Translation

Bestowing favor and disgrace likewise startle;
Treasure and trouble likewise seem personal.
Why say bestowing favor and disgrace likewise startle?
Bestowing favor supports the low.
Gain seems to startle,
Loss seems to startle,
This says bestowing favor and disgrace likewise startle.
Why say treasure and trouble likewise seem personal?
I have great trouble means I have a body,
Come the day I have no body, what trouble have I?
Hence, regarding the body as precious supports all under heaven,
Likewise trustworthy for all under heaven.
Taking care in use of the body supports all under heaven,
Likewise worthy of serving as support for all under heaven.

dote on (bestow favor) disgrace (dishonour; insult) like (seem; if, you) start (be frightened; surprise),

expensive (valuable; precious) big (greatly; fully) trouble (disaster; worry) like (seem; if, you) body (life; personally).

carry (what, how, why, which) say (call; name; meaning) dote on (bestow favor) disgrace (dishonour; insult) like (seem; if, you) start (be frightened; surprise)?

dote on (bestow favor) do (act; serve as; be, mean; support) below (down; lower; inferior; next).

get (obtain, gain) of like (seem; if, you) start (be frightened; surprise),

lose (miss; let slip; fail; mistake) of like (seem; if, you) start (be frightened; surprise),

this (that) say (call; name; meaning) dote on (bestow favor) disgrace (dishonour; insult) like (seem; if, you) start (be frightened; surprise).

carry (what, how, why, which) say (call; name; meaning) expensive (valuable; precious)  big (greatly; fully) trouble (disaster; worry) like (seem; if, you)  body (life; personally)?

I (we) so (therefore; as a result) have (there is; exist) big (greatly; fully) trouble (disaster; anxiety; worry) do (act; serve as; be, mean; support) I (we) have (there is; exist) body (life; personally),

reach (come up to; in time for; and) I (we) nothing (nil; not have; there is not; without) body (life; personally), I (we) ) have (there is; exist) carry (what, how, why, which)  trouble (disaster; anxiety; worry)?

incident (reason; hence) expensive (valuable; precious) take as (regard… as..) body (life; personally) do (act; serve as; be, mean; support) land under heaven (the world),

like (seem; if, you) approve (can; may; be worth (doing); fit; suit; <adv.> but; yet) send (post; mail; entrust; depend on) land under heaven (the world).

love (like; treasure; take care of) use (take; because of; so as to <conj.> and) body (life; personally) do (act; serve as; be, mean; support) land under heaven (the world),

like (seem; if, you) approve (can; may; be worth (doing); fit; suit; <adv.>  yet) hold in the palm (serving as a support;  entrust) land under heaven (the world).

Original

宠辱若惊，
贵大患若身。
何谓宠辱若惊？
宠为下。
得之若惊
失之若惊
是谓宠辱若惊。
何谓贵大患若身？
吾所以有大患者，
为吾有身，
及吾无身，
吾有何患?
故贵以身为天下，
若可寄天下。
爱以身为天下，
若可托天下。

Commentary, January 2009

I’ve read research that documents how gain and loss (good and bad) fortune both stress the nervous system. In other words, change is stressful regardless of whether it is change we like or not. This has its limits of course, losing one’s leg in an accident must certainly be more stressful than winning the lottery. Although, over the long run, one’s life would likely suffer either way for lottery winners often fair poorly, physiologically speaking. However, given the choice we couldn’t help but choose the lottery over the leg. Even so, I become increasingly aware of the ‘equal nature’ of gain and loss, favor and disgrace as the years roll by. This is one of life’s ‘easy to understand, yet’ ironies.

For me, it boils down to this simple rule of thumb: The gains we desire set the stage for losses we fear and suffer. The upside is inextricably linked to its complimentary downside. Nature hoodwinks us into doggedly chasing the upside, and naively believing we can escape the downside. Much of our ‘common knowledge’ is anchored in the illusion that one can win in the end.

How does this relate to the aphorism, ‘it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all’? I find ‘love’ deepest the less I need it. Need kills love. The more I need it, the more I lose it. It’s easy to see where this leads – a vicious circle. Thus, the other rule of thumb: We only get what we give (i.e., give without ulterior motives of getting, of course). So, I’d rephrase that aphorism as, ‘better to have given love, for what is given freely is never lost’.

I suppose I am really talking about emotional understanding versus the cognitive understanding. Cognitive knowing is uniquely human; it’s quick, easy, and idealistic. Emotional knowing, on the other hand, is common to all under heaven; it’s slow, difficult, and realistic. Does common to all under heaven mean a brick ‘knows’? That depends on how we define ‘emotional’. Perhaps, it is enough here just to recognize and accept the common ground we share with all living things. We’ll save the bricks for another day.