Translation
In using the way to assist in managing people,
Avoid strong arming anything under heaven.
Such affairs easily rebound.
Where masters live, why do thorn bushes grow?
Where armies have been, years of crop failure follow.
Those most adept have results, yet stop, not daring to seek better.
Have results yet don’t pity.
Have results yet don’t attack.
Have results yet don’t be proud.
Have results yet not complacent afterwards.
Have results yet don’t strive.
Making matters better as a long-term rule, is not of the dao (Tao).
Not of the dao ends early.
1) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) road (way, principle; speak; think) assist human (man; people) host (owner) (者), 以道佐人主者，(yĭ dào zuŏ rén zhŭ zhĕ,)
2) no (not) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) weapons (army; troops) strive (strong; powerful; better,_unyielding) land under heaven. 不以兵强天下。(bù yĭ bīng jiàng tiān xià)
3) his (its, he, it, that; such) matter (affair; thing; business; involvement) good (be easy) go (give back; return; repay). 其事好还。(qí shì hăo hái.)
4) teacher (master; model; example) of place dwell chaste tree (vitex) thorn bushes give birth to (existence) here (herein; (usu. negative questioning) how; why). 师之所处荆棘生焉。(shī zhī suŏ chŭ jīng jí shēng yān.)
5) army (troops) of back (after) certainly (must) have (there is; exist) crop failure (fierce; terrible; murder) year (annual; yearly; age; a period in history; harvest). 军之后必有凶年。(jūn zhī hòu bì yŏu xiōng nián.)
6) good (perfect; kind; be adept in) have (there is; exist) fruit (result; really; as expected) <conj.> and (yet, but) stop (cease; end; already;> thereafter; afterwards; too), no (not) bold (daring; be certain; venture) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) take (aim at; seek; choose) strive (strong; powerful; better_unyielding). 善有果而已，不敢以取强。(shàn yŏu guŏ ér yĭ, bù găn yĭ qŭ jiàng.)
7) fruit (result; really; as expected) <conj.> and (yet, but) don’t pity (sympathize with; self-important; conceited; restrained; reserved). 果而勿矜。(guŏ ér wù jīn.)
8) fruit (result; really; as expected) <conj.> and (yet, but) don’t fell (cut down; strike; attack). 果而勿伐。(guŏ ér wù fá.)
9) fruit (result; really; as expected) <conj.> and (yet, but) don’t proud (arrogant; conceited). 果而勿骄。(guŏ ér wù jiāo.)
10) fruit (result; really; as expected) <conj.> and (yet, but) no (not) get (result in;> satisfied, complacent;> be finished, be ready) stop (cease; end; already; > thereafter; afterwards; too). 果而不得已。(guŏ ér bù dé yĭ.)
11) fruit (result; really; as expected) <conj.> and (yet, but) don’t strive (strong; powerful; better_unyielding). 果而勿强。(guŏ ér wù jiàng.)
12) matter (the outside world) strong (strengthen; make better) standard (norm; rule > imitate; follow) old (aged; of long standing; old;for a long time; always), <grm> is (yes <frml> this; that) say (call; name; meaning; sense) no (not) road (way, principle; speak; think), 物壮则老，是谓不道，(wù zhuàng zé lăo, shì wèi bù dào,)
13) no (not) road (way, principle; speak; think) early morning (long ago; as early as; for a long time; early; in advance) stop (cease; end; already;> thereafter; afterwards; too). 不道早已。(bù dào zăo yĭ.)
Third Pass: Chapter of the Month
Corrections?
Almost…
Reading line 7, Have results yet don’t pity, this Sunday was puzzling, and so I considered the literal synonyms.
fruit (result; really; as expected) <conj.> and (yet, but) don’t pity (sympathize with; self-important; conceited; restrained; reserved). 果而勿矜。
When I read pity, I first felt it as pity for others, and that didn’t make sense. But, then again I can see how it would be possible to pity others for not having the results I had. And from where does that kind of perception arise? A sense of self-importance and conceit could induce an adept person to sympathize with or even pity one less adept.
Okay, pity works, but it required me pondering the literal meanings to settle my puzzlement.
