Verse 34 of the Tao Te Ching describes greatness in an entirely different manner: Such a quality is the Tao, which is so all-encompassing that every plant, creature, and human originates and lives because of it, yet it doesn’t seek to dominate anyone or anything. The Tao doesn’t ask for recognition of any kind, for it has no interest in fame or being thanked for all that it provides. It is this indifference toward notoriety that makes true greatness.
When you change the way you think about this quality, you’ll see your world in an entirely new way: You’ll no longer be gauging appearances and accumulations, and you won’t notice how much power you or anyone else uses to exact dominance or control over others. Rather, your new way of thinking will allow you to look for the unfolding of the Tao in everyone you see. Perhaps for the very first time, you’ll notice greatness in others, as well as yourself, in terms of the Tao that includes all. You’ll be able to look at the sky and see its grandness, which demands absolutely nothing in return.
As you change your enculturated view of greatness, you’ll begin seeing a different world. You’ll see the importance of everyone, including those individuals you’ve previously identified as difficult or unreasonable. You’ll begin to see that the holiness that ferments the galaxies is working in you, in me, and in everyone. You’ll begin to trust that greatness is every person’s heritage. The Tao is everywhere; therefore, this quality will be visible in all things and people.
Here are my suggestions for applying the 34th verse of the Tao Te Ching to your everyday life:
Discontinue deciding what anyone else should or shouldn’t be doing.
Avoid thoughts and activities that involve telling people who are perfectly capable of making their own choices what to do. In your family, remember that you do not own anyone. The poet Kahlil Gibran reminds you:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you . . .
This is always true. In fact, disregard any inclination to dominate in all of your relationships. Listen rather than expound. Pay attention to yourself when you’re having judgmental opinions and see where self-attention takes you. When you replace an ownership mentality with one of allowing, you’ll begin to see the true unfolding of the Tao in yourself and other people. From that moment on, you’ll be free of frustration with those who don’t behave according to your ego-dominated expectations.
Discover a new definition of greatness.
Offer yourself a definition that doesn’t use any standards of appearance or traditional external measures of success. Notice those who give much, boast little, nurture others, and decline recognition or credit, and put them in your greatness file. Encourage yourself to practice these same kinds of behaviors. Begin noticing how the Tao is always flowing in an all-providing, no-boasting, nondemanding, nonpossessing manner. Can you see how great that truly is? There are many people in your daily life doing just that. Seek them out and acknowledge them, while quietly emulating what they do. Remember that a great sage never claims ownership of greatness, so when you change your definition, you’ll see that quality cropping up everywhere, especially within yourself.
Do the Tao Now
Make a decision to spend a day seeking out several people who fit the model of this verse of the Tao Te Ching. Silently convey to them that you sense their greatness as an unfolding of the Tao. Then notice how your interactions with them differ when you’re not making judgments based on their age, sex, title, conduct, manner of dress, height, weight, skin color, religious affiliation, or political beliefs.
35th Verse
All men will come to him
who keeps to the one.
They flock to him and receive no harm,
for in him they find peace, security, and happiness.
Music and dining are passing pleasures,
yet they cause people to stop.
How bland and insipid are the things of this world when one compares them to the Tao!
When you look for it, there is nothing to see.
When you listen for it, there is nothing to hear.
When you use it, it cannot be exhausted.
Living Beyond
Worldly Pleasures
Take a few moments before reading this chapter and ask yourself the following questions: When I think of pleasure, what activities readily come to mind? How do I distinguish between what I find enjoyable and what I don’t?
Generally, pleasure is described as something experienced by the senses and available here in the world of form. Perhaps you experience it in a sumptuous meal, in your favorite music, or on the golf course, but it’s most certainly a welcome motivating force for you. Problems can occur, however, when such pursuits become the primary focus of life. In other words, an emphasis on worldly pleasures can quite easily create an imbalance in your system, leading to upset and disease. Obesity, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, addictions of every description, and preoccupations with plastic surgery are just a few of the undesirable results.
Most everything defined as pleasurable is temporary, so if you need more and more of it, then it has a grip on you. What you desire so strongly has become your jailer, trapping you into believing that it will bring you peace, security, or happiness . . . but it never
