Tao Te Ching

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When people see things as beautiful, 
ugliness is created. 
When people see things as good, 
evil is created. 
Being and non-being produce each other. 
Difficult and easy complement each other. 
Long and short define each other. 
High and low oppose each other. 
Fore and aft follow each other.
(Tao Te Ching; second chapter)



 Recently I found myself in a conversation around the topic of "hope". And curiously I found  myself defending the concept. I think this was more a product of habitual thinking. After all, how could anyone possibly have anything negative to say about hope?

As I reflected more on the conversation, the Buddhist exhortation "Abandon all hope!" came to mind. Then I came across this teaching from the Tao Te Ching. This helped clarify my own thinking around the concept.

The fact of the matter is "hope" is a flimsy reason on which to base one's actions because in some ways it sets up a conditional relationship between the act and the result. I will do this because I know something will result, presumably something that is positive and fits one's particular idea of "good". On the surface this seems to be reasonable enough. But as a Buddhist, the rub is the conditional relationship between act and result. Indeed, the very idea of "result" removes one from the present moment and catapults us into the illusory future.

So on what do we base our actions, if not the "hope" that it will bear positive fruit? It seems to me our actions must be grounded in unconditional love, which is to say compassion. We act to reduce the suffering that is in front of us at the moment, both internally and externally. It is a moment to moment, constantly renewing practice. No matter how much we practice, there will constantly be opportunities to reduce suffering. Things will never come to a point where suffering ends because of all our positive action. We, nevertheless, act because it is enough to be the compassionate, loving, non-judgmental presence no matter how seemingly fruitless or insignificant it might seem. This is more an act of trusting than of hoping. Trust is centered in the moment whereas hope is centered in the future. The act exists outside of expectation. It is unconditional. It is pure and untainted by "result".