The Tao te Ching Chapter 40: Being at Rest

Text:

Retirement is characteristic of Dao just as weakness appears to be a characteristic of its activity.

Heaven and earth and everything are produced from existence, but existence comes from nonexistence.

Interpretation:

It is often difficult for people to understand that the Tao te Ching clearly recommends doing nothing as a useful activity.  We do hold the clue to this in our society however.  Many of us wait anxiously for the weekend or lunch break or any time that we can "zone out" for a while.  These moments of peaceful inactivity are as essential to our ability to live effectively as our moments of activity.  The Tao te Ching may be said to embrace this notion.  This chapter may be interpreted to say, Relaxing is very healthy.

The first stanza observes that the Tao lies at rest and reiterates the earlier theme that the Tao appears weak.

The second stanza observes that everything thing that is (and is active) came from the formlessness of the Dao (and was inactive.)  Perhaps this can be interpreted to mean that the state of rest is the true form of the universe at its core.

Understanding the Tao te Ching Chapter 11: 無用

For this chapter we will use Susuki's translation:

11.

Thirty spokes unite in one nave and on that which is non-existent [on the hole in the nave] depends the wheel's utility. Clay is moulded into a vessel and on that which is non-existent [on its hollowness] depends the vessel's utility. By cutting out doors and windows we build a house and on that which is non-existent [on the empty space within] depends the house's utility.

Therefore, existence renders actual but non-existence renders useful.

Interpretation:

If ever the Tao te Ching was so simple that its meaning was overlooked, this chapter is it!   The very direct message here is that what exist and what does not exist combine to make usefulness.  A wrench needs a strong bar in order to be useful.  Equally, it needs the opening for the nut.  The engine of the car gives it drive, but without the void where the passengers sit, it is of no use as a transport.  

This message also conveys very subtly but usefully into the arena of the human mind.  How crowded with things, thoughts and ideas our minds are!  Can you see the value of empty spaces there.  A useful story is told of Emperor Hirohito.  As the ruler of war time Japan during World War II, Hirohito's day was busy from morning till night with meeting after meeting.  It is said that Hirohito and his entourage arrived one day to find they were at the wrong meeting.  There was only an empty room full of chairs.  Hirohito stepped into the room, paused, then turned to his companions and said, "We must have more meetings like this."

Can you find the place of useful emptiness in your mind?  What do you cultivate if you spend time there? 

Understanding the Tao te Ching Chapter 7: 韜光

7.

Heaven is eternal, earth is lasting. The reason why heaven and earth are eternal and lasting is because they do not live for themselves; that is the reason they will ever endure.


Therefore the wise man will keep his personality out of sight and because of so doing he will become notable. He subordinates his personality and therefore it is preserved. Is it not because he is disinterested, that his own interests are conserved?

Interpretation:

Imagine a group of children playing with a ball.  They can play lots of different games and, as long as they are willing to share, they can all play peacefully.  Now imagine that one child feels slighted for some reason.  He does not feel that he is getting his fair turn.  He announces that the ball is his, he takes it from the others.  If you want to play, he declares,  you must play by his rules so that he can be assured his fare share.  Soon fights will break out, others will try to take the ball or refuse to play with him.  This Chapter makes the observation that the jealous, self-serving child will likely find less success than the child that shares readily.  

The same is true for all people, the gifts, knowledge, power, (the ball) that we each own, we can claim for ourselves, but how often does this self service cause us more pain and grief, and bring us less reward than if we forget ourselves and live, work, share (play) as if we had no sense of ownership?

Understanding the Tao te Ching Chapter 5: 虛用

5.

Heaven and earth are not like humans, they are impartial. They regard all things as insignificant, as though they were playthings made of straw. The wise man is also impartial. To him all men are alike and unimportant.


The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows, it is empty but does not collapse; it moves and more and more issues. A gossip is soon empty, it is doubtful if he can be impartial.

Interpretation:


It is often hard for western minds to understand that there are many philosophies in the world that do not assume the universe is compassionate or at all concerned with the fate of humans.  The Taoist view is that the universe acts on its own impulse and that humanlike feelings, good or bad, are not motivating forces.  This can seem quite cold and unfeeling, especially at the end of the first stanza when the reader is advised to behave impartially toward men.  


Understanding of this passage may be accessed from a distance and then approached slowly.  Consider, for example, an asteroid striking a distant planet.  A person with a telescope observing this might feel elated, excited.  What a wonderful thing to see.  Now let us consider the same person the next day when an asteroid strikes near his house.  Disaster!  This is a terrible thing to have happen.  We can see here, that the asteroid follows Dao at all times and the human's perception based on our relationship to the event.  Can we then observe the asteroid striking near our homes and understand that it is still only Dao?  That the pain we feel is because of our relationship to the event and not because of the event itself.


If we can begin to experience this impartiality then we can begin to approach this Chapter.  Can we also see that all the other people in our lives are behaving in accordance with their nature the same as the asteroid?  Can we remain detached and observant as if we were viewing them through a telescope?  If so, then we may access the Tao through this chapter.


Note:  The Chinese characters in the first stanza here interpreted as meaning "playthings made of straw" actually refer to straw totems used in rituals and then discarded.  This word choice suggests that things, people, events, do have value in their time, but that clinging to that value outside of the moment creates conflict.