Tao Te Ching, Ch 47

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

Chapter 47

Without stirring aboard,

 one can know the whole world.

Without looking out of the window,

 one can see the Heavenly Truth.

The further one goes, the less one knows.

Therefore, the sage knows without having to travel;

Identifies without having to see;

Accomplishes without having to act.

Review

    The whole Tao Te Ching tells us how we can attain the Truth which is completely opposite to what we have learned in the worldly sense. People in the world pursue outward achievement being recognized. We are told to travel continuously to widen our horizons and seek a lot of knowledge to enrich our life. However, in the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu tells us not to study, not to learn much and not to travel far away. This is the way to attain the Truth. The Truth is innate in us which is the nearest to us. To attain the Truth, we should not turn outward to know everything but cannot see the Truth in everything, thus Lao Tzu says:

“Without stirring aboard, 

one can know the whole world.”

    

     If we find the Truth inside us, we do not need to travel aboard to learn much knowledge. We have known the principle behind all the knowledge already. To know the principle is more important than knowing the details which are always changeable. Our world is ever changing but the principle behind the world governs the changing phenomenon appearing to us. This principle is the Truth that we should know for our best benevolence. If we know the principle, we will know the whole world. We do not need to travel anymore in order to understand this world. Then Lao Tzu further says:

“Without looking out of the window, 

one can see the Heavenly Truth.”

    The Heavenly Truth which Lao Tzu names as “Tao” is inside our heart. So what do we need to look out of window? We can see all visible images, all the forms and shapes outside the window, but can we know the Truth when looking at the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, the sky, mountains, birds, trees, farms and people? Once we have got the Truth firmly in our heart, we can know the circulation of the sun, the moon and the stars; even we do not look at them. The functioning of the Truth is higher than all the sensual functions by our sense organs. We will get the highest awareness beyond all the senses. This highest awareness is the highest stage human can attain if they realize the Truth inside their heart, therefore, to seek the Truth, we seek inside us, not outside us. This is the secret all the ancient scriptures in different cultures trying to tell us. Lao Tzu is telling us the same, the ancient Truth, thus Lao Tzu says:

“The further one goes, the less one knows.”

    If we go outside of our body, mind and soul to hanker for the sense objects, we will never know our pure nature innate in us. We will never really know ourselves. To know ourselves is the utmost important life mission but nobody knows unless they have the light shining forth by enlightened persons or scriptures. The journey to know ourselves is to go inside of us, not outside of us around the world. The more we go outside, the farther away we will be to reach the Truth. It is the ancient Truth. It is why we need to meditate on ourselves. We need to be in silence to seek the Truth inside of us, thus Lao Tzu says:

“Therefore, the sage knows without having to travel;

Identifies without having to see;”

    The sage is the person who realizes the Truth inside his own self. He does not need to travel in order to know the Truth. The Truth has already been with him. He does not need to see anything in person but he knows what is right and wrong in the world. He knows everything by its principle. It is the highest stage that we attain the stage of “actionlessness”. We act but we seem without acting, thus Lao Tzu says in the end:

“Accomplishes without having to act.”

    Lao Tzu never means to tell us to be idle, doing nothing. We need to work hard to take action but we are just the tools for the functioning of the Truth. We can be in the stage that we are doing work but seem doing nothing. This is the complete freedom in doing work. We as human were born to take actions which cannot be avoided, thus says the ancient scripture:

    “Therefore, perform your ordained duty; for action is better than inaction.  Not doing any action, even your body cannot function normally.” (Bhagavad Gita 3.8)

    “Always performing works here one should wish to live a hundred years.  If you live thus as a man, there is no way other than this by which karma (or deeds) does not adhere to you.”(Isa Upanisad 2)

    We all were born to have actions. We should not be idle to our duties in life. To be idle, doing nothing, is the worst the ancient sages tell us. Lao Tzu never tells us to be idle. He tells us to achieve the highest stage of doing action, i.e. actions without action. In the Bhagavad-Gita, this highest stage of doing actions is well-explained:

    “By not starting action at all, it is not that a man can reach the action-free state; nor does a man reach the state of awareness simply by relinquishing all actions.” (Bhagavad-Gita 3.4)

    “He, however, who is interested in the joy in the Self and is contented in his Self, satisfied in himself alone, has no duty as such which he is bound to do.” (Bhagavad-Gita 3.17)

    “He has no use whatever, of anything whether done or not done, nor has he any dependence on all beings in this world.” (Bhagavad-Gita 3.18)

    Here “the Self” is the Truth inside us which Lao Tzu names as “Tao”. The stage of actions without action is the stage we are doing our prescribed duties by our best but seems we are doing nothing. Our attention is always on the Truth that we go beyond the worldly sense for fame, honor or any achievement, therefore, Lao Tzu says we “accomplish” but “without having to act.”