Translation

One adept in being a scholar is not martial
One adept in battle 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 Nature’s ancient utmost

good (satisfactory; be adept in) do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean; support) bachelor (scholar; person) ?no (not) military (valiant, fierce).

good (satisfactory; be adept in) war (warfare; battle; fight) ?no (not) anger (rage, fury).

good (satisfactory; be adept in) victory (success; surpass; be superior to) enemy (oppose, match, equal)?no (not) take part in (give, get along with, help> and).

good (satisfactory; be adept in ) use (apply; <formal> hence) human being (man; people)? do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean; support) of below (under; lower; inferior).

<grm> is <formal> this; that) say (call; name; meaning; sense) no (not) contend (vie; strive; argue) of virtue (moral character; heart).

<grm> is <formal> this; that) say (call; name; meaning; sense) use (apply; <formal> hence) human being (man; people) of power (strength, ability).

<grm> is <formal> this; that) say (call; name; meaning; sense) join in marriage (mate (animals), mix, match, deserve) sky (heaven; day; season; nature; God) ancient (age-old) of extreme (pole, utmost).

Original

善为士者不武。
善战者不怒。
善胜敌者不与。
善用人者为之下。
是谓不争之德。
是谓用人之力。
是谓配天古之极。

Commentary, April 2011

My enemy, in a broadest sense of the word, is anyone or anything that is ‘wrong’. Wrong being whatever stands in the way of what I desire. This makes desiring not to desire an ironic notion, eh? This chapter also give practical insight on dealing with this enemy, whether it is desire itself, or that which thwarts winning my heart’s desire. It turns out that contending with what is ‘wrong’ only intensifies the ‘wrong’ I feel. I only ends up in a vicious circle as this enemy grows even larger.

I first noticed this while walking to work in winter in Japan. I noticed how, along with others, I was grimacing and complaining about the cold. The Bhagavad Gita with its message of surrender⁽¹⁾ offered me the sound path I needed at the time. As I began to cease battling the cold, the less cold I felt. The cold wasn’t wrong, bad, or the enemy any longer; life mellowed. The idea of surrender in a spiritual sense is not the outright capitulation it usually suggests; yet it is just that—capitulation. This is a good example of straightforward words seem paradoxical and also perhaps of fearless in being timid. Fear accounts for surrender of the ordinary kind; just the opposite with surrender of the spiritual kind.

Wanting life to be other than it is makes life a more sorrowful and stressful journey. It is just such impatient, chomping at the bit, desires that stress me most. This happens when I dwell on the ideal of where I-desire-to-be juxtaposed with where I-think-I-am now. I avoid much of this by retaining only enough ideal to persevere with purpose, and let go of (forget!) the rest of the ideal. In other words, ideals are potent, and more than a little turns them poisonous.

The last line of this chapter, This is called matching Nature’s ancient utmost, is closer to the literal Chinese than D.C. Lau’s This is known as matching the sublimity of heaven. However, both mean truly the same thing don’t they? This meaning is also expressed elsewhere in the Tao Te Ching as emptiness and stillness, as vast and resembles nothing, as the thread running through the way, and of course as the virtue of Nothing. This is to say, it is not the words that truly matter. Meaning really lies in depth and breadth of one’s interpretation.

It is this ‘force of nature’, the utmost ancient of nature, that evokes in me a proper sense of awe. How can such sublime nothing-ness drive the universe, from accelerating galaxies to stirring the hunger that drives my ducks to seek out bugs hither and thither. This same process operates at all levels of existence. The more I sense this throughout my day, the smoother the day turns out. Indeed, always keeping watch on this forest of Nothing helps avoid becoming blind-sided by the trees of something.

For as long as I can remember, my core enemy has been ignorance along with a commensurate lack of watchfulness. However, I now realize ignorance and watch-less-ness are just other aspects of ‘nothing-ness’. Throughout the day I experience my own ignorance and lack of watchfulness, yet, by accepting these as core aspects of the way, I can persevere without contending or meddling with myself, or with others.

We are bio-hoodwinked into seeing the internal and the external as poles apart—like black and white, material and spiritual, mind and body, and so on. Through Taoist eyes I truly see no such difference. I see the battles I wage within myself directly expressed in my dealings with others. Being aware of this direct connection is key to employing the ability of other. Others? Others is only the reflection of myself; myself is only the reflection of others. Whew!

⁽¹⁾ These are two example of the Bhagavad Gita’s message of surrender:

For concentration is better than mere practice, and meditation is better than concentration; but higher than meditation is surrender in love of the fruit of one’s actions, for on surrender follows peace. (12:12)

The renunciation of selfish works is called renunciation; but the surrender of the reward of all work is called surrender. (18:2)