YouTube Audio Recording:
Equipment malfunction this time 🙁
Reflections:
In using the way to assist in managing people,
Avoid strong-arming anything under heaven.
Such affairs easily rebound.
When reading advice about ostensibly exterior matters, it helps to begin by looking inward. Here, I would read, In using the way to assist in managing [ myself ], Avoid strong-arming anything… All our perceptions of the world ‘out there’ hinge on the makeup of what is ‘in here’. Much the same applies to actions. If I strong-arm myself internally, I probably strong-arm other people out there.
Newton‘s third law states that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. I find this applies to strong-arming others or myself as well.
Where masters live, why do thorn bushes grow?
This thorn bush is apparently a vitex, also known as chasteberry. I don’t know what this has to do with where masters live.
Where armies have been, years of crop failure follow.
Armies compact the soil where they have been and that makes it difficult for plants to grow. In the same way, authoritarians rule stifles creative growth. However, I suppose that is one of the attractions. People like stability and creative growth threatens that, so authoritarian regimes hold the promise of stability. Similarly, perhaps the promise of truly resolving an issue entices people to go to war.
Those most adept have results, yet stop, not daring to seek better.
Have results yet don’t pity.
Have results yet don’t attack.
Have results yet don’t be proud.
Have results yet not complacent afterwards.
Have results yet don’t strive.
Making matters better as a long-term rule, is not of the dao.
Not of the dao ends early.
These lines sound like prescriptions for life, what to do and avoid doing. Here again, I find it helps to look inward rather than interpreting these lines as advice. Looking inward, I find optimum life balance occurs when I have results, whatever they may be, and move on. I think of a squirrel gathering nuts. It has results, and when the time is right, stops, not daring to seek better. That seems very much the way of nature, the ‘dao’ of nature. What’s the difference between us humans and the squirrel?
Imagination is obviously a major difference. We can imagine states of perfection, which then drives us to Make matters better as a long-term rule. Moreover, we have little incentive to question our drive for perfection. In fact, it is just the opposite. We glorify perfection. Why?
Civilization is hierarchical, and the drive for perfection is the ladder to climb. That this is not of the dao is clear, yet we have bought into the civilization’s paradigm from infancy. We can see no other way. In our imagination, Making matters better as a long-term rule easily becomes the whole point of life. Living in a balance give and take with nature is very unappealing, particularly if nature is taking from ‘me’ or ‘us’.
Surplus energy without natural outlets
Those most adept have results, yet stop, not daring to seek better. (6)
Have results yet don’t attack. (8)
Have results yet don’t strive. (11)
Making matters better as a long-term rule, is not of the dao. (12)
These four lines above show the result of trading the evolutionarily stable circumstances of our hominid ancestors for the greater comfort and security of civilization. It is important to note that we are the same biologically now as we were a hundred thousand + years ago. Only human culture has evolved.
Being biologically the same means we have all the physical and emotional resources (energy, drive) to be living in the wild as hunter-gatherers. Yet, our circumstances provide a high degree of comfort and security. This means that we don’t have a solid survival pathway for our energy and drive to play out expend fully. The instinct is there with no place to run its course.
Naturally, it does run its course, just not in down-to-earth survival ways, as would be the case for an hominid in the wild. The problem is this. Once we have results, we’ve not yet expended all the instinctive drive that would be at our disposal in the wild. It has to ‘boil over’.
Our energy and drive ‘boil over’ in making matters better as a long-term rule, striving, seeking better, attacking, long after having a balance measure of results. A few essential facts are useful to know, and review daily… yes daily, if not more often. The first for me is chapter 71’s Realizing I don’t’ know is better; not knowing this knowing is disease. Every regrettable folly of mind arises from certainty. Ironically, certainly is one of the things I crave most. Yes, being a Taoist is not a bed of roses. 🙂
Second for me is the gut intuitive sense that I am a hunter-gatherer hominid without the original circumstances that suited hominid evolution. The question then becomes, give up or deal with it. The survival instinct makes giving up not an option. Line 6 points the way: Those most adept have results, yet stop, not daring to seek better. The key to have results, yet stop, comes down to burning up that excess energy and drive with something that is balanced, health giving, and truly meaningful.
