Highest good is like water.
Water benefits all things and does not contend,
Dwells in places the multitude loathe.
Therefore, it is somewhat like the way.
In being, satisfactory is earthy.
In intention, satisfactory is depth and benevolence.
In speech, satisfactory is truth.
In honesty, satisfactory is order.
In work, satisfactory is ability.
In action, satisfactory is time.
He alone does not contend,
Hence, there is no blame.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Word for Word
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.)
Fourth Pass: Chapter of the Month (pandemic special)
Archive: Characters and past commentary
YouTube Recordings:
https://youtu.be/KmH4VdFpXrc is a link to unedited ZOOM video of this month’s Sunday meeting. The shorter first part of the meeting begins with a chapter reading followed by attendees’ commentary, if any. A little later on begins the longer open discussion part of the meeting when those who wish to discuss how the chapter relates to their personal experience.
Corrections?
None this time
Reflections
Highest good is like water
First, it may help to be very clear on what “good” really implies. Chapter 2 sheds light. The “good” is the same character (善 shàn) in both chapter 2 and 8. Chapter 2 notes, All realizing goodness as goodness, no goodness already. The dipolar reality we see (good vs. bad, etc.) is a function of our nervous system. See Yin Yang, Nature’s Hoodwink. Even so, the uniquely “good” characteristic of water is that it reaches great conformity. That makes water a fitting metaphor for profound moral character. As chapter 65 observes…
Water benefits all things and does not contend
It helps to consider deeply the nature of benefits and benevolence, i.e., line 6’s In intention, satisfactory is depth and benevolence. Viewed from a very personal point of view, benefit and benevolence will always be interpreted as that which makes ‘me’ personally feel best… benefits my personal life as I subjectively see it. For example, if as a child I fall down and hurt myself, any parent that rushes in to help me is offering benevolence and benefit… at least that is how it appears from the child’s point of view, or anyone who projects their own personal well-being onto the child. That is narrowly focused empathy. A broader and contrary view suggests that the long-term benefit might be to allow the child to feel the full impact of his mistake, and thereby gain deeper insight into his own future actions. Of course, I’m not talking life-threatening mistakes, just minor stuff. Even so, we learn through all of our mistakes, minor to major, from the stumbling as a child on up. Circumventing life’s lessons invites unintended consequences, as any impartial survey of civilization demonstrates.
Dwells in places the multitude loathe
It helps to note that “dwell” is fundamentally a matter of perception for any animal capable of awareness. I assume that spans every creature from amoeba to humans. In other words, after you die, you won’t loathe where you dwell. To gain a deeper appreciation of Dwells in places the multitude loathe consider the experience of chickens raised for human consumption — listen to Pets, Pests And Food: Our Complex, Contradictory Attitudes Toward Animals. For the particular chicken example, listen to minute 33 to 38. Most people would rather remain blissfully ignorant of loathsome places like this. Moral character and blissful ignorance are like oil and water.
Unlike other species, the human “problem” lies in our imagined perceptions, and in how we project our own personal fears and needs onto the world we perceive. That would not be as serious a problem if we realized that we truly don’t know what we think we know. As chapter 71 cautions, Realizing I don’t’ know is better; not knowing this knowing is disease. That not being the case, we see the world as a reality in its own right, rather than merely a projection of our own fears and needs.
The ‘engine’ that allows that perception is our own brain. Its processes determine what we perceive. The huge gap between our biological reality and the imagined reality it creates is quite overwhelming, and naturally so. No animal evolves to second guess its own perceived version of reality. It is quite amazing that we can even attempt to “nearly rise beyond ourselves”. As chapter 52 observes…
The Bhagavad Gita sheds light on perception that Dwells in places the multitude loathe. Note how eager Arjuna is to perceive the big picture, and then how joyful he is to leave that experience and return to normal human perception.
11:4 If thou thinkest, O my Lord, that it can be seen by me, show me, O God of Yoga, the glory of thine own Supreme Being.
11:23 But the worlds also behold thy fearful mighty form, with many mouths and eyes, with many bellies, thighs and feet, frightening with terrible teeth: they tremble in fear, and I also tremble.
11:25 Like the fire at the end of Time which burns all in the last day, I see thy vast mouths and thy terrible teeth. Where am I? Where is my shelter? Have mercy on me. God of gods, Refuge Supreme of the world!
