Line By Line - Verse 11, Lines 3-4

Clay is fashioned into vessels;
but it is on their empty hollowness, that their use depends.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Shape clay into a vessel;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Mix clay to create a container In its emptiness,
there is the function of a container
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

A pot is made out of clay or glass,
but you keep things in the empty space inside.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

These two lines provide one of the classic metaphors of Taoism. As with the first two lines of this verse, Lao Tzu draws our attention to the empty space. As far as a bowl, pot or glass goes, nothing can be added if the container is already filled to the brim.

Of course, this metaphor is really targeted at our hearts and minds. If we are filled up with desires, wants, prejudices, and self-righteousness, then we can't take in new information to form a different perspective or opinion. It is only by emptying ourselves that we can be open to new horizons.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.