Tao Te Ching Chapter 76-9 Hossho stays low

Today's Tao

The strong and big stays low. (Ch.76)


What is the strongest and biggest of all?

Certainly, it is Tao.

Do you remember Tao's nickname is Big? (☞See Big 25-9)

Like water, Tao look for a lower place, which you cannot see. (☞See Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching Chapter 8 / Be like Water)

In a sense, Tao remains in the shadow of every phenomenon.


Zen Master Dogen puts it this way:

"It puts its body into storage, and the shadow is more exposed."

(Mitsugo 密語, «Shobogenzo»)


Zen Master Ikkyu uses the metaphor of Tao (=Buddha, =Zen) being in the shadow of everything in his «Yama Uba».

Yama Uba, the old woman in the mountains, helps everyone in his shadow.

He doesn't know what she is doing.

You don't know what Tao is doing in your shadow.

When you commit a mistake, it is not your fault. Tao is just sending you Love (=Tao).

In Buddhism, it is called Hossho 法性, the nature of manifestation.


«Related Articles»
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-Fragile life 76-3
-Dry end 76-4
-Mujoseppo = non-living preach / Hard and Strong 76-5
-Soft and weak men 76-6
-Strong army, no win 76-7
-Karoshi / Snapped branch 76-8
-Hossho stays low 76-9
-Hoben gate / Soft and Weak 76-10
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 76


Tao answers your question!



☞«Tao Te Ching» Key word comparison (9) / -Dark Depth 玄 [gen]- Let's see how they translate 玄之又玄衆妙之門 in Chapter 1. / "Indeed, it is the mystery of mysteries. It is the door of all spirituality." On the left, «The Teachings of Lao-Tzu: The Tao-Te Ching» translated by Paul Carus. / "This being so is profound, mysterious, and dark: The threshold to all secrets. (This translation seems to correspond to the Kanji / Chinese characters 同謂之玄玄之又玄衆妙之門.)" On the right, «Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching» translated by Keith Seddon.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 40-18 Hidden with no name

Today's Tao

Tao is hidden and has no name. (Ch.40)


You cannot see Tao.

In other words, you are always seeing Tao's manifestation.

Why do we have to look for it somewhere else?

Right here, right now, you are seeing it.

You are receiving its energy, its love.

And please remember that you are the love itself.

Lao Tzu says that it's useless to define what Tao is.

It doesn't even need a name because it exists everywhere.

If you cannot help having an image to love and admire, Zen master Ikkyu invented «Yama Uba» for you.

Yama Uba hidden in the mountains.

She symbolizes Tao, Zen, Love, or whatever you name it.


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-Highest attainment = Valley 40-9
-Lacking 40-10
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-Generosity 40-19
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 40


Tao answers your question!



-«Yama Uba» means an old woman in the mountains. She is thought to be an imaginary character in Japanese legends. But Japanese ethnologist Kunio Yanagida implies that Japan may have had a substantial number of population who lived in the deep forests without being socially involved in the life in villages. They were dropouts in the feudal age. Some of them may have chosen the way of life consciously for fear of being captured by their enemy. Others may have simply liked the way. Master Ikkyu intelligently used this unsophisticated mountain lady as a metaphor of Zen/Tao.

New site «Yama Uba the Zen play»

The opening of our new site «Yama Uba the Zen play»


Dear our friends of Tao by Matsumoto video blog,

We proudly present our new site «Yama Uba the Zen play».

«Yama Uba», which means "the old lady in the mountains" in Japanese, is the title of a Noh play supposedly written by Zen Master Ikkyu Sojun in the fifteenth century in order to explain to laymen how Zen functions.

To the English-speaking world, the play was virtually introduced by Daisetz Suzuki in his book «Zen and Japanese Culture». The modern Japanese scholar fluent in English wrote one whole chapter for the summary of «Yama Uba» and the explanation of its philosophical importance concerning Ikkyu's creative effort to illustrate how Zen works.

