The Tao

It is clear in the discussion earlier that the reality of the Tao cannot be known in the parameters of the human mind. It is beyond the imagination. Even so, its capacities are also stated. For example, it was said that the Tao goes and abides its natural ways. It does not depend on the human wants but it works on what it really does. It does not reveal itself the way you expect it to be.

Since the identity of the Tao is not clear, people had made assumptions of what it is. For Lao Tzu, the Tao is an empty or void entity yet it can never be exhausted. He said that, based on the Tao Te Ching, that the Tao is nothing but because of its nothingness, it becomes useful. It is something that needs to be empty, something nothing because in nothingness, it is indistinguishable. It is believed in Taoism that the best influence comes from the unseen, from the ordinary. If the Tao is something ordinary, it creates the greatest impact because it does not boast itself. One of the Taoist virtues discussed is the virtue of humility and it is also discussed that the Tao does not impose but it teaches through examples. So, if the Tao is unseen, it also teaches the virtue of being humble, lowering the self down.

One characteristic of the Tao discussed is that it goes beyond the norms of humanity. If humanity promotes strength, the Tao promotes courage which is bravery from the heart. It is, therefore, not violent. It wants to be at peace with everything. It goes beyond humanity because it wants people to realize that we are originally good. Good in the sense that we are innocent and that we always comply with the rules of nature. It is telling us that we have already acquired so much in this world that we forgot our original virtues. We have created false virtues that we believed to be true. We became greedy of things that we did not stop acquiring material and temporary happiness. The Tao is teaching us to learn to how and when to stop, to unlearn, to empty ourselves once more because we have gone far from the natural way.

The Tao may not be known by the people but it does not mean that it is not there. The Tao will always be present even if we do not recognize or acknowledge its presence. Understanding it may really be hard as it goes beyond the human mind. It is said to be the beginning of all things making everything share a part of it.