By Daniel L. Campbell Material possessions surround us in much of the modern world. You’re staring at some sort of screen right now, using a digital device to access this article. You’re likely at home, too, with all of your familiarities around you; movies, video games, books, sports memorabilia, or whatever else your hobbies entail. People who have a penchant for shopping often have a lot of stuff they don’t use or need. Even the average person has a space where they stash any number of odds, ends, and mementos that they’ve collected over the years. It can take the form of a junk drawer, junk box, or if it’s really bad, a junk garage. Have you ever sat down and asked yourself, "Do I really need all of this stuff?" Derek Lin, the author of my favorite Tao Te Ching translation, shared a great story in Chapter 25 of another book he wrote, The Tao of Daily Life: It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear and the temperature was pleasantly cool, so the sage decided to take a walk. By chance, his walk took him near a luxurious house. It belonged to a wealthy man the sage knew well. In front of it was a beautiful garden filled with exotic flowers imported from distant lands. As the sage drew closer, he saw that many of these flowers were in full bloom. He could not help but admire their beauty. Their colors were so vivid and vibrant—almost leaping off the petals in their brilliance. The sage marveled at the human ingenuity that managed to transplant these flowers from so far away —probably some tropical paradise he had never visited. He stood for a few minutes to savor the sight. He breathed deeply to take in the fragrance. After a while, he let out a contented sigh and continued on his way. The sage thought about the wealthy man. He had recently become very ill. They were old friends, so the sage was quite concerned. The doctor said the illness was caused by stress. The man suffered from too much tension in managing his business. This business was the source of his wealth, but he paid for success dearly -- with his health. The problem was that the man insisted on doing everything himself, taking on ever more responsibilities. As the pressure mounted, he lost his appetite and could no longer get a good night's sleep. He was constantly fatigued and lost interest in the simple pleasures of life. In fact, the gentleman had neglected the garden for many years. He lacked the time, energy, and inclination to walk among the beautiful flowers in his own garden. Suddenly, the irony of it all became apparent. The wealthy man owned the garden but could not enjoy it. The sage did not own it, and yet was able to enjoy it fully. Derek follows the story’s implications in a poetic, but clear way for others to follow and think about. I enjoy getting nitty-gritty, so in this article I’ll be focusing on how someone could put this wisdom into action. How do we learn to let go? In the above story, the problem is fairly obvious: possession leads to paranoia and protectiveness instead of enjoyment. One way to let go of possessions is to find someone else who will get more enjoyment out of the possession than you do. This could extend to many different things; old books you don’t read, video games you don’t play, CDs you never listen to, or toys from yesteryear. In spreading this enjoyment to others, you’re accomplishing two positive and important things:
Giving to others is looked upon favorably by others, but that’s not the real benefit. The pleasure in knowing your possession brought happiness to someone else is heart-warming. A karmic cycle is also set into motion that will one day come back to you; maybe even when you need it most. You can conclude from this that giving more of yourself and/or your possessions will lead to more karmic cycles, which in turn manifests the old adage "what goes around comes around". The end result is what someone might call "good fortune". Emptiness in one’s life seems like a con instead of a pro at first sight, doesn’t it? In Western society, we’re conditioned to think that empty is "bad", and we should do all we can to maximize our visibility so we can succeed in life. Some people pursue that dream by collecting rare, valuable, or popular things in an attempt to improve their image. Emptiness is an important concept in Taoism. Through it, we and the world around us are able to function. Consider a cup or a box. If they were solid, would we be able to use them for their original purpose? Could we look through the wall in a house without the empty space of a window? For a more elaborate example, consider irrigation or sewer systems. Without the substance that forms the outer shell of pipes and the space on the inside of them, we would not be able to efficiently move water from one place to another. From a Taoist perspective, emptiness creates functionality and existence creates substance, or benefit. They are complementary and rely on each other to build the universe around us. Many people have more existence than they do emptiness, and this creates an imbalance; a clogging of the pipes. By cleaning out the pipes of your life, you can use the extra space—mental or physical—for more function. Imagine that; one simple and humble act that fosters enjoyment, positive karma, and a cleaner mind and home! Sounds like a great idea to me. Don’t just take my word for it. Look around and see what you can give to others that you think they might enjoy. You may end up brightening someone’s day and freeing up some space in your life. This lesson also extends to other areas of life, but I’ll leave those applications to your imagination. |