Monthly Chapter: 33

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.

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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 5/1/2019

Archive: Characters and past commentary

Corrections?

I found quite a few corrections this time. Frankly, I feel I finally see what this chapter is really saying.  All the genuine translations I’ve read over the decades interpret this chapter in a way that pits the outside world against the inner world. This juxtaposition invariably taints the chapter with some degree of moral bias. Principle among these true translations has been D.C. Lau’s translation, which I read for 40 years before beginning to write as literal translation as possible. I actually began that project out of my frustration with biases I saw in his overall wonderful translation. I just missed this one… until now. For example, D.C. Lau translates the first lines of this verse thus…

He who knows others is clever;
He who knows himself has discernment.
He who overcomes others has force;
He who overcomes himself is strong.

This suggest that discernment is superior to clever; strong is superior to force. Alas, impartiality is our greatest challenge, bar none. As chapter 16 reminds…

Knowing the constant allows, allowing therefore impartial,
Impartial therefore whole, whole therefore natural,
Natural therefore the way.
The way therefore long enduring, nearly rising beyond oneself.

I realize today that this chapter is offering us a broader view of issues that play a key role in our human lives and aspirations. It highlights a more subtle and deeper enduring quality to these key words: wisdom;
honesty; ability; strength; wealth; will; endurance; ‘not gone’. Take ‘not gone’, for example:

‘Not gone’ = 不亡 (bù wáng) =  no (not) flee (run away; lose; be gone; die; perish; deceased; conquer; subjugate; and longevity). As you can see, Chinese characters can be very ‘flexible’ which means their translation hinges significantly on how the translator or reader interprets its meaning. Naturally, that holds true throughout every facet of life, often in subtle ways. As a result, my guiding light in translating them is always to look for the broadest, most natural and balanced interpretation. That is the only way to move closer to The way therefore long enduring, nearly rising beyond oneself.

As a result, I’ve chosen other meanings for particular characters that help put this chapter in a broader light, and thus attempt to avoid the moral slant. In Reflections (below), I’ll begin with the current translation and show why/how it requires the changes I made. First, here is the revised version:

Knowing people is wisdom.
Knowing self is honesty.
Success with people is ability.
Success with self is strength.
Being content is wealth.
Striving to be current is will.
Not losing place is endurance.
Dead, and yet not gone;
This is longevity.

YouTube Audio Recordings:

https://youtu.be/TcuZlqXZq5M  is the link to the complete audio recording of our monthly Sunday meeting.  For the nicely edited version, go to Kirk Garber’s YouTube channel. The edited version comes in two parts: The first and shorter Commentary part begins with a chapter reading followed by attendees’ commentary, if any. The second and longer Open Discussion part offers attendees’ observations on how the chapter relates to their personal experience.

Reflections:

Knowledge of people is resourcefulness.
Knowledge of self is honesty.

There are many dual character words in Chinese for knowledge, e.g.,

学力 xuélì = knowledge; educational level; academic attainment.
知识 zhīshí = knowledge; pertaining to learning or culture; intellectual.

The first character in Line 1 of this chapter is 知. 知 zhī = know; realize; be aware of; inform; notify; tell; knowledge. As you can see, this character is part of a dual character meaning used above, i.e., 知识 zhīshí. Alone, the core meaning of  知 is ‘know’. Only in a dual character does it explicitly mean ‘knowledge’.

Knowledge is further away from this character’s core meaning. This is why I usually use the meaning closest to the core meaning. I assume I chose knowledge here, as it served to highlight the ‘juxtaposition’ point of view.

Replacing the ‘juxtaposition’ format for a ‘broadening the view’ format invites using the core meaning of the character: know, realize, be aware of. This rational also applies to Line 2. Hence…

Knowing people is wisdom.
Knowing self is honesty.

So, how is ‘knowing people’ wisdom? This parallels the saying, “You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” The deepest wisdom is the ability to know as close as possible the subjective experience of another person, or indeed, any other life form. What does it feel like to be an ant, for instance? The more self-absorbed I am in my own needs and fears, the less ‘knowing’ I have for anything outside my subjective agenda (i.e., projections of my needs and fears).

Victory over others is power.
Victory over self is strength.

Again, it helps to consider the characters, individual core meaning vs. dual character meanings.

胜 shèng = victory; success; surpass; be superior to; get the better of; superb; wonderful; lovely; be equal to; can bear.

胜败 shèngbài =  victory or defeat; success or failure.
败 bài = be defeated; lose; defeat; beat; fail; spoil; decay; wither.

胜利 shènglì = victory; triumph; successful; triumphantly.
利 lì = sharp; favorable; advantage; profit; interest.

The first character, 胜 shèng, is the character used in Lines 3 and 4. Notice the softer, broader meaning this single character conveys in addition to victory; success; superior…. i.e., superb; wonderful; lovely; be equal to; can bear.

