Tao: The Three Treasures, Vol 1
Discourses
Table of Contents
On The Absolute Tao
On The Absolute Tao. 'The Tao that can be told of is not the absolute Tao. When people know beauty as beauty, there arises the recognition of ugliness.' On the absolute Tao: the moment you name it, you lose it. Duality arises with naming—good/bad, beautiful/ugly are one. The Tao is before all opposites.
Ordinariness
Ordinariness. 'I just want to be ordinary and happy. I don't want enlightenment.' You've come to the right place—enlightenment is ordinariness. Ordinariness: enlightenment is not otherworldly—it's being total in ordinary life. The Taoist is the most ordinary person. Don't seek the extraordinary—find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
On The Character of Tao
On The Character of Tao. 'Tao is a hollow vessel, and its use is inexhaustible. The spirit of the valley never dies—it is called the mystic female.' On the character of Tao: emptiness is the source. The hollow vessel holds everything. The valley spirit is the feminine—receptive, yielding, eternal. Tao is feminine—passive, receptive, not aggressive.
Emptiness
Emptiness. 'Do you know who I am?' No—because you are not. You are an emptiness. Emptiness: the deepest core is nobodiness. On the surface you are somebody, but the surface is not you. How can I know you when you don't exist? Know your emptiness and you know everything.
On The Danger Of Overweening Success
On The Danger Of Overweening Success. 'Stretch a bow to the very full and you will wish you had stopped in time. When gold and jade fill your hall, you will not be able to keep them.' On the danger of overweening success: the peak is the beginning of the fall. Don't fill to the brim—leave room. The Taoist stops before the top.
There Is No Meaning
There Is No Meaning. 'When you look at me, I feel a message but can't identify it without my mind.' The mind can't be used—silence must be understood in silence. There is no meaning: meaning is a mind creation. The message is in the silence, not in the words. Don't interpret—receive.
On The Utility Of Not Being
On The Utility Of Not-Being. 'Thirty spokes unite around the nave—from their not-being arises the utility of the wheel. Mold clay into a vessel—from its hollow arises utility.' On the utility of not-being: the empty space is what makes things useful. The room is useful because it's empty. Your usefulness is in your emptiness.
Attaining Absolute Indifference
Attaining Absolute Indifference. 'My mind seems more out of control than ever—like a computer gone mad.' Let the monster go on—don't worry. Attaining absolute indifference: not apathy but witnessing. The mind goes mad because you resist it. Be indifferent—watch it without engagement. Indifference kills the monster.
On The Wise Ones Of Old
On The Wise Ones Of Old. 'The wise ones of old had subtle wisdom and depth of understanding, so profound they could not be understood. Cautious, like crossing a wintry stream.' On the wise ones of old: the sage is careful, hesitant, watchful. Not bold but cautious. Not certain but open. Like a guest, not a host—always receiving.
Wisdom And Understanding
Wisdom And Understanding. 'Do wisdom and understanding come gradually or as explosions?' Neither—they're always there. You are understanding. Wisdom and understanding: enlightenment is not something that happens to you—you ARE enlightenment. If your intensity is total, it's sudden. If not, it's gradual. But understanding never comes—you are it.