowing that I did what was necessary to bond with all, indiscriminately, secure in the knowledge that I found happiness in places that superficial judgment may have prevented me from.

Consider this notion: Does desire condemn you to slavery? What happens when you want to buy something? You either spend, and need to replace the money it took from you, or you work your arse off – most likely doing a job that does not inspire you – until you have enough money to achieve your desire. Right up until something else comes along that you want, wherein the cycle starts over. You enslave yourself, in order to further your materialistic sense of status. And likely miss out on opportunities to share in the experiences of others, all because ‘you have to be up for work early’.

The notion of ‘practice not doing’ is not an advocation of laziness. Rather in acting – devoid of ego – in the interest of creativity. By ignoring ego and trusting your true self, the motivation will materialize to spend your time sharing, being creative, and inspired.

Wayne Dyer put it nicely in his book ‘Change your Thoughts, Change your Life’ when he said of this verse;
‘There is no way to happiness, rather happiness is the way’.

Trusting yourself and your instinct is important. Practice being happy and grateful that you have the chance to experience happiness, and start finding it everywhere! Don’t let your ego run the show.

Thank you for reading x

Verse 2.

Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty,
only because there is ugliness.
All can know good as good only because there is evil.

Being and nonbeing produce each other.
The difficult is born in the easy.
Long is defined by short, the high by the low.
Before and after go along with each other.

So the sage lives openly with apparent duality
and paradoxical unity.
The sage can act without effort
and teach without words.

Nurturing things without possession,
she works, but not for rewards;
she competes, but not for results.

When the work is done, it is forgotten.
That is why it lasts forever.

–

The first two paragraphs of this verse lay the groundwork by offering real life examples of paradoxical unity. Definitions that oppose each other require each other to be defined.
The introduction of good and evil is perhaps the most important thought. If we continue from verse one, the notion of definition reducing or limiting the ‘thing’ applies just as much to adjectives as it does to nouns.

Our society is (supposedly) built on the ideals of justice; therein judgment is a prerequisite. We cast judgment every day, when we see another as fat we judge them instantly, attaching the negative almost as if as a conditioned response, limiting the person and reducing their other qualities. Can we as human beings – live in harmony with duality, see that fat could not exist without thin, that all is part of a greater whole, accept that oneness is devoid of judgment? This belief system of black and white is blinding us from unity.

I envy the sage, who is enlightened enough to live openly with duality. The sage that can see all of the particular as smaller parts of the eternal. Yet I wonder whether this reflects a personal desire to live a more stoic existence. But while this verse to me, sometimes conveys a less emotional – perhaps even cold – world view it also conveys warmth, acceptance, and unconditional love.

The part of this verse that never truly spoke to me is ‘effort’. As a man who suffers from a severe lack of general motivation – laziness some might say, and who has suffered the judgment (self directed as well as otherwise) of this term. This is the part I really wanted to find an answer in. I started to ask myself ‘what is effort?’. And of course, only when drawing upon Verse 1 the notion that desire is limiting did I realize that I was asking the wrong question all along.
Something becomes an effort to me when the work does not justify the reward, when the results do not justify the action. If we are to work not for reward, then what is it that we are to work for?
It was Andy who lead me to this thought in an earlier note – ‘the result is the hunger, but the enjoyment is in the eating’. Perhaps it is time for me to start enjoying the ‘eating’ (an appropriate metaphor, but a metaphor non the less) without being hungry.

Will letting go of the results (or rewards) allow me to act without effort, to teach without words, to find my motivation in the absence of motivation?

Perhaps I just found my answer.

Thank you for joining me today

Lets begin..

Verse 1.

The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.

The unnameable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular things.

Free from desire, you realise the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.

Yet mystery and manifestations
arise from the same source.
The source is called darkness.

Darkness within darkness.
The gateway to all understanding.

—

I really like this verse. To me it enforces a personal view that in the action of naming, or defining something you are inherently limiting it in some way or another. And to further that, that things cannot be conveyed in their entirety simply by speaking of them. A true understanding can only be obtained by the individual,

I also like the separation between the eternal, and the particular. And also the singularity that the eternal conveys. My current personal view is that outside of our space and time there is a void, an absolute nothing that can not be named or defined. And that this ‘nothing’ is the source of all things. I like the idea that everything non-eternal (at least to us) is still part of this eternal void. And that the empty feeling we feel, and the longing for us to be near life stems from the ‘naming’. By identifying ourselves and other things, we define, and mentally separate. And although I understand the lingual importance of such an action. I can’t help but think we can have both language, and unity – it’s just unfortunate that unity with our surroundings is something rarely spoken of, or frowned upon. After all, everything on this planet, and indeed the planet itself is made from the same building blocks.

The second half of this verse is somewhat more difficult for me to interpret. But to me it conveys that desire is another limiting factor to understanding. That in some way by desiring certain ‘goals’ is to limit oneself from a greater understanding. By letting go of desire, and with no goal (and by this I mean answer) to be found, a true understanding can be obtained. Opening the door to more questions, like branches on a tree, will often provide the bigger picture, you may even realise that the answer you were initially searching for is irrelevant.

The end of this verse, while beautiful, is not easy for me to comment on. Reading it makes me feel closer to the void. It makes me feel less alone, and more connected – not only with others, but with the universe itself.

I will meditate on Verse 2 for the next week and share again on Saturday.