Lay It Down (Tao Te Ching 19)

19

 Lay down philosophy and theology,
so everyone can be blessed
a hundredfold.
Lay down virtue signaling and legalism
so everyone can recover
genuine compassion and begin
to really care for one another.
Lay down business and profit,
and there’ll be no more thieves.

Want to go even deeper?
Be authentic.
Embrace naturalness.
Lay your whole self down,
and then you’ll calm
your restless heart.

Written Reflection

We chose to use the language of “laying down” as an allusion to a song written by Allen Ginsberg, “Lay Down Yr Mountain:”

Lay down Lay down yr mountain Lay down God
Lay down Lay down your music  Love lay down

Lay down Lay down yr hatred Lay yrself down
Lay down Lay down your nation Lay your foot on the rock

Lay down yr whole Creation Lay yr mind down
Lay down Lay down yr empire Lay your whole world down

Lay down your soul forever Lay your vision down
Lay down yr bright body Down your golden heavy crown

Lay down Lay down yr magic hey! Alchemist lay it down clear
Lay down your practice precisely Lay down yr wisdom dear

Lay down yr camera Lay down yr image right
Lay down your image Lay down light

Lay down your ignorance Roll yr wheel once more
Lay down yr suffering Lay down yr Lion’s Roar

At first, the line about laying down God sounded blasphemous, but mulling it over, it seems to fit with the Tao Te Ching’s recommendation that we not get too caught up in theory but instead reconnect to the source of the things about which we theorize. It isn’t about intentional atheism or a rejection of spirituality, it’s permission to stop overthinking the mystical reality that might even be self-evident, if we view it from a healthy angle. 

Regardless of one’s religious affiliation or conviction, the practical point from Lao Tzu seems to be self-evident. If people in our world could ease up on their sectarian bickering and religious violence, we would all indeed be blessed a hundredfold. If we were to let go of our panic about religion, our jobs, our empires—if we could let go of all the ephemeral things with which we adorn our egos—maybe we could rest at night and be kinder to ourselves and others.

We chose to use the phrase “virtue signaling,” using that more recent phrase to replace our original rendering: “self-righteousness.” Virtue signaling is sometimes used against people who have legitimate concerns about injustice, as when someone shuts down someone else who is raising a concern about horrible conditions faced by refugees. There is indeed a phenomenon in which people seek love from others, whether in person or on social media, by repeating politically popular platitudes, or by expressing their outrage at injustices. But as unattractive as virtue signaling might be, it offers no justification for rejecting true virtue itself. Indeed, virtue signaling is about appearing a certain way instead of sincerely beingan agent of peace and healing in the world. 

Legalism is slightly more effective, arguably, since it does seek to establish protocols for social existence. Still, it is possible for a person to not break any rules and still be a jerk. You can’t legislate virtue. So, by moving beyond the façade of virtue, and moving beyond legislated morality, we can encounter genuine human connectedness and love.

The lines about business and profit shouldn’t be taken to be an absolute indictment of making an honest living. It does, however, raise serious social objections to trust in the profit motive and unchecked capitalism. Sometimes, in American society especially, there is a sense that competition and desire for accumulating wealth is what makes the whole community thrive. Sure, some get less and others get more, but the alternative—shunning the idea that material success is real success—leads to a lower GDP. Vast swaths of American society are often built on cultivating envy, conspicuous consumption, and the idea that financial winners are moral and the losers are lazy, foolish, and immoral.

In a world like that, where money is what matters, those on the bottom end up as sin-stained as the white collar pirates on the top of the social ladder. When corporations plunder developing nations’ natural resources, is it any wonder that those who are crushed by the system sometimes break into vending machines to steal change? If we were to truly recognize our interconnectedness and let go of the idea that profit is the most important metric of success, we might be able to render thievery irrelevant.

In more immediate, simple terms for those of us who are unable to alter the nature of the modern economy, there is still a way toward greater peace: authenticity and naturalness. These terms need a bit of explanation so that they don’t become misleading.

Our wording is that the sage ought to be authentic. That is, they are characteristically able to become emotionally and spiritually naked, having tamed their egos and having learned to face and embrace what Carl Gustav Jung called the Shadow Self. The original Chinese term 素 (sù) describes something as unadorned and plain. The term 樸 (pú) describes something as spontaneous and natural, a characteristic of a true Taosurfer. Some translations bring in the concept of raw, undyed silk for sù, which is obviously connected, as is the fact that pú sometimes gets rendered as “uncarved wood.” Though we sometimes try and move from the abstract to the concrete, we stick with the abstract here because of the importance of these characteristics for the Taosurfer and because most of our readers won’t have much to work with if we focused on the materials of silk and wood.

That said, if we ponder something beautifully untinkered with and natural in nature, we are near to the meaning of this chapter. It doesn’t mean we should be afraid to have fun, get dressed up and decorate ourselves. It does suggest that we’ll be in a better place if we can stop worrying about our false external appearances. Sages don’t waste money on unnecessary cosmetic surgery, or fear going out without makeup on, or have to photoshop their pictures. They cultivate an inner strength that finds beauty in the delicate details of reality.

So, you are invited to stop pretending and embrace your true self, to calm your restless heart and learn to love and accept yourself, your body, and even those pesky emotions that bubble up on occasion. You’re free to stop worrying about the false image that you send out into the world, as if that caricature of you is the only thing worthy of love. People may not immediately congratulate you on such moves, since if everyone followed your example, it might threaten to unmask them. Practice this way of being comfortable with yourself, and over time, you will define what it means to be an authentic, natural sage. Eventually, at least a few of those around you will follow you into that inner peace.