Twenty-Third Chapter: Tao-te Ching
Twenty-Third Chapter:
Tao-te Ching
Nature says few words.
For the same reason a whirlwind does not last a whole morning.
Nor does a rainstorm last a whole day.
What causes them? Heaven and Earth – Nature.
Express yourself. Then say little.
Exaggerated action cannot be sustained.
If Heaven and Earth cannot sustain them,
How much less can man.
Those who follow the Way become one with the Way.
Those who follow goodness become one with goodness.
Those who stray from the Way and goodness, become one with failure.
If you identify with the Way, its power flows through you.
Act naturally
Open yourself to the Tao,
Then trust your natural responses.
And everything will fall into place.
#
As I understand it:
Do your task and let go of desire to push. Observe nature. It doesn’t force. It moves through the seasons and, without saying much, produces all the things.
Nature blows hard and then returns to calm. Each act comes to an end. Keep that in mind. When you are in strife, peace is on its way.
At times, when we are in the midst of angst or chaos, emotional energy builds up. That moment is an invitation to open to the Tao. Instead of reacting, observe the potential blow up situation. It will pass. The build up energy, instead of getting wasted, accumulates as voltage that can be used for positive things. What seems devastating in one moment is benevolent perfection in another.
Allow what comes naturally to your life to be your guiding force.
Participate consciously with the natural goodness. Release yourself from having to be the person in control. Respond naturally to the circumstance in your life. Be in rapport with the universal Tao.
When you feel an inclination to make your opinion known let this urge silently tell you what it truly wants. Your body knows how to be at peace and wait out the storms of life. Welcome the signals of Tao and open yourself to its power. Rejoice in the things as they are.
#
Suggested Readings:
The Way of Lao Tzu, tr. Wing-Tsit Chan, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc. 1963.
Dyer, Wayne W., Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of Tao. Hay House, Inc. 2007.