Translation
What is well established cannot be pulled out.
What is well established cannot be neglected.
Descendants using ceremonial offering of sacrifice, to ancestors never ceases.
Of cultivating in the body, its virtue true.
Of cultivating in the family, its virtue abundant.
Of cultivating in the village, its virtue long.
Of cultivating in the nation, its virtue abundant.
Of cultivating in all under heaven, its virtue universal.
Hence,
Use the body to observe the body,
Use the family to observe the family,
Use the village to observe the village,
Use the nation to observe the nation,
Use all under heaven to observe all under heaven.
How can we know all under heaven is like that?
By using this.
1) good (satisfactory) build (construct; set up; establish; advocate) (者) no (not) pull out (suck out; choose). 善建者不拔。(shàn jiàn zhĕ bù bá.)
2) good (satisfactory) build (construct; set up; establish; advocate> embrace ; hug; cherish) (者) no (not) take off (cast off; escape from <frml> neglect> if). 善抱者不脱。(shàn bào zhĕ bù tuō.)
3) children and grandchildren (descendants) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) hold a memorial ceremony for (offer a sacrifice to) offer sacrifices to the gods (or to spirits of the dead) no (not) stop (cease). 子孙以祭祀不辍。(zĭ sūn yĭ jì sì bù chuò.)
4) embellish (repair; write; construct; cultivate; prune <frml> long) of in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) body (life; oneself; personally) his (its; their; they; that) virtue (moral character; heart) be (therefore, only then, your) true (real; genuine). 修之于身其德乃真。(xiū zhī yú shēn qí dé năi zhēn.)
5) embellish (repair; write; construct; cultivate; prune <frml> long) of in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) family (home; a certain trade; a school) his (its; their; they; that) virtue (moral character; heart) be (therefore, only then, your) extra (surplus; after <frml> I). 修之于家其德乃余。(xiū zhī yú jiā qí dé năi yú.)
6) embellish (repair; write; construct; cultivate; prune <frml> long) of in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) country (village; home town) his (its; their; they; that) virtue (moral character; heart) be (therefore, only then, your) older (develop_ long; regularly; strong point). 修之于乡其德乃长。(xiū zhī yú xiāng qí dé năi cháng.)
7) embellish (repair; write; construct; cultivate; prune <frml> long) of in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) nation (state; country) his (its; their; they; that) virtue (moral character; heart) be (therefore, only then, your) abundant (plentiful; great; fine-looking; handsome). 修之于邦其德乃丰。(xiū zhī yú bāng qí dé năi fēng.)
8) embellish (repair; write; construct; cultivate; prune <frml> long) of in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) land under heaven his (its; their; they; that) virtue (moral character; heart) be (therefore, only then, your) general (universal). 修之于天下其德乃普。(xiū zhī yú tiān xià qí dé năi pŭ.)
9) reason (cause; on purpose; hence) 故 (gù)
10) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) body (life; oneself; personally) look at (watch; observe; sight; view) body (life; oneself; personally), 以身观身，(yĭ shēn guān shēn,)
11) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) family (home; a school of thought) look at (watch; observe; sight; view) family (home; a school of thought), 以家观家，(yĭ jiā guān jiā,)
12) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) country (village; home town) look at (watch; observe; sight; view) country (village; home town), 以乡观乡，(yĭ xiāng guān xiāng,)
13) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) nation (state; country) look at (watch; observe; sight; view) nation (state; country), 以邦观邦，(yĭ bāng guān bāng,)
14) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) land under heaven look at (watch; observe; sight; view) land under heaven. 以天下观天下。(yĭ tiān xià guān tiān xià.)
15) I (we) who (why) know (realize) land under heaven correct (so; like that <frml conj> but; nevertheless) zāi (exclamatory or interrog. part.)? 吾何以知天下然哉？(wú hé yĭ zhī tiān xià rán zāi?)
16) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) this. 以此。(yĭ cĭ.)
Third Pass: Chapter of the Month
(pandemic era)
Zoom on YouTube Recordings:
https://youtu.be/IiU0x0w91Mw 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
The well established cannot be pulled out.
The well established cannot be neglected.
Descendants using ceremonial offering of sacrifice to ancestors never ceases.
What is truly well established? First, I’d say nature overall, and biology in particular. The genetic factors we inherit at birth are the same assortments that have been with our species for 300,000 years or more. Most of the superficial and circumstantial factors have changed—pulled out, neglected—over recent millenniums, but our deep biological reality is very constant.
Remembering this well established thread running through time brings me a great degree of peace. It shelters my awareness from being devoured by the commotion of current times. As chapter 14 suggests…
The way’s discipline is a simpler and more universal way of saying, Descendants using ceremonial offering of sacrifice to ancestors never ceases. This archaic view is very specific to ancient China. More broadly, this refers to the deep traditions that help hold society together. Curiously, these now appear to be fading away quickly… Rampant innovation (i.e. rash action) is overturning society’s apple cart. And we know the result of that, as chapter 16 reminds us, Not knowing the constant, rash actions lead to ominous results. Ah yes, nature’s revolutionary game of evolution plays no favorites.
