Tao Te Ching (Chapter 4) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 4 (commentary)
This short chapter, one of my favorites, and one of the most enigmatic, attempts to describe the indescribable Tao by using three images.
Tao is empty, yet in use is inexhaustible
The first is an image of emptiness, like a hollow bowl or an empty vessel. The emptiness of the Tao is not a barrenness, but is dynamic with potential. This image also has a connotation of a welling up, as an inexhaustible spring bubbling up from the ground.