Tao Te Ching Chapter 70-3 Center & Actor

Today's Tao

The words have got the centre. The acts have got an actor. (Ch.70)


Does it bother you if I say your thoughts don't belong to you?

Or, is it a big relief?

Your thoughts and the words, which are supposed to be generated by "your thoughts", are part of your hologram.

They are sort of "sound effects" for your holographic movie.

"Thirty spokes share one hub", says Lao Tzu in Chapter 11. (☞See 30 spokes 11-1)

"Thirty spokes" are beams of light, sort of.

The hub, or the center, is the projector of the 360-degree movie.

In other words, the center is Tao.

All the acts you see are played by holographic actors in order to stimulate true You.

True You are the projector in the center, but you are not responsible for the content of the movie.


«Related Articles»
-Easy Tao 70-1
-Comprehension and Practice 70-2
-Center and Actor 70-3
-They know nothing 70-4
-Precious one 70-5
-Shabby clothes 70-6
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 70


Tao answers your question!



☞«Tao Te Ching» The first line comparison (6) / "Tao can be talked about, but not the Eternal Tao." On the left, «Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Asian Institute Translations)» translated by John C. H. Wu. / "Growing older either reveals or hides the mystery of existence." On the right, «The Sage's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for the Second Half of Life» written by William Martin.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 60-4 Sage hurts no people

Today's Tao

It is not only that the gods don't hurt people, but the sage doesn't hurt the people, either. (Ch.60)


"Gods", who are seemingly controlling the others, do not control the hologram.

"The sage", which means you, does not control the hologram, either.

You are not responsible for anything.

How can you be!

This is «Inmo 恁麼» in Zen Buddhism.

"是什麼物恁麼来

[ze inmo butsu inmo rai]

Where on earth did this «what on earth» thing come from?"

I hope you can accept this concept.

It is not only that something that you think has control over you doesn't dictate to you, but that your own self doesn't control you, either.


«Related Articles»
-Boil fish 60-1
-Demons are not gods 60-2
-Gods hurt no people 60-3
-Sage hurts no people 60-4
-None hurt 60-5
-Returns to each other 60-6
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 60


Tao answers your question!



☞Shizuo Tsuji was the founder of the Tsuji Culinary Institute, the Japanese counterpart to the Culinary Institute of America or Le Cordon Bleu. ☞The title of the song is written Tairyo, but the true one is «Tairyo Bushi». It is a traditional song of fishermen wishing a good catch, which "Tairyo" signifies. Please enjoy the sample music at its Amazon page.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 53-4 Wild field

Today's Tao

The field is very wild. (Ch.53)


"Who destroyed the beautiful rice field!"

"Globalization and multi-nationals are responsible for the desertification of the world!"


All right, all right.

You need someone to blame.

But, if you follow Tao or Zen, you have got no one to blame.

Don't judge anyone even if nature is being destroyed.

Ask yourself what the world and its nature are.


Buddha said:

"It is like a man with bleary-eyed vision seeing the flowers in the middle of emptiness."

亦如翳人見空中華

(Shuryogonkyo / Suramgama Sutra 首楞厳経 10-4; also Kuge 空華, «Shobogenzo». ☞See 64-5 Before existence for Dogen's Caution.)


They are your hologram.


Master Dogen says:

"The flowers of emptiness have everything on the lands blossom."

従華開の尽地あり。（空華は地空ともに開発せしむる）

(Kuge 空華, «Shobogenzo»)


The flowers of emptiness stimulate you to project other flowers.


«Related Articles»
-No intelligence 53-1
-Flat Tao 53-2
-Clean court 53-3
-Wild field 53-4
-Painted rice cake / Empty granary 53-5
-Too much money 53-6
-Thief's luxury 53-7
-Hologram is not Tao 53-8
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 53


Tao answers your question!



☞They were not seven samurai at the beginning of the story. They were six samurai and one peasant. The young peasant who Toshiro Mifune embodied wanted to be a samurai. A few centuries later, now, modern-day Japanese samurai are corporate workers. They are spiritually and financially as tired and hungry as those defeated samurai in «Seven Samurai» after the two decades of sluggish economy there. The difference is that these days samurai want to be peasants.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 51-11 No subject

Today's Tao

Be the chief, but don't control it. (Ch.51)


"Although you project your hologram in the mind, you should not try to control it."

"Although you create your hologram, you are not responsible for it."

"True You are not your own self."


Aren't these expressions confusing?

Yes, they are. It is because of the word "you".

"Self" does not exist, which is part of the basis of Zen.

Therefore, Zen and Tao should be discussed without using "I" or "You".

