the nurturing mother: general 672

The term 食母 “nourishing mother” appears only once throughout the 老子 Tao Te Ching. But in combination with a variety of other related terms, it becomes obvious that it is a central theme in this little, but influential book.

Nurturing is seen in a constructive social and interspecies context. What is admired in the 老子 Tao Te Ching is the ability to give life – to give individual life, but to also foster existence in general. There is no authoritarian hierarchical relationship between life giving and life receiving. Existence is a community. A community communicates and collaborates. In your own practice, this concerns the communities you consist of. In a teacher student, or any other information communicating relationship, it concerns the partnership of learning.