Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Chapter of the Week: #68
let me be a little provocative again
Feel free to be a provocative as you like! I don't hold anything back either as you can see. Now if I could just be more brief.
That set of pictures sure conveys things easier than words can! Like they say "a picture is worth a thousand words".
It is not surprising, then, that images also convey personal biases a thousand times more powerfully than words do (except for the image; shadowy and indistinct, of course).
So, I imagine images covey the teaching that uses no words, the benefit of resorting to no action, even worse than words do, being as how powerful images convey personal bias. Now, this doesn't apply to ambient images, i.e., those sights and sound 'out there' which we sense constantly. Bias occurs when we are either attracted or repulsed by what we see. This attraction or repulsion just mirrors our own inner needs and fears, i.e., meaning is in the eye of the beholder.
One of the main themes in the Tao Te Ching is impartiality. Put another: Exhibit the unadorned and embrace the uncarved block, have little thought of self and as few desires as possible.
This is not to say having biases, desires and thoughts of self are wrong, bad, and to be avoided. After all, If you would have a thing laid aside, You must first set it up;, and so on. Youth is chock full with many thoughts of self and desires. Maturity is the process of gradually leaving much of that behind. Not because we 'try to' mind you. It happens naturally.
I see the 'teaching' as just giving us clues about where the true source of our difficulties lie; after all, it is by being alive to difficulty that one can avoid it. Knowing that thoughts of self and desire make life more difficult can at least tell us who to 'blame' for our difficulties.
I understand your passion against "monoculture produce, television, coca cola and chips". I find that the world we think we see 'out there' is actually only a reflection of our own desires and fears. Nevertheless, we instinctively see the world 'out there' as somehow real and 'objective' in its own right. All animals do this. We are unique in that we use words and names to nail down a conceptual sense of objective reality.
Of course, nature has set us (and all living things) up to respond and react to the stimuli as though it were reality, not as some projection of our own needs and fears. Basically, biology does not use it to enlighten the people [and all living things] but to hoodwink them. Humans increase their difficulties by thinking. Having words and names allows us to dwell on issues for years. Other animals can drop most of hoodwink as soon as the stimuli fades.
The beauty of taoist thought is that it attempts to help us peel away some of that hoodwink, not that it succeeds mind you. But, no matter, after all Great perfection seems chipped.
Well, time to go pick weeds!
Comments
Chapter 68
One who excels as a warrior does not appear formidable;
One who excels in fighting is never roused in anger;
One who excels in defeating his enemy does not join issue;
One who excels in employing others humbles himself before them.
This is known as the virtue of non-contention;
This is known as making use of the efforts of others;
This is known as matching the sublimity of heaven.
Read commentary previously posted for this chapter.
Read notes on translations
Now, do it too at Wengu!
Notice how all three ‘One who excels’ scenarios have emotional equanimity in common? Being roused in anger is the most obvious loss of such cool. Even so, an overtly ‘tough’ person’s appearance of formidability belies a lack of emotional equanimity (i.e., a lack of emotional security). It appears that everything we do, and how we do it, springs from a visceral need to maintain balance (i.e., emotional homeostasis). So, for example, in feeling insecure I may be driven to put on a ‘show’ of security (act tough) in an attempt to compensate. Or I may avoid situations that feed into my insecurity. On the other hand, feeling angry(1) or argumentative, I’m easily driven to join issue and fight because victory promises me a sense of balance, illusory as is. In short, we don’t ‘act’ in life; we ‘react’ to life according to how life’s circumstances trigger emotion, with fear being the ‘black hole’ at the center of emotion’s core.
The less driven by emotional necessity we are, the more conscious we can ‘react’ to life’s circumstances. This is not to say we should ‘control’ our emotions, even if we could (i.e. free will). Frankly, we can never simply ‘let go’ of fear. Ironically, just the opposite works best… embrace that ‘black hole’, [chref=5]hold fast to the void[/chref] and [chref=16]do my utmost to attain emptiness[/chref]. This makes it easier to know and accept the how and why of what we do. This heightened consciousness of what we do and how we do it is often enough to [chref=64]keep a thing in order before disorder sets in[/chref]. Finally, doesn't excelling in anything require us to 'keep it together'?
It appears that two factors are at play here: namely, how intense the emotion we feel at the moment, and how deeply we know the ‘game’ that is going on behind the life’s curtain. Here is at least one great advantage growing older – emotional intensity tends to goes down and experience in the ‘game’ tends to goes up.
Today's literal translation:
One adept in serving as a warrior or scholar is not martial
One adept in fighting is not enraged.
One adept in victory over enemies does not participate.
This is called the moral character of not contending.
This is called employing the ability of the people.
This is called matching the utmost ancient of heaven.
Chinese direct to English (with synomyms):
good (perfect, kind, adept in) do (act, act as, serve as) bachelor (scholar, noncommissioned officer) not military (valiant, fierce).
good (perfect, kind, adept in) war (warfare, battle, fight) not (anger, rage, fury).
good (perfect, kind, adept in) victory (be equal to, can bear) enemy (oppose, match, equal) not take part in.
good (perfect, kind, adept in) use (employ, apply) people do (act, act as, serve as) of below (down; under; lower; inferior).
this say (call, name, meaning, sense) not contend (vie, strive, argue, dispute) of virtue (moral character, heart, mind, kindness).
this say (call, name, meaning, sense) use (employ, apply) people of power (strength, ability).
this say (call, name, meaning, sense) join in marriage (mix, match) heaven ancient (age-old) of extreme (pole, utmost).
(1) Although, looking deeper, I see insecurity and fear as the real source of anger and its cousin need.