The single most vital thing we need to feel is a sense of life meaning. Why do suicide bombers blow their selves up? In part, that sacrifice gives them life meaning. The hunger for life meaning drives much of what we do. Chapter 29’s, With desire choosing anything, of doing I see no satisfied end spells out the problem of any animal choosing anything and not simultaneously constrained (balanced) by natural forces. For us, that would be our ancestral hunter-gatherer way of life. Obviously, we can’t return to those old ways even if we wanted to. Buddha’s Four Noble Truths hint at a solution. Specifically the forth: “There is salvation for him whose self disappears before truth, whose will is bent on what he ought to do, whose sole desire is the performance of his duty”.
The ostensible drudgery of duty makes this no panacea. Yet, it is only through duty that we feel grace in the moment. This dilemma evens the odds for all comers, so to speak. You only get what you truly want, and to the extent you truly want it, it is yours. That’s what I call cosmic justice! Or should I say the dao of justice.
Step backward to balancing short-term pleasure
Now if duty doesn’t feel like a solution, you can always be a hunter-gatherer. Naturally, I don’t mean literally, but rather returning a few small steps ‘backwards’. One factor that kept the hunter-gatherers feet on the ground was the hardship they endured. Consider all the ways civilization has made your life immensely more comfortable and secure. That higher standard comes at a price — increased neurotic worry. ‘Allowing’ myself to endure less comfort and security (as feasible) helps anchor me to earth. This lowering of comfort and security standards makes me more resilient and less prone to becoming neurotic over trivial irritants in life. This is in accord with a long held motto of mine: Short-term pain; long-term pleasure. (For a thorough look at this, see Peeking in on Nature’s Hoodwink ).
Second Pass: Work in Progress
Issues:
Line 11: ‘Have results yet don’t strong arm’ changes to ‘Have results yet don’t strive’. The word in question is qiǎng (强), at least that is the tonal variation I decided upon. This dipping, tone 3, usage means: make an effort; strive. The two other forms, tones 2 and 4, are: (qiáng) strong; powerful; by force; better; slightly more than; plus, and; (jiàng) stubborn; unyielding. You could say the differences are more about where one is coming from, but certainly any of these three versions would convey the point–‘take the lower position’ regardless of how ‘high’ the results.
Commentary:
Line 4 touches on the sometimes blinding side of making distinctions; in this case distinguishing adept people as ‘Masters’ (note the capitol ‘M’). We see this view expressed in various ways throughout the Tao Te Ching. For example, Cut off the sage, discard wisdom, And the people benefit a hundred fold.
Simply recognizing the unique abilities, or adeptness, of individuals is not the problem. Everyone is unique, and adept, in their own right. The problem lies in the blindness that ensue all forms of ‘hero / master worship’ (see, Why Do Idiot Savants Run Things?). Such role modeling is a natural outgrowth (emergent property) of the tribal instinct. As a social species, we need to see life, especially the social side of it, vertically with the ‘low’ at the base and the ‘master’ at the top. We have an innate need to either lead or follow a leader. Each individual then finds his or her niche in the hierarchy.
There is nothing ‘wrong’ with this instinct, per se. It is just that we easily get led off a cliff in a ‘blind leading the blind’ kind of way. Clearly, the Tao Te Ching regards our species’ unique and ‘superior’ cognitive ability as the underlying source of this problem. Chapter 71 speaks to this defect most directly:
The cure (or at least treatment) for this is simply recognizing our unique and ‘superior’ cognitive ability lies at the heart of all our difficulty. Interestingly, the Book of Genesis really hits the Taoist nail on the head. This is one of the few places where the West truly meets the East.
… But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die… That in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil… And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons… Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken… (and so on)
Simply put, it is a disease. The Chinese character used in chapter 71 is bìng (病) which means: ill; sick; disease; fault; defect. Knowing this is a disease goes a long way toward mitigating the disease.
