The Usefulness of the Cup

[Michigan Swamp Buck]

“The usefulness of the cup is in its emptiness” is a popular quote by Bruce Lee. I have always thought of this as a reference to a Buddhist saying, however, it appears to come from the Taoist philosophy, the Ole Chinese "Yin-Yang".



I also have related it to the classic optimist/pessimist ideology questioning, "Is a glass half empty or half full?" because the usefulness of the cup is in its emptiness.



It is, of course, much deeper than that.

”Spokes are connected to make a wheel;
yet it is the hole within the hub that moves the wagon.
Clay is molded to shape into pot;
yet it is the emptiness within that makes it an utensil.
Doors and windows are cut to make a room;
yet it is the inner space within that makes it livable.
Therefore, advantage comes from what is;
usefulness comes from what is not.”
Tao Te Ching Chapter 11

It even lends itself nicely to the concept of liminal spaces I made a thread on earlier.

A cup is useful for its emptiness.
Without the emptiness, there is no space to hold the drink, making the cup useless as a cup.
So while physical existence of the cup is what we see, it is its emptiness that makes the cup useful.

A house is useful for its emptiness.
Without the space, no one can live in there, and the house is useless as a house.
While the walls and pillars are what we see, emptiness is the purpose of the house’s physical existence.

Emptiness is the non-being, the intangible. In contrast, being is the physical presence of a thing, the tangible. Being is ‘something’ or ‘have’. Nonbeing is ‘nothing’ or ‘have not’.
They are the yang and yin of existence.
They are the whats and whys of the things you see.
Although the cup – or the something — is what you own, it is the emptiness – the nothing – that you use.  You own the being — the cup — for the non-being — the space.

tao-in-you.com

The potential of emptiness. 

I don't see empty lots in a run-down neighborhood. 
I don't see empty boarded-up buildings on Main St. in Small Town U.S.A. 
The TV isn't showing me images of burned-out urban landscapes from wildfires in Southern California. 

I am seeing only the opportunity for emptiness to be filled once again.

[FlickerOfLight]

“The usefulness of the cup is in its emptiness” is a popular quote by Bruce Lee. I have always thought of this as a reference to a Buddhist saying, however, it appears to come from the Taoist philosophy, the Ole Chinese "Yin-Yang".



I also have related it to the classic optimist/pessimist ideology questioning, "Is a glass half empty or half full?" because the usefulness of the cup is in its emptiness.



It is, of course, much deeper than that.

”Spokes are connected to make a wheel;
yet it is the hole within the hub that moves the wagon.
Clay is molded to shape into pot;
yet it is the emptiness within that makes it an utensil.
Doors and windows are cut to make a room;
yet it is the inner space within that makes it livable.
Therefore, advantage comes from what is;
usefulness comes from what is not.”
Tao Te Ching Chapter 11

It even lends itself nicely to the concept of liminal spaces I made a thread on earlier.

A cup is useful for its emptiness.
Without the emptiness, there is no space to hold the drink, making the cup useless as a cup.
So while physical existence of the cup is what we see, it is its emptiness that makes the cup useful.

A house is useful for its emptiness.
Without the space, no one can live in there, and the house is useless as a house.
While the walls and pillars are what we see, emptiness is the purpose of the house’s physical existence.

Emptiness is the non-being, the intangible. In contrast, being is the physical presence of a thing, the tangible. Being is ‘something’ or ‘have’. Nonbeing is ‘nothing’ or ‘have not’.
They are the yang and yin of existence.
They are the whats and whys of the things you see.
Although the cup – or the something — is what you own, it is the emptiness – the nothing – that you use.  You own the being — the cup — for the non-being — the space.

tao-in-you.com

The potential of emptiness. 

I don't see empty lots in a run-down neighborhood. 
I don't see empty boarded-up buildings on Main St. in Small Town U.S.A. 
The TV isn't showing me images of burned-out urban landscapes from wildfires in Southern California. 

I am seeing only the opportunity for emptiness to be filled once again.

What a great concept. I love a good flip-side perspective on things. I had thought for a long time that the cup always needed to be overflowing. When we think like this and then go through times where the cup is empty we feel like we're lost again, or fallen from grace, as some would put it. 
With this mindset you can sit in peace and at least contentment regardless of whether or not the cup is overflowing, half full or half empty, or even when the cup is completely empty. No matter what there is purpose within. 

Cool,  and actually helpful metaphor.