Wen Tzu - Verse 23

from Verse Twenty-Three

The great way has no contrivance. Without contrivance, there is no possessiveness. Not being possessive means not dwelling. Not dwelling means being formless. Formlessness is imperturbable. Being imperturbable means there is nothing to say. When there is nothing to say, there is quietude, without sound or form.

~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~

The word I'm going to focus on in the above passage is imperturbable. It is derived from the root word, perturb, which means to disturb greatly, make uneasy or anxious, or to throw into a great confusion. Of course, imperturbable represents the opposite state, one of supreme calmness and a lack of confusion.

Why is it that most of us get perturbed from time to time? It's bound up in the fact that we expect life to go the way we prefer and, when it doesn't, a lot of us tend to get rather agitated! Not being able to control every variable in our environment can lead many of us to become anxious and uneasy.

And this why Lao Tzu harps so incessantly about formlessness. The form that blocks most of us from leading an authentic life hand-in-hand with Tao is our over attachment to our ego. When we are able to break free of its mighty grasp, we shed the formulated life for one that accepts what live has to offer us without expectations and without premeditated designs.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.