Chapter 11

We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the inner space
that makes it livable.

We work with being,
but non-being is what we use.

Non-being, emptiness, nothingness, vacancy, hollow, nonexistence... all of these have been used in various translations for "nonbeing". If there were no emptiness, how would we move? You can argue that there is air, so the space around us is not empty, but there is room enough for the air to move around us. All of life is about looking for the openings, for the empty spaces, for the places where there is room. Parking a car? You need an empty space. Baking bread? You need an empty bowl, and empty pan, and an oven with enough empty space for the pan. Looking for a job? You need a place with a vacancy, an empty slot to fill.