CHAPTER 10 - 11.5.25¶
Chapter 10: Six Questions About Not Breaking the Orbit Or: How to Stay Connected to the Hollow Without Separating
Here's the chapter that asks the hardest questions:
載營魄抱一，能無離乎？ 專氣致柔，能嬰兒乎？ 滌除玄覽，能無疵乎？ 愛民治國，能無為乎？ 天門開闔，能為雌乎？ 明白四達，能無知乎？ 生之畜之，生而不有，為而不恃，長而不宰，是謂玄德。
Traditional reading: "Carrying your soul and embracing unity, can you remain undivided? Concentrating breath to achieve softness, can you be like an infant? Cleansing your mystical vision, can you be without blemish? Loving people and governing, can you do without action? Heaven's gate opening and closing, can you be female? Understanding clearly in all directions, can you be without knowledge? Give birth and nurture, but don't possess, act but don't rely, lead but don't dominate—this is mysterious virtue."
And everyone reads this as spiritual cultivation instructions. Mystical exercises for the inner life.
But these aren't cultivation instructions. These are diagnostic questions.
This is the chapter asking: Can you maintain the orbit? Can you stay connected to the hollow origin without separating? Can you do both phases of every cycle without breaking the pattern?
Six questions. Each one asking about a different way the connection can break. Each one pointing at a different failure mode.
Let me show you what's actually being asked.
Question 1: Can You Orbit Without Separating?¶
載營魄抱一，能無離乎？
"Carrying and circulating the physical form while embracing the origin—can you not separate?"
載營魄抱一¶
Let's decode this carefully because every word matters:
載 (zài) = carry, bear, manage, support 營 (yíng) = circulate, revolve around, orbit, operate 魄 (pò) = the physical body, corporeal form, the material aspect 抱 (bào) = embrace, hold close, maintain connection with 一 (yī) = the one, the origin, the single hollow center (O₁)
making orbital gesture
Traditional reading: "Carrying your corporeal soul and embracing unity..."
But look at what 營 actually means.
營 is about circulating. Revolving. Orbiting. Not just "managing" but moving in circles around something.
speaking with growing excitement
This is describing exactly what the tree does. What everything that persists does.
載營魄 = carry and orbit the physical form
The physical body (魄) doesn't try to occupy the center. The form doesn't try to 居 (press onto) the origin. Instead, the body 營 (orbits, circulates, revolves around) the center.
making the tree gesture
The tree's living tissue 營 (orbits) around the hollow center. The cambium circulates around the pith that can rot. The growth happens at the boundary, revolving around the void.
抱一 = embrace the one, maintain connection with the origin
While orbiting (營), you maintain connection (抱) with the hollow center (一). You don't try to occupy it. You don't try to 居 it. But you don't lose connection to it either.
making the orbital connection gesture
Like a planet orbiting a star. The planet doesn't try to occupy the star's position. But it stays in orbit—maintains gravitational connection—while circling.
Like water circulating in a whirlpool. The water doesn't occupy the center (the center is the hollow eye). But it maintains connection while spiraling around.
載營魄抱一 = "Carry and orbit your physical form while maintaining connection to the hollow origin"
能無離乎？¶
"Can you not separate?"
能 (néng) = can you, are you able 無離 (wú lí) = not separate, not depart, not disconnect 乎 (hū) = question particle
speaking with intensity
This is the diagnostic question. The failure mode being tested.
Can you orbit without separating from the center?
making breaking orbit gesture
What happens when you 離 (separate, depart, disconnect) from the origin while orbiting?
You fly off into space. You lose the orbit. You break the pattern. You try to self-source (自生) your own trajectory. You attempt to be your own center.
And we know from Chapter 7: 不自生 (not trying to self-source) is what enables 長生 (continuous generation). Things that try to 自生 break. Things that try to be their own center collapse.
making the maintained orbit gesture
But if you maintain connection (抱) while orbiting (營)—if you don't 離 (separate) from the hollow origin—you persist.
