Tao Te Ching Ch 37

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

 Chapter 37

The Truth never intends to act, 

yet nothing is left undone.

Should lords and princes be able to hold fast to this Principle,

all creatures will be transformed of their own accord.

After they are transformed, 

when desires would arise,

I shall press the desires down with the weight of the nameless raw block.

With the nameless raw block, 

people will be free from desires.

If people cease to desire and remain still,

the whole world will be at peace of its own accord.

Review

    The Tao Te Ching tells us to act without action. What is meant by “to act without action”? Lao Tzu never tells us to do nothing. He tells us to do things which seem doing nothing. Only by working in this way, everything will be done. Everything will be alright by this action without action, thus Lao Tzu says:

“The Truth never intends to act, 

yet nothing is left undone.”

    How does the Truth never intend to act? And yet, everything is done? This is called “action without action” or “action-less action” which is also the core teaching in the Bhagavad Gita, told by Sri Krishna to his disciple, Arjuna. Sri Krishna was the ancient sage in India imparted the Truth to his disciple, Arjuna. On behalf of the Supreme Lord of all creatures called “Brahman” in Hindus scriptures, Shri Krishna tells Arjuna how he should act without the intention to act:

    “Perform your ordained duty; for action is better than inaction. Not doing any action, even your body cannot function normally.” (Bhagavad Gita, 3:8)

    “Except actions performed for the sake of sacrifice, the actions are otherwise creating bondage in this world. Therefore, O Arjuna, perform your action, free from attachments, for the sake of sacrifice alone.” (Bhagavad Gita, 3:9)

    “He who sees inaction implied in action and action hidden in inaction is a wise man among men. He is a yogi who performs all actions perfectly.” (Bhagavad Gita, 4:18)

    “He whose undertakings are all without a projection of desire, and whose actions are burnt up by the fire of wisdom – is called a wise man by those who have knowledge (in this respect).” (Bhagavad Gita, 4:19)

    “He, who having totally given up attachment to actions and their fruit, no longer depends on anything and is always contented, does not do any work though fully engaged in action.” (Bhagavad Gita, 4:20)

    What Sri Krishna says here in the Bhagavad Gita gives good explanations of the meaning of the “action-less action” in the Tao Te Ching. Sri Krishna tells Arjuna to do action without attachment (3:9), i.e. without intention as told in the Tao Te Ching. Sri Krishna tells Arjuna to do all his duties “for the sake of sacrifice alone”(3:9), which means sacrifice for the Supreme Lord, i.e. Brahman. Brahman is the term the same as “Tao” in the Tao Te Ching. “Tao” means the Truth which creates and nourishes all creatures. Lao Tzu tells us to do work according to the Truth, the truthful nature, the purity inherent in us once we were born.

    The Truth is the Lord of all beings. If people can realize our Lordship of the Truth in our heart, we can act in accordance with the Truth. We all have the Lordship inside our heart which is the abode of our purity of truthfulness. We all are Kings inside our heart if we realize our Kingship and act according to it. We should understand Lao Tzu is not only telling the lords and princes in the ruling class but actually referring to all people generally:

“Should lords and princes be able to hold fast to this Principle,

all creatures will be transformed of their own accord.”

    All creatures can be transformed by the Truth in the natural way if we live our life with the principle of the Truth. In that stage, our nature is as pure as a new born baby, full of vital force but without any desire. The purity of life is attained by having no desire. We just live in harmony with the nature without any desire to manipulate anything opposing to the pure nature. We will not try hard to make a horse swim in the pond and a fish run in the field. Let all people, all creatures develop of their own accord without being harmed.

    However, when we have desires, our desires will lead us to do something which may not be abiding the principle of the Truth. All people may have different desires. All the desires may not be harmonious with each other. Someone may be upset and harmed while someone may be uplifted and have special gains. It is what has happened in our society where people are full of different desires to take more and more. Lao Tzu tells all of us to return to our purity to be desire-less. We should be living naturally without any desire. This is the highest spiritual attainment in life. A desireless person is always protected as he has no special attachment to anything rather than the Truth, thus Lao Tzu says:

“After they are transformed, 

when desires would arise,

I shall press the desires down with the weight of the nameless raw block.”

    The Truth is the purity like a raw rock without any carving. This is the modest stage of a rock should be. We all should return to this original stage of our nature if our desires start turning into many and unscrupulous. Lao Tzu tells us to suppress our desires with the weight of the raw uncarved block which symbolizes our Supreme Self in our heart. This is the highest stage of spiritual life we all should strive hard to attain. If our desires become one desire only, our life will be natural and simple. All sorrows will come to end if the Truth is prevalent in our life. It is the ideal stage of spirituality when all desires are fulfilled by one desire only, i.e. the Truth, thus Lao Tzu says:

“With the nameless raw block,

 people will be free from desires.”

    The highest bliss of life is free from all the bondage of desires. We will not be tortured by any desires whether which desire will be fulfilled or not. The Truth is only beneficial to all beings but all the special desires of all beings cannot be beneficial to all. When people are free from all desires, what they  have is the emptiness.

    That is the Truth. When we have the Truth, we are experiencing the stage of emptiness or nothing-ness, as what Lao Tzu says. Truth is like emptiness, nothing-less, like infinite space in the bellow which generates wind ceaselessly:

“The space between the Heaven and the Earth, is not like a bellow?

Empty, and yet never exhausted.”

(Chapter 5)

    This is also what the famous “Heart Sutra” of Mahayana Buddhism means the stage of emptiness as the Supreme and Ultimate Truth. At that stage, we will only have tranquility, nothing else. With tranquility, peaceful mind and nature, what else do we want? If we do not want anything apart from this tranquility of the Truth, what else can bother you and make you sorrowful? Who wants to harm anyone? Who needs to do benefits to anyone? There will be no sins and merits, only peaceful life with each other, thus Lao Tzu says:

“If people cease to desire and remain still,

the whole world will be at peace of its own accord.”