Tribal instinct + thought easily stimulate over activity, and the resulting turbulence hinders intuition, among other things. Chapter 47 speaks to some of this:
When I compare the Taoist and Biblical views on this, one thing stands out: The Biblical version turns this natural evolutionary defect into a ‘sinful transgression on God’s Law that Man free willingly chose‘. Obviously, I view this as utter nonsense! After all, we are simply animals that happen to have evolved a brain to big for our britches. ;‑)
Suggested Revision:
In using the way to assist in managing people,
Avoid strong-arming anything under heaven.
Such affairs easily rebound.
Where masters live, why do thorn bushes grow?
Where armies have been, years of crop failure follow.
Those most adept have results, yet stop, not daring not to seek better.
Have results yet don’t pity.
Have results yet don’t attack.
Have results yet don’t be proud.
Have results yet not complacent afterwards.
Have results yet don’t strive.
Making matters better as a long-term rule, is not of the dao.
Not of the dao ends early.
First Pass: Chapter of the Week
Not of the dao, or as D.C. Lau put it, going against the way, means what exactly? Especially when seen in context with the rest of the Tao Te Ching. For example: Chapter 73, The net of heaven is cast wide. Though the mesh is not fine, yet nothing ever slips through; chapter 34, The way is broad, reaching left as well as right; and especially chapter 4, I know not whose son it is. It images the forefather of God. So can one ever truly be not of the dao, or as D.C. Lau said, ‘going against the way’? As with most things, I reckon the answer lies in the eye of the beholder.
There are two ways to ‘eye’ the ‘way’: Subjectively and objectively. This is a little odd and so requires some background. First, a subjective view of the world is, by definition, a projection of the subject – one’s self. However, an objective view, in the final analysis, is also a projection of one’s self (i.e., it’s grounded in biology). A human point of view cannot help but reflect all the needs and fears, and all the instinctive emotions which are innate to our species. Thus, any ‘objective’ point of view is most likely a combination of cultural conditioning and wishful thinking, not the reality it purports to be. Fortunately we can test how objective we are by gauging how impartial we feel at that moment. Total objectivity may even be possible at the point of complete impartiality. Although, how would we know if we are capable of not knowing anything when our discernment penetrates the four quarters?
In light of all this, what does it mean when it says, that which goes against the way will come to an early end? Personally, I feel I’m going ‘against the way’ when I loose impartiality and become driven by impulsive needs or fears. In other words, I’ve lost ‘the big picture’; I’ve lost my sense of the way and simply react out of narrow (even if altruistic) self interest. My experience of ‘the way’ has become overshadowed and drowned out by a more compelling emotion. Even so, nature, at least from a biological point of view (and thus somewhat more objective), is still pulling the strings. I am just not aware of it; I don’t wish to acknowledge it; I want to feel I am in control.
For example, the need to feel in control amplifies the sensation of guilt and the feeling of ‘going against the way’. Viewed biologically, however, guilt seems to be just one facet of the ‘social instinct’. Interestingly, women tend to feel guilt more keenly, and so are often more responsive socially. This makes natural sense, for being potential mothers, guilt would make them more sensitive to the needs of their offspring. So, ironically, when feeling guilty we’ll feel we are ‘going against the way’, yet the social instinct that makes those feelings possible happens to us naturally, is ‘of the way’ and nothing to feel guilty about.
Chapter 36 is another example of this perplexing dynamic: If you would have a thing shrink, you must first stretch it… We must first experience folly to reach wisdom. While traveling through our foolish years, we are ‘going against the way’ in the sense that ‘the way’ is the furthest thing from our mind at the moment. Only later, in reflection, can we realize our by-path. In short, we are always ‘of the way’ despite feelings to the contrary. While we are ‘stretching it’, the way is just all that more shadowy, indistinct. Indistinct and shadowy.
The lack of using the way to assist in managing people is easy to see at play in politics. When one party wins, they tend to ride rough shod over the losing party. While there is talk of reaching across the isle, of bipartisanship, few seem capable of doing so. This parallels: My words are very easy to understand and very easy to put into practice, yet no one in the world can understand them or put them into practice. The marvel of the mind is that it allows us to be detached enough to see what could be possible (our ideal and wishful thinking), yet when push comes to shove, reality takes over and we behave like the animals we are. We bear a uniquely human burden: the weight of our ideals which are invariably at odds with our actions.