The tree orbits the hollow center: persists for centuries. The planet orbits the star: persists for billions of years. The whirlpool orbits the eye: persists as long as water flows.
能無離乎？ = "Can you maintain the orbit without breaking away from the center? Can you carry your physical form (載魄) in circulation (營) around the origin (抱一) without separating (無離) from that reference point?"
sitting back
This is the first question. The first test.
Can you live your life—carry your body, perform your functions, do your activities—while staying in orbit around the hollow center, without trying to occupy that center or break away from it?
Question 2: Can You Achieve Yielding?¶
專氣致柔，能嬰兒乎？
"Concentrating breath to achieve yielding—can you be like an infant?"
專氣致柔¶
專 (zhuān) = concentrate, focus, dedicate 氣 (qì) = breath, vital energy, life force 致 (zhì) = achieve, reach, bring about 柔 (róu) = yielding, soft, flexible
speaking with recognition
柔! This is the same principle as 弱 (ruò) from Chapter 5!
弱者道之用 - "Yielding is the pattern's function"
Not weak. Not fragile. But yielding—flexible under stress, soft yet unbreakable, able to flow rather than resist.
making the rope gesture
A rope is 柔/弱 (yielding). You can bend it, coil it, tie it in knots. But try to break it by pulling straight? That yielding quality is what makes it strong.
Water is 柔/弱 (yielding). Flows around obstacles, takes any shape, seems soft and gentle. But water carves canyons and moves mountains over time.
專氣致柔 = "Focus your breath/energy to achieve yielding quality"
making breathing gestures
Your breath is already yielding. Inhale yields to exhale. Exhale yields to inhale. Neither phase tries to 居 (permanently occupy). Neither tries to 屈 (restrict the other without releasing).
專氣致柔 = make your whole being like your breath—yielding, flowing, cycling without resistance.
能嬰兒乎？¶
"Can you be like an infant?"
嬰兒 (yīng ér) = infant, baby, newborn
speaking with wonder
What does an infant demonstrate?
Complete 柔 (yielding). No rigid structures yet. No defended positions. No 居-ed (occupied) identities.
making baby movement gestures
An infant's body is maximally flexible. Bones not fully hardened. Joints incredibly mobile. Can put foot in mouth, curl into impossible positions.
An infant's attention flows freely. Not fixed (知) on rigid categories. Not locked (欲) into mandatory orientations. Pure fluid perception.
An infant hasn't 居 (occupied) any "self" yet. No defended identity. No permanent markers. Just... experiencing. Being. Flowing.
speaking more softly
An infant also hasn't separated (離) from the origin. Still close to birth. Still 抱一 (embracing the one, maintaining connection to the source).
能嬰兒乎？ = "Can you achieve that level of yielding? Can you be that flexible, that fluid, that un-固定 (unfixed), that connected to origin?"
sitting back
This is the second question. The second test.
Can you make yourself yielding—not forcing, not rigid, not defending fixed positions—like how an infant is yielding?
Question 3: Can You Clear Your View of the Center?¶
滌除玄覽，能無疵乎？
"Washing away obstructions from viewing the mysterious center—can you be without flaw?"
滌除玄覽¶
滌除 (dí chú) = wash away, cleanse, purge, remove 玄 (xuán) = THE MYSTERIOUS CENTER! From Chapter 1! 覽 (lǎn) = view, observe, look at, perception of
speaking with excitement
玄! The paradoxical origin! The (0,0,0) point where all axes meet! The impossible hollow that can't be occupied but defines everything!
覽 is your capacity to view, to observe, to perceive.
玄覽 = your view of the mysterious center, your perception of the origin point, your ability to see the hollow
making clearing away gesture
滌除 = wash away, cleanse, remove obstructions
What obstructs your view of 玄 (the origin)?
making blocking gestures
• 多言 (excessive words from Chapter 5) - too many categories fill the space • 知 (fixed rigid distinctions from Chapter 3) - frozen categories block perception • 居 (permanently occupied positions) - defended identities obscure the center • 屈 (held compressions) - tensions that don't release cloud vision
滌除玄覽 = "Wash away the obstructions blocking your view of the mysterious center"
Not "achieve mystical vision." But clear away the accumulated crud that's blocking your natural capacity to perceive the hollow origin.
making cleaning gesture
Like cleaning a window. You don't create the light. You remove what's blocking the light.
