Just Three Things

“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion.” (Lao Tzu)

Well, that sounds simple. But do I have the patience to let it sink in? And do I have the compassion to respond from a point of view other than my own? Hmm, I’m not so sure about that. The Tao Te Ching (Chapter 67) reminds us that it’s not complicated. We may find it difficult—but it’s not complicated.

Really? That says it all? Just three things? Surely there’s more to it than that? Lao Tzu says no, not really. That’s what it takes to live in harmony with the world around us. This newsletter explores what he’s getting at.

I’ll start by commenting that if there’s one thing the Tao Te Ching is not full of, it is “teachings.” Teaching involves words, and words tend to be loaded with whatever meanings people brings to them. If the listener doesn’t bring the same meanings to the words as the speaker, then the intended message is not the one received. Not a good start.

Lao Tzu is aware of this. “Teaching without words... that is the Master’s way” (chapter 43). That’s why he’d rather teach by example. “The Master, by residing in the Tao, sets an example for all beings” (chapter 22). “Thus the Master is content to serve as an example and not to impose her will” (chapter 58). Example beats words every time. Words can be slippery things.

So, what’s Lao Tzu doing here referring to “teachings”? And, for that matter, what’s he doing using words to do it with? Good questions. In this case, I think he’s saying “Well, if we must use words, then here are three: simplicity, patience, compassion. There you go.”

Well, could he please say a little bit more?

So he does. On the following lines in chapter 67, for each of the three of them, he elaborates briefly, and then – I think – gives the reason for applying it in daily life.

“Simple in actions and in thoughts, you return to the source of being.” We already know simple is best. “In thinking, keep to the simple” (chapter 8). What’s given here is the reason: because you return. “Return is the movement of the Tao. Yielding is the way of the Tao” (chapter 40). “Each separate being in the universe returns to the common source. Returning to the source is serenity” (chapter 16). Alright, I’ll go with that. Next.

“Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are.” We may recall, “The Master… understands that… trying to dominate events goes against the current of the Tao” (chapter 30). Typically, our desires cause us to run out of patience because we are not content with the way things are and, like little children, we want to have our way and have it now. The reason for patience is because we stop struggling with “the way things are.” Instead, we accord with “the current of the Tao.” Okay. What about the last one?

“Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.” Compassion is the opposite of desire. It’s meeting the world where it is, not starting with ourselves and striving to reshape the world into what we want it to be. We may recall, “The Mas­ter doesn’t seek fulfillment. Not seeking, not expecting, she is present, and can welcome all things” (chapter 15).

In other words, it’s not about the parts and striving to possess them, control them, or reshape them (regardless of whether they are objects or other people). “The Master views the parts with compassion, because he understands the whole” (chapter 39). The reason for compassion is not only to “understand the whole” but also to be able to “welcome all things.” When we understand the whole, we “reconcile all beings in the world” because we no longer see them as parts. This is what makes us free to welcome them.

I don’t know about you, but I think his elaborations help. I particularly like how he spells out what I’ve called the “reasons.” Hopefully, I’m receiving the intended message but I still find myself thinking: Easy for you to say, Lao Tzu, but exactly how do you do that?

By way of an answer, here’s something interesting. Just turn each of the three sentences around. In other words, the three things we need to do are “return to the source of being,” “accord with the way things are,” and “reconcile all beings in the world.” Return, accord, reconcile—that’s what we need to do. 

Then, if we ask how we do that, the answers are: be “simple in actions and in thoughts,” be “patient with both friends and enemies,” and be “compassionate toward yourself.” Simplicity, patience, compassion—that’s what we get. It works. So what does that look like in practice?

Here are three examples that are true for me.

First, when I catch myself overthinking something instead of letting it be simple. This is when I forget that the “source of being” is never complicated. Simplicity is what I need to do return to. Second, when I let someone take their own time to do something when I think there’s an easier/quicker/better way, i.e., my way. This is being patient and according with “the way things are.”

Third, when I listen to how someone else’s day is going for the sake of doing just that. When I understand the whole, I let go of seeing others as “others.” (The very idea of “them” and “me” disappears, doesn’t it?) To be compassionate toward another is therefore to be compassionate toward myself. It’s all reconciled into one.

Do I find doing this easy? No, I don’t. Do I practice it a lot? Well, I could certainly practice it more. I feel I sometimes turn to simplicity, patience, compassion as a last resort—when all else has failed, as it were. What if my first response was to seek simplicity, to be patient with the way things are, and to respond with compassion? Hmm, sounds like a challenge.

I have to say, in spite of their limitations, one upside to words is that they can sometimes help us see something clearly. However, when that happens, one downside is that it’s no longer so easy to look the other way!

So what am I going to do now? Alright, I’ll respond to the challenge. I’ll try turning to simplicity, patience, and compassion as a first resort. And I’ll see what happens.

How about you? What do simplicity, patience, and compassion look like when you practice them? Do you tend to turn to them as a first or as a last resort?

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Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share this newsletter.

Francis

IN OTHER NEWS...

Past newsletters are here: www.francispringmill.com/newsletter-archive

In Harmony with the Tao: A Guided Journey into the Tao Te Ching is available here. There Is No Somewhere Else: Insights from the Tao Te Ching is available here.

Synopses and reviews for both books are on www.francispringmill.com/books

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