One
of the greatest religions and philosophies is Taoism, an ancient philosophy initiated
in China by the teachings of many sages, the most famous of whom was Lao Tzu. There
is so much amazing philosophy in Taoism, but for today, I’ll just look at the
concept of reversals, as illustrated in this quote:
From
Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching (6th
century B.C.):
“The sage, putting himself in the background,
is always to the fore. Remaining outside, he is always there. Is it not just
because he does not strive for any personal end, that all his personal ends are
fulfilled?”
One
important principle that a potential sage must understand before they are able
to achieve such enlightenment the law of reversals. In nature, we see reversals
happening all the time: the seasons, going from hot to cold and wet to dry; a
thrown stone going to is maximum height then falling to its lowest point on the
earth. This also happens in the human world: people and nations rising to a
height of power and then collapsing to destruction. Such reversals are all in
accordance with the Tao and the laws of the universe.
The
knowledge that both times of turmoil and times of bounty will not last can help
to bring wisdom when we accept them as facts of life. It will bring us hope in
our darkest times, and it will help us remain modest and not given in to hubris
in times of triumph. The true sage does not let him or herself be carried away
by the events of the world, the “wheel of fortune” that is ever turning and
changing the fates of everyone from the lowliest beggar to the most exalted
king. Unlike most of the people caught up in striving to attain their own ends,
as we saw in the quote, the sage does not strive for any of this. Yet he still
attains his personal ends. How is this possible?
Well,
how many times have we striven to our utmost to achieve something, fighting our
way to our goal, only to fall short? This could be the very problem, the fighting to get it, which is unnatural,
rather than flowing along a more natural route that is in accordance with our
natures as human beings. Of course, with the constant flux of fortunes due to
the laws of the world, it is not possible for anyone, not even a sage, to
always get what they want, but it is possible
to turn the balance to be successful more often than not. The sage does not
want to obtain riches, but to live tranquilly and benefit others. Such
objectives are in accordance with the nature of human beings, and so we should
not have to fight to get them. If we do not act with artificiality, we can achieve
much and not tire ourselves out with unnatural action. This is the idea of “no
action” espoused by Taoists: it is not about doing nothing, but doing nothing
that is contrary to nature, both human nature and the nature of the world
around us.
We
are also told: “Diminish a thing and it
will increase. Increase a thing and it will diminish.” This may sound paradoxical,
but if we think about it in terms of the law of reversals, it makes more sense:
when something reaches its extreme, it will head in the other direction. A tree
starts as a tiny seed, it progresses to grow upward as it matures, and then
when it reaches old age, it becomes weaker and is more prone to decay and destruction
by natural events. It will then decompose and the cycle will start again.
When
it comes to human beings, what exactly constitutes one’s “limit” is up to
interpretation. If, for example, we believe that we are rich and famous and at
the pinnacle of our achievements, this arrogance will set a limit in itself: from
here, the only place to go is downward. If instead we are humble and do not let
ourselves be consumed with greed and arrogance, we will be able to attain more.
If we are meek and preserve our strength, we will be able to be strong: if you
already think yourself to be a strong person, why would you try to improve? This
does not mean that we should be discontent with what we have, but to recognize
our own failings and so leave room for improvement. If we don’t think we can
improve, we will not, because our mind will set up a barrier to any further
improvement. If you believe that something is possible, and if it is in accordance
with the laws of the world, it will be. If we have too many desires, we will go
against our natures in attempts to fulfill them, and so will easily be
discontent.
So
by living in accordance with the law of reversals, we can achieve a more
tranquil life, taking a step toward understanding the Tao and uniting with it,
the ultimate goal of the sage. What may seem like paradoxes are often great
truths, such as “The conquest of the world comes invariably from doing nothing.”
When we realize that our nature requires only simplicity, we can come closer to
achieving a truer source of happiness and fulfillment.
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