Monthly Chapter: 1

The way possible to think, runs counter to the constant way.
The name possible to express runs counter to the constant name.
Without description, the universe began.
Of the describable universe, the origin.
Hence, normally without desire so as to observe its wonder.
Normally having desire so as to observe its boundary.
These two are the same coming out, yet differ in name.
The same, meaning dark and mysterious.
Dark and dark again, the multitude of wondrous entrance.

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Limits: Translations, even the nearly literal one above, lose some of the original meaning due to the cultural context of contemporary words. Studying the numerous synonym-like meanings of the Chinese characters in the Word-for-Word translation mitigates this. (Click graphic at right for on-line Word-for-Word.)

Third Pass: Chapter of the Month 08/31/2016

Chinese character translation and commentary archive

Corrections?

Line 9: I deleted the comma between multitude and of. What was I thinking… or not thinking?

Reflections:

In the early 80’s I became obsessed with exploring the deepest levels of word meaning possible. I don’t remember why, really. Perhaps it was the influence of the Tao Te Ching, which by that time I’d been reading for 20 years. The first two lines of chapter one, in particular, always stood out for me.

I spent six month locked away in my attic 24/7 consumed by what came to be a correlations process. In the end, this process really brought home to me the fabrication that is language. As a tool, words and names allowed us to survive extremely well, but these tools have taken over the mind. Breaking the hold words and names have on the mind liberates one from every story… even the Taoist one.

The way possible to think, runs counter to the constant way.
The name possible to express runs counter to the constant name.

These first two lines hint at why having the literal rendering of the Chinese can help. It is easy to get stuck on one particular meaning for words. We believe in and trust their verity too much ⁽¹⁾. Right off the bat, the Tao Te Ching is cautioning us about doing exactly that, so considering synonyms helps loosen your ‘favorite’ (a.k.a., biased) connotation and nudge you closer to the constant way. Put simply, the more hooked on any particular nuanced meaning of a word, name, or thought, the more counter to the constant way  it must run. Chapter 15 dances around this nicely…

Of old, the adept student was minutely subtle,
. . . profoundly connecting, and deep beyond knowledge.
He alone, beyond knowledge, hence stubborn in allowing.
He prepares as if fording a river in winter; as if in fear of neighbors;
Solemn such as allows; vanishing as if ice melting away;
Honest such as simple; broad such as the valley;
Blending such as muddy water; tranquil such as the sea.
Windy as if without end.
Who can be muddy so as to calmly gently clear.
Who can be quiet so as to stirring gently live.
Maintain this way, not desiring to be full.
He alone is not full, therefore able to conceal and yet newly become

It’s Magic

The magic show is a good metaphor for naming things and the thinking that ensues. We can all enjoy a well-done magic show without needing to believe the trick is reality. I find that the same applies to thinking. Machinations of the mind are like magic tricks. Magic tricks feel real, but we know they aren’t, yet we can enjoy the magic show nonetheless. That is certainly my experience as I write down these thoughts. It’s all only half-truths, here today, gone tomorrow — vanishing as if ice melting away. They can’t cause worry when you don’t anchor them in cognitive concrete.  (See Core Issues of Human Nature: Belief)

Need vs. Need-not

Most of us will acknowledge that there are two sides to every issue, until it comes to an issue that is vital to our self-interest. Then we dig in our heels and stand our ground. Anyone interested in nearly rising beyond oneself, as chapter 16 puts it, needs to find ways to see the magic show in all things, even in positions they hold immutable. And yes, it should be a grueling ordeal; otherwise you’re not touching your cherished holdings.

Consider how two sides of a coin share the same coin. These two are the same coming out, yet differ in name… differ in name depending on which side you observe. Naturally, it’s easy to experience an actual coin. Observing and experiencing the same phenomenon in nature is one way to approach knowing Dark and dark again, the multitude of wondrous entrance. Of course, that is asking a lot from our dialectic mind.

Begin by taking this on faith that this might be true for everything. That will help you actually investigate life to look for examples and eventually prove it through experience. In order to learn something new, it helps greatly to acknowledge the possibility of its existence. Otherwise, curiosity finds other dialectic outlets. Acknowledging the possibility is a safe step to take in personally sensitive and cherished areas of belief.

Science vs. Religion

Without description, the universe began.
Of the describable universe, the origin.  

