This 46th verse begins with a look at what happens when a planet loses its connection to the Way. Countries begin needing to conquer more territory . . . and in their quest for more land, power, and control over others, they must constantly prepare for war. Lao-tzu speaks symbolically of horses here: When connected to the Tao, the animals fertilize the fields; when disconnected from it, the beautiful creatures are bred for war.
In a modern translation of the Tao Te Ching, my friend Stephen Mitchell interprets this message in present-day terms:
When a country is in harmony with the Tao,
the factories make trucks and tractors.
When a country goes counter to the Tao,
warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.
It’s painfully obvious that our world has largely lost contact with the Way as described by Lao-tzu. These days so much ofour energy is placed on breeding warhorses at the expense of using our resources to fertilize our fields so that we can livein peace. The United States is chock-full of weapons of mass destruction, and we continually legislate more funding to makeour weapons so menacing that they’re capable of rendering our entire planet uninhabitable. The “disease of more” has createdan environment that personifies Lao-tzu’s observation that there is “no greater tragedy than discontentment.” But even if somany of our Divine selves seem to be engulfed by the flames of unease, you can begin the process of putting Lao-tzu’s advice to work.
When you truly understand what it means to live peacefully, satisfaction will begin to replace your desire for more. Yourworld will begin to become tranquil as you change your own life and then touch the lives of your immediate family, your neighbors,your coworkers, and ultimately your nation and the entire planet. Begin by simply thinking of the opening line of the famousPrayer of Saint Francis when you notice that you’re demanding more of anything.
Silently say, Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love. As that instrument of peace, you’ll radiate tranquility to those in your immediate surroundings, and you’ll feel the flickerof a new and different success in contentment, perhaps for the first time in your life. By refusing to lose the Tao, regardlessof how lost others are and what our world’s governments elect to do, you’re living harmoniously. Your connection to the Tao will make a difference, gradually inching Earth away from the precipice of discontentment that Lao-tzucalled “no greater tragedy.”
The sublime Hafiz beautifully sums up the kind of success I’m referring to in his poem “Would You Think it Odd?”:
Would you think it odd if Hafiz said,
“I am in love with every church
And mosque
And temple
And any kind of shrine
Because I know it is there
That people say the different names
Of the One God.”
Getting back to Lao-tzu, here are his messages from the powerful 46th verse that are applicable today in your personal life:
Practice gratitude and contentment every day.
When your feet hit the floor every single morning, without exception, say, “Thank You for an opportunity to live in a state of contentment.” Invite the magical energy of the Tao to freely flow through you and inform your responses throughout the day. You’re in harmony with your Source when you’re soliciting gratitude and gratification in these ways.
Be one with your nature.
In a world that seems to produce more and more violence, become a person who chooses to be an instrument of peace. Let your nature be the “horses” that are bred to till the fields, feed the hungry, and offer comfort to the lame or less fortunate. Live as if you and the Tao are one, which of course you are when you’re in your natural state.
When enough of us are able to do this, we’ll reach a critical mass, and eventually the Great Way will surpass the demands of the ego. I truly believe, to use a baseball analogy, that nature always “bats last.”
Do the Tao Now
Set aside time to make a conscious effort to send peaceful energy to someone or some group whom you think of as the enemy. Include a competitor; an alienated family member; a person of a different religious persuasion; or those you oppose in a government, political party, or disagreement. Then literally send something to them if that feels okay to you, such as a flower, a book, or a letter. Begin your conscious effort today, right now, to surrender to the Tao and know authentic success, which has no separation.
47th Verse
Without going out the door,
know the world.
Without looking out the window,
you may see the ways of heaven.
The farther one goes, the less one knows.
Therefore the sage does not venture forth and yet knows, does not look and yet names, does not strive and yet attains completion.
Living by Being
I encourage you to change your belief that effort and striving are necessary tools for success. In verse 47, Lao-tzu suggests that these are ways of being that keep you from experiencing the harmony and attaining the completion that’s offered by the Tao. Living by being instead of trying is a different viewpoint; as Lao-tzu states, you can see and accomplish more by not looking out the window.
How is this possible? Let’s look at an example to clarify this conundrum. I’d like you to place all of your attention on one of
