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Chapter of the Week: #65 [Archive]
[Note: I italicize phrases I borrow from the chapter, and link to phrases I borrow from other chapters to help tie chapters together. While making it more tedious to read, :? the Tao Te Ching is best pondered in the context of the whole.]
Beauty, like love, is one of those words into which we shoehorn meaning. These words convey perceptions that stretch from the totally self centered, like "I love ice cream and beautiful clothes", to our deepest conscious, but [chref=7]without thought of self[/chref], perceptions. The good and beautiful perceptions we commonly [chref=56]speak[/chref] about belong to the former. These $10 words simply express what attracts us (what we like), with bad and ugly expressing what repels us. These words also carry have a potent tribal component. For example, if you and I both agree that __(you name it)__ is good and beautiful, and that __(you name it)__ is bad and ugly, then we are mutually assured that we are like minded 'tribe mates'. The Beauty and ugly refered to here are two sides of the yin yang coin of life that, as we saw last week, [chref=1]are the same, but diverge in name as they issue forth.[/chref]
Deeper down, at [chref=6]the root of[/chref] yin and yang, is what we might call beautiful and good (for lack of better words). Sensing this [chref=14]shape that has no shape[/chref] occurs when, in a private moment, we are overcome with a [chref=72]sense of awe[/chref] that [chref=16]leads to impartiality[/chref].
Knowing viscerally how Something and Nothing produce each other, we can't help but keep to the deed that consists in taking no action and practice the teaching that uses no words. For, you see, action and non action, words and silence produce each other. Is this not the same ironic 'truth' that Christ expressed with, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Of course, this defies our instinctive urges to 'just do it'. Alas, biology has a way of grabbing my attention more often than I might like,... but then that's just my biology talking.:roll:
Claims no authority or possession, exacts no gratitude or claim to merit is a polite way of saying how self centered we are when we claim authority and possession, expect gratitude, and take credit. We are like little children; our emotions remain infantile long after the body has become an 'adult'. But, we'll keep that our little secret. :oops:
* * *
Here's the literal translation. Note my use of the dash, e.g., between beauty-of, word-of, and so on. Maybe that helps connect the two words better and improve meaning. The Chinese is very terse as you see. For example, 'have nil' in other translations is put as 'Something and Nothing', 'Being and non-being', and so on. The terse literal serves as a good check on any poetic license taken by any particular translator.
The Chinese literally goes like this:
heaven under all know beauty-of become beauty, this evil thereafter;
all know perfect-of become perfect, this not perfect afterwards.
hence, have nil mutually give birth to, difficult easy mutually result, long short mutually shape,
high low mutually incline, sound voice mutually with, before after mutually follow.
accordingly, sage person manage without act-of affairs, do no word-of teaching.
10,000 things rise here but not decline.
give birth to but not have, act but not depend on, succeed but not reside.
man alone not dwell, accordingly not go.
And now with as little poetic license as possible:
All who know beauty as beauty create evil thereafter;
All who know perfection as perfection create imperfection thereafter;
Hence having and nothing create each other, Difficult and easy produce each other,
Long and short shape each other, high and low incline to each other,
Sound and tone harmonize, before and after follow each other.
Thus, the sage manages life without acting on it, and does the silent teaching.
All things do but not decline; give birth to but not have; act but not depend upon; suceed but not hold on.
Only he who does not hold on is connected.
Beauty, like love, is one of those words into which we shoehorn meaning. These words convey perceptions that stretch from the totally self centered, like "I love ice cream and beautiful clothes", to our deepest conscious, but [chref=7]without thought of self[/chref], perceptions. The good and beautiful perceptions we commonly [chref=56]speak[/chref] about belong to the former. These $10 words simply express what attracts us (what we like), with bad and ugly expressing what repels us. These words also carry have a potent tribal component. For example, if you and I both agree that __(you name it)__ is good and beautiful, and that __(you name it)__ is bad and ugly, then we are mutually assured that we are like minded 'tribe mates'. The Beauty and ugly refered to here are two sides of the yin yang coin of life that, as we saw last week, [chref=1]are the same, but diverge in name as they issue forth.[/chref]
Deeper down, at [chref=6]the root of[/chref] yin and yang, is what we might call beautiful and good (for lack of better words). Sensing this [chref=14]shape that has no shape[/chref] occurs when, in a private moment, we are overcome with a [chref=72]sense of awe[/chref] that [chref=16]leads to impartiality[/chref].
Knowing viscerally how Something and Nothing produce each other, we can't help but keep to the deed that consists in taking no action and practice the teaching that uses no words. For, you see, action and non action, words and silence produce each other. Is this not the same ironic 'truth' that Christ expressed with, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Of course, this defies our instinctive urges to 'just do it'. Alas, biology has a way of grabbing my attention more often than I might like,... but then that's just my biology talking.:roll:
Claims no authority or possession, exacts no gratitude or claim to merit is a polite way of saying how self centered we are when we claim authority and possession, expect gratitude, and take credit. We are like little children; our emotions remain infantile long after the body has become an 'adult'. But, we'll keep that our little secret. :oops:
* * *
Here's the literal translation. Note my use of the dash, e.g., between beauty-of, word-of, and so on. Maybe that helps connect the two words better and improve meaning. The Chinese is very terse as you see. For example, 'have nil' in other translations is put as 'Something and Nothing', 'Being and non-being', and so on. The terse literal serves as a good check on any poetic license taken by any particular translator.