Let's think in a language that does not require a subject.


«Related Articles»
-Your birth 51-1
-Attainment 51-2
-They form you 51-3
-Vessel = Hologram 51-4
-Respect Tao 51-5
-Honor Attainment 51-6
-By itself 51-7
-Character 51-8
-Possession 51-9
-Don't rely 51-10
-No subject 51-11
-Dark Depth Attainment 51-12
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 51


Tao answers your question!



☞After the sky exploded in Hiroshima in 1945, Black Rain fell. Masuji Ibuse, who was born in a village nearby, wrote the novel «Black Rain». Shohei Imamura, a twice winner of the Cannes Festival Grand Prix, directed the film with the same title. Ridley Scott made a film with an identical title, and this Yakuza film has something to do with the contaminated rain.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 51-9 Possession

Today's Tao

Give birth, but don't possess it. (Ch.51)


You give birth to the world, which is your hologram.

But you don't possess it.

Therefore, you cannot control it.

Therefore, you are not responsible for it.

No one is responsible for it.

The world is:

"是什麼物恁麼来 [ze inmo butsu inmo rai]"

It's like clouds.

We don't have to know where it comes from.

What a relief!


«Related Articles»
-Your birth 51-1
-Attainment 51-2
-They form you 51-3
-Vessel = Hologram 51-4
-Respect Tao 51-5
-Honor Attainment 51-6
-By itself 51-7
-Character 51-8
-Possession 51-9
-Don't rely 51-10
-No subject 51-11
-Dark Depth Attainment 51-12
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 51


Tao answers your question!



☞It seems to me that Japan is metamorphosing into a post-consumer society. Although most Japanese go through the transformation for the first time, some of the phenomena in its process are not necessarily new historically in the country. To the people of the archipelago, they are like living in reality what they have read in their literature. In «A Strange Tale from East of the River», Kafu Nagai tells us about a girl who illegally wait for her client by the window. In «The Lake», Yasunari Kawabata portrays a man who follows a woman, which has become illegal these days.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 51-8 Character

Today's Tao

Tao gives birth to this, raises this, leads this, takes care of this, gives this a shape, gives this a character, feeds this, and covers this. (Ch.51)


In this context, "this" means your own self and the hologram.

So, Today's Tao sentence is paraphrased as:

"Tao gives birth to your own self and the hologram.

Tao raises your own self and the hologram.

(This is your life.)

Tao leads your own self and the hologram.

(So, don't worry.)

Tao takes care of your own self and the hologram(, which is the world).

Tao gives your own self and the world a shape.

(True You are not your own self.)

And Tao gives you a character.

(So, you are not responsible for who you are.)"


Naoto Matsumoto adds:

Tao feeds its energy to the hologram.

Tao covers the hologram.


«Related Articles»
-Your birth 51-1
-Attainment 51-2
-They form you 51-3
-Vessel = Hologram 51-4
-Respect Tao 51-5
-Honor Attainment 51-6
-By itself 51-7
-Character 51-8
-Possession 51-9
-Don't rely 51-10
-No subject 51-11
-Dark Depth Attainment 51-12
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 51


Tao answers your question!



☞«The Woman in the Dunes» was originally written by Kobo Abe as a novel. Since the story has a very theatrical setting, it is not surprising that he adapted it into a screenplay. Hiroshi Teshigawara directed the film. This is one of the most successful avant-garde novels written in Japanese.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 51-7 By itself

Today's Tao

No one has given them a title or something, but it always so comes about by itself. (Ch.51)


Today we have a Kanreisu (a bar / spring) of Tao and Zen.

You project your hologram, but you are not responsible for it.

We think the society or the world exists outside you, but in fact it exists inside you.

You project your hologram.

But the one who projects it is part of the hologram itself.


In Zen Buddhism, they say:

"是什麼物恁麼来 [ze inmo butsu inmo rai]

Where on earth did this «what on earth» thing come from?"


In your hologram, everything "comes about by itself".

It is 自然 [ji nen].


«Related Articles»
-Your birth 51-1
-Attainment 51-2
-They form you 51-3
-Vessel = Hologram 51-4
-Respect Tao 51-5
-Honor Attainment 51-6
-By itself 51-7
-Character 51-8
-Possession 51-9
-Don't rely 51-10
-No subject 51-11
-Dark Depth Attainment 51-12
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 51
-Transformation 64-20


Tao answers your question!



