The physical form of the body as seen from the Tao Te Ching

Tao Te Ching, an important ancient academic work, is the first complete philosophical work in Chinese history. During the Qin Dynasty, "Lüshi Chunqiu?Annotations" was called "Shangzhi Jing". Later Taoism claimed that it originated from Lao Dan, a Taoist in the pre-Qin period, and revered him as the founder of the religion. It regarded "Tao Te Ching" as the main classic and gave it various religious interpretations as the basis for promoting Taoist precepts.

Thirty spokes share one hub. When there is nothing, there is a use for the car. Molding clay into vessels. When there is nothing, there is a use for it. Make a room by cutting windows and doors. When it is not there, there is a use for the room. Therefore, having it is beneficial, and not having it is useful.

In this chapter, Lao Tzu uses cars, tools, and rooms as examples to remind people to realize the concept of the Tao in the four postures of daily life: walking, living, sitting, and lying down.

"Thirty spokes share one hub, and it is when there is nothing that the wheel is useful." The hub refers to the center of the wheel, the part with a hole for inserting the axle. This sentence uses the hub to refer to the car. The car is made up of spokes, wheels, a body and other parts. The parts are the present appearance, and the car is the false name for the combination of the parts. The parts are also the unity of the principle and the principle is "empty". Therefore, the "nothing" in "when there is nothing" refers to the principle, and the principle is the "Tao body". When its essence is in harmony with causes and conditions, it can be used as a vehicle.

"When clay is molded into pottery, it is because of its emptiness that it becomes useful." Clay is made by mixing earth into mud to form pottery. Mud is the appearance of pottery, and the essence of pottery is emptiness. Similarly, this essence of "nothingness" becomes useful as a pottery when causes and conditions are met.

"Dig out doors and windows to make a room; when there is no room, it can be used." The order of the ancient courtyard from outside to inside is door, courtyard, hall, and room. After the door is the courtyard, behind the courtyard is the hall, and behind the hall is the room. The door of a room is called "hu", and there is a window between the room and the hall called "you". Huyou is what we now call a house. Doors, windows and other structures are the physical appearances of the house. The essence of the house is emptiness. When causes and conditions are met, the house functions as it does.

All things are inseparable from the three aspects of substance, appearance and function. "Existence" refers to different phenomena, and "non-existence" refers to the inherent principle. "Existence" is the appearance and function of "non-existence", and "non-existence" is the essence of "existence". No matter how many "existences" there are in the present phenomena, there is only one "non-existence" in the essence of the principle. As mentioned above, "nothing" can become a car under different conditions; "nothing" can also become an instrument under different conditions; "nothing" can also become a room under different conditions.

"Things that exist are used for benefit, and things that do not exist are used for use." "Existence" refers to the combination of appearance and function. For example, the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness mentioned in the Heart Sutra all belong to existence. "Benefit" means benefits and "nothingness" is the essence of reason. It means that if sentient beings intend to do things that benefit or harm themselves, then the essence of "nothingness" will follow the sentient beings, manifest different appearances, and play different roles.

Buddhism says: "The mind makes the Buddha, the mind is the Buddha." The mind that makes Buddha is "existence", which refers to the conscious mind, namely, feeling, thinking, action and consciousness; the mind that is Buddha is "non-existence", which refers to the original mind. If there is any conscious mind, the original mind is "non-existent", and then the corresponding phenomena, corresponding functions, and corresponding living environment will appear. Buddhism uses "consciousness-only" to explain to us the causes and actions of the ten Dharma realms: The cause of Buddha is purity and equality, without a single thought, and he is brightly awakened. This is Buddha. Bodhisattvas practice the six paramitas: giving, keeping precepts, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom. The Bodhisattva’s mind abides in the six paramitas. Pratyekabuddhas and Śrāvakas refer to the saints of the Hinayana. The Pratyekabuddhas’ mind abides in the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, which are ignorance, action, consciousness, name and form, the six sense organs, contact, feeling, craving, attachment, existence, birth, old age and death; the Śrāvakas abide in the Four Noble Truths, which are suffering, origin, cessation and the path. The heavenly way abides in the ten virtues and the four immeasurable minds. Human beings abide in the Five Precepts, which also include the Ten Virtues. In the three evil realms, the minds of hungry ghosts are filled with greed and stinginess; the minds of animals are filled with ignorance and they dwell in ignorance, which means they cling to and discriminate; the minds of hell beings are filled with jealousy and anger. If it corresponds to the three evil paths and the six realms, then it is the six realms and the three evil paths, and this is called "it is the mind that does it." It is the mind that makes the Buddha, it is the mind that makes the Bodhisattva, it is the mind that makes the god, it is the mind that makes the human, it is the mind that makes the hungry ghost, it is the mind that makes the hell, and it is the mind that makes the animal. This mind that does things is called consciousness, and the eight consciousnesses are also called mind. Therefore, "this mind makes Buddha" and "this mind is Buddha" are not the same thing. The mind that is created by “this mind” is the conscious mind, which is transformed by consciousness only. “This mind is” that mind is the true mind, the true mind is “nothing”, and it is the true nature. So in terms of nature, all dharmas are harmonious and all dharmas are one. Mahayana Buddhism often talks about "all dharmas returning to one". One is the one truth, and all dharmas are indeed one. But from the perspective of consciousness, it becomes ten thousand. One becomes ten thousand, and it becomes infinite and boundless. This is how it is. The scriptures explain these principles and matters to us clearly and make them understandable. Once we understand them, we will know how to live, how to deal with things and people, how to help ourselves, and how to help all sentient beings. We will understand all of these.

The above is all about looking at the physical form from the perspective of the Tao Te Ching. For more information, please follow Ziweifu's physiognomy channel!