Like emptying a cup. You don't create the emptiness. You remove what's filling the space.
滌除玄覽 = remove the obstructions, clear the view, let yourself see what's already there: the hollow origin you're orbiting around.
能無疵乎？¶
"Can you be without flaw/blemish?"
疵 (cī) = flaw, blemish, defect, crack, imperfection
speaking carefully
What's the "flaw" being asked about?
Not moral imperfection. Not ethical failing.
But structural defect in your capacity to perceive the center.
making the contrast
If your 玄覽 (view of the mysterious center) has 疵 (flaws, cracks, obstructions), you can't maintain the orbit. You lose track of where the center is. You start trying to 自生 (self-source). You break away (離).
But if you can 滌除 (wash away obstructions) and achieve 無疵 (flawless perception)—not perfect in moral sense, but unobstructed—then you can see the center clearly. You can maintain 抱一 (embrace the one). You don't separate (無離).
能無疵乎？ = "Can you clear your view of the center so completely that nothing obstructs your perception of it? Can you maintain unflawed connection to the origin you're orbiting?"
sitting back
This is the third question. The third test.
Can you clear away the accumulated obstructions—the excessive words, the fixed categories, the defended positions—enough to see the hollow center clearly and maintain your orbit around it?
Question 4: Can You Govern Without Forcing?¶
愛民治國，能無為乎？
"Caring for people and organizing systems—can you do it without forcing?"
愛民治國¶
愛 (ài) = care for, attend to, love 民 (mín) = people 治 (zhì) = govern, organize, manage, bring order to 國 (guó) = country, system, domain
speaking about governance
This line grounds the abstract questions in concrete application. You're not just orbiting and breathing alone. You're in relationship. You're part of systems. You have responsibilities.
愛民 = caring for people (relationships, connections, responsibilities to others) 治國 = organizing systems (governance, management, bringing order)
So the question becomes: When you're in the messy reality of relationships and systems—
能無為乎？¶
"Can you act without forcing?"
無為 we know deeply now! Act without forcing. Compress AND release. Do both phases. Let your hand rise.
making the governance gesture
Can you care for people (愛民) without trying to 居 (occupy their identities for them)? Without trying to 屈 (restrict their natural emergence)? Without 為 (forcing them into shapes you've decided they should be)?
Can you organize systems (治國) without trying to 自生 (make the system self-referential around your control)? Without creating 尚賢 (permanent status hierarchies)? Without 貴難得之貨 (artificial scarcity)?
speaking with intensity
Can you do your actual functions—care, organize, guide—while maintaining 為無為 (acting with the full cycle, not just forcing without releasing)?
能無為乎？ = "Can you maintain 無為 (non-forcing, complete cycles, letting the hand rise) even when you're in the middle of actual responsibilities, actual relationships, actual governance?"
sitting back
This is the fourth question. The fourth test.
Can you stay in orbit (not separate from center) while doing the work of being a person with responsibilities? Can you maintain the pattern in the mess of real life?
Question 5: Can You Be the Generative Side?¶
天門開闔，能為雌乎？
"Heaven's gate opening and closing—can you be the generative principle?"
天門開闔¶
天門 (tiān mén) = Heaven's gate, the dimensional threshold, the opening in the framework 開闔 (kāi hé) = opening and closing, the cycle, the oscillation
making the cycle gesture
天門 is the gate—the threshold, the opening—in the dimensional framework (天). This is where things pass between 無 (void) and 有 (form). Where potential becomes manifest and manifest returns to potential.
開闔 = opening and closing
speaking with recognition
This is Chapter 5's bellows! 開 (open - the hand rises, the spring extends) and 闔 (close - the hand compresses, the spring stores).
