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Chapter of the Week: #79 [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.]
It is because he does not contend that no one in the empire is in a position to contend with him. Great! Now all I need do is just convince my emotions. But, at least rationally knowing [chref=68]the virtue of non-contention[/chref] gets the ball rolling and begins the [chref=64]journey[/chref]. Especially useful to me is the 'moment to moment realization' (is there any other kind truly?) of the [chref=2]produce each other... follow each other[/chref] 'flow' of Nature(*). When I forget, I resist, [chref=73]contend[/chref], and eventually fail - naturally. Resistance is futile! On the other hand, [chref=53]the great way is [so] easy[/chref].
Excessive follows deluded (below) is curious. A little more to the point than 'a lot then perplexed', perhaps? In the early days I used to take the Lau's translation to say that a lot perplexes life. Not that it doesn't, of course! But the meaning here feels different. Saying excessive follows deluded is similar to saying 'folly follows ignorance'. Kind of reminds me of our involvement in Iraq. A prime similarity between Vietnam then, and Iraq now, is how they both arose out of our [chref=16]ignorance of the constant[/chref]. Alas, deluded inevitably follows believing our local paradigm true. As the Tao Te Ching so succinctly puts it: [chref=71]Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty [/chref].
The literal Chinese goes like this. Note the various forms of 'standard' and 'be bewildered'. I went with 'follow' and 'deluded'.
bent standard (norm, rule, to imitate, to follow, then, principle) whole,
crooked (follow) straight, hollow follows filled, worn-out follows new.
few (lack, little) follows gain, excessive (more) follows be bewildered (delude, mislead, obfuscate).
right at (because) wise man hold one, become heaven under pattern (mood, mode, model).
not self see (become visible) consequently bright (clear, open, honest, know);
not self being consequently evident (manifest); not self cut down (attack) consequently have merit;
not self pity (self-important) consequently of long duration;
man alone not contend, consequently heaven under nothing capable of contend.
of ancient what is called: bent follow whole.
how can it be that empty talk? sincere whole as well as of return.
Now, let's see what a grammar touch-up does to the literal:
Bent follows whole, crooked follows straight, hollow follows filled, worn-out follows new.
Loss follows gain, excessive follows deluded.
Because the wise man holds the One, the mode for all under heaven becomes his model.
He does not see his self, and so is honest; he does not exist, and so is apparent;
He does not attack himself, and so has merit; he does not pride himself and so endures;
He alone does not contend and so nothing under heaven can contend with him.
This is the ancient point of view: bent follows whole.
How can it be that emptiness speaks? Complete sincerity and then return.
(*) I find that the couplets help give the feeling of this 'following flow'. The 'hence' suggestion points the way, but as Jesus put it, "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak". I'd rephrase that as "the ideal is easy, but the reality is [chref=63]difficult[/chref]".
It is because he does not contend that no one in the empire is in a position to contend with him. Great! Now all I need do is just convince my emotions. But, at least rationally knowing [chref=68]the virtue of non-contention[/chref] gets the ball rolling and begins the [chref=64]journey[/chref]. Especially useful to me is the 'moment to moment realization' (is there any other kind truly?) of the [chref=2]produce each other... follow each other[/chref] 'flow' of Nature(*). When I forget, I resist, [chref=73]contend[/chref], and eventually fail - naturally. Resistance is futile! On the other hand, [chref=53]the great way is [so] easy[/chref].
Excessive follows deluded (below) is curious. A little more to the point than 'a lot then perplexed', perhaps? In the early days I used to take the Lau's translation to say that a lot perplexes life. Not that it doesn't, of course! But the meaning here feels different. Saying excessive follows deluded is similar to saying 'folly follows ignorance'. Kind of reminds me of our involvement in Iraq. A prime similarity between Vietnam then, and Iraq now, is how they both arose out of our [chref=16]ignorance of the constant[/chref]. Alas, deluded inevitably follows believing our local paradigm true. As the Tao Te Ching so succinctly puts it: [chref=71]Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty [/chref].
