Infrequent speech is natural.
Fluttering breezes change direction; sudden showers can’t last the day.
What does this? Heaven and earth.
Even Heaven and earth are unable to long continue,
And so what about people?
Hence, following the way is the same as the way.
Following virtue is the same as virtue;
Following loss is the same as loss.
Together in the way, the way happily satisfies;
Together in virtue, virtue happily satisfies;
Together in loss, loss happily satisfies;
When trust is not sufficient herein, there exists no trust herein.
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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
(Trump era)
Archive: Characters and past commentary
Zoom on YouTube Recordings:
https://youtu.be/0Hy-1HlLgbk 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 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:
Infrequent speech is natural.
Fluttering breezes change direction; sudden showers can’t last the day.
What does this? Heaven and earth.
Fluttering breezes and sudden showers are just two of the myriad active phenomena that nature expresses. The point here is that nature’s high points of activity are very transitory; most of the time nature flows smoothly, so to speak. Infrequent speech is natural is natural because it mirrors nature’s flow—action followed by longer periods of relative calm. For example, the sun roils along in nuclear fusion, and then occasionally stirs up massive corona discharges. Relatively speaking, this is a long period of yin punctuated by a brief period of yang. It is as though a prolonged yin triggers a sudden yang response.
Chapter 2’s Hence existence and nothing give birth to one another, offers insight into this yin stirs yang dynamic. At the most fundamental level, “Nothing” is yin, and “existence” is yang. Think Big Bang: The sudden activity of the Big Band was triggered by the unbounded “Nothing”.
Even Heaven and earth are unable to long continue,
And so what about people?
If the sun threw out a constant flow of corona activity, if would fissile out a lot sooner. Even Heaven and earth are unable to long continue would seem to fit all natural phenomena. By necessity, yin takes the lower position, calm and steady, while yang takes the higher position, active and fleeting. As chapter 61 hints, Of all under heaven, The female normally uses stillness to overcome the male. Using stillness she supports the lower position. Now, not being an astronomer, this sun metaphor is just an informed guess. Nevertheless, I see this kind of cyclic principal at play throughout nature.
And so what about people? I see us (humanity) as being unlike nature in that we are constantly chomping at the bit, as they say. Actually though, we are not innately different from the rest of nature. Rather, we have gradually created a system (civilization) that fuels a more active approach to life. Every innovation—from agriculture and metallurgy to automation and computers—made over many millennia since our hunter-gatherer ancestors roamed the earth has increased efficiency. The more efficient, the quicker we could accomplish tasks… and the race was on. (see The Tradeoff)
I say we are not innately different from the rest of nature because I assume any animal given the large brain, high empathy, and nimble opposable-thumb hands would have followed the same path. It all comes back to the innate survival instinct—natural duty—all living things share.
Hence, following the way is the same as the way.
Following virtue is the same as virtue;
Following loss is the same as loss.
I feel this puts a sense of immediacy on these issues. Our minds are skilled at taking things apart, categorizing them and then weaving the disparate parts in a narrative that suits our needs and fears. This is returning to a more unitary view. If you are virtuous, you are virtuous… you’re not following virtue… you are virtue. Likewise, you’re not following the way—you are the way… or not, as the case may be. Language, by its very nature conquers reality. Meaning, words divide, categorize, and allow us to manipulate reality… Well, temporarily and superficially anyway.
Together in the way, the way happily satisfies;
Together in virtue, virtue happily satisfies;
Together in loss, loss happily satisfies;
Whatever we feel Together in is the reality we cleave to. Remember, as Buddha observed, “the illusion of self originates and manifests itself in a cleaving to things“. Thus, whatever state of being we experience in life easily becomes the state of being we feel most secure within. For example, people who identify themselves as victims easily wear that mantle of victimhood. Not only that, we then seek out others who share the same identity. “Birds of a feather flock together” and “misery loves company” come to mind. This is one of the ‘ Bio-Hoodwinks ’ that bolsters social—tribal—bonds.
When trust is not sufficient herein, there exists no trust herein.
This line really pulls me into considering the nature of trust as deeply as possible. It is a bit like the saying, “One can’t be partly pregnant”. Likewise, you feel trust or you don’t. Anything in between is not true trust. So what is “true” trust?
Trust, like love, comes in two forms: (1) a conditional and emotional form, and (2) an unconditional and impartial form. The first is innate and comes naturally, while the second evolves gradually over a lifetime, if at all. You could call trust #1 earthly trust, and trust #2 divine trust. However, I wouldn’t call either form true trust; for they are both true in their own right.
I’ve found it best to approach everything without trust #1, and instead allow trust #1 to blossom as it may, or not. This is simply being cautious in life every step of the way. This is the approach I witness animals in the wild take toward life. I call this being cautiously optimistic. I’d say, being cautiously optimistic is a living trust.
Saying that I trust no living thing must sound cynical. In fact, I trust every living thing to act according to its own needs and fears. In other words, I trust the natural process to play out regardless of my own preferences. I don’t trust the objects; I trust the process governing the objects.
I see trust#2 as being in sync with the natural process irrespective of outcomes, positive or negative. Of course, this is more theoretical than actual given our cognitive ability to distinguish between ‘self’ and other. Still, the closer I can come to the impartiality of trust#2, the closer I come to nearly rising beyond oneself, as chapter 16 puts it. That is not to say I’m emotionally impartial; there is no such thing. We inherit our emotional makeup at conception. The trick is to keep the emotional ups and downs separate from any story that would serve to reinforce those emotions.
So, how does one manage to pull that off… keeping emotional ups and downs separate from mental machinations? The only answer I’m certain of is that of life experience. Observing the failure of my mind’s support of my emotions to fix anything gradually led me to distrust any thought that favored my emotional leanings at the moment. Therefore, the first two steps on Buddha’s Noble Path may point the way: Right Comprehension and Right Resolution help, at least after one initially realizes the fallibility of one’s mind! Remembering what I know to be true is not an emotional ability. Emotion only knows the moment. If I feel in each moment the importance of remembering what I know, then my chances of remembering are greatly improved. In the end, it is really a survival thing, I guess. Feeling that remembrance is key to survival fuels remembrance.
Chapter Archive https://youtu.be/KU3MpaJ8IiI
This is the complete video. It begins with blowing Zen followed by the meeting