A Tao Te Ching Passage That Illuminates the Spiritual Path
It’s about the value of presence.
Written by Lao Tzu over 2,500 years ago, the Tao te Ching is my favorite book of wisdom. The fact that its insights ring true all these millennia later shows just how timeless it is.
While I love the entire book, there are a few passages that resonate the most. One of them is from Chapter 3:
“Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place.”
The key to the passage is the phrase ‘not-doing.’ What does Lao Tzu mean by that?
I interpret not-doing as synonymous with being. When we are simply being, we are present in the moment.
Not-doing means not getting trapped in ego
Just as important is where we aren’t when we are not-doing. We aren’t stuck in our heads with our attention hijacked by our thought factory minds. We’re not trapped in the clutches of our avaricious, drama loving egos.
The second half of the passage resonates most with me. “…everything will fall into place.” Why is that so important?
Because Lao Tzu is saying that all we need to do in life is be present. If we do that, everything else will take care of itself. I believe this to my core.
