The Dao Is Open website is devoted to the cultivation of Dao (Tao) and De (Te), as exemplified in the works of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu).


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

Translation and Commentary by Nina


	Dao De Jing Chapter 36 If you want to begin to absorb, you must have first opened up. If you want to begin to be weak, you must first have been strong. If you want to begin to depart, you must first have been connected. If you want to begin to take, you must first have given. These are correctly referred to as having a little insight. What is soft and limp will conquer what is strong. A fish cannot escape from deep waters. In the whole country sharp weapons cannot be used to teach anyone. Commentary: 36 ~ Learn from yourself Many people who approach a spiritual path look first to the description of how an ideal person acts, then try forcefully to act that way themselves. They seem to be looking for a quick method to attain what they perceive as Enlightenment, then adorn themselves with the garb of a Sage without ever having taken the necessary steps to achieve true peace and happiness. Although they may occasionally fool others into believing they've attained the essence of love and compassion, in their own dark nights they know it isn't really so. You've got to travel through the mud of life before you can learn the beauty of clarity, or you'll never know what clarity is. -If you want to begin to absorb, you must have first opened up. Before you can learn anything, you've got to be willing to give up preconceptions you might have held onto tightly in the past. If you already think you have the answers, then there's no room inside of you to discover anything new. -If you want to begin to be weak, you must first have been strong. One of the attributes of a Sage is said to be weakness. You may think you're a weak person, and that you've already gotten that one figured out. But, if you've never considered yourself to be strong, how could you say that you're weak? If you've never recognized the times you stood up rigidly for what you believe, then you wouldn't know what it's like to accede to another person with love in your heart. -If you want to begin to depart, you must first have been connected. You might consider yourself to be a reclusive person, praising that quality in yourself as being Sage-like. However, do you remove yourself from situations and people simply because you feel anxiety or discomfort? Do you tend to clam up and disassociate yourself, all the while harboring negative feelings about others - like resentment, jealousy, alienation, repugnance, despair or animosity? If you haven't really connected from your heart with others, feeling true empathy and love beyond your own personal emotions, then you can't depart from them with joy and a sense of fulfillment. -If you want to begin to take, you must first have given. The whole universe is available to each of us for the taking. Every beautiful thing provided by Nature is like a special gift to bring delight to you. If you don't feel enjoyment from all those blessings, maybe it's because you haven't learned how to give those special gifts to others. Grasping everything within your reach without concern for others will never bring you true happiness, leaving you feeling lonely and deprived. -These are correctly referred to as having a little insight. All of the things listed above can provide little insights into how to live a more enjoyable life. -What is soft and limp will conquer what is strong. -A fish cannot escape from deep waters. -In the whole country sharp weapons cannot be used to teach anyone. When you read through the suggestions above, the underlying message is learning methods to Love and share - not being strong and inflexible. It might make you wonder why you felt the need to express so much strength before - did it get you what you really wanted? Just as a fish can't escape from deep waters, each one of us can't escape from who we are. Do you try to use force to discipline yourself? Don't you think there might be another way? When you learn to become soft and receptive to yourself and your own perceived limitations, you can then begin to learn how to embrace the happiness all around you. Then you can also extend that softness and receptiveness to others. Can you then stop trying to "teach" them a lesson? Dao Is Open Site Map \| BY: Nina \| Guodian Laozi \| DDJ Concordance \| Comparisons \| From the DIO Forum \| BY: Bao Pu \| By: Joshua \| 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 \|