73rd Verse
Bold action against others leads to death.
Bold action in harmony with the Tao leads to life.
Both of these things
sometimes benefit
and sometimes injure.
It is heaven’s way to conquer without striving.
It does not speak, yet it is answered.
It does not ask, yet it is supplied with all that it needs.
It does not hurry, yet it completes everything on time.
The net of heaven catches all;
its mesh is coarse,
but nothing slips through.
Living in
Heaven’s Net
Once again you’re asked to see the Tao through a paradoxical lens. After all, what is “the net of heaven”? It is the invisible world wherein all of the 10,000 things originate. And while it appears to have many openings—ways to escape the inevitability of the intentions of the Tao—no one and no thing can exist beyond what the Tao orchestrates.
Here in this 73rd verse, you’re encouraged to be a respectful, cautious being under the net of heaven. All the translations I’ve studied say the same thing in different words. Here’s one, for instance, that’s brief and to the point:
Reckless bravery: death.
Cautious bravery: life.
Therefore the sage behaves in a cautious manner.
So Lao-tzu is asking you to change the way you look at bravado and courage. Rather than seeing these qualities as admirable, he asks you to be less of a dauntless hero and more vigilant and alert in order to live the Great Way. Note that the way of heaven is to eschew bold actions and remain cautious.
Lao-tzu offers you four examples of how the net of heaven holds everything within its grasp without having to be forceful or reckless, and you’re encouraged to emulate that in all of your undertakings:
1. “It is heaven’s way to conquer without striving.” See how the Tao is peaceful, silent, and always the conqueror. No human can command the sun to cool down, ocean currents to stop, winds to subside, rain to cease, or crops to quit growing—this is all handled naturally and perfectly without any effort by the Tao. Nature always wins because the Tao simply does it all without needing to attack or strive. Be like this and relax in heaven’s net.
2. “It does not speak, yet it is answered.” Heaven’s net is invisible and silent—the force that provides you with every breath and holds the universe together at the same time does so without commanding, yelling, or even mildly cajoling. So be in harmony with heaven’s way by being more cautious and reserved. Listen more and speak less, trusting that your answers will come to you without any notice and most assuredly without any screaming.
3. “It does not ask, yet it is supplied with all that it needs.” You have an infinite supply of all that you will ever need available to you, so you needn’t demand anything or even ask for it. All is in Divinely perfect order with heaven’s way, and you are a component of that perfect order. Your supply will arrive if you require less and welcome all that shows up. You simply cannot slip through heaven’s net, no matter how many holes you may perceive there to be. Everything is arriving on schedule—by trusting in this, you’ll be guided to a rendezvous with your destiny, and you’ll marvel at how it all comes together without your asking or demanding.
4. “It does not hurry, yet it completes everything on time.” How can the Tao hurry up? Imagine giving such a request to heaven: “I’m tired of winter and insist that you bring me spring flowers in the middle of these long freezing nights. I want my potatoes today, even though I only planted the seeds yesterday. Hurry up, I insist!” The Tao works with Divine timing, so everything is completed precisely as it should be. You’re invited to slow your pace so that it 73rd Verse harmonizes with heaven’s way. Even if you think that what you want is late, in reality it is all on time.
The more you hurry, the less you get done. Try rushing through a shower after running a 10k and notice how your body continues to sweat profusely. Then try slowing your mind down, relaxing, and allowing the water to course over you—and notice how your body feels clean without sweating in precisely the same amount of time that you used in your hurry-up mode. Even if your ego doesn’t grasp it, this is the truth: Everything is on time under heaven’s net.
What follows is Lao-tzu’s advice for you today, as you peruse this 73rd verse of the Tao Te Ching some 2,500 years after it was written:
Don’t see caution as a weakness or an expression of fear.
Instead, view it as a way to step back and allow events to unfold naturally. Bravery is a fine quality, but reckless bravery—that is, where you rush in without thinking—is a sure way to invite disaster. In this provocative verse, Lao-tzu is telling you to think before you act. Allow heaven’s way to do the conquering without your having to fight or defeat anyone. Very often your first impulse is dominated by your ego’s need to win and conquer.
I saw this as a competitive tennis player. By not striving, I’d often emerge victorious over younger, stronger, and sometimes more talented players. The reckless overhitting of the ball by my opponent would cause him to make unnecessary errors, while I stayed in the backcourt and simply returned the ball in what appeared to be effortless harmony. And this created more of
