Verse Eleven

Wu is nothingness, emptyness, non-existence. Thirty spokes of a wheel all join at a common hub yet only the hole at the center allows the wheel to spin. Clay is molded to form a cup yet only the space within allows the cup to hold water. Walls are joined to make a room yet only by cutting out a door and a window can one enter and live there.

- The functions of objects are found in what is not there.
- The form serves the emptiness.
- Filling in the spaces would cause the form to cease functioning.
- We must keep our minds free in order for them to function.
- A clear mind is a functional mind.

Application: When a problem arises, my mind is quick to find a solution. This is healthy until I encounter an obstacle which causes anxiety. Anxiety is what prevents my clarity of thought and I cannot function well mentally. One of the biggest lessons I've learned in the past few months was to view anxiety itself as an obstacle. Worrying about anxiety is even worse because it is double-layered and the mind becomes sluggishly operational. I am still in training when it comes to approaching obstacles without worry, without tensing up.

Thus, when a thing has existence alone it is mere dead-weight. Only when it has wu, does it have life.

- If we keep ourselves full of food and drink alone, we are not living
- If we keep ourselves full of constant emotions alone, we are not living
- We must let go of our desires to feel alive
- We must let go of our thoughts to feel alive

Application: Fun is often associated with a carefree environment. This is close to the truth that we really find enjoyment in our lives when our personal desires and thoughts are forgotten as we live in the moment. Try riding a roller coaster while thinking about your job and wishing you had a better home or car. It will most likely take the fun right out of it. Roller coasters can be frightening but if we take away the fear and all other selfish feelings it is quite enjoyable. I often like to view life as a roller coaster ride, and that I should view the ups and down as exhilirating and not painful. In the end, I believe I'll feel that life was an accomplishment.