Battles over origins between science and the faith-based crowd appear never ending. This is because both views are narrow and talk passed each other, and yet each has its unique strength. The science base wins on the Of the describable universe, the origin side of the coin. It brings us the practical useful tools to support the material side of life. Faith base would be much better off staying on its side of the coin, without description beginning, where it easily wins the day. That is outside the bounds of science… forever! The eye can’t see itself in the real world… only in the metaphysical world.

Matters made worse

Chapter 1 speaks to a serious problem humans began having some 100,000+ years ago. That was when language began supplanting primal intuition and set the stage for The way possible to think, and The name possible to express. Archeology along with research of pristine hunter-gatherer people in the last century provides abundant evidence that our hunter-gatherer ancestors coped rather well with this cognitive disconnection through an egalitarian social structure and various forms of what we now call ‘spiritual’ expression.

The Agriculture Revolution destabilized this old way as humanity traded the social security of the old way for material security of agriculture and the hierarchical social system — civilization — required to support it. In addition, the advent of literacy necessary for the ‘new’ economy of the Bronze Age lent even more authority to the illusionary reality of The way possible to think, and The name possible to express. For more on this, see The Trade-off. To top this off, civilization opens the doorway much wider to ‘genius’ ⁽²⁾. Chapter 57 gives a taste of the Hydra nature of civilization and its ‘progress’ we cheer on.

The wider spread the taboos, the poorer the people.
The sharper their tools, the more a country’s confusion grows.
The more clever they are, the more strange things appear.
The more laws multiply, the more conspicuous the robbers.

This is not decrying civilization, or a call to return to the old way, even if we could. This is simply calling a spade a spade! Facing reality head-on helps avoid unrealistic expectations. Personally, having both cognitive feet on the ground feels better — stable and secure. Perhaps more importantly, facing reality also offers the best chance of managing circumstances as effectively and naturally as possible.

Dealing with desire

Hence, normally without desire so as to observe its wonder.
Normally having desire so as to observe its boundary.

Having desire   is certainly easy. It is the without desire , or even having as few desires as possible, that is an ideal hard to achieve. Success here lies in how well you can sever thinking from need. Simply put, Desire = need + thinking (see Fear & Need Born in Nothing). Chapter 71 points out the problem well, Realizing I don’t’ know is better; not knowing this knowing is disease. Thought gives us a real edge in survival. It has allowed humans to reach the top of the food chain, as it were. However, as they say, too much of a good thing is problematic; feeling certain that you know is when the disease becomes severely problematic .

⁽¹⁾ To appreciate the superpower of belief just take note of how easily we emotionally buy into stories, movies, and books, even those that we know are pure fiction. It’s no wonder we buy into the cultural language and story in which society immersed us from infancy, e.g. religion, politics, sports, food, gender roles, fashion, etc. Especially powerful however are those stories that give form to our self-identity and expectations. We’re trapped in our world of words. As we think so shall we feel, despite what reality may actually be. Having a word or name for some perception locks the perception in what I call cognitive concrete.

If we believe in the truth of any name, word, or resulting story, we are subliminally implying that the rest of nature is ignorant, and even deficient. I can’t buy that. As I see it, our fixation on the verity of names and words is the manifestation of our own ignorance… we are ignorant, not the rest of nature. As chapter 71 puts it, Realizing I don’t’ know is better; not knowing this knowing is disease. “Realizing I don’t know” begins with ceasing to trust in word meaning. However, the first step in recovery for society overall won’t occur until humans culturally acknowledge we have this disease in the first place! It is only a matter of time, I reckon. That is why I suspect that the core Taoist point of view is many millenniums ahead of its time.

⁽²⁾ Why doesn’t great genius show up among hunter-gatherers? Genius is an integral aspect of the hierarchical structure of civilization. Among other things, it expresses itself when an individual is hell bent on finding connection. The visceral need to connect with ‘something’ and boost life meaning is a major consequence of the disconnection civilized humanity experiences vis-à-vis the hierarchical social structure needed to manage and organize large numbers of people. Individuals in pursuit of a connection display ‘genius’ in how successful they are in the pursuit of their niche — genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Hunter-gatherers, having a much greater sense of connection, along with practically no niches to pursue left them in a state of social and material homeostasis, just like the rest of Earths creatures.  They would have had the 1% inspiration, for that is genetic, but they lacked the pull of any connection-void needed to sweat it out.