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Translation and Commentary by Nina


	Dao De Jing Chapter 47 You don't have to go out of the door to understand the world. You don't have to peek out the window to understand the nature of Dao. If you set out to look for fulfillment from what is far away, you'll discover very little fulfillment. Naturally a wise person: Doesn't have to do much, but has understanding; Doesn't have to see much, but knows that it exists; Won't take action, but succeeds. Commentary: 47 ~ Searching for understanding The world can seem like a mysterious place, and we might think that if we can have a better understanding of why things happen the way they do, and why people act the way they do, we'll be able to deal with it more competently. -You don't have to go out of the door to understand the world. -You don't have to peek out the window to understand the nature of Dao. Everything that's happening in the world around you is also happening right within you. Observing your physical body, you can see that there's a war being waged all the time - your white blood cells are constantly doing battle with any infections that invade your body. Your mind works constantly to solve any problem, whether perceived or illusionary. Your emotions can turn just as easily from a blocked traffic jam to a free-flowing drive down a country road. If you can't understand what's going on within you, how can you possibly hope to understand what's going on in the world around you? The nature of Dao is as unexplainable and mysterious as every one of the things in this world, and within you. -If you set out to look for fulfillment from what is far away, you'll discover very little fulfillment. By trying to understand the world before you understand yourself, you'll just be jumping through hoops and scratching your head in bewilderment. Do you think you can find what it is that will bring you fulfillment before you even know what it is that you're looking for? -Naturally a wise person: -Doesn't have to do much, but has understanding; -Doesn't have to see much, but knows that it exists; -Won't take action, but succeeds. All the actions you take striving to understand what goes on outside of you are futile efforts. When wisdom of yourself sets in, you suddenly realize there's no action that needs to be taken to achieve understanding. You don't have to see what's going on to have an understanding that things will constantly repeat themselves. You won't want to move about unnecessarily to achieve anything because whatever you achieve is appropriate for you in this moment. Do you really have to understand why and how things work in order to enjoy the benefits of your life? 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 \|