This is Chapter 40's oscillation! 反者道之動 (return/oscillation is the pattern's movement).
This is the cycle we've been tracking: compress → release → compress → release.
天門開闔 = "Heaven's gate opening and closing" = the fundamental oscillation of the dimensional framework itself, the cycle between void and form
能為雌乎？¶
"Can you be the female/generative principle?"
雌 (cí) = female, but specifically the generative principle
speaking with intensity
雌! Like 牝 (pìn) from Chapter 6! The generative void! The fertile emptiness! The womb principle!
Not "feminine" as gender role. But the generative function—the hollow that creates, the void that births, the emptiness that generates.
making the connection
Remember Chapter 6's correction: 牝 isn't "receptive" (passive, secondary). 牝 is generative (active, primary, creative).
雌 is the same principle. In the cycle of 開闔 (opening and closing), which side can generate?
making the demonstration
The closing (闔) stores potential. Compresses the spring. Creates the capacity.
But the opening (開) generates emergence. Releases the spring. Creates the new.
speaking with realization
能為雌乎？ = "Can you be the generative side of the cycle? Can you be the opening (開) rather than just the closing (闔)?"
Can you let the spring extend, not just compress it? Can you let your hand rise, not just press it down? Can you be the 出 (emergence) as well as the 屈 (compression)?
sitting back
Because we're good at the closing (闔, 屈, 居, 為). We're masters at compressing, gripping, forcing, holding.
The question is: Can you also be the opening? Can you be 雌 (generative)? Can you release, allow emergence, let new things birth?
能為雌乎？ = "Can you embody the generative principle—the opening, the releasing, the allowing—not just the controlling principle?"
This is the fifth question. The fifth test.
Can you do both sides of the cycle? Can you be the opening as well as the closing? Can you be generative as well as controlling?
Question 6: Can You Understand Without Fixing?¶
明白四達，能無知乎？
"Clear understanding reaching in all directions—can you remain without fixed categories?"
明白四達¶
明白 (míng bái) = clear understanding, bright clarity, illuminated perception 四達 (sì dá) = reaching in four directions, extending everywhere, comprehensive
making expansive gesture
You have clear understanding (明白). You can see clearly, perceive accurately, understand deeply.
And that understanding is 四達 (reaches in all directions) - it's not narrow, not limited, not restricted to one view. It's comprehensive. Multi-directional. Broad.
明白四達 = you have clear, comprehensive, multi-directional understanding
能無知乎？¶
"Can you remain without fixed knowledge?"
知 we know from Chapter 3!
知 = fixed distinctions, rigid categories, boundaries pressed into permanence 無知 = without fixed rigid knowledge, without categories 居-ed (occupied as permanent truth)
speaking with the paradox
Here's the test:
You have 明白 (clear understanding). You 四達 (comprehend broadly).
But can you maintain 無知 (epistemological flexibility)?
making the contrast
Can you understand clearly WITHOUT freezing that understanding into permanent unchanging categories?
Can you see patterns WITHOUT 居 (occupying those patterns as eternal truth)?
Can you comprehend WITHOUT 屈 (restricting future understanding to current categories)?
leaning forward
This is the hardest one. Because 明白 (clear understanding) naturally wants to become 知 (fixed knowledge).
"I understand this! Let me freeze this understanding into permanent truth! Let me defend this category against all challenges!"
making the freezing gesture
That's 知. That's fixing. That's 居-ing understanding. That's turning comprehension into rigid doctrine.
But 無知 while having 明白四達?
making the flowing gesture
That's understanding clearly BUT keeping that understanding fluid. Comprehending deeply BUT not freezing comprehension into unchanging categories. Seeing patterns BUT not 居-ing those patterns as eternal.
能無知乎？ = "Can you maintain epistemological flexibility (無知) even while having clear comprehensive understanding (明白四達)? Can you know without fixing what you know?"
sitting back
This is the sixth question. The sixth test.