11:45 In a vision I have seen what no man has seen before: I rejoice in exultation, and yet my heart trembles with fear. Have mercy upon me, Lord of gods, Refuge of the whole universe: show me again thine own human form.
The uncomfortable view of life, the world and how it ‘actually is’, is what the multitude loathe. We seek a view that soothes our emotions, i.e., fear and need. We want a comfortable story that lulls us to sleep, so to speak. The Taoist view, however, Dwells in places the multitude loathe. Is it any wonder why the Taoist point of view never became a genuine worldwide religion? No “opiate for the masses” here.
In being, satisfactory is earthy
This harkens to the idea of “keeping your feet on the ground”. The more grounded I feel, the more satisfactory all outcomes of my being become. When I lose earthy, I feel too much adrift in the unknown. Such insecurity spawns needs and fears that drive me to unsatisfactory reactions.
In intention, satisfactory is depth and benevolence
Frankly, nature’s benevolence and benefit is quite different from human expectations and virtues. As this excerpt from chapter 38 hints,
Or even more bluntly…
Feeling maximum empathy and compassion, yet as chapter 10 says, Loving the nation, can you govern the people without acting? Empathy drives our actions in proportion to how seriously we take ourselves, i.e., in “helping” others we are simply helping ourselves vicariously, so to speak. You know… our naturally meddling mirror neurons. That could be another heretical reality the multitude loathe. And now to return to chapter 38…
From a Taoist point of view, it is clear that action can often, if not mostly, be problematic. Why? Because our own personal agenda—fear and need—drive our actions and reactions. No wonder chapter 3 advises wéi wú wéi (为无为)… Doing without doing, following without exception rules, and chapter 48’s wú wéi (无为)… Without doing, yet not undone.
Nonetheless, the story we tell ourselves is one of our actions helping to solve problems. As that proverb puts it, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. As chapter 16 concludes…
In speech, satisfactory is truth
This offers insight into chapter 56’s, Knowing doesn’t speak; speaking doesn’t know. After all, the multitude do tend to “shoot the messenger”. So, what does truth actually mean? Does not silence serve as the foundation of truth? As chapter 25 hints, The outside world passes for the beginning of Heaven and Earth. Still and silent, it alone does not change.
Best be very careful with speech as these passages also suggest…
More speech counts as exceptionally limited; not in accord with keeping to the middle. #5
Infrequent speech is natural. #23
Adept at speech without the flaw of banishment and blame. #27
Great debate seems slow in speech. #45
Speech has its faction, involvement has its sovereign. #72
True speech isn’t beautiful, Beautiful speech isn’t true. #81
In honesty, satisfactory is order.
In work, satisfactory is ability.
In action, satisfactory is time.
Honesty, work, and action are very much inter-related and it all begins with honesty. Chapter 33 observes Knowing self is honesty and chapter 55 adds Knowing the constant is called clear and honest. Any action or work that results from a diminished sense of the constant easily leads to chaos and dead ends, as chapter 16 warned, Not knowing the constant, rash actions lead to ominous results.
A good question to ask now is what impedes our knowing the constant? In a word—Fear! Fear, and all the emotional forces that channel our fear, blinds us to any perceptions that would otherwise help us to nearly rising beyond oneself. Maintaining a presence of “mind” is key to ability and how we react in time. I use the term mind loosely, because this in-the-moment awareness is an essential factor in the survival of all life, e.g., the “dreaming” rabbit gets caught by the coyote. We are rabbits.
He alone does not contend,
Hence, there is no blame.
Deeply accepting the fact that fear moves all life, and that no living thing has any true control over fear, makes it impossible to contend with either others or myself. In truly having no choice, no free will, any attempt to blame anyone for either their “intentional” bad or good deeds is an oxymoron of sorts.
Of course, biologically speaking, blame is a social response that keeps the wheels of interaction between members of social species turning. In non-thinking animals, contention and blame occurs spontaneously in-the-moment. The dogs fight and peace resumes at some point. For humans, perceptions of blame can endure in our imagination persistently. We tend to feel convinced that those perceptions are true in their own right, and not simply projections of our own fears and needs. Again, as chapter 71 cautions, Realizing I don’t’ know is better; not knowing this knowing is disease.
Video Archive https://youtu.be/KmH4VdFpXrc
Leave a Reply