humility
“Never does a sage go ahead of other men, but always follows in their wake.” - Yin Xi
Mask your brightness. (56)
Part of the Tao Te Ching is written for ancient Chinese leaders. Interestingly, whenever they are mentioned, we are reminded that the wise leader is happy to be at the bottom. This tendency is also known as the spirit of the valley. Where does everything in nature run? Down. In other words, that which is good and nourishing always flows to the lowest point. By embracing the spirit of the valley, by not seeing ourselves as the most deserving of honor but perhaps the least deserving, we ironically draw everything to us. Who are we typically drawn to in life, people who show their superiority or people who couldn't care less about their image and see themselves as just a regular person like everyone else? By letting go of our desire to be viewed as superior, we give in to the fact that under the Tao, all things are equal. We realize that making comparisons and trying to win some pride-based competition is a waste of time and emotional investment in something that robs of us our ability to appreciate the present moment and often destroys our sense of what really matters in ourselves and others. When we see ourselves as the most unworthy, we somehow become the most worthy. This doesn't mean we are self-deprecating; it means we don't have a need to place ourselves above others in terms of our status in society, the size of our bank account, our appearance, our intelligence, etc. By default as we let go of a sense of competition, we come to see the truly meaningful qualities in ourselves and others and encourage the development of those positive qualities.
But true humility comes not from thinking you're not better than other people; it comes from accepting the Tao and the fact that the Tao is in charge and not you. This may seem obvious, but how many people do you know that live as if they are in charge of their lives? In fact, not taking control of your life is looked down upon by so many. But when we think we are in charge, and when we think we are the source of our own strength and success, we have lost site of what the Tao is.
The other way the Tao Te Ching encourages humility is by reminding us of the greatness of the Tao. As people in the modern age we believe we can understand anything if we study it long enough. But Lao Tzu reminds us many times that the Tao is beyond understanding. We can observe some manifestations of the Tao, but these manifestations aren't the actual Tao. By acknowledging the wonder of the Tao, we realize our own inability to direct or control our own lives and instead relinquish that responsibility to the Tao.
Knowing one's own unknowingness, is wise; not knowing one's own unknowingness, is sickness. A sage has no sickness, because she knows her sickness. Knowing one's own sickness, she no longer has sickness. (Chapter 71)
When we know our unknowingness, or we realize that we can't know all the answers or make all the perfect plans or direct the course of the universe, we could say we know our unknowingness, we are aware of our own limitations. And simply by acknowledging this unknowingness, and perhaps exploring it in more depth in our lives, we are freed from sickness. It is the pretense of KNOWING that is the great sickness. When we truly know, or we are truly wise, we are fully aware of our unknowingness. And this is at the core of humility.
Believing that we DO know what is best or right, which is the opposite of knowing our unknowingness, can show up in many ways in our lives.
Living with an attitude that we deserve to have only good things happen to us or that we deserve to have a better life than everyone else
Quickly interpreting events good and bad, involving ourselves or others, based on our own understanding rather than slowing down and seeking to see things in terms of the truths of the Tao.
Feeling bad about ourselves because we feel we don't measure up to other people or our expectations for ourself in one way or another.
In all these ways we think we know rather than accepting our own unknowingness and the all-knowingness of theTao.
When one knows their own unknowingness, they also feel free to explore new things or ideas without fear of failure. When we know we are already imperfect and are okay with that, there is much less fear of failure, ridicule, or even just making a mistake. In Buddhism this is known as beginner's mind. Someone with a beginner's mind jumps into things with a child's enthusiasm where the desire to learn and experience eclipse any fear of failure. This is way we can stay fully alive and fully present in what we do, leading us to greater success.
The ones who follow Tao do not aim for fullness. It is because of the emptiness, they can create new from the old.
Another benefit of unknowing is for one to be freed from prejudice and become flexible in coping with different opinions of others. Life is stressful if we confront every idea that is different from ours. Staying unknowing and flexible with different ideas will not only keep our mind at peace, but it will also help us find the way of Tao by letting different ideas work themselves out in our mind subconsciously.
quotes
“You neither desire wealth nor greatness; and, indeed,
I value and admire such a man much more than I do any of the great men in the world.” — Thomas More
“Like water that becomes clear when left alone, the wise make no plans and casually adjust themselves to events.” — Chuang Tzu
“Those who would take over the world never succeed... The wise never over-reach, over-spend, or over-rate.” — Lao Tzu
“Pride more than age hastens life to its end;
And they who in pride pretend
Beyond man's limit, will lose what lay
Close to their hand and sure.”
“The noblest thing a man can have is a humble and quiet heart... the wisest thing for a man to possess, if he but use it.”
“If a branch is too rigid, it will break… know how to yield, and you will survive.”
“A student came to a rabbi and said, 'In the olden days, there were men who saw the face of God Why don't they any more?' The rabbi replied, 'Because nowadays no one can stoop so low.'” — Anonymous
“Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” — Jesus
“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels” — Augustine
“Although the ancient masters lived in the world, no one thought they were special.”
“Even three feet of snow can’t crush a one-inch spiritual pine.”
“By making ourselves lower than others we can use their wisdom and power as our own.
Thus we can win without taking up arms, without getting angry, and without making enemies.”
— Wu Cheng
“It is only at night that brilliance and color are pleasing. By day let your appearance be simple and sober but at night
it is well to wear bright and gay garments.”
“Humility is truth.” Erasmus
“I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”