Chapter of the Week: #23

Carl

In a recent post, Rich is Nothing More Than Knowing Contentment, I examined the Chinese characters for content (知足 zhizu) as a way of feeling more deeply what being [chref=46]content[/chref] means. These two characters were:

知 zhi = know; realize; be aware of
足 zu = foot; leg; sufficient; enough; full

If we take the primary meaning of each character we have ‘know foot’ as the literal translation of ‘content’. That seems a little silly at first. We would all agree that (知) ‘know, realize, be aware of’ is essential for life. But, ‘know foot’? How does 'realise one's foot' have anything to do with being content?

Tai Chi exemplifies the connection well. You can feel perfect contentment when you ‘are aware of your feet’. This is hard to describe, but anyone having done Tai Chi for decades will know what I mean. The loss of contentment originates when our ‘head’ gets ahead of our ‘feet’. Thought allows us to live much of life in an imaginary world of [chref=23]words[/chref] and [chref=32]names[/chref], pasts and futures, [chref=19]desires[/chref] and [chref=19]worries[/chref] outside the present moment. Little wonder that being present – uterly present – is the holy grail of many a spiritual [chref=43]teaching[/chref].

What happens when we get ahead of ourselves and forget our feet? We loose balance and trip over stuff. ‘To be grounded’ is a contemporary term that points to this. ‘Having both feet on the ground’ is another. We lose this balance (physically and emotionally) when [chref=64]desires[/chref] – all those imagined needs we conjur up – sweep us off our feet. We lose awareness of our feet, we lose [chref=33]contentment[/chref]. Oh, how important those lowly feet are!

Carl

Each week we address one chapter of the Tao Te Ching. The Tao Te Ching can be obscure, especially if you think you're supposed to understand what it's saying! We find it easier and more instructive to simply contemplate how the chapter resonates with your personal experience. Becoming more aware at this fundamental level simplifies life. This approach conforms to the view that true knowing lies within ourselves. Thus, when a passage in the scripture resonates, you've found your inner truth. The same applies for when it evokes a question; questions are the grist for self realization.

Chapter 23
To use words but rarely
Is to be natural.

Hence a gusty wind cannot last all morning, and a sudden downpour cannot last
all day. Who is it that produces these? Heaven and earth. If even heaven and
earth cannot go on for ever, much less can man.
That is why one follows the way.

A man of the way conforms to the way; a man of virtue conforms to virtue; a
man of loss conforms to loss. He who conforms to the way is gladly accepted by
the way; he who conforms to virtue is gladly accepted by virtue; he who
conforms to loss is gladly accepted by loss.

When there is not enough faith, there is lack of good faith.

Read commentary previously posted for this chapter.
Read notes on translations

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.]

Strength, power, and control are fleeting; they only exist 'now'. On the other hand, [chref=40]weakness[/chref] is 'eternal'. Peaks of power erode quickly, while [chref=6]the valley never dies[/chref]. Conforming to the former is [chref=2]off-set[/chref] by feelings of insecurity, contention, fear, and eventually our impending [chref=50]death[/chref] (i.e., we all know deep down life ends). Conforming to the latter allows us to [chref=28]return to being the uncarved block[/chref]. That is why one follows the way. It is just easier.

He who conforms to _______ is gladly accepted by ___________, parallels 'as you sow, so shall you reap'. Perhaps an even closer match is 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. In other words, our experience of life is solely determined by our approach to life. Nevertheless, I found most of us hate the notion that we alone are responsible for 'the problem'. It is so much easier to blame someone or something - anything - else. :roll:

In the nude... the literal translation:
infrequent speech natural.
incident (happening; cause) flutter wind not finish (death, entire) facing,
sudden rain not finish (death, entire) day.
who does (act as, mean) this? heaven earth.
heaven earth still (yet, value) not can for a long time, and compare (moreover, besides) in(*) man?
hence follow in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) way this, same(**) in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) way.
virtue this same in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) virtue.
lose (fail, miss) same in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) lose (fail, miss).
same in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) way; way also happy happy obtain of;
same in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) virtue, virtue happy obtain of;
same in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) lose (fail, miss), lose (fail, miss) happy obtain of;
lose true (confidence trust) not sufficient here (where, how, why) have not true (confidence trust) here

Here it is all dress up and ready to understand... (hopefully):
Infrequent speech is natural.
Fluttering breezes change direction, sudden showers can't last the day.
Who controls the breezes and the showers? Heaven and earth.
Still, heaven and earth can't continue for long, so how can man?
Hence, following this way matches the way
Following virtue matches virtue, following failure matches failure.
Matching the way, of the way you'll obtain;
Matching virtue, of virtue you'll obtain;
Matching failure, of failure you'll obtain;
Where there is insufficient truth, there is insufficient confidence.

(*) The chinses word here, 'yu', is a preposition meaning: in (at, to, from, by, than, out of). Just take your pick and use which ever sounds right.

(**) same also means alike; similar; be the same as; together; in common. None sounded grammatically pleasant so I chose 'match' which also means 'agree, equal, fit'. That's close enough to 'same' to suit me.