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Chapter of the Week: #11
I found it. I'm getting to be an old pro at this:
Chapter 4
The way is empty, yet use will not drain it.
Deep, it is like the ancestor of the myriad creatures.
Blunt the sharpness;
Untangle the knots;
Soften the glare;
Let your wheels move only along old ruts.
Darkly visible, it only seems as if it were there.
I know not whose son it is.
It images the forefather of God.
Chapter 4
The way is empty, yet use will not drain it.
Deep, it is like the ancestor of the myriad creatures.
Blunt the sharpness;
Untangle the knots;
Soften the glare;
Let your wheels move only along old ruts.
Darkly visible, it only seems as if it were there.
I know not whose son it is.
It images the forefather of God.
Comments
Chapter 11
Thirty spokes
Share one hub.
Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of
the cart. Knead clay in order to make a vessel. Adapt the nothing therein to
the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of the vessel. Cut out doors
and windows in order to make a room. Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose
in hand, and you will have the use of the room.
Thus what we gain is Something, yet it is by virtue of Nothing that this can
be put to use.
Read commentary previously posted for this chapter.
Read notes on translations
What we gain is Something, yet it is by virtue of Nothing that this can be put to use. Perhaps this is the best kept 'open secret' around. Our biology lays its heavy foot on life's accelerator. Go, go, go,... we need to go. More, more, more,... more is better. In the wild, before we civilized ourselves, Nature put the brakes on our urges. Nature sets up our biology to 'go', and Natural [chref=51]circumstances[/chref] force us to 'stop'. We ate the sweet fruit – 'go' – until it rotted and fell to the ground – 'stop' . Then we wait till next season to gorge again – 'wait'. Being [chref=65]clever[/chref] apes, we figured out how to have the goodies continually. Why,.. thanks to civilization, we can almost 'have our cake and eat it too'. Being unable to [chref=20]wax without having reached the limit [/chref], we just keep 'going, going, going', like that little Energizer bunny. Our [chref=71]difficulty[/chref] lies in the fact that we just don't [chref=70]understand[/chref] that we are puppets on biology's string. Moreover, I've noticed that many folks don't want to 'understand'; it would be too big a blow to the ego, I imagine.
So, what does Nothing have to do with all this? Slowing down, [chref=37]remaining still[/chref], and stopping shifts us over to the 'nothing' side of reality's equation (i.e. [chref=2]Something = Nothing[/chref]). Civilization allows us to put most of our eggs in the something side and our life's balance suffers. Nothing is the core, the governor, [chref=52]the mother[/chref]. Stopping helps put us in touch with nothing. Speaking of stopping:
[chref=9]Better to have stopped in time.[/chref]
[chref=32]One ought to know that it is time to stop.[/chref]
[chref=44]Know when to stop, and you will meet with no danger.[/chref]
The literal agrees with the mainstream translations
30 extents together one hub, just at its nothing, have (of) cart use.
mix water clay consider that utensil, just at its nothing, have (of) utensil use.
chisel door window consider that room, just at its nothing, have (of) room use.
hence (of) have consider that favorable, (of) nothing consider that use.
Yet, perhaps I see more emphasis on Nothing in the literal, i.e., Nothing is 'everything'.
Thrity spokes converge on a hub, at nothing's core arises the useful cart.
Kneed clay considering that it is a utensil, at nothing's core arises the useful utensil.
Chisel doors and windows considering that a room, at nothing's core arises the useful room.
Hence, when considering anything favorable, consider that from nothing arises it usefulness.