Living with
Constancy
The 16th verse of the Tao Te Ching describes the value of being supremely conscious of the constant cycle of all. Rather than viewing change as a disruptive, unwanted occurrence, you can choose to view the variances in your world as valuable influences in the cycle of a Tao-centered existence.
When you see change as the only constant there really is, you start to recognize it as an expression of ongoing life that’s a welcome clue to your own purpose and meaning. In this way, you’re returned to the experience of your Source and the peace of an impartial perspective. Begin this process by altering your ego-based thoughts and letting yourself feel the bliss of being at one with the Tao. Then become an acute observer of how your world really works, and allow yourself to be in harmony with the cyclical nature of all living things.
There’s an immutable cycle of “no life, life, no life” that we’re part of. All things come, and then they go. Life materializes in a variety of forms—it’s here, and then at some point it ends in what we call death. This coming and going might seem to be a temporary condition, but it’s actually the ultimate constant because it never ceases. Embrace this nature of cyclical change and you’ll thrive.
An ending may feel like a reason to mourn, whether it be the closing of a phase in your life, the completion of a project, the termination of a relationship, or death itself. But Lao-tzu invites you to realize that after things flourish, they “return to the Source . . . to what is and what is to be.” The constancy of the cycles of life is an opportunity to return to your root, where what is and what is to be are located. The ultimate place of peace and enlightenment is in this continuous return to the nameless, placeless site of your origination.
Lao-tzu tells you that a sense of inner peace comes with returning to the Source, where all cycles begin and end. This is the fulfillment of your own personal destiny; that is, you’re here to know and be the Tao, the constant beyond the comings and goings of life. You’ve been in many bodies already, and you’re in a new one every day. You’ve been in and out of many relationships, yet the eternal you survives despite transitions from beginnings back into endings. You’re now being urged to know yourself as a physical creation and as a piece of the everlasting Tao.
The Tao that animates all existences, including your own, is totally impartial. It plays no favorites: It brings winter regardless of whether you want it or not. It sends those you love on to other people and then back, irrespective of your desires to have it otherwise. All of life must return to it; there are no exceptions or apologies.
When you’re unaware of this steadying influence, you attach to one element of one cycle in life, leading to what Lao-tzu calls “eternal disaster.” When one person leaves you, it feels like the end of the world. When a business venture fails, you flunk out of school, or you have a painful illness or injury, you feel depressed. If you get trapped in these emotional endings, you’re not permitting them to also be a natural part of life, leading you to feel disconnected from your Source. You become stuck in the “rush of worldly comings and goings,” unable to remember the constancy where “endings become beginnings.”
The reality is that beginnings are often disguised as painful endings. So when you know that there’s a constant beyond the present moment’s disappointment, you can sense that “this too shall pass”—it always has and always will. When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change!
This is what Lao-tzu seems to be telling you in this 16th chapter of the Tao Te Ching:
Take time to be an impartial observer of life, particularly when an ending is causing despair.
Remind yourself that your Source is at work within this event, and then make a decision to connect to that Source with your thoughts. All endings are part of the cyclical process; you’re merely returning to a life of constancy, which Lao-tzu taught in this passage. You don’t have to learn anything new, change any behavior, or adopt any new strategies—just think about the word return, and take comfort in the ever-constant Tao, which brings peace to despair. The Tao never leaves or disappoints, and it is always impartial. Wherever you are in the emotional cycle, you’re not being judged. Rather, you’re learning to be in all phases, free of judgment and living with constancy.
Write these words and post them in a conspicuous place in your living environment: This too shall pass.
This phrase will remind you that change is the only constant in life. Everything you notice is in a cycle of coming and going. Everything! There are no exceptions. Know this and let your thoughts flow in the constancy of change. This is the root, the Source of all cyclical happenings. It is perfect. It is Divine. It is something you can totally rely upon. It brings spring flowers, it brings the aging process, it brings rebirth, it brings new relationships—it is the Tao and it is constant. Return to it and experience your eternal essence here and now, in the temporary container you call your body and all of its dramas. This too shall pass . . . you can count on it!
Do the Tao
