Impermanence: The Tao Te Ching Commentary Verse 36

Most commentators of Verse 36 of the Dao De Jing emphasize its return to the union of opposites, one of the primary themes of the Dao. But I would suggest that the Verse possesses an even more profound realization, that of impermanence. The realization of impermanence is among the most powerful and compelling teachings of the Buddha. Perhaps we find it first in this remarkably succinct Verse.

Nothing lasts. The gently rolling foothills that surround my house just outside of Philadelphia were once towering mountains. Hundreds of millions of years ago the Alps were a vast ocean. How much more ephemeral are our our most personal beliefs and thought constructs?

Isn’t it true that when we are feeling the most down and depressed, we buy into the permanence of our situation? Not only can we realize nirvana through the realization of impermanence, but we can also release our dark and tight grip on our most painful moods and states of mind. The power of this Verse to transform our lives cannot be over-stated.

Even the lofty and seemingly life changing experiences of meditation and abrupt awakening pass. It all passes. Even the universe will one day either dissipate into empty void or return into one single vast entity of mass and energy.

The genes that make our arms and legs are identical to the genes that make the claws of lobsters and the legs of spiders. They are not similar. They are identical. Everything changes and that is the underlying theme of this remarkable Verse. In my view, it is the Jonathan Storm translation that is the clearest, if not the most succinct. He writes:

Contraction pulls at that
which extends too far
Weakness pulls at that
which strengthens too much
Rain pulls at that
which rises too high

I have taken the liberty of removing the final couplet, since I don’t believe that it’s included in the most reliable versions of the Dao.

If we pull at the end of a rubber band, the power of contraction will overcome the force we apply to extend it. That which is strong becomes weak - consider your own body - weakness is its ultimate destination. And great mountains are, eventually, laid low by rain. Nothing lasts.

The Verse continues:

The lesson here is called
“The wisdom of obscurity” -
The gentle outlast the strong
The obscure outlast the obvious
Hence, a fish that ventures from deep water
is soon snagged by a net
A country that reveals its strength
is soon conquered by an enemy.

When we realize that we wear ourselves ragged by straining after great accomplishments, physical, material, or spiritual, we fail to realize the law of impermanence. We are acting from ignorance. This law applies to all seeming attainments, whether it be knowledge or a stock portfolio. What does up, must come down.

The power of the Wisdom of obscurity is that we stop the endless straining - the furious chasing after this and that. When that hungry motion ceases and the dust finally clears, a new self arises - a shining self that loves and embraces just this - knowing that even this passes.

Tags: seeking