Chapter 14 - Energy

Look at it, it cannot be seen
It is called colorless
Listen to it, it cannot be heard
It is called noiseless
Reach for it, it cannot be held
It is called formless
These three cannot be completely unraveled
So they are combined into one

Above it, not bright
Below it, not dark
Continuing endlessly, cannot be named
It returns back into nothingness
Thus it is called the form of the formless
The image of the imageless
This is called enigmatic
Confront it, its front cannot be seen
Follow it, its back cannot be seen

Wield the Tao of the ancients
To manage the existence of today
One can know the ancient beginning
It is called the Tao Axiom

What does this mean?

How does one interact with the Tao?  We can not look at it, see it or touch it.  How is it useful?

Think of the various states of water in terms of matter.  With ice, for example, you can do all sorts of things.  You can grab it, see it, break it and manipulate it.  Virtually anything you can think of you can do with a solid.  Ice is only a little useful on a daily basis, as it can keep things cold but you do not need specifically ice to meet any basic needs.  In fact, other than our bodies are made of solids, the only solids we need are food and we can go a week or two without it.

With a liquid, things become more difficult.  You have to cup your hands a certain way to hold it.  You need tools like cups and bowls to interact with it.  Even then, if you want to change it, you need even more complex things like chemicals or tempature.  However, liquid water is valuable to us even though all we do is drink it.

Now, think of how we interact with air.  We don't on a daily basis.  An expert archer or golfer might account for wind speed, and an engineer might account for air pressure, but these are very situational and complex tasks compared to eating and drinking.  The process we do with air, breathing, is tremendously important as we would die without breathing in only a few minutes.  For something so important, it is amazing we are unconscious of our breathing most of the time.

The pattern seems that the less substantial it is, the more important it is.  The Tao is even less substantial than air.

Bundles of energy make our consciousness through our nervous system.  Electrical charges travel from our eyes, ears and skin to our brains and make us aware of reality.  That energy is impossible to touch, see or hold.  Science cannot even tell you exactly what that energy is and where it comes from.

Science has even revealed that there might be a type of energy or law of nature which glues the whole universe together.  Even still, there are other quantum forces around the energy regarding molecules and atoms that are incomprehensible and seem contradictory.  Theories behind those forces are ones we can only guess at.  The forces of nature continue to be a mystery the deeper you go.

That sounds very much like the Tao.

How do I use this?

like people who meditate and do yoga to improve breathing, I think you can focus and improve your internal energy.  I recommend trying out Tai Chi.

Practicing it is one of the safest, low-impact versions of a martial art that you can do and is good for strength and flexibility at any age.  Like yoga, doing it properly puts yourself in a meditative state, but unlike yoga, you are moving instead of posing.

Trying it myself, you can definately feel something different if practiced correctly.  Even if you don't stick with it, being aware of the energy is worth it to help with mindfulness in applying the Tao.