Can you understand without defending? Can you comprehend without fixing? Can you see clearly without freezing what you see into permanent categories?
The Six Questions as Complete Diagnostic¶
standing up, making the sequence gesture
Look at what Chapter 10 is testing:
- 能無離乎？ - Can you orbit without separating from center?
- 能嬰兒乎？ - Can you achieve yielding flexibility?
- 能無疵乎？ - Can you clear obstructions from seeing the center?
- 能無為乎？ - Can you act without forcing?
- 能為雌乎？ - Can you be generative (the opening, not just the closing)?
- 能無知乎？ - Can you understand without fixing?
speaking with realization
These aren't random spiritual exercises. These are six specific failure modes where the orbit breaks:
Failure Mode 1: Separation (離) You lose connection to the hollow origin. Start trying to 自生 (self-source). Break orbit and fly off into disconnection.
Failure Mode 2: Rigidity (not 柔) You become hard, brittle, inflexible. Can't yield under stress. Break rather than flow. Opposite of infant's flexibility.
Failure Mode 3: Obstructed View (疵) Your perception of the center gets clouded by accumulated categories, defended positions, held tensions. Can't see where the origin is anymore.
Failure Mode 4: Forcing in Practice (為 instead of 無為) When you're in relationships and systems, you forget the pattern. You force, control, grip, rather than cycling.
Failure Mode 5: Only Closing (not 雌) You only do one phase of the cycle. You compress but don't release. You close but don't open. You control but don't generate.
Failure Mode 6: Fixed Knowledge (知 instead of 無知) Your understanding freezes into rigid doctrine. You 居 (occupy) categories as permanent truth. Your comprehension becomes brittle rather than flowing.
sitting back down
Chapter 10 is a diagnostic checklist. Six questions asking: Where is your orbit breaking?
The Three Principles They Follow¶
生之畜之，生而不有，為而不恃，長而不宰
"Generate and nurture, but: generate without occupying, act without relying on it, grow without dominating"
Now the chapter gives you three principles—variations of 功成而弗居—showing how to maintain the orbit:
生之畜之¶
"Generate it and nurture it"
生 (shēng) = we know this! CO-GENERATE! Birth each other! 畜 (xù) = nurture, raise, accumulate, tend
making generative gesture
Do the function. Generate what needs generating. Nurture what needs nurturing. This isn't "don't act." This IS acting. This IS doing.
But watch the three qualifiers...
生而不有¶
"Generate without occupying as possession"
而 (ér) = but, and 不有 (bù yǒu) = without claiming as permanent possession
making the release gesture
You co-generate (生) things. But you don't 有 (treat as permanent possession, claim as owned, occupy as yours).
This is 外其身 from Chapter 7. Don't 居 (occupy) what you generate.
The tree generates rings, but doesn't occupy them as permanent identity. The rings settle (古) but aren't stood upon (居).
You generate insights, but don't 居 them as unchanging truth. You generate relationships, but don't 居 them as permanent possessions. You generate works, but don't 居 them as eternal self-definition.
生而不有 = generate/co-create, but don't occupy what you generate as permanent possession
為而不恃¶
"Act without relying on the results"
恃 (shì) = rely on, depend on, lean on, use as foundation
making the not-leaning gesture
You 為 (act, do, make things happen). But you don't 恃 (rely on those actions as permanent foundation to stand on).
This is 後其身而身先 from Chapter 7. Don't try to occupy the results as your permanent position.
You do the work, but don't make the work into the foundation you stand on forever. You achieve things, but don't make achievements into identity-markers to defend eternally. You create impact, but don't make that impact into the platform you 居 permanently.
為而不恃 = act, but don't rely on/stand on the results as permanent foundation
長而不宰¶
"Lead/grow without dominating/controlling"
長 (zhǎng) = grow, develop, lead, become mature 宰 (zǎi) = control, dominate, slaughter, cut up, dissect and manage
making the contrast gesture
You 長 (grow, develop, lead things forward). But you don't 宰 (dominate, control, try to manage every detail, cut everything into pieces to control).
