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.
(Tao-te ching, chapter 47, James Legge translation.)

Commentary

The firth paragraph is about the ability of Taoist master to know what happens in the world without the use of senses and intellect. That is, contrary to the common people. The explanation is simple: senses and intellect mislead us.

This ability is attested in the Orthodox Christianity by monks living in total isolation and practicing hesychast prayer. We read in a paper that this prayer may have as result the contemplation of God's intent. That is, the Real.

The final of the second paragraph - "accomplished their ends without any purpose" refers to the practice of wu wei (nondoing).

The aim is attained without planing and forcing.

James Legge confirms that this chapter in a mystical one. But he explains it thus:

This chapter is a lesson to men to judge of things according to their internal conviction of similar things in their own experience.

And, Lao-tzu would seem to teach us that man is a microcosm; and that, if he understand the movements of his own mind, he can understand the movements of all other minds.\

Tao of Heaven occurs here for the first time, says Legge, and is difficult to explain its meaning.

We talked about this expression in our online course on what is Taoism, level one.

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Commentary by Jhian

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