☞Sometimes, the language you use is crucial. It enormously affects the way you think. The Japanese language is composed of the mixture of Kanji Chinese characters and Hiragana / Katakana phonetic letters. In the olden days, soft-looking Hiragana letters were not considered official or "masculine", and it was women who started using them with imagination and creativity. «The Tale of Genji» is one of the oldest works written by a female Japanese novelist. «The Housekeeper and the Professor» is one of the latest. It is written by an up-and-coming star in modern Japanese literature, Yoko Ogawa. She tells you about mathematics and love.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 39-4 Gods

Today's Tao

Gods attained One and got spiritual. (Ch.39)


Where do feelings and thoughts come from?

Where does time come from? Where does it go?

Where do "gods" live?

All of them are part of your hologram.

Therefore it is you who project them.

"Gods" need Tao the fundamental energy to exist as Today's Tao sentence says.

"Gods" are there to stimulate you as a catalyst like feelings and thoughts, time and space, and people and objects.

Can you abandon the idea of the one and only objective world outside you?

If you can, you will not have to be afraid of "gods" or responsible for your feelings and thoughts.

You will even have an unlimited supply of time and space.


«Related Articles»
-Attain One 39-1
-Heaven 39-2
-Earth 39-3
-Gods 39-4
-Filled valley 39-5
-Hologram's birth 39-6
-Hologram's master 39-7
-One = Tao 39-8
-Heaven torn apart 39-9
-Earth unstable 39-10
-Gods rest 39-11
-Inexhaustible valley 39-12
-Ruined 39-13
-Lords and Kings = Masters 39-14
-Noble = Mean 39-15
-High = Low 39-16
-Lords and Kings = Less virtue 39-17
-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


-If you are interested in homeopathy, Masaru Emoto's books will help you understand why it works. Water has memory. It remembers the state when it was working without problems. About 60% of our body consists of water. We are water with memory.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 23-5 Man's responsibility

Today's Tao

How can man keep on doing it for a long time if heaven and earth cannot do it. (Ch.23)


You are not responsible at all.

"Wait a minute, Matsumoto-san! You said: «I am responsible for everything.» yesterday."

Certainly I did.

I said: "true You are responsible because true You are Tao".

Please do not mix true You and your own self.

Your own self, or ego, not true You, is part of your hologram along with man, heaven, and earth.

The Today's Tao sentence means:

"Even heaven and earth's influence is ephemeral. How can a man or your own ego affect other objects in your hologram!".

Your own self is not responsible for anything.


«Related Articles»
-Say no words 23-1
-High wind II 23-2
-Downpour 23-3
-Heaven's responsibility 23-4
-Man's responsibility 23-5
-According to Tao 23-6
-Satori = Attainment 23-7
-Attainment loss 23-8
-Bonno soku bodai 23-9
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 23


Tao answers your question!



Previous video / Ch.23 text / Next video


-Chikamatsu Monzaemon, playwright, 1653 - 1725. On the left, «Chikamatsu Monogatari / A story from Chikamatsu» was directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. On the right, its original title is «Shinju Ten no amijima». A director / actress couple, Masahiro Shinoda and Shima Iwashita worked together. Iwashita was considered one of the most beautiful women in Japan at that time.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 23-4 Heaven's responsibility

Today's Tao

Who is doing these? Heaven and earth are. (Ch.23)


Who is causing the high wind and downpour?

Of course, heaven and earth, the Nature is.

Who is provoking the global warming?

I know some people want to blame someone else.

Here, you can test yourself whether you truly embrace Lao Tzu's teachings.

Can you say:

"I am responsible for everything"?

True You are Tao, which is the source of your hologram.


"It is the government's fault!"

"Multinational companies are responsible!"

When you stop saying so, you truly make a step forward in Zen and Taoism.

There is no objective world to blame outside you.


«Related Articles»
-Say no words 23-1
-High wind II 23-2
-Downpour 23-3
-Heaven's responsibility 23-4
-Man's responsibility 23-5
-According to Tao 23-6
-Satori = Attainment 23-7
-Attainment loss 23-8
-Bonno soku bodai 23-9
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 23


Tao answers your question!



Previous video / Ch.23 text / Next video


-Shusaku Endo was a Christian. Christianity was often the center of his works. Always you can hear his question to himself: "Why did God make this Japanese man a Christian?" In Deep River, he finds an unconventional way to look at Christianity. At the very depth of this Japanese writer, do you see an ineffaceable trace of Buddhism and Shintoism?

Mother Video

Today's Tao

What you can name is the mother of all the material beings. [Ch.1]


See Mother for the text.


Please let me know what you think about Tao Te Ching Decoded.

Tell me about the parts which are a bit equivocal.

I appreciate your effort and kindness if you correct my English, too.

Thank you. I really need your help.


Naoto Matsumoto
Tao Te Ching Decoded