Tao Te Ching 40

Return is the movement of the Tao.
Yielding is the way of the Tao.

All things are born of being.
Being is born of non-being.
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When breathing, inhaling is the return of the breath; exhaling is its departure. Another word for breathing in is inspiration. There is inspiration in the movement of the Tao. The opposite of inspiration is expiration. Without the movement of the Tao there is expiration. Life and death are matters of inspiration and expiration.

It’s unfortunate that we so often regard the word “yield” as reflecting a position of weakness when it is so often the only position of strength. Yielding is a source of energy and thus a source of power, because yielding is the basis for accumulating energy, restoring energy, and conserving energy. A combatant who does not know how to yield knows nothing about the martial arts. Yielding is like the return movement in the breath, the return movement of the Tao.

We perceive the world in dualistic terms. In that world all things are compound and have an inherent opposite. In this instance we’re told that there cannot be being unless there is also non-being. As soon as we take hold of the idea of life we must take hold of the idea of death at the same moment. We cannot grasp or recognize one without simultaneously grasping or recognizing the other. Therefore, being is born of non-being, and all things, including us, are born of both.

Happy 32nd Birthday to my oldest son!