Excerpts from the Tao De Ching

6/3/03
“The best person is like water. Water is good. It benefits all things and does not compete with them. It dwells in lowly places that all distain. That is why it is so near the Tao.”

“Clay is molded to form a utensil, but it is on its non-being that the utility of the utensil depends. Doors and windows are cut out to make a room, but it is on its non-being that the utility of the room depends. Therefore, turn being to advantage and turn non-being into utility.”

The utility of spoons, cups, bowls, doorways, windows, and rooms lies primarily in the empty space where all these things are not, and yet, also in where they are. Obviously spoons, cups and bowls would not hold anything if not for their physical forms, but it is the empty space within them that most makes them useful. Windows and doors are mainly useful because of their Emptiness, but also in that you can close them. You could not look out a window or walk through a doorway if they were not empty. Rooms are mainly useful because of their Emptiness, but also provide protection from things outside, like the weather. You could not be in a room if there was no empty space in it.

So in essence, all these things are so useful because of where they are not, and only to a lesser extent because of where they are.

And hey, water is just great. I don’t think I need to argue that point! But the Tao De Ching does point out some interesting positive aspects of water. We all should be more like water.

So at this point you’re probably thinking, “well duh!!”, and I can’t really criticize you for being incredulous. I am making a big deal out of the most commonplace and ordinary things. All I can say is that it seems a lot of the ‘wow factor’ in studying eastern religions comes from appreciating the mundane and ordinary in profound ways…





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