Translation
The way gave birth to the whole.
The whole gave birth to difference.
Difference gave birth to the many.
The many gave birth to all things.
All things suffer the negative and embrace the positive.
Clashing spirits considered harmonious,
Of people displaced, solitary, scant, not of the valley,
Yet kings and princes consider this a suitable match.
Hence, the outside world perhaps loses as well as benefits, and benefits as well as loses.
Of people’s religious teaching, I also teach,
The backbone of effort seldom results in one’s death.
I will take this teaching of my ancestors just so.
1) road (way, principle; speak; think) give birth to (existence) one (single; same; whole). 道生一。(dào shēng yī.)
2) one (single; same; whole) give birth to (existence) two (different). 一生二。(yī shēng èr.)
3) two (different) give birth to (existence) three (more than two; several; many). 二生三。(èr shēng sān.)
4) three (more than two; several; many) give birth to (existence) all things on earth. 三生万物。(sān shēng wàn wù.)
5) all things on earth carry on back (suffer; owe> negative) yin (feminine or negative) <conj.> and (yet, but) hold in arms the sun (open; belonging to this world; yang, masculine or positive principle in nature), 万物负阴而抱阳，(wàn wù fù yīn ér bào yang,)
6) vigorously (facing_pour boiling water on; flush> opposition) gas (air; breath; spirit; enrage) think (believe; consider) gentle (kind; harmonious; peace> and). 冲气以为和。(chōng qì yĭ wéi hé.)
7) human (man; people) of place loathe (dislike; hate), only (alone) fatherless (orphaned; solitary; ‘I’ used by feudal princes) few (scant; tasteless; widowed) no (not) valley (gorge; grain), 人之所恶，唯孤、寡不谷，(rén zhī suŏ ĕ, wéi gū, guă bù gŭ,)
8) <conj.> and (yet, but) princes and dukes (the nobility) think (believe; consider) fit (match; suit), 而王公以为称，(ér wáng gōng yĭ wéi chèn,)
9) happening (reason; cause; hence; therefore) thing (matter; the outside world) perhaps (or; either…or…; > someone) decrease (lose; damage; > sarcastic > shabby) of <conj.> and (yet, but) benifit (advantage; increase), perhaps (or; either…or…; > someone) benifit (advantage; increase; increasingly) of <conj.> and (yet, but) decrease (lose; damage; > sarcastic > shabby). 故物或损之而益，或益之而损。(gù wù huò sŭn zhī ér yì, huò yì zhī ér sŭn.)
10) human (man; people) of place teach (instruct; religion), I (we; self) also (too) teach (instruct; religion) of, 人之所教，我亦教之，(rén zhī suŏ jiāo, wŏ yì jiāo zhī,)
11) strive (strong; powerful; better_unyielding) roof beam (bridge; ridge)(者), no (not) need (must,_get, result in;> satisfied> be finished) his (its, he, it, that; such) die (extremely; to death; implacable; rigid). 强梁者，不得其死。(qiáng liáng zhĕ, bù dé qí sĭ.)
12) I (we) support (bring; handle, will> lead, command) think (believe; consider) teach (instruct; religion) father (elderly man in ancient times) just (only). 吾将以为教父甫。(wú jiāng yĭ wéi jiào fù fŭ.)
Third Pass: Chapter of the Month
YouTube Recordings:
https://youtu.be/WIeD7vDVp_w is the link to the complete video 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.
Corrections?
None this time
Reflections
The way gave birth to the whole.
The whole gave birth to difference.
Difference gave birth to the many.
The many gave birth to all things.
These four lines set the existential stage of reality beautifully… a poetic version of the Big Bang. They harken back to chapter 1’s, These two are the same coming out, yet differ in name. These lines also speak to the misguided trust we place in names, as chapter 1 points out… The name possible to express runs counter to the constant name.
When I reverse the order here, I see the direction in which greater sanity lies. Thus, I begin my journey back to sanity at perceiving things, take a step backward to many, then to difference, then to the whole, and finally to the way. Chapter 52 speaks to this returning journey for me…
The last part of chapter 16 highlights this journey from temporal bias to eternal impartiality nicely …
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.
Innate instinctive bias drives us to make much ado about the differences we perceive. Indeed, perception is the process of sensing difference. That is what I refer to as the Bio-Hoodwink. Living organisms must pay more attention to differences than to similarities for survival sake. For example, in seeing a long thin shape on the ground, differentiating a stick from a snake serves survival more than perceiving these two objects as a matter of profound sameness. For us, this ability has become too much of a good thing, as it were. We utterly believe in and trust the cognitive differences we perceive. Thus, chapter 71 reminds us, Realizing I don’t’ know is better; not knowing this knowing is disease.
We institutionalize difference with names, and this locks perception into a life-long narrative. This is like an information cancer… a uniquely human disease. The first part of chapter 16 points to a way out of this disease. Peace lies in returning to notice the root cause, as chapter 16 puts it…
The last line above, Knowing the constant allows, allowing therefore impartial, brings me to chapter 56…
Knowing doesn’t speak; speaking doesn’t know.
