These events along the way cease to be obstacles, but are instead part of the experience of driving. Likewise, in this third stage, the dichotomy between the Tao and the experience disappears. Thus the diagram above is not complete. There must be a return, a return beyond chaos into a oneness that does not allow for differentiation between the Tao and the self. Thus at this stage the Taoists have finally returned to the state of complete stillness in which they are one with the Tao.
Sexual intercourse provides an example of the individual becoming one with the whole.
Thus just as the forces of the two parents are constantly at work in a single child, the self and the Tao are in constant interchange. An essential aspect of this third stage is that Taoists move beyond themselves, for they cannot become one with the Tao until they become completely open to the totality of being. The body in this case can be understood as a metaphor for a closed self. As a closed self, Taoists are unable to become one with the Tao because they are not open to the endless potential of the Tao. Just as water will take on the form of any container because it does not cling to any shape, Taoists must be willing to take on a new role depending on the nature of their surroundings.