Of cultivating in oneself, its virtue only then genuine.
I’ve always been drawn to the older original form of Buddhism—Theravada. The latter form, Mahayana Buddhism, began to take shape in the first century BCE., in the belief that Theravada was too self-centered and had lost the true vision. Nonsense I say! Theravada is indeed self-centered, and thus matches the Taoist view, Of cultivating in oneself, its virtue only then genuine. It also parallels Christ’s view of how virtue originates personally within one’s self, i.e., “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” and “Judge not, that ye be not judged”. In short, put your own house in order before you clamor and push to have other people’s houses in order.
Of course, Of cultivating in oneself, its virtue only then genuine is a daunting task, especially if we believe (incorrectly) that we have free will. It is so much easier to criticize others and insist that they live more virtuously. That way, we can feel we’ve done at least ‘something good’, without actually doing anything that leads to genuine virtue. Indeed, ‘doing without doing’ (为无为 – wéi wú wéi) is much more honest and much less destructive. As the old adage puts it, “Hell is paved with good intentions.”
People innately project their agenda (needs and fears) onto the world with which they interact. In ancestral times (i.e., hunter-gatherer times) this behavior would be a form of social glue to bind the tribe through personal interaction. In the circumstances of civilization, this instinctive behavior can be very harmful. This mismatch of instinct and circumstance is even more troubling due to the deep, albeit obscure, social disconnection experienced by civilized people. The sense of disconnect drives an even greater push to ‘change the world’ so it matches society’s virtuous expectations.
Of cultivating in the family, its virtue only then in surplus..
Of cultivating in the village, its virtue only then long.
Of cultivating in the nation, its virtue only then abundant.
Of cultivating in all under heaven, its virtue only then universal.
Our natural tendency to view the world around us from a personal point of view creates immense misunderstanding of our village, nation, and all under heaven. In wishing to cultivate virtue in the ‘world out there’, we act from a place of deep ignorance by observing the world subjectively… from ‘in here’. The result is an endless chain of missteps, overreaction, under reaction… the list goes on. Again, chapter 16 sums it up well, Not knowing the constant, rash actions lead to ominous results
Hence,
Use oneself to observe oneself,
Use the family to observe the family,
Use the village to observe the village,
Use the nation to observe the nation,
Use all under heaven to observe all under heaven.
Chapter 16’s, Not knowing the constant, rash actions lead to ominous results tells the results of dealing with the world ‘out there’ from a self-centric point of view. The beauty of this chapter lies in how it lays out where one’s self-centric point of view should finish… Of cultivating in oneself, its virtue only then genuine. In other words, first steps first.
Imagine a world where everyone actually took full responsibility for their integrity, or as the first lines of chapter 16 puts it,
A high degree of impartiality is essential to observe the reality that actually exists rather than the skewed projection of one’s own needs and fears—one’s personal agenda, so to speak. Impartiality is the key to all observation, up to and including, Use all under heaven to observe all under heaven. Chapter 16’s conclusion hits it home…
Again, we are not biologically set up to be impartial! Life on earth evolved to act and react personally, not impartially! The lion chasing the deer isn’t impartial… it’s hungry. The deer fleeing the lion isn’t impartial… it fears for its life. So, how does one cultivate an ability to see impartially? The first lines of chapter 16 are helpful if you actually want to be impartial. I repeat, if you actually want to be impartial! The saying, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink” is the honest truth. One must feel a visceral thirst to be impartial, to cultivating in oneself. In the end, hunger and thirst pull us to do what we feel we must do. Lacking that thirst, it all remains just the hot air of a spiritual ideal.
How can we know all under heaven correctly?
By using this.
By using this is the clear-cut answer to the question. By using this process, the steps of cultivation and observation, stated clearly here are all one needs to know. The problem we have is not a lack of knowledge. I suppose the core problem is that our emotional appetite for quick solutions greatly exceeds our deeper thirst to seek out and embrace the actual, albeit shadowy, solution. Life’s answers are only an open secret for those thirsty enough to swallow.
Our natural desire for the easiest way is what keeps the answers secret. The irony is that the way that feels so difficult is actually the easiest way. All our ‘short cuts’ can never bring home the bacon. Chapter 63 lays out the easy way…
Chapter Archive https://youtu.be/MZb3hU7xiMs
This is the complete video. It begins with blowing Zen followed by the meeting
Second Pass: Work in Progress
Issues:
I see no major issues. Naturally, there can always be issues around which particular meaning—synonym—I choose to translate a character… and I do see a few synonyms to tweak a little this time.
Line 4 & 10: ‘Of cultivating in the body, its virtue true‘ changes to ‘Of cultivating in oneself, its virtue only then genuine’. I feel oneself lends a more personal flavor than body. The character is: shēn (身) body; life; oneself; personally; one’s moral character and conduct; the main part of a structure; body; suit.
