8
water rushes down
spring or sewer
flushing, nourishing
Lesson #8
The Tao flows
through canyons, faucets, toilets.
It loves to flow.
You will drown
trying to control life,
constantly swimming upstream.
Learn to be water,
move with the flow,
and nothing can be
taken away from you.
From: 81 Lessons from the Tao Te Ching
Number Eight: Water
If you want to know how the Tao works
consider water
It benefits all equally without seeking fame
It simply flows
through canyons faucets rivers toilets
Learn to be like water
Seek the lowest level
Live close to the land
Quiet your mind and orient it towards service
Be as gentle to others as a Spring shower
Be honest and true to your word
Lead with compassion and non-violence
Work at what you love
Act skillfully
If you do not compete to win over others
you cannot lose
and others will respect you
and not resent you
NUMBER EIGHT
Heavenly Love is like water.
Water blesses all things,
It does not hurt them.
It loves the lowly place that men dislike,
Therefore it comes very near to Tao.
The Master loves to dwell upon the earth.
In his heart he loves Infinity,
In his benevolence he loves giving,
In his words he loves sincerity,
In his government he loves peace,
In his business affairs he loves ability,
In his movements he loves punctuality.
The Master, indeed, does not fight,
Therefore his Inner Life increases.
Isabella Mears, The Tao Teh King, A Tentative Translation from the Chinese, William McLellan, Glascow, 1916.
Number Eight (commentary) What can we learn from water?
Nature is always, patiently, trying to show us the Way.
Consider water. It brings nourishment to our fields and to every cell in our body and asks for nothing in return.
Lao Tsu asks us to live like water:
~ Live close to the land.
~Serve without need for recognition.
~ Flow and don’t resist.
~ If you must act, first blend, following the flow around you and then gently redirect.
There is no game to be won, just a life to be lived.
Tangent and Tool #8, Keeping actions local: (Reflective exercise) Are you feeling a little frustrated with all this “go with the flow” crap, when there are real life problems of pollution, overpopulation, carbon emissions, topsoil erosion and social injustice that need our attention? I understand your frustration. The invitation to flow with nature was an integral aspect of many indigenous peoples but it has been judged and condemned as naive in most modern Western world views. I invite you to rediscover it. Because Lao Tsu is not telling you to be passive. He is saying, “Be skillful.” You and I will not solve these massive problems today. Probably not in our lifetimes. Instead of trying to tackle everything and ending up paralyzed at the enormity of the task, today do one thing that might help one small aspect of one problem. It is not your job to fix everything. Just help make better what is right in front of you. And then tell a child or young adult what you did and why. Feed the future and be the inspiration that you need.