April 2009

Commentary

At a recent Sunday meeting here, some folks said they initially took ‘Cut off learning and be without worry ‘ to mean that learning and knowledge were bad and something to avoid. I’ve often seen folks over the years interpret the Tao Te Ching as telling us what we ’should’ (or shouldn’t) do.

Now, I reckon our social instinct drives this interpretation. When social animals all do the ‘right things’, the group works harmoniously. We feel a need to do ‘right’. This drives our judgments, both of self and of others; it gives us the standards with which to measure individual and group behavior. So, if reading the Tao Te Ching’s message in that context ‘floats your boat’, then nothing I say will deter you. If, on the other hand, you are worn wearing from passing judgment (on self and on others) you might consider looking at the Taoist message as merely a description of how nature works. Not that you need to, or indeed can, do anything about it I suppose. Personally though, seeing the TTC as simply a description of nature brings me contentment.

Thus, in my view, the rest of the chapter goes on to describes how each and every person feels, even though they may not ‘think’ they do. The odd thing about cognitive awareness is that we only ‘know’ what we ‘think’, and only ‘think’ what we ‘know’. (’Think’ and ‘know’, in this case refers only to human ‘learning’ awareness, not to consciousness in general.)

Society’s myths and expectations are why most people wouldn’t ‘think’ this chapter is describing them. Of course, I may be way off base here; its just my gut feeling. Socially speaking, we generally loathe the idea of being drowsy, foolish, and subdued. We admire cleverness, alertness, activity, and align ourselves in that camp. We hide the drowsy, foolish, and subdued side of ourselves from others and ourselves as much as possible. The ‘ego’ you know. What’s ego? A self image driven by the survival instinct. There’s nothing we can do about that survival instinct, but self image rests upon how seriously one thinks that one knows. How seriously we ‘think that we know’ hinges on how much we trust words and names. Alas.

Translation

Cut off learning and be without worry,
Of ‘yea’ and pandering, both differ by how much?
Of good and evil, both differ how then?
Of man’s actual fear, one cannot not fear.
Famine such that has no end!
Crowd of people bustle about
Like enjoying excessive sacrifice,
Like ascending a springtime terrace,
I alone am anchored without anticipation,
Like an infant, not a child;
Breathing in and out with a place to return to.
Crowd of people all have more than enough,
I alone seem left behind.
I am foolish of human mind also?
Innocent conventional people are clear.
I alone am drowsy;
Normal people discern difference,
I alone am subdued.
Crowd of people all have appointments to keep,
I alone am stubborn and out of the way.
I alone am different from people,
And value feeding the mother.

cut off (sever; exhausted) study (imitate; learning) nothing (nil; not have) worry (sorrow; anxiety; concern),

yes of give (participate in) play up to (pander to), both differ how much?

good (perfect; be adept in) of give (participate in) evil (vice; wickedness), mutually (each other) go (leave; remove) like (seem, as if) how much?

of man (human being; people) actually (place) fear (respect), cannot (should not) not fear (respect).

waste (famine; neglect) his (its; their, that; such) have not (not) entreat (center; b/end; finish) final particle at end of questions)!

many (crowd) human being (man; person; people) bright (sunny; prosperous; bustling)

in compliance with (according to; as; if >go to) enjoy highest (greatest; excessively) sacrifice (prison; jail; firm)

in compliance with (according to; as; if >go to) spring (love; lust; life) ascend (mount; publish) platform (terrace; support).

I (we; self) only (single; alone) be at anchor (moor; berth) his (its; their, that; such) have not (did not; not) sign (omen; portent, foretell),

in compliance with (according to; as; if >go to) baby infant of have not (did not; not) child;

breathe out (scold)” like (seem; as if; if) nothing (nil; not have) place go back to (return; give back to; turn over to).

many (crowd) human being (man; people) all (each and every) have (there is; exist) surplus (more than; over; beyond),

<conj.> I (we; self) only (single; alone) like (seem; as if; if) offer as a gift….yí_lose; leave behind; keep back; not give).

I (we; self) foolish (stupid; fool) human being (man; people) of heart (mind; feeling; core) also (too; as well; either) particle at end of questions)

confused (innocent) custom (popular; common) human being (man; people) clear (obvious).

I (we; self) only (single; alone) drowsy (sleepy);

custom (common) human being (man; people) examine (look into; scrutinize),

I (we; self) only (single; alone) bored (depressed) stuffy (close; muffled, subdued).

many (crowd) human being (man; people) all (each and every) have (there is; exist) use (take; so as to; <formal> at a certain time; on a fixed date).

<conj.>I (we; self) only (single; alone) stupid (stubborn; mischievous) just (for the time being; even; both…and….) low (vulgar; < despise; < an out-of-the-way place).

I (we; self) only (single; alone) different (strange; surprise; other) in (at) human being (man; people),

<conj.> expensive (costly; dear; highly valued) bring food to (feed) mother.

Original

绝学无忧，
唯之与阿，
相去几何？
善之与恶，
相去若何？
人之所畏，
不可不畏。
荒兮其未央哉！
众人熙熙
如享太牢
如春登台。
我独泊兮其未兆，
如婴儿之未孩；
□□兮若无所归。
众人皆有余，
而我独若遗。
我愚人之心也哉！
沌沌兮俗人昭昭。
我独昏昏；
俗人察察，
我独闷闷。
众人皆有以，
而我独顽且鄙。
我独异于人，
而贵食母。