56. How to be One with Tao - Tao Te Ching by Matsumoto

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56. How to be One with Tao

[Chapter 56 / English Translation] - click the line to watch the related video.
One who knows does not say.

One who says does not know.

Block the openings. Close the gate.

Dull the sharpness.

Untangle the entanglement.

Soften the light.

Be like dust.

This is called being one with Dark Depth.

Therefore, you cannot get close to it.

You cannot stay away from it.

You cannot give benefit to it.

You cannot do it harm.

You cannot ennoble it.

You cannot debase it.

Therefore, it is the noblest in the world.

Rapid Decoded
<POINT> 玄同 ([hsüan tong / xuán tóng] in Chinese; [gen do] in Japanese) means «to be one with Dark Depth», that is to say, «to be one with Tao».

One who knows does not say.

One who says does not know.

Tao Te Ching is a manual of life. Don't see. Don't hear. Don't say. Shut down your sensory mechanism as much as possible in order not to be misled or distracted.

Dull the sharpness.

Untangle the entanglements.

You don't need to shine.

Try to be the least important being. Don't feed your ego. Be like dust or an [excrement] scraper.

Remember you are Tao. Don't worry.

Therefore, there is no point trying to get closer to Tao because you are the one.

So, you cannot stay away from Tao.

Tao is not material. It has nothing to do with benefit.

It has nothing to do with damage, either.

Tao is beyond human values. You cannot ennoble it.

You cannot debase it, either.

Therefore, Tao is the only existence.

Videos / YouTube playlist

- 56-1 Don't say
- 56-2 One who knows
- 56-3 Block the openings
- 56-4 Be dull
- 56-5 Untangled
- 56-6 Soft light
- 56-7 Kanshiketsu / Like dust
- 56-8 One with Dark Depth
- 56-9 Closer to Tao
- 56-10 Staying away?
- 56-11 Benefit
- 56-12 Harm?
- 56-13 Ennoble it?
- 56-14 Debase it?
- 56-15 Noblest

Contents
-56a Nikko's 3 monkeys
         Don't see. Don't hear. Don't say. Nikko Toshogu shrine's three monkeys will tell you a wise attitude of Dark Depth Female.
         If you stay at a Tokyo hotel, it is worth visiting Nikko. It is not too far. You can take the train for Nikko at Asakusa station. It will make a nice day trip.
         But, be prepared! There is a little surprise.

-56b Be like Dust
         Soften the light. Be like dust. There is a Japanese university named after the former.
       There are so many schools where you learn to excel, but there are few ones where they teach you how not to be prominent.
         The founder of the university deserves our respect for his audacity to pick out the name ignoring the commercial side of the educational industry.
         Please share the wisdom with him.

-56c Dark Depth
       If you don't have much time, read Ch.1. The chapter says all Lao Tzu wants to tell you. Don't complicate your life by analysing and interpreting his words. Go for the essential.
       But, at the very last sentence of Ch.1, there is a word with which you may have a bit of difficulty to understand what it means. It is Dark Depth.
         The word is explained in Ch.1 as a synonym of Tao, but what it means really? Read this article.

-56pu 10 points to be One with Tao
     You will find 10 practical applications for life in order to be One with Tao.

[Related Articles]
-Some parts of Tao Te Ching's text are not perfect. For example, Ch.4 has absolutely identical four sentences as those in this chapter.

-Fortune. "When the government is dark and obscure, the people are naive. When the government is brilliant, the people are imperfect."

-Amida (Amitābha) Buddha. Amida Buddha, or 無量光仏 [mu ryo ko butsu] "The Buddha of Infinite Light", will take care of all.

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Read Yama Uba the Zen play

The surprise is that the three wise monkeys are much smaller than you imagine. Ask other Japanese tourists where you can find them and make sure if they are the true ones. If you are shy, Lonely Planet Japan or Rough Guide to Japan might be handy.

Key Words

1. Tao

2. Hologram

3. The floating world Ukiyo

4. Play

5. Gate

6. Dark Depth

7. Dark Depth Female

8. Do nothing

9. Body soul and Spirit soul

10. You and non-you

11. Yin Yang circle

12. No judgement

13. Resistance

14. Satori

15. Act without acting

16. Colour

(Last modified: 18 January 2012)

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No worries.
Here is a practical method.

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A good question!
Zen masters have been tackling
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Tao by Matsumoto

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Tao by Matsumoto

松 本 乃 道

　　松　　本　　乃　　道