Tao Te Ching Ch 32

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

Chapter 32

The Truth is forever nameless, like a raw block, simple and natural.

Though small and subtle, 

no one in the world can control it.

Should the rulers be able to hold fast to it,

all creatures will submit of their own accord.

When the Heaven and the Earth get united,

 sweet dew will fall.

All creatures will be harmonious, 

though no one so decrees.

Only when the Truth creates, 

there are names and forms.

As soon as there are names and forms, 

one ought to know when to stop.

Knowing when to stop, 

one can be free from danger.

The Truth exists everywhere in the world,

when all creatures come back to the Truth,

as the rivulets and streams, 

finally flow back to the river and the sea.

Review

“The Truth is forever nameless,

like a raw block, simple and natural.”

    Here in this Chapter Lao Tzu tells us the nature of the Truth by an analogy of a raw block which means the Truth is simple, original and natural. The Truth is forever nameless as repeatedly mentioned in the Tao Te Ching. The nameless cannot be carved and manufactured. All the artificial work is turning us away from the origin which is simple and natural. People should eliminate all exterior work of harming our real nature by simplicity. To live a simple life is one of the disciplines in spirituality told by ancient scriptures in different cultures and different times. The Truth is One only. All the spiritual teaching in reality tells the same with different terms and expressions for different people.

    In Chapter 25, Lao Tzu says the Truth is nameless and he calls it “Great”:

“I do not know its name.

I call it “Tao” (the Truth).

Unable to describe, I style it “Great”.”

(Chapter 25)

    Here in this Chapter Lao Tzu says the Truth is subtle and small. For Lao Tzu, the Truth is great and also small. To say it is great because the Truth is all-pervading. It exists everywhere without boundary and limitation. It is infinite in size which no one can measure. To say it is small because it can penetrate into the tiniest of the tiniest no matter how small the substance is, the Truth is also there. It is so subtle and small that it exists even in the hair divided into thousands. Although the Truth is small and subtle, it is also forever the Great because it is the Lord of all beings. It is not an instrument controlled by anyone. On the contrary, the Truth is the Lord that no one can control, thus Lao Tzu says:

“Though small and subtle, 

no one in the world can control it.”

    No one can control the Truth. As the Truth is the Lord of all beings, our world is the creation of the Truth which belongs to the Truth. Therefore, in Chapter 29, Lao Tzu says:

“Whoever wants to be in charge of the world and do anything to it,

I see it cannot be succeeded.

The world is a sacred vessel.

Nothing should be done to it.

No one can take over it.

Whoever does anything to it will ruin it.

Whoever lays hold of it will lose it.”

(Chapter 29)

    What we should do is to live in harmony with the Truth, to live according to the Truth which is potentially abiding in us as our pure nature. It is not the servant submits to us but it is the Lord that we need to be submissive to it. If people can live under the leadership of the Truth, everything will be alright for them. Not only among people but also the whole environment will get benefit. Our whole world will be alright if it is ruled by the Truth and the Truth only. Every being submits to the Truth which brings harmony. No one needs to order anyone to do so. Naturally they are in harmony with each other, which is the ideal stage of life in our world, thus Lao Tzu says:

“Should the rulers be able to hold fast to it,

all creatures will submit of their own accord.

When the Heaven and the Earth get united, 

sweet dew will fall.

All creatures will be harmonious, 

though no one so decrees.”

    Our world, our body, mind and soul are the creation of the Truth. Therefore, everything actually belongs to the Truth. It is also in the Quran Allah repeatedly tells us:

    “Say, “Lord, sovereign of all sovereignty. You bestow sovereignty on whom You will and take it away from whom You please…” (Quran 3:26)

“…..The kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything between them belong to God (Allah). He creates what He will and God has power over all things.”   (Quran 5:17)

    Here Lao Tzu says further:

“Only when the Truth creates, 

there are names and forms.”

    All the names and forms are the creation of the Truth. The Truth is One, i.e. Allah, the One God in Islam, the origin. From the One, it creates many with different names and forms. We as human, the same as all other creatures, are the creation of the Supreme. The real ownership of all belongings is Allah, the Truth, not anyone of us. Then how can we live in harmony with the Truth, to live according to the Truth which is potentially abiding in us as our pure nature? Lao Tzu tells us:

“As soon as there are names and forms, 

one ought to know when to stop.

Knowing when to stop, 

one can be free from danger.”

    Lao Tzu tells us a very important principle of living with the Truth is to know when to stop. When we go far away approaching to the dangerous place, we should stop and do not go further. That is the rule. When we see the danger of doing something, we should stop right away to avoid from any calamities. When we see what we are doing turning away from the Truth, we should stop doing it. We should turn our path to the Truth again. “Knowing when to stop” is a great reminder for us. From the origin, there are many forms and names coming forward. When we get lost in all the names and forms, we should stop and come back to the origin. This is the way for the Truth, our destination. Although the Truth exists everywhere, we may forget the Truth by having too much attachment to the sense objects, the names and forms, which is the delusion people see the names and forms without knowing the Truth in all these names and forms, thus Lao Tzu uses an analogy to tell us to go back to the Truth:

“The Truth exists everywhere in the world,

when all creatures come back to the Truth,

as the rivulets and streams,

 finally flow back to the river and the sea.”

    We are all the same as rivulets and streams. Our final destination is the main river and the sea. By nature if not harmed and blocked, rivulets and streams will flow back to the river and the sea. We should stop doing harmful work and turn back to the Truth. In the Quran, Our Lord also tells us again and again:

“We belong to God and to Him we shall return.” (2:156)

“To God shall all return.” (3:28)

“His is all that the heavens and the earth contain. To God shall all things return.” (3:109)

“To Him you shall all return.”(10:4)

“Truly, it is We who give life and cause death, and to Us shall all return.” (50:43)