Chapter of the Week: #42

Comments

• Carl

  December 2007 edited December 2007

  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 42
  The way begets one; one begets two; two begets three; three begets the myriad
  creatures.
  
  The myriad creatures carry on their backs the yin and embrace in their arms the
  yang and are the blending of the generative forces of the two.
  
  There are no words which men detest more than 'solitary', 'desolate', and
  'hapless', yet lords and princes use these to refer to themselves.
  
  Thus a thing is sometimes added to by being diminished and diminished by being
  added to.
  
  What others teach I also teach. 'The violent will not come to a natural end.' I
  shall take this as my precept.
  
  Read commentary previously posted for this chapter.
  Read notes on translations
• Carl

  December 2007 edited December 1969

  [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.
  
  Oops, I've done it again. I translated the end of this chapter quite differently from what I believe folks usually do. :? Of course, D.C.Lau's 'The violent will not come to a natural end' makes complete sense. However, the literal Chinese may be saying something different, which also makes complete sense, to me anyway. Indeed, I have found that the backbone of effort seldom results in one's death to be true. Without that backbone, life becomes too 'yin' and we succumb. Life is a blend of competitive struggle and cooperative surrender. Too much of either results in one's death. That said, we are naturally too yang-y (life = yang) most of the time which explains why religion generally - and the Tao Te Ching in particular - advocates more yin (i.e., yin = [chref=28]female, black, valley[/chref], etc.).
  
  Another difference, though minor, is where I used the other Chinese meanings of 'one, two, three' (i.e., whole, difference, many). Finally, note: 'all things suffer the negative and embrace the positive'. This matches the view Buddha expresses in Noble Truth One and Two. All life suffers the negative side of living on one hand, which drives living things to embrace the positive on the other hand. It is a natural process which we [chref=3]clever[/chref] animals [chref=71]think[/chref] we can somehow avoid. In desiring to avoid the suffering we increase our suffering. No wonder a wiser person [chref=64]desires not to desire[/chref]! What a marvelous balance; life is truly pay as you go.
  
  First, the literal with my poetic license (plus any others I can get away with using):
  The way gave birth to the whole.
  The whole gave birth to difference.
  Difference gave birth to the many.
  The many gave birth to all things.
  All things suffer the negative and embrace the positive.
  Consider this clash in spirit harmonious.
  Of people, the evil are solitary, few and not of the valley.
  Consider kings and princes a suitable match.
  Hence, things perhaps lose as well as benefit, and benefit as well as lose.
  Of people's religious teachings, I also teach,
  The backbone of effort seldom results in one's death.
  I take this teaching of my ancestors just so.
  
  Now the literal with which to apply your license's:
  way bear (give birth to, grow) one (whole.
  one bear (give birth to, grow) two (difference).
  two bear (give birth to, grow) three (many).
  three bear (give birth to, grow) 10,000 things.
  10,000 things (all things) suffer (carry on back, owe) negative ( yin,
  female, moon, secret), embrace (hold in arms) positive (yang, male, sun, open).
  rinse (clash, rush) spirit consider gentle,
  of people place evil (ferocious, fierce), only solitary, few, no grain (valley),
  and nobility consider fit (match, suit),
  hence things perhaps decrease (lose) of and (as well as) increase (benefit),
  perhaps (or) of increase (benefit) and (as well as) decrease (lose, damage).
  of people place teach (religion, instructs), I also teach (religion, instructs),
  make an effort, (stive, by force, better, unyielding) ridge, no (need,
  result, finished) its death.
  I take consider teach fathers. only
• riverwolf

  January 2008 edited December 1969

  LOL I left this out in my original translation! Here it is
  
  The Way gave birth to One;
  One gave birth to two;
  Two gave birth to three;
  Three gave birth to the ten thousand things.
  The ten thousand things carry Darkness and caress Brightness,
  And vital breath surges from such harmony.
  What men detest
  Is called “Lonely, poor and desolate”
  Yet princes and dukes call themselves so.
  Indeed, things that are diminished often flourish,
  Things that flourish are often diminished.
  The teaching of men,
  I teach too!
  “The strong and forceful only meet with death”
  I take this principle to be my guiding teacher.