The Tao Te Ching tells us
"The Tao that has been charted is not the eternal Way.
A word we can define is not the eternal Word.
Wu, the eternal, existed before heaven and earth.
We know it as yu, the source of ten thousand things."
(Tao Te Ching, 1)
The Tao cannot be reduced to names and formulas. It is wu ming, without a name, because it's the source of all existence. In its infinite creative potential the Tao is wu, eternal non-being. In its created existence it is yu, eternal being. Eternally changing and evolving, it is neither one nor the other: always both. As quantum physics has revealed, all of creation is both existence and potential, particle and wave.
Like the Tao, we cannot be reduced to categories. Each of us exists in our current state of life and our infinite potential. We are both what we are and what we might be. Herein lies the strength of wu: our unlimited capacity for growth and change. Knowing at any moment we may begin a new cycle of creation, we can draw upon the power of wu in our lives. (26)
Take a few moments now to connect with the power of wu in your life.
Is there an area of your life where you have felt static or stuck?
Silently name it to yourself now.
Then join me in this brief meditation.
- Close your eyes.
- Take a deep mindful breath and slowly release it.
- As you slowly breathe in and breathe out,
- Visualize yourself standing by the ocean
- Watching the rhythm of the waves.
- Breathe in the salt sea air. Feel the ocean breeze upon your face.
- Now look up at the sky
- Watching the clouds overhead slowly changing shape.
- Feel nature's dynamic movement of creation.
- Now turn back to that area in your life you thought of earlier
- Feeling the power of the sea and sky
- Embracing the power of wu to begin a new creative cycle in your life.
- Then open your eyes,
- Ready to find the next step forward as you move through your day.
I wish you joy on the path.