Tao-te ching Comments |
Knowing without Knowing
Quote Without going outside his door, one understands (all that takes place) under the sky; without looking out from his window, one sees the Tao of Heaven. The farther that one goes out (from himself), the less he knows. Therefore the sages got their knowledge
without travelling; gave their (right) names to things without seeing them; and accomplished their ends without any purpose of doing so. Commentary Knowing without knowing is the theme of this chapter. The wise man practices closing the senses and mind to what is external and has the vision of what is without moving away from his place. The first explanation, and the simplest, is that it is
not necessary to investigate all the events of the world in which you live, that is, to be up to date with the news, to know what the trend is. If you are attentive enough, you will see around you people or things, phenomena even, that suggest to you what the trend is. It happens spontaneously, without intention, I repeat, if you are attentive. The second, is about a method attested in Orthodox Christianity by monks living in total isolation and practicing hesychast prayer.
One of them writes that at the height of this practice the Creator's design is shown to you. My opinion is that both explanations are valid and even sometimes overlap. The conclusion: The wise man do things without doing, that is, practices the wu-wei (nondoing). I already wrote about the meaning of this basic concept in Taoism.
(Tao-te ching, chapter 47, James Legge translation.)
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Commentary by Jhian
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