A Zen master overfills a visitor’s teacup to show that a mind already full has no space to receive. The problem is not knowing too much, but being unable to listen. Emptying the cup is not a single insight but an ongoing practice: noticing when we’ve stopped listening and allowing a small pause to create space. Have a cup of tea. Have another one.
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This blog post explores Tao Te Ching Chapter 11 and its core idea that emptiness enables function, a house is useful not because of its walls, but because of the space they enclose. Drawing from Stephen Mitchell’s translation, it highlights how absence, not presence, often provides true utility. This Taoist insight is linked to earlier Zen koans I’ve written about, showing how clarity, usefulness, and forgiveness all emerge from what is deliberately left open or let go. The piece argues that value lies not just in what we build, but in the space we leave for things to work.
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The Zen Koan of the Tigers and the Strawberry is a classic story that invites reflection on mindfulness and presence.
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