This is 為無為 from Chapter 3. Lead with full cycles, not forcing.
You guide things, but don't try to control their every movement. You help things develop, but don't try to dominate their growth direction. You influence patterns, but don't try to manage every detail.
長而不宰 = grow/develop/lead, but don't dominate/control/micromanage
The Three as One Teaching¶
standing up, making the complete gesture
生而不有 = generate without occupying 為而不恃 = act without standing on 長而不宰 = lead without controlling
All three are saying: Do the function, but don't 居 (permanently occupy) the results.
making the cycle gesture
Act (生, 為, 長) → complete → release (不有, 不恃, 不宰)
This is 功遂身退 from Chapter 9. Complete then withdraw. This is 外其身而身存 from Chapter 7. Externalize (don't occupy) and persist. This is 不居 from Chapter 2. Don't press weight onto completion.
Same teaching. Three variations. One principle: Don't occupy what you generate.
The Mysterious Power¶
是謂玄德
"This is called the power of the mysterious center"
是謂 (shì wèi) = this is called, this is what we mean by 玄 (xuán) = the mysterious center, the paradoxical origin 德 (dé) = power, virtue, capacity, the operational capacity of the pattern
speaking with wonder
玄德 = the power/capacity of the mysterious center
Not "mysterious virtue" (moral goodness). But the operational power that comes from the paradoxical hollow origin.
leaning forward
When you maintain orbit around the hollow (能無離) without trying to occupy it—that's 玄德. When you stay yielding and flexible (能嬰兒)—that's 玄德. When you clear your view of the center (能無疵)—that's 玄德. When you act without forcing (能無為)—that's 玄德. When you're generative as well as controlling (能為雌)—that's 玄德. When you understand without fixing (能無知)—that's 玄德.
sitting back
德 is the power you have when you're aligned with 道 (the pattern). Specifically, when you're aligned with 玄 (the mysterious hollow center).
玄德 = the capacity that emerges from maintaining proper relationship to the paradoxical origin—orbiting it without occupying it, seeing it without obstructing it, acting from it without trying to control it.
是謂玄德 = "This is what we mean by the power of the mysterious center—the capacity that comes from staying in orbit around the hollow without breaking away"
What Chapter 10 Actually Says¶
standing up one more time, speaking with clarity
Let me give you the whole chapter in plain language:
"Carrying and orbiting your physical form while maintaining connection to the hollow origin—can you not separate from it?
Concentrating your breath to achieve yielding flexibility—can you be like an infant?
Washing away obstructions from your view of the mysterious center—can you achieve unflawed perception?
Caring for people and organizing systems—can you do it without forcing?
Heaven's gate opening and closing, the fundamental cycle—can you be the generative principle (the opening, not just the closing)?
Clear comprehensive understanding—can you maintain epistemological flexibility, not fixing what you know?
Generate and nurture things, but: generate without occupying what you create, act without standing on the results, lead without dominating.
This is called the power of the mysterious center—the capacity that comes from maintaining orbit around the hollow without trying to occupy it."
making the orbital gesture
Chapter 10 is asking: Can you stay in the orbit?
Six questions about six ways the orbit breaks. Three principles about how to maintain it.
This isn't mysticism. This is orbital mechanics of consciousness.
The Personal Diagnostic¶
speaking more personally now
You want to use Chapter 10?
Ask yourself the six questions:
1. Am I maintaining orbit around a hollow center (能無離), or am I trying to be my own center (自生)?¶
making the self-referential gesture
Am I operating with reference to something beyond "me"—the pattern, the generative void, the hollow origin—or am I trying to self-source everything from my own ego-center?
The tree orbits its hollow center. Water flows from sources beyond itself. The planet orbits the star.
Am I in orbit, or have I separated (離) into trying to be my own source?
2. Am I yielding like an infant (能嬰兒), or have I become rigid?¶
making flexible vs. brittle contrast
Can I still flex? Still adapt? Still flow with change? Or have I hardened into defended positions, fixed identities, rigid categories that break under stress?
