Each Sunday I have a weekly feature here at You, Simplified where I share my thoughts on a passage of the Tao Te Ching. I’ve dedicated a page of the website to serve as the table of contents for all the musings. Additionally,a blogging friend of mine, Kye Nelson, is joining in on the fun and we invite other bloggers and readers to share their thoughts as well. Together we have are calling this The Tao Project.
Now, on to Passage 7:
The Tao is infinite, eternal.
Why is it eternal?
It was never born;
thus it can never die.
Why is it infinite?
It has no desires for itself;
thus it is present for all beings.
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The Master stays behind;
that is why she is ahead.
She is detached from all things;
that is why she is one with them;
Because she has let go of herself;
She is perfectly fulfilled.
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Commentary:
I have to admit that I had to let this passage mellow in my head for a bit. Nothing was coming to me…perhaps that’s the point?
The second stanza started to resonate about a half hour later after I took the kids for a walk.
For the Master, she has elected to walk her own path. She is not concerned with keeping up with everyone else. She has her path and is devoted to it.
She understands that she is one with everything and so is detached from everything.
This is why I think this book speaks so well to the Minimalist lifestyle. Who amongst us lifestyle bloggers haven’t written of:
- Walking our own path
- Detaching ourselves from our stuff
- Finding fulfillment and doing meaningful work
I can picture the Master letting everyone else rush off at the sound of the pistol in the race for accumulation and life, but what is more likely true is that she has not attended the race at all.
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