Tao-4, Chapter 11
Quick Answer
This is Tao-4, chapter 11, a sacred text in the Taoism tradition. You can read it here verse by verse for free, listen to it read aloud, and follow cross-references that connect its themes to other traditions.
1
We join spokes together in a wheel,
2
but it is the center hole
3
that makes the wagon move.
4
We shape clay into a pot,
5
but it is the emptiness inside
6
that holds whatever we want.
7
We hammer wood for a house,
8
but it is the inner space
9
that makes it livable.
10
We work with being,
11
but non-being is what we use.