The literal Chinese goes like this. Note the various forms of 'standard' and 'be bewildered'. I went with 'follow' and 'deluded'.
bent standard (norm, rule, to imitate, to follow, then, principle) whole,
crooked (follow) straight, hollow follows filled, worn-out follows new.
few (lack, little) follows gain, excessive (more) follows be bewildered (delude, mislead, obfuscate).
right at (because) wise man hold one, become heaven under pattern (mood, mode, model).
not self see (become visible) consequently bright (clear, open, honest, know);
not self being consequently evident (manifest); not self cut down (attack) consequently have merit;
not self pity (self-important) consequently of long duration;
man alone not contend, consequently heaven under nothing capable of contend.
of ancient what is called: bent follow whole.
how can it be that empty talk? sincere whole as well as of return.
Now, let's see what a grammar touch-up does to the literal:
Bent follows whole, crooked follows straight, hollow follows filled, worn-out follows new.
Loss follows gain, excessive follows deluded.
Because the wise man holds the One, the mode for all under heaven becomes his model.
He does not see his self, and so is honest; he does not exist, and so is apparent;
He does not attack himself, and so has merit; he does not pride himself and so endures;
He alone does not contend and so nothing under heaven can contend with him.
This is the ancient point of view: bent follows whole.
How can it be that emptiness speaks? Complete sincerity and then return.
(*) I find that the couplets help give the feeling of this 'following flow'. The 'hence' suggestion points the way, but as Jesus put it, "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak". I'd rephrase that as "the ideal is easy, but the reality is [chref=63]difficult[/chref]".
Comments
Chapter 79
When peace is made between great enemies,
Some enmity is bound to remain un-dispelled.
How can this be considered perfect?
Therefore the sage take the left-hand tally, but exacts no payment from the people.
The man of virtue takes
Charge of the tally;
The man of no virtue takes
Charge of exaction.
It is the way of heaven to show no favoritism.
It is for ever on the side of the good man.
Read commentary previously posted for this chapter.
The literal translation (below) may put 'How can this be considered perfect?' in a slightly different light. Sure, some enmity is bound to remain un-dispelled after any dispute. That's natural. To see it so, and not expect a perfect resolution allows [chref=37]the empire will be at peace of its own accord[/chref]. Indeed, it is enough to have peace, even if some enmity remains un-dispelled, or as the literal Chinese puts it, peace can satisfactory (feel free to insert 'be' between can and satisfactory ).
It is [chref=63]difficult[/chref] to use [chref=10]our discernment[/chref] to take a tally of short comings, debts, faults, and yet [chref=52]give up the discernment[/chref] so as to not pass judgment. What is the difference? Taking a tally can be an [chref=16]impartial[/chref] awareness of 'balance in process'. Passing judgment is loaded with an emotion that craves to assign responsibility – blame. Having the former without the later is [chref=73]difficult[/chref], given the primal social instincts that drive us to exact payment and revenge. What to do?
The literal translation hits closer to home for me here as well, e.g., ... hold contract, but not responsibility at man. I accomplish this quite well (given that I'm an animal) by recognizing that there is no evidence to support the widely held belief that humans have free will. Without free will, 'hold not responsible at man' is unavoidable. We are, in fact, like all the other animals on earth, except for our brain's mind which excels at conjuring up an endless stream of ideal notions too numerous to count. Although they all boil down to pigeon holing things in life as either [chref=2]good, bad, beautiful or ugly[/chref] (not that that's a 'bad' thing mind you
Finally, the literal Chinese leans a bit more to the view that the good man, similar to heaven, shows no favoritism. Otherwise it sounds as if the way is on the side of the good man, which never rang true to me. I mean if Heaven shows no favoritism, how can it be forever on the side of the good man? It feels less contradictory to say heaven, together with the kind man, is not intimate (i.e., show favoritism). But, perhaps that's just me splitting hairs. :roll:
Here is the chapter as literal as I could make it:
together with big blame must have surplus blame.
peace can satisfactory.
accordingly holy man hold left contract, but not responsibility at man.
have integrity manage contract, no integrity manage penetrating.
heaven way not intimate, always together with kind man.