Subdue its sharpness, untie its tangles,
Soften its brightness, be the same as dust,
This is called profound sameness.
If you look around you carefully, you’ll notice the universal tendency to not only identify differences, but to make mountains out of molehills of difference. This naming of differences seems to be growing exponentially in the modern age. Knowledge is the compounding nature of identifying and assigning names to perceived difference, and there appears to be no end in sight, thanks in large part to computerization!
Difference gave birth to the many. The many gave birth to all things. And the human brain’s mind doesn’t know when to stop adding to the catalog of things, and the naming therein. Chapter 30 reminds us, Those most adept have results, yet stop, not daring to seek better.
Chapter 32 strikes even closer to home…
Only when restricted, are there names.
Names already exist,
Man handles the realization to stop.
Knowing to stop [he] can be without danger.
Analogy: of the way’s existence under heaven,
Liken this to the river of the valley flowing to the great river and the sea.
All things suffer the negative and embrace the positive.
Clashing spirits considered harmonious.
The actual characters for negative and positive are, 阴 and 阳. Within those characters are principle radicals for moon and sun. In order to understand these two lines fully, it helps to consider these two clashing spirits — 阴 and 阳. Briefly:
阳 = yang = the sun; south of a hill or north of a river; in relief; open; overt; belonging to this world; concerned with living beings; positive; (in Chinese philosophy, medicine, etc.) yang, the masculine or positive principle in nature.
日= rì = sun; daytime; day; daily; every day; with each passing day; time.
阴 = yīn = the moon; overcast; shade; north of a hill or south of a river; back; in intaglio; hidden; secret; sinister; of the nether world; negative; (in Chinese philosophy, medicine, etc.) the feminine or negative principle in nature.
月 = yuè = the moon; month; full-moon shaped; round.
What does all things suffer really mean? First, I feel it is initially better to limit all things as to refer to all living things. Living is the struggle to maintain order in an organism’s biological systems, which means constantly coping with the negative ‘forces’ of entropy. Simply put, life is a struggle; however, only when viewed impartially, are we able to appreciate truly the natural balance of this Clashing spirits considered harmonious.
Living things are naturally biased toward that which offers comfort and security. Quite naturally then this next line tells it like it is…
People actually loathe solitude, scarcity, and not of the valley,
Yet Kings and princes consider this a suitable match.
So why do Kings and princes consider this a suitable match. If you interpret Kings and princes as separate realities — individual people — this can’t perhaps be truly understood. I think of Kings and princes as referring to the pinnacle of my own comprehension… the extent of my own impartiality. Chapter 39 parallels this Kings and princes line.
Here are other references that offer context to Yet Kings and princes consider this a suitable match:
Hence, things perhaps lose as well as benefit, and benefit as well as lose. Gain and loss are integral to life. However, living things naturally prefer gain to loss, and thus are constantly at war with loss. After all, loss is one face of entropy. I find greater peace when I embrace that fact and go with that flow as honestly as I can. Chapter 58 also speaks to this Clashing spirits considered harmonious…
Of people’s religious teaching, I also teach,
The backbone of effort seldom results in one’s death.
I will take this teaching of my ancestors just so.
I find the essence Of people’s religious teaching to point to the same universal, constant, truth. I admit, this requires plunging beneath the surface of the particular names that individual religions rely upon to differentiate (the illusion of difference again!) their group’s ‘truth’ from those misguided fools of those other groups 😉 Such is our tribal nature made all the more extreme by the tradeoff we made a while ago. (See The Tradeoff).
The backbone of effort here reminds me of Buddha’s last words, “All created things must pass, strive on diligently” . The end of chapter 33 also parallels this natural striving of living things…
I will take this teaching of my ancestors just so. Everything that I think and say has a connection to all that came before me. This begins with the very names and words I use to formulate this or any other narrative. I can claim no credit for anything. It is all just so.
Chapter Archive https://youtu.be/LF_XYi78KVY
This is the complete video. It begins with blowing Zen followed by the meeting
Second Pass: Work in Progress
Issues:
Line 7: The current, Of people displaced, solitary, scant, not of the valley, changes to People actually loathe solitude, scarcity, and not of the valley.
I don’t know what my thought process was at the time I decided to put it that way. That said, both ways say the same thing to me; it is just a little more straightforward now.
More telling is the next line (8): Yet Kings and princes consider this a suitable match. Simply put, coming to terms with (accepting) solitude, scarcity, and not of the valley is a prerequisite for true leadership, be that the ‘head of the household’ or ‘head of the nation’. It is just a matter of maintaining natural balance.
