Wield the Tao of the ancients, to manage the existence of today. (Lao-tzu.)
Quite correctly, it is said that the Great Tao cannot be captured in words. It is something to be experienced, not explained. But within Tao, as Lao-tzu tells us, there is substance and there are images. It is these which Taoists have always been very good at understanding and making plain to the rest of us. Collectively, they make up that which cannot be spoken; but individually, a great deal has been said about them over the centuries.
They are the component parts of Tao. They are what you are left with when you take the infinite complexity of the universe and reduce it to basic principles. Suddenly, what was once beyond comprehension, becomes obvious.
It is then that one might, again, as Lao-tzu said, wield the Tao of the ancients to manage the existence of today.
The oldest extant human expression of an understanding of the universe are the hexagrams of the I Ching. Otherwise known as images, this collection of sixty-four units of six broken and unbroken lines, represents an intuitive knowledge of the structure and nature of the universe that rivals any that has been derived scientifically today.
Each might be said to be a cog in the mechanism of Tao: a continually evolving dynamic that is guided by its own natural law. And each, taken on their own, applicable, in their unique ways, to any and all situations in heaven and earth.
Unsure of the shift in dynamic a new relationship might cause to one that already exists? Hexagram 54, the Marrying Maiden, can help. Embarking on a brand new career? Hexagram 53, Development, has something to say. Want to know how a political situation might turn out? Hexagram 21, Biting Through, has an idea.
What is important are the principles represented by each: the mechanisms that bring about change. What does it mean when a 'hard' line rests upon a 'yielding' line and what would be the expected outcome? Why sometimes do hexagrams split apart while others come together? And why do some hexagrams mean creation when other hexagrams mean destruction?
To know the answers to such questions is to be a master of change itself.
Perhaps less esoteric, but no less powerful, is the manifest nature of Tao and how we might be inspired by its expression of itself. When faced with what might turn out to be an argument, adopt a stance of non-contention, for Tao does not contend. When searching yourself for the right thing to do, do not contrive to act, for Tao does not contrive. When handed a choice between contributing to disharmony or to balance, choose balance, for it is to balance that Tao returns. Where there is ambiguity, seek clarity; where there is complexity, seek simplicity.
If you do not know what to do, allow Tao to be your guide; if you are ignorant, let Tao be your teacher. Learn when to increase, and when to decrease; understand when to come forth, and when to rest.
Whether we are facing difficulties at work, or in a personal relationship, the basic principles that, together, constitute the unknowable Tao, can, on their own, be applied for the benefit of all and at the expense of no one.
There is no situation in our daily lives that Tao does not have a tool for. But, like a good mechanic, we need to know which is the most appropriate for the job, and how to apply them safely and with maximum effect.
An essential part of any tool is the person who wields it. In the hands of a master craftsman, a mallet and chisel can produce objects of great beauty; in my hands, they're more likely to result in a sore thumb and much cursing.
To wield the tools of Tao, we must cultivate the right character. The Ta Chuan says: the hawk is the object of the hunt; bow and arrow are the tools and means. The marksman is man (who must make proper use of the means to his end). The superior man contains the means in his own person. He bides his time and then acts. Why then should not everything go well? He acts and is free. Therefore all he has to do is to go forth, and he takes his quarry. This is how a man fares who acts after he has ready the means.
This tells us that just as a marksman has the means at his disposal to achieve his aims, so we have the means inside ourselves to achieve ours. After all, a bow and arrow are useless if the heart races and the hands tremble.
Thus through knowledge of Tao and cultivation of our character, we might wield the Tao as a multi-purpose tool: a Swiss-Army Tao, as it were, with its many applications (including the one that might be for getting stones out of horses' hooves but you're never quite sure).
