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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-No danger 32-8
-Valleys and the Sea 32-9
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 32
-Valley god 6-1
-Yama Uba under it 14-10
-Full = Empty 45-3
-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.


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Tao Te Ching Chapter 32-8 No danger

Today's Tao

It is because, if they know where to stop, there is no danger. (Ch.32)


If you don't want to face any danger, stop judging.

Well, conventional wisdom says contrarily, but that's the truth.

If you don't judge, you will not have any problem.

It is difficult to stop judging?

No.

It is easy.

The best way to do so is to swap the cause and the result.

Instead of thanking someone for your well being, we can live to thank him.

This is "Reverse Thinking".


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-Valleys and the Sea 32-9
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 32


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Tao Te Ching Chapter 32-7 Stop

Today's Tao

Once they have got names, they should know how to stop. (Ch.32)


Are names bad?

Probably not.

We can better appreciate Tao's manifestation through each thing if it has a name.

But names come along with discernment.

Discernment leads you to judgement, right?

Isn't judgement the source of discontent?

One has to stop somewhere before he starts suffering from the lack of satisfaction.


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-No danger 32-8
-Valleys and the Sea 32-9
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 32


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Tao Te Ching Chapter 32-6 Cuts & Names

Today's Tao

After they start cutting things, there are names. (Ch.32)


Tao splits up, and creates holograms, which are sometimes called vessels.

Holograms get their names.

Names create categories.

Categories fascinate human beings too much.

Why do you want to be among chosen people?

You and non-you are the same thing.

Jiko 自己 and Tako 他己 are the same hologram.

While giving a name, you are segregating one from another.

No name, please. We are one.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 32
-Tao by Matsumoto / You and non-you


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Tao Te Ching Chapter 32-5 Balance

Today's Tao

You don't need to order people. They balance themselves naturally. (Ch.32)


This chapter is good, isn't it?

It must be Lao Tzu's true work.

Everything in your hologram; people, things, or whatever; is like water.

They look for balance whether you give them orders or not.

Well, it is not precise.

Everything in front of us is totally balanced already.

Whether you impose your judgement on it or not, it is perfect naturally.

Don't judge because you know very well that it is a waste of energy.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 32


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Tao Te Ching Chapter 32-4 Fertile raindrops

Today's Tao

Heaven and earth harmonize with each other, so fertile raindrops fall. (Ch.32)


Heaven and earth.

You and non-you.

The outside world constitutes your feelings and thoughts, and your feelings and thoughts constitute the outside world.

"The true sutra is grasses, woods, you and non-you", says Zen Master Dogen. (Jishozanmai 自証三昧, «Shobogenzo»)

They are part of your hologram, so everything is always in harmony with Tao however disharmonious it seems.

Please remember fertile rains are constantly falling on us.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 32


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Tao Te Ching Chapter 32-3 Lords & Kings

Today's Tao

If the lords and kings defend it very well, all the material things will obey them. (Ch.32)


"Lords and kings" mean the one who creates his hologram.

If he knows how to defend Tao very well, he can control all the material beings, Lao Tzu says.

He has to know how to use Dark Depth Female.

By "doing nothing".

He has to know how to go back to Tao.

By Reverse Thinking.

Now you remember that true You are creating your hologram.

But, wait a minute.

Now you know it is useless to control any.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 32


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-Ihara Saikaku's first successful novel is «Koshoku Ichidai Otoko / The life of an Amorous Man (I might translate the title as "The life of the most lecherous man")». A fantastic book. To some Japanese in the Edo period (1603 - 1868), life was just a joke. They called it a floating world Ukiyo. Why don't we enjoy it? Read this novel and understand the philosophy of "ordinary people" in the epoch. When you see Akihabara girls in Tokyo, nothing seems to have changed much.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 32-2 Small uncarved block

Today's Tao

Though the uncarved block is small, no one under the sky can make it his minister very well. (Ch.32)


It is a good suggestion.

Many people try to control Tao.

Lao Tzu makes it clear that it is impossible.

"The uncarved block", which is Tao, is not just small, but doesn't have any volume at all.

"The world under the sky" means your hologram.

You cannot control Tao from the side of the hologram by any means, neither by any exercise nor prayer, not to mention any scientific measure.

I hope that you don't practice Taoism or Zen Buddhism, thinking that you will be able to control Tao.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 32
-Tao by Matsumoto / Uncarved block


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-I am sincerely proud that I was born in a country where «The life of amorous woman» and «Five women who loved love» are considered to be part of our greatest literary achievement. The English titles may have been somehow "softened" for the public to think that it is a "serious" literary work. The titles in Japanese, «Koushoku Ichidai Onna» and «Koushoku Gonin Onna», mean more indecent than those in English. I may translate them as «The most lecherous woman in one life» and «The five most lecherous women» respectively.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 32-1 Nameless

Today's Tao

Tao is constantly nameless. (Ch.32)


"What is Tao?"

Many people ask this question.

Excuse me, but Tao refuses to have a name.

We just call it Tao for the sake of our discussion.

What do you do you when someone asks you questions like:

"What is a Calvin Klein? What is a Starbucks?"

The easiest way to answer the questions is to point out the underpants or the double mokachino.

I will do the same.

Tao is this.

Tao is constant and omnipresent.

It is bigger than a name.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 32
-The beginning 1-3


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-To while away the idle hours seated the livelong day before the ink-slab, by jotting down without order or purpose whatever trifling thoughts pass through my mind, verily this is a queer and craze thing to do! (Translated by George Bailey Sansom) «Tsurezuregusa / Essays in Idleness» begins like this. Kenko Yoshida, its author in the Samurai era, might be facing a computer terminal and spending his time playing on Internet if he lived now.