This character combined with another as in the next to examples, 胜败 shèngbài and 胜利 shènglì, lends a firmer, harsher meaning to the word victory. Indeed, the dual characters feel more akin to the meaning that English word victory connotes. Hence, I feel success conveys the core meaning a little better than victory in Lines 3 and 4, especially given the dominant and forceful tone the English word victory imparts.

Success with people is ability.
Success with self is strength.

Success with people is an integral part of human social relationships. In the simpler times of our ancestors, the most crucial ability for the survival of the group was cooperation in the tasks of hunting and gathering. An ability to manage social situations well would be true success, because such cooperation would enhance a group’s survival chances.

Success with self is strength. As the saying goes, ‘we are our own worst enemy’. Why? It is so much easier to push for fixes to the outside than it is to face up to the inside. We probably all notice the common tendency to push others to do what we ourselves are weak at. We notice this especially when we are on the receiving end of such criticism. The urge to meddle in other people’s lives is a way of avoiding our own failings. This parallels the advice ‘to get your house in order’ before worrying about other people’s houses. This also aligns with Christ’s words: ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her’.

Being content is wealth.
Striving to prevail is will.

Being content is wealth. When people roamed the earth, hunting and gathering, there was precious little ability or incentive to accumulate goods or territory. Wealth is a cornerstone of civilization. The degree of wealth, be that in horses, land, money, or slaves, serves the hierarchical requirements of civilization (see The Tradeoff). Wealth is a pyramid with the wealthiest few at the top, and the less and less wealthy forming the lower levels. I’m reminded of Egypt’s pyramids and how the pharaohs sought to take their wealth with them.

Striving to prevail is will. This isn’t all that misleading. Yet, pondering the core meanings, I see deeper meaning when I hold in mind all the meanings (partial synonyms) associated with this character…

Prevail is one of the meaning for 行 xíng. 行 has a range of meanings: go; travel; temporary; makeshift; be current; prevail; circulate; do; perform; carry out; engage in; behavior; conduct; all right; O.K.; capable; competent.

The core meanings, go; travel; temporary; makeshift; be current, evoke a sense of ‘now’, spontaneous, extemporaneous, immediacy in the moment. Like they say, “Be here now”. Of course, prevail relates to this, but also can be interpreted otherwise. I chose be current, although go; temporary; makeshift would work fine too. Thus…

Being content is wealth.
Striving to be current is will.

Not losing place is endurance.
Dead, but not gone;
This is longevity.

Not losing place is endurance. It helps to ponder the core meaning of the character for place. 所 suǒ = place; used as addresses or names of institutes. Think of this metaphorically; where are you now? I’m here. Where is here? Describing here can reach from a few square feet your body occupies at this moment to the entire universe. Place is in the eye of the beholder. The broader and deeper the viewpoint is, the more enduring the feeling of place.

I derive endurance from the character 久 jiǔ. This interpretation requires some artistic license. 久 jiǔ = for a long time; long; of a specified duration. The more eternal (i.e., long time) you wish to feel, the larger space your place must encompass.

I’ll make a small change to the second to last line, changing but to read and yet. This lends a more sense of connection and flow that the lines attempt to convey. Altogether, these last four lines are…

Not losing place is endurance.
Dead, and yet not gone;
This is longevity.

These last three lines are all pointing the same direction — to immortality. Not in the common and self-centered sense of the word, mind you. Immortality here aligns with the quantum sense of non-locality and the universal quality of consciousness. When the illusion of self dies away, what is left to perceive? When needs and fears are still, for even a moment what beyond words perceptions do you sense?

Clearly, we feel a pressing need to shoehorn the profound sameness that imbues all existence into a tidy name so we can grasp it securely and share it with others. I find the best way to share this mystery is to experience it fully, and know that everything living is also experiencing it. We, the cosmic we, are sharing without saying it. All that remains is to realize that you are sharing it. ‘It’ is there all ready. Naming ‘it’, loses ‘it’. Chapter 47 hints …

Without going out the door, we can know all under heaven.
Without looking out the window, we can see nature’s way.
He goes out farther, he realizes less,
Accordingly, the wise person goes nowhere, yet knows.
Sees nothing, yet understands.
Refrains from acting, yet accomplishes.

Naming ‘it’ diminishes it. Chapter 67 speaks to this point…

Under heaven, all say my way is great resembling nothing.
Man is only great by reason of resembling nothing.
If it resembled anything, long ago indeed, it would trifle as would man.

Naturally, D.C. Lau put this in a more readable form…

The whole world says that my way is vast and resembles nothing.  It is because
it is vast that it resembles nothing.  If it resembled anything, it would, long
before now, have become small.