Silence and Stillness: Why the Tao Te Ching Praises the Empty
Our culture rewards noise: more input, more output, more opinions. The Tao Te Ching goes the other way. It keeps praising what is quiet and empty.
The usefulness of empty space
Chapter 11 makes a plain point. A bowl is useful because of its hollow. A room is useful because of the space inside the walls. What we call “something” gives the form, and what we call “nothing” gives the use.
Apply that to a mind. A mind crowded with plans, replies and worries has no room left. Stillness is not a lack of thinking. It is space for thinking to settle.
Muddy water settles by itself
There is an old image in the book: muddy water becomes clear if you stop stirring it. You do not clear it by working harder. You wait, and the mud sinks.
That is a useful way to treat an overactive mind. Trying to force it quiet is another kind of stirring.
A small practice
For a few minutes, sit and do nothing about your thoughts. Notice them the way you would notice cars passing on a road. Do not follow them, and do not fight them. When you realize you have been carried off, come back to your breath without scolding yourself.
It will not feel impressive. That is part of the point.
Stillness is not an escape from life. It is a place to return to, so you can meet what comes with a clearer head.
If your mind is loud tonight, the short free book below is a gentle place to begin.