Seek the joy in your activities rather
than focusing on ego’s agenda.
Ego wants you to gather more and more rewards for your actions. If you’re in a state of loving appreciation in each of your present moments, you’re letting go of the absurd idea that you’re here to accumulate rewards and merit badges for your efforts. Seek the pleasure in what you’re doing, rather than in how it might ultimately benefit you. Begin to trust in that infinite wisdom that birthed you into this material world. After all, it knew the exact timing of your arrival here. It didn’t say, “If nine months will create such a beautiful baby, I’ll extend the gestation period to five years. Now we’ll have an even more perfect creation!” Nope, the Tao says that nine months is perfect—that’s what you get, and you don’t need any more time.
The next time you’re mired in a desire for more, stop and think of the Tao. This creation principle fully grasps the idea that when the work is done, then for God’s sake, it’s time to stop! As Lao-tzu advises, “This is the way of heaven.” Why ever choose to be in conflict with that?
Do the Tao Now
At your next meal, practice portion control by asking yourself after several bites if you’re still famished. If not, just stop and wait. If no hunger appears, call it complete. At this one meal, you’ll have practiced the last sentence of the 9th verse of the Tao Te Ching: “Retire when the [eating] is done; this is the way of heaven.”
10th Verse
Carrying body and soul
and embracing the one,
can you avoid separation?
Can you let your body become
as supple as a newborn child’s?
In the opening and shutting of heaven’s gate,
can you play the feminine part?
Can you love your people
and govern your domain
without self-importance?
Giving birth and nourishing;
having, yet not possessing;
working, yet not taking credit;
leading without controlling or dominating.
One who heeds this power
brings the Tao to this very earth.
This is the primal virtue.
Living Oneness
This verse of the Tao Te Ching examines the paradoxical nature of life on Earth. Lao-tzu encourages the attainment of comfort with the seemingly incompatible opposites of body and soul, which form the basis of our daily life. We are connected to the power of the eternal Tao, while simultaneously being in a mortal physique. As we take on this seemingly ambiguous stance, we begin to see the world revealed as flawless. Everything that seems to be absolute is an opportunity to recognize its paradoxical reality.
This teaching takes the form of a series of questions: Can an adult body with all of the conditions inherent in the aging process—such as stiffness, soreness, limitations caused by aching joints, and so on—be as supple as a newborn’s? Is it possible to be someone who works and struggles and still be the feminine spirit, birthing creation? Can one succeed in these and similar ways and still be free of feelings of self-importance? Is it possible to stay true to the Tao without allowing ego to dominate, yet successfully function in an ego-dominated world?
This 10th verse promotes a way of living that is guided by the power of “embracing the one” when the illusion of duality appears more powerful. Read Hafiz’s writing on this subject thousands of years after the Tao Te Ching was written:
Only
That Illumined
One
Who keeps
Seducing the formless into form
Had the charm to win my
Heart.
Only a Perfect One
Who is always
Laughing at the word
Two
Can make you know
Of
Love.
Our origin cannot be split, yet we’re in a world that all too often seems to reject the perfect oneness that is the Tao. We can personally live the Tao by suspending our belief in opposites and reactivating our awareness of its unity—that is, we can surrender ego and be in this world, without being of it.
This is my interpretation of Lao-tzu’s advice from his 2,500-year-old perspective:
Embrace oneness by seeing yourself in everyone you encounter.
Rather than having judgmental thoughts about those whom you regard as separate or different, view others as an extension of yourself. This will diminish self-importance and unite you with what Lao-tzu calls “the primal virtue.” Letting go of ego-dominated thoughts lets you sense the oneness that you share with others; thus, you give yourself the opportunity to feel a part of the all-embracing Tao.
Practice inner awareness whenever you feel yourself about to criticize anyone or any group. News reports designed to encourage your sense of separateness or superiority in relation to others can be a perfect time to do this: Find yourself as one of them. In situations where you’re expected to hate an assumed enemy, stop yourself from these judgments and walk an imaginary mile (or two) in their shoes. Do so with all forms of life, even the plant world. See yourself in everyone and all creations, noting the Tao
