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Chapter of the Week: #71 [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.]
I feel a curious depth in the original literal Chinese compared to any English translation (including my own!). This may be due to the wide range of meanings Chinese characters can have. On the other hand, English, with its vast vocabulary, more narrowly defines each [chref=23]word[/chref]. I suppose we would generally regard this as a good thing – but not for pointing to an image that is without substance. Still, D.C. Lau's translation has served me just fine for the last... yikes! almost 50 years.
I particularly love this chapter, though I guess I'd say that about 2/3 of them. The shape that has no shape, which I only 'see' when I hold fast to the way of antiquity. I have always found that I could best feel the thread running through the way by looking to Nature for guidance. Following people, culture, and convention can be disastrously misleading. Thus, for example, to have a better sense of what I 'should' eat, I long ago studied what the other great apes ate in the wild. To know how to raise my kids, I modeled how nature works out such things as a whole. To know about the human condition I long ago studied all the ancient scripture (Bible, Bhagavad Gita, Buddha, etc.) figuring that anything that managed to still be used by millions of folks, thousands of years later, would reveal much about us. To date the single most useful thing I consciously do to keep in control the realm of today, is look for similarities in every aspect of reality's realm. When I do, [chref=56] mysterious sameness[/chref] leaps out at me. It is only then that I am able to [chref=2]practice the teaching that uses no words[/chref]. But alas, truly it is all simply a 'process of elimination', i.e., [chref=36] If you would have a thing shrink, you must first stretch it[/chref]. Nature is nothing if not just, though not usually as we [chref=3]desire[/chref].
And now with a little grammatical polish:
What is not seen, though look for, is vanishingly smooth.
What is not heard, though listened for, is vanishingly rare.
What is not possessed, though held, is call vanishingly small.
The eternal questions blend and becomes one.
Its upper part is not gathered, its lower part is not concealed.
Unending, it can not be named, and returns to nothing outside.
It is called the of nothing shape shape,
Of nothing outside shape, is called illusory.
We will not see its head though we move to greet it,
We will not see its rear though we follow behind it.
Hold to the ancient way in order to ward off what now exists.
The ability to know this ancient beginning is called the way discipline.
The literal Chinese goes like this:
of look not see, name call smooth.
of listen not hear, name call rare (hope, uncommon).
of hold not get, name call minute.
this three not can extend question, hence mix but mean one.
its upper not receive (gather, control), its lower not be ignorant of (conceal),
unending not can name, again return at (in,from,by,outof) nothing outside.
is called of nothing shape shape, of nothing outside shape, is called illusory.
of greet (receive; move toward) not see its head, of to follow not see its rear.
hold of ancient way so as to drive a carriage (imperial, ward off, keep out) of now (present day) have (exist).
can know ancient beginning, is called way discipline.
I feel a curious depth in the original literal Chinese compared to any English translation (including my own!). This may be due to the wide range of meanings Chinese characters can have. On the other hand, English, with its vast vocabulary, more narrowly defines each [chref=23]word[/chref]. I suppose we would generally regard this as a good thing – but not for pointing to an image that is without substance. Still, D.C. Lau's translation has served me just fine for the last... yikes! almost 50 years.
I particularly love this chapter, though I guess I'd say that about 2/3 of them. The shape that has no shape, which I only 'see' when I hold fast to the way of antiquity. I have always found that I could best feel the thread running through the way by looking to Nature for guidance. Following people, culture, and convention can be disastrously misleading. Thus, for example, to have a better sense of what I 'should' eat, I long ago studied what the other great apes ate in the wild. To know how to raise my kids, I modeled how nature works out such things as a whole. To know about the human condition I long ago studied all the ancient scripture (Bible, Bhagavad Gita, Buddha, etc.) figuring that anything that managed to still be used by millions of folks, thousands of years later, would reveal much about us. To date the single most useful thing I consciously do to keep in control the realm of today, is look for similarities in every aspect of reality's realm. When I do, [chref=56] mysterious sameness[/chref] leaps out at me. It is only then that I am able to [chref=2]practice the teaching that uses no words[/chref]. But alas, truly it is all simply a 'process of elimination', i.e., [chref=36] If you would have a thing shrink, you must first stretch it[/chref]. Nature is nothing if not just, though not usually as we [chref=3]desire[/chref].
And now with a little grammatical polish:
What is not seen, though look for, is vanishingly smooth.
What is not heard, though listened for, is vanishingly rare.
What is not possessed, though held, is call vanishingly small.
The eternal questions blend and becomes one.
Its upper part is not gathered, its lower part is not concealed.
Unending, it can not be named, and returns to nothing outside.
It is called the of nothing shape shape,
Of nothing outside shape, is called illusory.
We will not see its head though we move to greet it,
We will not see its rear though we follow behind it.
Hold to the ancient way in order to ward off what now exists.
The ability to know this ancient beginning is called the way discipline.
The literal Chinese goes like this:
of look not see, name call smooth.
of listen not hear, name call rare (hope, uncommon).
of hold not get, name call minute.
this three not can extend question, hence mix but mean one.
its upper not receive (gather, control), its lower not be ignorant of (conceal),
unending not can name, again return at (in,from,by,outof) nothing outside.
is called of nothing shape shape, of nothing outside shape, is called illusory.
of greet (receive; move toward) not see its head, of to follow not see its rear.
hold of ancient way so as to drive a carriage (imperial, ward off, keep out) of now (present day) have (exist).
can know ancient beginning, is called way discipline.
Comments
Chapter 71
To know yet to think that one does not know is best;
Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.
It is by being alive to difficulty that one can avoid it. The sage meets with
no difficulty. It is because he is alive to it that he meets with no
difficulty.
Read commentary previously posted for this chapter.
I'm always linking to this chapter - I love it. Well, I suppose I love 'em all... except maybe a few. But that may change after I decipher the original. The original for this chapter offers a slightly different emphasis. First, the literal and [chref=81]not beautiful[/chref] (in English anyway) version:
know not know higher, not know know disease.
man only disease disease, is in order to not disease.
sacred man not disease, takes his disease disease.
man only disease disease, is in order to not disease.
Notice, the original uses 'bing', which translates to: ill; sick; disease; fault; defect. Of course, disease often gives us difficulty, but still, disease (fault, defect, sickness, etc.) feels more serious in my view. So, it may be more straightforward to say, Not to know yet to think that one knows is a disease... or a defect, an evolutionary defect perhaps. Human difficulty has ancient origins. I've always liked how Genesis explains the origin of human difficulty. It parallels, albeit bombastically, our Taoist view, not to know yet to think that one knows is a disease (which will lead to difficulty).
Genesis 2: "...Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Genesis 3: "...he took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;
Of course, I would change "they knew they were naked" to "thought they knew they were naked".
* * *
Now, let's see if I can polish the original's grammar a little:
Know you don't know is higher, Not know is disease.
Only treat disease as disease in order to not disease.
Sacred person is not disease for he takes his disease as disease
Only treat disease as disease in order to not disease.
Personally, I've found that the deeper I know and accept this defect, the better I can treat the disease. By treating this defect as a disease, the defect loses much of its dis-ease causing potency. This remind me of chapter 60's [chref=60]Or rather, it is not that they lose their potencies, But that, though they have their potencies, do not harm the people[/chref]. When we know we are blind, we walk more [chref=15]tentatively[/chref] and so stub our toes less often.