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Well I thought I'd Pitch in
[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.]
Actually, in my experience, living life itself is like boiling a small fish. Or maybe it's a little like frying a egg. I recall how in youth I would usually turn the heat up too high, burn the outside and yet end up with an undercooked egg on the inside. Why is patience so [chref=63]difficult[/chref]? Is this why patience is the [chref=41]highest virtue[/chref] (in my book anyway)? Or, in other words perhaps, virtue is impossible without patience. Patience is the bedrock of wisdom. With enough patience I reckon I could even govern a big country as if boiling a small fish. Hmm, even the U.S.A? Fortunately I’ll never have that ‘opportunity’. Whew!
Translating this is like boiling a small fish:
Govern a big country as if boiling a small fish.
Because of this, the way is present for all under heaven.
The way's spirit is not magical.
Not that its spirit is not magical, its magic does not hinder the people.
Its magic does not hinder the people, and the holy person does not hinder the people.
Neither hinders the other and therefore both deliver kindness in return.
And, now the fish before boiling:
govern (rule, control) big country like (as if, seem) boil small fresh (bright; delicious; aquatic foods).
use (take; according to; because of; in order to; so as to) way arrive (be present) heaven under,
its ghost (spirit, terrible, clever) not god (supernatural, magical, clever).
wrong (not conform to; run counter to; not; no) its ghost (spirit, terrible, clever) not god (supernatural, magical, clever),
its god (supernatural, magical, clever) not wound (injury; hurt; distressed; hinder) people.
wrong (not conform to; run counter to; not; no) its god (supernatural, magical, clever) not wound (injury; hurt; distressed; hinder) people,
sage (saint, holy, sacred) person also not wound (hurt; distressed; develop an aversion to sth.; be harmful to; hinder) people.
man both not each other (one another, mutually) wound (injury; hurt; distressed; hinder)
incident (hence; therefore; consequently) virtue (moral character; heart;
mind; kindness) hand over (give up; deliver) return (give back to; come together) here (herein; how; why)
Actually, in my experience, living life itself is like boiling a small fish. Or maybe it's a little like frying a egg. I recall how in youth I would usually turn the heat up too high, burn the outside and yet end up with an undercooked egg on the inside. Why is patience so [chref=63]difficult[/chref]? Is this why patience is the [chref=41]highest virtue[/chref] (in my book anyway)? Or, in other words perhaps, virtue is impossible without patience. Patience is the bedrock of wisdom. With enough patience I reckon I could even govern a big country as if boiling a small fish. Hmm, even the U.S.A? Fortunately I’ll never have that ‘opportunity’. Whew!
Translating this is like boiling a small fish:
Govern a big country as if boiling a small fish.
Because of this, the way is present for all under heaven.
The way's spirit is not magical.
Not that its spirit is not magical, its magic does not hinder the people.
Its magic does not hinder the people, and the holy person does not hinder the people.
Neither hinders the other and therefore both deliver kindness in return.
And, now the fish before boiling:
govern (rule, control) big country like (as if, seem) boil small fresh (bright; delicious; aquatic foods).
use (take; according to; because of; in order to; so as to) way arrive (be present) heaven under,
its ghost (spirit, terrible, clever) not god (supernatural, magical, clever).
wrong (not conform to; run counter to; not; no) its ghost (spirit, terrible, clever) not god (supernatural, magical, clever),
its god (supernatural, magical, clever) not wound (injury; hurt; distressed; hinder) people.
wrong (not conform to; run counter to; not; no) its god (supernatural, magical, clever) not wound (injury; hurt; distressed; hinder) people,
sage (saint, holy, sacred) person also not wound (hurt; distressed; develop an aversion to sth.; be harmful to; hinder) people.
man both not each other (one another, mutually) wound (injury; hurt; distressed; hinder)
incident (hence; therefore; consequently) virtue (moral character; heart;
mind; kindness) hand over (give up; deliver) return (give back to; come together) here (herein; how; why)
Comments
I won't go deep in detail with chapter by chapter since every translation has difference in opinion etc etc. I'm gonna stick to actual text and what I know to be true about Lao - Tzu teaching as it is written.
Tao and its impact has power to describe the nature in its pure form
Chapter 4
...呌其光 åŒå…¶å¡µ...
...brings light (enlightment, knowledge, sharp understanding etc etc) to harmony (balance, complete etc etc), dust (universal dust, including dust of time by spiritual time) to unison (even with each other, confirming in uniform)...
*Let this be known that buddist used 呌光 åŒå¡µ to describe Arahan from this very text for their own enlightment = budda (lame)*
This shows characteristics about Tao that unifies or demolishes the catagories and types and qualities that we put on and be able to describe the nature.
Light in the most part is bright or enlightment. In nature, if it is too bright, there is enough darkness to cover it. If it gets hot, it gets cold. Nature strives forward what is natural for everything including itself.
Dust has many meanings but to make it simple for me to state, I will use dust blowing in the wind (going back to the car again). In outdoor parking lot, when you park your car, you come back later that day to see the car covered with dust. Now see the dust covering the car. How is it that there may have been all different types of wind (chaotic system), dust settles and coats this surface evenly and in unison? [I am not going to get into under the car or 2/3 of the car that is not covered since that's explained in later chapters]
Is there a Way the light brings balance to the nature? Is there a Way a dust settles in unison? Why not! Way is in nature. Nature does not catagorize everything in spectrum of knowledge per say, it exists. Be able to cope with nature, what more do you need understand?
These are the ideas building toward emptiness, the ilimination and positive chi in the negative chi as chapters progress. For anyone who has not read the Tao and be able to comment is simply waisting everyone's time.
I'm gonna quote this off of barns and nobles bookself (ISBN-13:978-0-7607-4998-2, ISBN-10: 0-7607-4998-1)
Ch 4
.... It blunts all sharpness,
unties the entangled,
and merges with the dust! ...
what the hell... I can write that with online dictionary and translator...
Compare this with my notes above.... Insane, these people selling books for $40 and change and filled with BS. Apparently whoever wrote this, did read some parts of the explanation page by 王弼... And decided to not include the entire transcript pages that followed with it, yeah thanks A-holes. Not to mention entire buddist scriptures copied 呌光åŒå¡µ from Lao -Tzu texts to explain their "Way" starts off from this very text...
Yeah, I never liked any of these texts that I found at bookstores. So I learned through traditional channels. Wow, I hated those bookstore bastards more!
I'm open for any questions or comments, please send me something and wish everyone a Happy New Year! Kudos!