The Chinese literally goes like this:
heaven under all know beauty-of become beauty, this evil thereafter;
all know perfect-of become perfect, this not perfect afterwards.
hence, have nil mutually give birth to, difficult easy mutually result, long short mutually shape,
high low mutually incline, sound voice mutually with, before after mutually follow.
accordingly, sage person manage without act-of affairs, do no word-of teaching.
10,000 things rise here but not decline.
give birth to but not have, act but not depend on, succeed but not reside.
man alone not dwell, accordingly not go.
And now with as little poetic license as possible:
All who know beauty as beauty create evil thereafter;
All who know perfection as perfection create imperfection thereafter;
Hence having and nothing create each other, Difficult and easy produce each other,
Long and short shape each other, high and low incline to each other,
Sound and tone harmonize, before and after follow each other.
Thus, the sage manages life without acting on it, and does the silent teaching.
All things do but not decline; give birth to but not have; act but not depend upon; suceed but not hold on.
Only he who does not hold on is connected.
Comments
Chapter 65
Of old those who excelled in the pursuit of the way did not use it to enlighten
the people but to hoodwink them. The reason why the people are difficult to
govern is that they are too clever.
Hence to rule a state by cleverness
Will be to the detriment of the state;
Not to rule a state by cleverness
Will be a boon to the state.
These two are models.
Always to know the models
Is know as mysterious virtue.
Mysterious virtue is profound and far-reaching,
But when things turn back it turns back with them.
Only then is complete conformity realized.
Read commentary previously posted for this chapter.
What, above all, excels in the pursuit of the way? Nature, in my view. And, hoodwinking is how nature (biology) convinces us to live as though it matters. For example, nature obscure the fact that we are virtually dead the moment we are born - life is just that fleeting. Nor has nature endowed us with any instincts that [chref=16]lead to impartiality[/chref]. To the contrary, survival and tribal instincts drive us to judge others and to [chref=22]contend[/chref]. On the other hand, our brain evolved a mind nimble enough to contemplate the possibility of impartiality and [chref=68]the virtue of non-contention[/chref]. Although, I suppose cooperative instincts probably lie at the heart of that also. We are an integral part of nature, whether we know it or like it. Complete conformity, for me, lies in returning responsibility for who 'I am' (and thus for who you are) to nature - [chref=25]that which is naturally so[/chref].
The following is a very literal translation of the Chinese:
Hence use intelligence to rule, ruins country,
Not use intelligence to rule, favors country,
Know this both side of things, inspect pattern,
Always inspect the pattern is called dark (obscure) virtue.
Dark (obscure) virtue (integrity), deep and far,
Participating with objects, flips (turns over),
Then after even to the point stop big following (flowing)
I'd sum it up this way: Intelligence does as much harm as benefit, perhaps more because we aren't wary of it - so watch out! Always considering both sides of things leads to infinite integrity. But, in participating in life you return, and stop, to follow your nature.
Other thoughts on hoodwinking
Hoodwinking is what adults do with regard to children's fantasies. Most would not enlighten children by telling them there is no Santa Claus. Kids 'see it' when they are naturally ready to see. Likewise with the Tao Te Ching. It is not using the way to enlighten the people. Like children dropping their belief in Santa Claus, we can only see what the Tao Te Ching is pointing to when we are naturally ready to see. It just frames the view into words well, especially considering that [chref=1]the way that can be spoken of is not the constant way[/chref].
How about me, and what I write here? Am I trying to enlighten people through my enlightened (or not) observations? No! I am just articulating what I 'see'. And what I say will only resonates with those who 'see' what I see, whether or not they can put it into words. Putting it into words is what I'm offering on this site. But, for all I know, I'm just hoodwinking myself - but that's okey as long as it works!
Hoodwinking is unavoidable. Nothing 'outside' conveys what is 'inside', except for how, to paraphrase chapter 2, [chref=2]the 'inside' and the 'outside' produce, complement, and follow each other[/chref]. Enlightenment is only 'inside'. What we [chref=71]think[/chref] we see 'outside', enlightened or otherwise, is nothing more than a reflection of ourselves. The 'hoodwink' lies in our [chref=70]ignorance[/chref] of that simple reality. There is simply no way to 'inside', other than [chref=54]by means of this[/chref]. That is why we say, [chref=19]exterminate the sage, discard the wise, and the people will benefit a hundredfold[/chref]. 'It' is not out there, despite 'the grass is greener' instinct that promises us the moon.