The Tao's Relationship With Non-Presence

Moreover, since The Tao can be contradicting, it has a relationship with non-presence which is known as “Wu” and presence known as “You”. While these two terms counter one formed. Tzu expands upon the important relationship between the two terms in chapter 11. He uses an analogy to show how one cannot exist without the other. One analogy in the poem is, “Clay is molded to make a pot, but it is in the space where there is nothing that the usefulness of the clay pot lies” (70). Tao is born form the empty space and through the connection between Wu and You. This connection is what allows the efficacy or “Te” to exist. Non-presence brings to life presence and this mutual and dependent relationship is what brings out efficacy. The power of The Tao is shown because it is both non-being and creates being at the same time. …show more content…
Furthermore, The Tao is so powerful because of this pure potentiality. There are endless possibilities for the manifestation and creation of things since The Tao is passive. Because of the dependent relationship between Wu and You, the passivity and potentiality from this makes efficacy is endless. Both chapter four and five mention the constant and eternal power of the Tao. In chapter four The Tao is described as “… empty, yet never refills with use” (62). Similarly, chapter 5 also explains that The Tao is “Empty but never exhausted” (63). These two chapters explain how endless the power of the Tao truly is. Taoism stresses efficacy or power of non-presence. Tzu creates an understanding that the concepts of Wu and You compose the Tao and reveal how the Tao relates to