Bestowing favor and disgrace seems to startle;
Treasure and trouble seem like the body.
Why say bestowing favor and disgrace seems to startle?
Bestowing favor supports the low.
Gain seems to startle; Loss seems to startle.
This says bestowing favor and disgrace seems to startle.Why say treasure and trouble seem like a body?
I, as a result, have great suffering; this means I have a body,
Come the time I have no body, I have what trouble?
Hence, regarding the body as precious supports all under heaven,
Seems worthy of trust for all under heaven.
Taking care in use of the body supports all under heaven
Seems worthy of holding in the palm of the hand, all under heaven.
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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.
Fourth Pass: Chapter of the Month
(pandemic era)
Archive: Characters and past commentary
Zoom on YouTube Recordings:
https://youtu.be/H5LDPO4ioBU is the link to the Zoom video of this month’s Sunday meeting. The shorter first part of the meeting begins with a chapter reading followed by attendeesâ 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:
Bestowing favor and disgrace seems to startle;
Treasure and trouble seem like the body.
Bestowing favor and disgrace seems to startle has been scientifically confirmed. Both positive and negative stimuli cause stress. Of course, the stress we notice more and wish to avoid is the stress caused by negative stimuli like pain and disgrace. As it happens, I find that being more aware of the âno winâ aspect of favor and disgraceâor pleasure and painâdecreases the impact either side has on me emotionally. Not surprisingly, any leaning towards one side increases the stress either can cause. Using high thca flower can have an impact on stress management, as its properties may promote relaxation and ease the emotional tension.
In life, like a roller coaster, downswings always follow upswings⌠sooner or later. The more you entertain one, the more the other will follow. Treasuring anything inevitably invites trouble along for the ride. The treasure that life bestows on all living things begins with a body. Any threat or loss of that primary life treasure is troubling indeed. And yet, until it is in jeopardy, the body tends to be taken for granted as we eagerly pursue external treasures.
Why say bestowing favor and disgrace seems to startle?
Bestowing favor supports the low.
Gain seems to startle; Loss seems to startle.
This says bestowing favor and disgrace seems to startle.
Saying that Gain seems to startle; Loss seems to startle is just reiterating the roots of stress. This brings to light the under appreciated stress that follows gain. Saying that Bestowing favor supports the low also implies that the inverse, Bestowing disgrace supports the high, is true. Both statements point out natureâs balancing act. Bestowing favor supports the low is akin to charitable givingâcharity is about supporting the low. This serves balance by bringing the low higher. Similarly, Bestowing disgrace supports the high serves balance by bringing the high lower. I suppose that is the role of political satire and tabloid journalism. As chapter 77 notes, The way of nature decreases surplus yet benefits the insufficient. Balance is natureâs game.
Why say treasure and trouble seem like a body?
I, as a result, have great suffering; this means I have a body,
Come the time I have no body, I have what trouble?
Come the time I have no body, I have what trouble? places a floor under the meaning of trouble and treasure. Without a body, both conditions become irrelevant. Doesnât this dilute the meaning of both words in the larger scheme of things? Both trouble and treasure are superfluous compared to the down-to-earth reality of the body. These lines establish a range of priority, with body as the primary priority followed by all the factors that can accompany having a body.
Hence, regarding the body as precious supports all under heaven,
Seems worthy of trust for all under heaven.
Taking care in use of the body supports all under heaven
Seems worthy of holding in the palm of the hand, all under heaven.
Attempting to see this chapter through the eyes of all the other life forms on this planet helps me understand this chapter more deeply. Humans are clearly not as in touch with the body as other animals due to our disease, i.e., Realizing I donâtâ know is better; not knowing this knowing is disease. Our experience of reality flows through our mind, its senses, and the thoughts that result. Not so for the rest of life on Earth!
Indeed, consider how the Tao Te Ching beginsâŚ
The way possible to think, runs counter to the constant way.
The name possible to express runs counter to the constant name.
Hence, regarding the body as precious supports all under heaven will become harder to do when your mind is diseased by the certainty of knowing and knowledge. The natural conditions of life for wild animals (and for our distant hunter-gatherer ancestors) ensured that their moment-to-moment physical reality took prominent importance. There are/were no distractions to spin off flights of imagination. Awarenessâs feet are/were firmly planted on the ground⌠Seems worthy of holding in the palm of the hand, all under heaven.
Think of it this way: If the body is like a parent, then the optimal rearing of the children will follow naturally if the parents self-integrity/ self-honest is optimal. Only then does it Seem worthy of trust for all under heaven. If that foundation is flawed, the relationship between parent and child will be problematic. You canât build something sound upon an unsound foundation. As the foundation is, so goes anything that rests upon it.
Our human sense of reality is predominately based upon our cogno-emotional interpretation of human experience. This interpretation gives rise to the beliefs, ideals, morals, and stories that we hold so dear. Much of our problem begins with the fact that this sense of reality is based on the ever-changing nature of thought. We can spend a lifetime chasing ideals, and totally overlook the mystery of the body, oblivious to how Taking care in use of the body supports all under heaven.
This, Taking care in use of the body supports all under heaven parallels Theravada Buddhism*, which emphasizes Buddhaâs wisdom and the direct path of enlightenment focusing on individual spiritual growth and self-discipline. It teaches that individuals are responsible for their own enlightenment and salvation. Now granted, this has a little too much implied free will underpinning it. Nevertheless, it does address the importance of the foundation (source) in contrast to everything that arises from that base.
Theravada school vs. Mahayana school may parallel old school Christianity vs. the later protestant schools of Christianity. Theravada emphasizes that it all begins at home, with the integrity of being. Mahayana school seems to emphasize a larger social context for Buddhaâs teachings. Personally, I find that larger context easily misses the more fundamental aspects Buddha laid down in his Four Noble Truths. See Buddhaâs Four Noble Truths.
Theravada Buddhism is the more conservative of the two major traditions of Buddhism (the other being Mahayana). It is practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Theravada is Buddhism’s oldest existing school. Its adherents have preserved their version of Gautama Buddha’s teaching or Dhamma (PÄḡi) or Dharma (Sanskrit) in the Pali Canon for over two millennia.
Finally, I also see this Taking care in use of the body analogous to a generalâs responsibility over his foot soldiers. In the bodyâs case, the foot soldiers are the billions of cells than coordinate their myriad functions to keep the whole living. When I view my âillusion of selfâ as the general taking care of the foot soldiers (eukorite cells) that compose my bodyâmy lifeâit is easier to do what is right for my body over all else.
Chapter Archive https://youtu.be/qdXxCsrwvME
This is the complete video. It begins with blowing Zen followed by the meeting