Ikkyu Sojun, an exceptional Zen master and poet, whose works remind us of "The Canterbury Tales" or "The Decameron" in terms of audacious straightforwardness facing immorality and hypocrisy, was a good friend of Komparu Zenchiku, a Noh master. Ikkyu used the then popular theatrical representation as a vehicle for his explanation of often too highly metaphysical concepts of Zen Buddhism.

Now, we have inherited Ikkyu's ingenuity and ingenuousness and take the role of the boy in «Emperor's New Clothes» saying: "But he isn't wearing anything at all".

We have translated the old Noh play and adapted it into a post-Beckett, post-Pinter theatre piece to tell you the simple truth about Zen.

No matter how many books have been written about it, and no matter how many teachers may say contrarily, Zen is quite simple.

Enjoy the modern «Yama Uba».


Naoto Matsumoto

Tao Te Ching Chapter 39-12 Inexhaustible valley

Today's Tao

If the valley were not filled, it might be exhausted. (Ch.39)


"The valley" means void.

So, Lao Tzu wants to say:

"void is filled and inexhaustible".

In Zen Buddhism, they say:

"無一物中無尽蔵 [mu ichi motsu chu mu jin zo]"


no / one / thing / inside / no / limit / storage


Each Kanji / Chinese character has the signification in this order.

It can be translated as:

"nothingness has an unlimited storage."

Sometimes, I wonder.

All the computer jargons and the internet technology may exist as a metaphor in order to explain us how Tao works.

It is just like Ikkyu's «Yama Uba» play, which tells us how Zen functions.


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-Mean = Root 39-18
-No honor 39-19
-No jade 39-20
-Like stone 39-21
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 39


Tao answers your question!



Previous video / Ch.39 text / Next video


-Visit Asakusa. If Akihabara is the dream of the 21st century Japan, Asakusa is that of the 19th century. Takeshi Kitano started his career as a stand-up comedian. Spend at least a full day, hanging around in the sector behind the Sensoji temple from the river Sumida. You can see the glimpse of Asakusa of Yasunari Kawabata and Kafu Nagai.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 32-9 Valleys & the Sea

Today's Tao

Tao is to the world under the sky as streams and valleys are to big rivers and the sea. (Ch.32)


Here, some simple equations to decode Tao Te Ching.


Tao = Valley = vacuum

world under the sky = big rivers and the sea = holograms (= the manifestations of Tao)


Tao the vacuum sustains the holograms as Ikkyu's Yama Uba, the old woman in the mountains, helps the workers.

Something invisible sustains something visible.

Something seemingly empty sustains something apparently concrete.


Now you know what they mean by:

"Colour is justly nothing. Nothing is justly colour. 色即是空。空即是色。" (Heart Sutra 般若心経)


The holograms you see is, in fact, empty.

Tao the vacuum creates them.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 32
-Valley god 6-1
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-Yama Uba the Zen play Zen master Ikkyu wrote the Japanese Noh play in order to explain how Zen works. Now it is available in English.
-100 valleys 66-1 "Hundreds of valleys" expresses the holograms filled with Tao's energy in Chapter 66. For further explanation, please see the note at Related Articles in 100 valleys 66-1.


Tao answers your question!



Previous video / Ch.32 text / Next video

Tao Te Ching Chapter 14-10 «Yama Uba» under it

Today's Tao

It is not dark even if it is under it. (Ch.14)


Japanese Zen Master Ikkyu supposedly wrote a Noh play called «Yama Uba» in order to explain how Tao (= Zen) functions.

Behind any human or natural activity lies Tao.

Tao's function is symbolised by an old woman roaming in the mountains, who helps working people without letting them know her presence.

Master Ikkyu wrote it in the fifteenth century.

I wonder if it was easier then to receive Tao's energy by cherishing the holographic world.


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-You can't see Tao 14-1
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-You can't find out Tao 14-7
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-Tao has no name 14-11
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-Evasive being 14-14
-Tao's face 14-15
-Tao's rear 14-16
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-Big Bang 14-18
-Tao's quintessence 14-19
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 14
-Ikkyu's funny dirty love poem 6-6
-Yama Uba the Zen play


Tao answers your question!



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