Translation

Knowledge of people is resourcefulness,
Knowledge of self is honesty.
Victory over others is power,
Victory over self is strength.
Being content is wealth.
Striving to prevail is will
Not losing place is endurance.
Dead, but not gone,
This is longevity.

know (realize; tell) man (people) wisdom (resourcefulness; wit),

self (oneself; certainly) know (realize; tell) bright (clear; honest; know).

victory (success; surpass; be superior to) man (people) have (exist) power (strength, ability),

self (oneself; certainly) victory (success; surpass; be superior to) strive (strong; powerful; better_unyielding).

be content with one’s lot rich (wealthy; abundant).

strive (strong; powerful; better_unyielding) go (be current; prevail; do) have (exist) will (aspiration; ideal; keep in mind; records; annals; mark; sign).

no lose (miss; let slip; fail to achieve, mistake) his (its, he, it, that; such) place for a long time (long; of a specified duration).

die (to the death; extremely; inflexible) <conj.> no flee (run away; lose; be gone; die; perish),

longevity (life; age; birthday).

Original

知人者智，
自知者明。
胜人者有力，
自胜者强。
知足者富。
强行者有志。
不失其所者久。
死而不亡者，
寿。

Commentary, November 2009

Parsing the meaning of ‘know’ is a curious thing. What does saying ‘he who knows others is clever; he who knows himself has discernment‘ really mean? Personally, I’ve found that truly knowing others hinges on how honestly I know myself. Putting this in another context may help clarify it.

If a hunter cleverly and keenly observes an animal’s habits, he objectively knows that animal well . He can then set a trap for it, train it, avoid it, and so on. That is a knowledge of resourcefulness. On the other hand, knowing one’s self is an honest subjective knowing. Simply put, knowledge of self is honesty. That’s a tall order, for we tend to spin what we see to fit preconceptions (our ’story’).

We are driven to see ourselves in a good light, or a guilt ridden bad light, depending on our ’story’. Call it ego, or call it survival instinct. This innate imperative, with its primal elements of need and fear, drives the core elements of our ’story’. It is little wonder that observing self impartially is so very difficult. Essentially then, honesty is merely another word for impartiality.

I would add to this chapter, ‘He who is discontent with one’s lot seeks riches’, which would be the counterpoint to ‘He who knows contentment is rich‘. Also, ‘He who lives out his days has had a long life‘ could have the counterpoint, ‘He who lives for tomorrow has had a short life’. We certainly have a tendency to think of and hold out for a brighter tomorrow where our dreams can come true. Alas, holding out for what will come is a sure way to lose what is here and now. Why do we so easily opt for such a foolish tradeoff? I suppose because wishing for ‘later’ take less effort than seizing ‘now’.

What does not losing my place really mean in daily life. For one thing, if my place depends on something – anything – endurance over time is out of the question. The external world is constant change: It is on disaster that good fortune perches; It is beneath good fortune that disaster crouches. good fortune followed by misfortune. So, place has more to do with my approach to life than any particulars of life. If I don’t lose my ‘taoist’ approach to life I can endure. Dead, but not gone for me means dead to the ebb and flow of the particulars, but not gone in the approach.

The Bhagavad Gita puts it this way, “Who dwells in his inner self, and is the same in pleasure and pain; to whom gold or stones or earth are one, and what is pleasing or displeasing leave him in peace; who is beyond both praise and blame, and whose mind is steady and quiet”. Honestly, I prefer the few words version: Dead, but not gone. More words makes it easier for my mind to be trapped in the ideal. This only carries me further from the real and increases emotional pressures to be perfect. These days I’m more that willing to settle for great perfection.