 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home |
Dao De Jing |
Dao De Jing |
(Chuang Tzu) |
(Tao) is Open Forum |
List |
Stuff |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home |
Dao De Jing |
Dao De Jing |
(Chuang Tzu) |
(Tao) is Open Forum |
List |
Stuff |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
Fit thirty spokes into the hub of a wheel. It is the space between the spokes that makes the wheel valuable; thus the vehicle can be put to use. Bake clay and make it into cups. It is the space within the cup that makes it valuable; thus the cup is useful. Cut out doors and windows. It is the space created by the doors and windows which makes them valuable; thus a house is useful. Therefore, what has substance is beneficial. What is without substance is useful.   Commentary 11 ~ Beneficial vs. Useful This chapter compares what has substance (what we can touch and feel) with what has no substance. -Fit thirty spokes into the hub of a wheel. -It is the space between the spokes that makes the wheel valuable; thus the vehicle can be put to use. -Bake clay and make it into cups. -It is the space within the cup that makes it valuable; thus the cup is useful. -Cut out doors and windows. -It is the space created by the doors and windows which makes them valuable; thus a house is useful. When looking at a wheel, a cup or a house, what we see is the material it’s made from. The spokes of a wheel must be strong in order to be beneficial - carrying the weight of a cart. The clay used to make a cup must be fired properly in order to be beneficial - retaining its shape and not cracking. The beams and rafters of a house must be sturdy in order to be beneficial - providing shelter. It's easy to see how all of these substantial things could benefit us. What we tend to pay the least attention to is that the usefulness of the wheel, cup and house is actually based on what isn’t there. There must be spaces between the spokes of a wheel (or air in a tire) for it to work properly.. A cup must be hollow inside to be able to hold liquid. A house must have doors to allow entry and windows to allow in sunlight and air. You can think about your body in the same way. Veins are benefiial, but they need to be clear enough to let the blood flow through them to be useful. Lungs are beneficial, but they need to let air in and out to be useful. -Therefore, what has substance is beneficial. -What is without substance is useful. We all have so many things that are beneficial to us - our minds, our bodies, out natural abilities to accomplish various tasks. It’s easy to get caught up in thinking that’s all there is, and placing too much importance in what we have that’s of substance. Sure, we need all those things, if simply to survive. But that’s not all there is in life. There’s a constant energy flowing around us that we can’t see, hear, feel or touch. If we can find ways to tap into that natural energy, it can show us how to truly use all the things we have in the most beneficial ways. We just have to remain open to it. Alternate translation: Put a strong rubber tire on your car. It’s only valuable because it’s hollow enough to hold air, then it can be useful. Get a nice coffee mug. It’s only valuable because it’s empty enough to hold your coffee, then it can be useful. Build a house with windows and doors. It’s only valuable because the windows and doors can be opened, then it becomes useful. What you can see and touch is valuable. What makes everything useful is the empty spaces. Dao Is Open Site Map | BY: Nina | Guodian Laozi | DDJ Concordance | Comparisons | Who was Laozi | | Return Home | Laozi's Dao De Jing | Your Dao De Jing | Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) | Links | Meditation | Dao (Tao) is Open Forum | Book List | Other Stuff | |
||
 |
 |