Anyway, the change feels solidly for the better. This is a breakdown on the first four character of this line. What do you think?
rén (人) human being; man; person; people; everybody
zhī (之) <pronoun> used to connect the modifier and the word modified; possessive particle,
suǒ (所) actually; place; that which; particle introducing a relative clause or passive
wù (恶) to loathe; dislike; to hate; ashamed; to fear; to slander
Commentary:
D.C. Lau’s line 5 is a poet embellishment as you can easily see. This greatly redirects the focus of the line, but in a meaningful way. Let’s compare the two:
D.C. Lau: The image of the myriad creatures carry on their backs the yin and embrace in their arms the
yang and are the blending of the generative forces of the two, accounts for our difficulty in perceiving the whole context of our life experience. Even in the most practical sense, we see what is in front of us; we are unable to see our backs, behind us—this is more than a metaphor in my view. We only see half the picture at any one time. (See passive and active correlations, which can help broaden the meaning of ‘yin’ and ‘yang’)
Word for Word: All things suffer the negative and embrace the positive closely parallels Buddha’s foundational Four Truths of Suffering—actually, his first truth seems to sum it up.
I should add that my interpretation of D.C. Lau’s line 5 is just that. It always comes back to the parable of the blind men and the elephant. The closer I stay in touch with that, the more present I am with chapter 71’s, Realizing I don’t know is better; not knowing this knowing is dis-ease.
People actually loathe solitude, scarcity, and not of the valley,
Yet Kings and princes consider this a suitable match.
Why do Kings and princes consider this a suitable match? We are a very hierarchical species. At the lower broader base of that social pyramid, there is the allure (hope, purpose, and meaning) of climbing upward. Even more essential in stable social systems is knowing one’s place in the hierarchy; this gives emotional stability—peace if you will—even if it is at the bottom of pyramid. Of old, the worst punishment was banishment from the group. Ouster was worse than death, and in the critically interdependent ancient hunter gather times, it would have meant death sooner than later. In other tribal species, like coyote for example, ostracism is a virtual death sentence; survival alone is just that difficult. Lords and princes, being at the very peak of the social pyramid is not unlike banishment in some respects. You have no peers; no hope of climbing further up the pyramid; the only place in sight is ‘downward’.
Another angle on this suitable match idea is that of acceptance rather than fear of reality. In the end, the lack of fear is what propels people up the social pyramid. It comes down to a kind of visceral acceptance of responsibility for life (in the most nebulous non verbal way).
Suggested Revision:
The way gave birth to the whole.
The whole gave birth to difference.
Difference gave birth to the many.
The many gave birth to all things.
All things suffer the negative and embrace the positive;
Clashing spirits considered harmonious.
People actually loathe solitude, scarcity, and not of the valley,
Yet Kings and princes consider this a suitable match.
Hence, things perhaps lose as well as benefit, and benefit as well as lose.
Of people’s religious teaching, I also teach,
The backbone of effort seldom results in one’s death.
I will take this teaching of my ancestors just so.
First Pass: Chapter of the Week
The literal puts it somewhat differently than D.C.Lau’s translation reads. This always feels odd at first, for I’ve been reading D.C.Lau’s translation for about 50 years now. Nevertheless, I approach this, whether D.C.Lau’s or the Chinese, with an intention of having it represent something I know to be so through experience. This has not always been easy, or possible, especially in my younger days. For me, understanding the Tao Te Ching is really about understanding my own experience. This is another way of saying, the Tao Te Ching teaches you nothing you don’t know already. The task is really about understanding cognitively what you know intuitively (i.e., …Shadowy, indistinct. Indistinct and shadowy), and the Tao Te Ching is a useful tool to that end. Now, on with this chapter…
‘The way gave birth to the whole. The whole gave birth to difference’ offers me a deeper view compared to ‘The way begets one; one begets two‘ . One and two also mean whole and difference, but whole and difference mean more to me that one and two (especially in this context).
The word ‘fu‘ (负) translates various ways: carry on back; suffer; owe; betray; lose. D.C.Lau used the carry on their backs, where as I went with suffer. Both meanings are equally fine; I choose suffer as that corresponds with Buddha’s First Noble Truth. Seeking and finding parallels in other scriptures always helps broaden and deepen the view.
Next, There are no words which men detest more than ‘solitary’, ‘desolate’, and ‘hapless’, yet lords and princes use these to refer to themselves. I see this as the unintended consequences of rising to the top leadership position. The higher up one goes, the further from the lower position one can get, leaving one with an inevitable sense of isolation. This is a secret of sorts, in that the many at the bottom look up to the select few at the top and see mostly the ‘good’ side (i.e., the success, wealth, power, control, and fame they may aspire to in their dreams). On the other side of the coin, the buck stops with the master at the top! That’s sobering enough to make one feel alone, few, and not of the valley.
Generally, I think the burden of responsibility is only appreciated by those who are carrying it. Why? For one thing, it is an abstract ‘burden’ compared to hauling water up hill, for example, which everybody can picture. The burden of responsibility is a psychological and emotional burden. Indeed, taking on a physical burden often helps lighten the mental and emotional load… as does, or course, following the way and the way only!
Both perhaps lose as well as benefit, and benefit as well as lose and, thus a thing is sometimes added to by being diminished and diminished by being added to, conform to my experience, but in different ways. The literal may put it better for me. It is another way of saying ‘there are no free rides’ in nature. Everything comes with a price. There is no “sometimes” about it, although D.C.Lau’s “sometimes” may be his translation of hou (或) which translates more directly as perhaps. Come to think of it, there is no “perhaps” about it either.