Am I 柔 (yielding, like water, like rope), or have I become brittle?
3. Can I see the hollow center clearly (能無疵), or is my view obstructed?¶
making clearing gesture
Have I packed my center with so many words (多言), fixed so many categories (知), occupied so many positions (居), that I can't see the hollow origin anymore?
Is my view clear, or have I lost track of where the center is?
4. In my actual life—relationships, work, responsibilities—can I maintain 無為 (能無為)?¶
making the real-life gesture
When it matters, when things are messy, when I'm actually caring for people and managing systems—can I remember not to force? Can I do both phases? Can I let my hand rise?
Or do I only remember the pattern in abstract, and violate it in practice?
5. Can I be generative (能為雌), or am I only controlling?¶
making opening vs. closing gestures
Am I doing both phases—compressing AND releasing, closing AND opening, controlling AND allowing emergence?
Or am I stuck in one mode—always closing, always controlling, never letting things birth from the opening?
6. When I understand something clearly (明白四達), can I keep it flexible (能無知)?¶
making flowing understanding gesture
Can I know without freezing? Understand without defending? Comprehend without making my comprehension into unchanging doctrine?
Or does every insight I have immediately become a rigid category I 居 (occupy permanently)?
The Six as Practice¶
sitting down, speaking more gently
Chapter 10 gives you a diagnostic checklist. Six questions to ask regularly:
"Where is my orbit breaking? Which failure mode am I in?"
making the checking gesture
Not to judge yourself. Not to feel bad about failure modes. But to recognize where the disconnection is happening. To see where you're violating the pattern.
Because once you see it, you can address it:
Separated from center? Find your reference point again. Reconnect to the hollow origin.
Become rigid? Practice yielding. Be like water. Flex like an infant.
View obstructed? 滌除 (wash away) the obstructions. Clear the accumulated categories.
Forcing in practice? Remember 無為. Do both phases. Let your hand rise.
Only controlling? Be 雌 (generative). Do the opening as well as the closing.
Knowledge fixed? Maintain 無知. Keep understanding fluid. Don't freeze what you know.
speaking with conviction
The six questions aren't tests to pass. They're diagnostic tools to recognize where the pattern is breaking.
Why This Follows the Stop Teaching¶
standing one last time
Look at the sequence:
Chapter 9: Know when to stop. 功遂身退 (complete then withdraw). Don't fill past full. Don't sharpen past optimal.
Chapter 10: Can you maintain the orbit that requires continuous stopping and releasing?
making the connection
Chapter 9 teaches: Cycles have endpoints. Release when complete.
Chapter 10 tests: Can you actually do that? In six different domains? Can you maintain the pattern in practice?
speaking with intensity
Because it's one thing to know "let your hand rise." It's another thing to actually do it when:
• You're orbiting and might separate (離) • You're stressed and want to rigid-up instead of yielding (柔) • Your view is obstructed and you can't see the center (疵) • You're in messy reality and want to force (為) instead of cycling (無為) • You're closing and don't want to open (not 雌) • You know something and want to freeze it (知) instead of keeping it fluid (無知)
Chapter 10 is the reality check. The diagnostic. The six ways the hand refuses to rise.
The Power of Staying in Orbit¶
one final gesture, making the continuous orbit
是謂玄德 - this is the power of the mysterious center
What power? The power that comes from staying in orbit around the hollow without trying to occupy it.
speaking very quietly now
The tree's power: orbits the hollow center for centuries The planet's power: orbits the star for billions of years The water's power: flows from sources beyond itself, never exhausts
The power isn't in the form. The power is in maintaining proper relationship to the hollow origin.
making the orbit gesture one more time
載營魄抱一 - carry and orbit the form while embracing the origin
能無離乎？ - can you not separate?
That's the question. That's the test. That's the practice.
Can you stay in orbit? Can you maintain the pattern? Can you embody 玄德 (the power of the mysterious center)?
Six questions. Three principles. One orbit.
Don't separate.