Buddha's Third Noble Truth

Carl

[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.]

Ah, this is yet another favorite of mine. Oh, I have got to stop saying that -- [chref=79]favoritism[/chref], you know. Anyway, how much simpler can it be said than 'I do my utmost to attain emptiness; I hold firmly to stillness'. Everything else is fluff. So, on to my fluffy stuff.

'[chref=1]The constant[/chref]' is a term often used, from chapter one onward. The literal translation removes some of the mysterious quality that this term, '[chref=52]the constant[/chref]', imparts, at least to me. I mean, what is [chref=55]the constant[/chref] anyway? Well, without further fluffy ado...

Here is the literal Chinese: (various synonym-like translations in parenthesis)*
send (devote effort to) void (emptiness) utmost guard (observe, near) still sincere.
10,000 things merge (simultaneously) do (rise. make), I watch recover (repeat, duplicate).
man thing all each recover return (coverge) their origin (root, cause).
return origin called still (quiet, calm), is meaning recover life (order, destiny);
recover life called ordinary (normal, constant, invariable),
know ordinary called bright (light, distinct, honest, know).
not know ordinary, absurd (rash, presumptuous) do (make, rise) ominous (terrible).
know ordinary hold (contain, allow), hold be (only then) common (impartial, just),
impartial be complete (whole), whole be sky (day, heaven, nature), heaven be way, way be long,
sink (rise beyond, die) body not danger.

And now 'for what it's worth':
In devotion to the void, I watch stillness with utmost sincerity.
Everything arises side by side, and I watch the recovery.
All things recover and return to converge on their origin.
Converging on the origin is called stillness, this means life recovers;
Recovering life is called normal, knowing normal is called honest.
Not knowing normal, terrible rashness arises.
Knowing normal holds all, holding all thereupon impartial,
Impartial thereupon whole, whole thereupon natural,
Natural thereupon the way, the way thereupon eternity,
Rising beyond the body's death, there is no danger.

'Normal, ordinary, invariable and constant'. Thus, 'The way that is named is not the normal way'... etc. Ha! This puts a whole new light on normal and ordinary for me. My ex-wife and my mother (to name but two) always complained that I "was not normal". Or rather, I didn't fit their [chref=1]named[/chref] civilized version of 'normal'. Now, I can take that as a compliment; well, I always did, really. Notice how 'normal, impartial, whole, natural, and eternity' are all linked in a 'thereupon' relationship.

Hasn't humanity's main reason for civilizing itself been to get as far away from the natural as possible... the natural and normal discomfort and insecurity side of life in the wild. Alas, who knew there would be so many unforeseen consequences? So indeed, woe to a species who willfully innovates while ignorant of the constant. It is slightly ironic that civilized ways are seen as normal. We have gotten ourselves so far out on our civilized limb, we no longer know how to act from knowledge of the constant. We are in such a rush to go [chref=41]forward[/chref], doing our utmost to attain emptiness undoubtedly sounds [chref=41]laughable[/chref] to the [chref=20]joyous multitude[/chref].

* The Chinese characters often have synonym-like meanings, of which I sprinkle in a few. Nothing like this exists in English really, which makes translating the Tao Te Ching such good sport. We really do have to look beyond the [chref=43]words[/chref] to get it, i.e., [chref=70]to understand them[/chref]. How appropriate!

Carl

Buddha's Third Noble Truth talks about extinguishing the self. How do we go about doing that though? I never thought much of that idea since hearing it forty odd years ago :roll: . Granted, eliminating the 'self' would do the trick, but simply 'doing' it seemed impractical. I always figured that the Eight Fold Path was the 'doing' part which would lead to extinguishing the self.

However, by putting the idea of extinguishing the self in the context of belief, it actually makes practical sense. Then, in fact, it is [chref=70]very easy to understand and very easy to put into practice[/chref]. Simply don't believe in the self - your self. This requires no effort, no thinking, no skill, no learning, no money, no friends, no teachers, no knowledge. Perhaps it only requires 'self' honesty. On the other hand, of course, perhaps self honest is only possible as we drop our belief in self. And this may be why [chref=70]no one in the world can understand them or put them into practice[/chref].

Ironically, we [chref=71]know[/chref] way more than we [chref=71]think[/chref] (believe), yet [chref=71]think[/chref] (believe) way more than we [chref=71]know[/chref]. And so yes, [chref=63]therefore even the sage treats some things as difficult.[/chref]

Lynn Cornish

My experience has shown me that if you meditate long enough you will stop believing in the self. (Maybe I should speak for myself: it took me long enough!) It seems to happen naturally. Years and years of watching your thoughts float by, feeling sensations in your body--pain, emotions, other feelings there are no words for--you realize you are watching all that, but then you watch the watcher watching and then watch the watcher watching the watcher and fnally understand it is all an illusion.

However, if someone were threatening to kill me or a loved one, or even threatening to take away my sense of security (also an illusion), the self would be back with a vengence!