Line 4-8: I choose ‘only then’ for the character in question. I had left it out initially, maybe because I felt it was implied… or I was asleep then. Anyway, ‘only then’ adds a bit of punch. The character is: nǎi (乃) <formal> be; so; therefore; only then; you; your.
Line 15: ‘How can we know all under heaven is like that?’ changes to ‘How can we know all under heaven correctly?’ The character is: rán (然) right; correct; so; like that; <formal> <conj.> but; nevertheless; however.
Correct has a hard feel to it. I almost chose the softer, How can we know all under heaven just so? But that is maybe too vague?
My tweaking only highlights the weakness of language; the Tao Te Ching is pointing to the ‘just so’ that is beyond languages ability to detail. Only pointing to (or hinting at) is possible. It remains up to each of us to look in ‘that direction’ to see what we have yet to see. Even then, we are only seeing a reflection of ourselves. How inexplicable; that’s why I love it!
Commentary:
What is well established cannot be pulled out reminds me of the idiom “the proof is in the pudding”. The reason I’ve always taken scripture as seriously as I have is because it has withstood the test of time… it cannot be pulled out. Come to think of it, that is why I also use nature in general and biology in particular (primate and otherwise) as reference points for gauging life. So much in life is here today, gone tomorrow… or in a few hundred years. Now, with the Internet, here one moment gone the next. Chapter 16 also alludes to what is well established: Everything ‘out there’ rises up together, and I watch again. Everything ‘out there’, one and all, return again to their root cause. The closer to the root cause, the more well established it is.
‘Of cultivating in oneself, its virtue only then genuine’ and ‘Use oneself to observe oneself‘ speaks to how important context is. Whenever I fail to Use the [myself] (family, nation, etc.) to observe the [myself] (family, nation, etc.) I end up contending between what is ideal and what is real. This is where all misunderstanding originates as I see it. That is why, Realizing I don’t know is superior, not knowing this realization is a defect.
Suggested Revision:
The well established cannot be pulled out.
The well established cannot be neglected.
Descendants using ceremonial offering of sacrifice to ancestors never ceases.
Of cultivating in oneself, its virtue only then genuine.
Of cultivating in the family, its virtue only then in surplus..
Of cultivating in the village, its virtue only then long.
Of cultivating in the nation, its virtue only then abundant.
Of cultivating in all under heaven, its virtue only then universal.
Hence,
Use oneself to observe oneself,
Use the family to observe the family,
Use the village to observe the village,
Use the nation to observe the nation,
Use all under heaven to observe all under heaven.
How can we know all under heaven correctly?
By using this.
First Pass: Chapter of the Week
References to ancestors and sacrifice in this chapter make it feel a bit culturally dated. No matter, I’ll fix this… or get a head ache trying!
The subject of this chapter, what is firmly rooted, is based on two words: (1) Shan (善) means: good; satisfactory; good; make a success of; perfect; kind; friendly; be good at; be expert in; be adept in; properly; be apt to, (2) Jian (建) means: build; construct; erect; establish; set up; found; propose; advocate. What does this really boil down to? I see these two words pointing to something we all sense, yet for which we have no ‘answer’.
The eternal mystery is, “where did all this (me, we, earth, stars) come from?” We see that Nature is perfectly established and have created stories to answer the why, where, when, what of it all: on one end we have the biblical stories which are part history, part myth. At the other end we have science… but in the end, all are stories. The ‘biblical’ story of China has a lot to do with descendants offering sacrifice to ancestors. I prefer science as it is less susceptible to bias, i.e., there are rigorous methodologies to prevent the ‘theory’ from getting ahead of the ‘observation’ (evidence). That said, science’s weakness lies in its bias toward the material, tangible, and measurable. Essentially, the eternal question can never be answered, at least in names and words!
What is firmly rooted cannot be pulled out; nor can ‘it’ be defined and answered. To me this is another way of saying, when your discernment penetrates the four quarters, are you capable of not knowing anything? Nevertheless, whatever this firmly rooted ‘it-ness’ is, we would be wise to use it. To keep returning to the primal mystery is the challenge. It is only from that raw experience, moment to moment, that we can know the question. This is what having a proper sense of awe is all about, in my view. The reason the offering of sacrifice by descendants will never come to an end is that when the people lack a proper sense of awe, then some awful visitation will descend upon them. In other words, we are always sobered by the awe-full mystery and pulled back into ‘its’ reality, (only to leave again, of course).
Making ‘offering sacrifice to ancestors never ceases‘ relevant to us may need a broader interpretation. For example, ancestors is all which came before us personally, or before our species. Sacrifice is that which we do, or don’t do, as participants in the mysterious ‘now’ of evolution / creation. We (all living things) are offering sacrifice, whether we think so or not. And we are all in the process of becoming ancestors. Being self-aware of it is less self-centric and ‘cool’, as they say. 😉
The series, ‘of cultivating in’ and ‘use the’, reminds me of the old adage about ‘walking a mile in another man’s shoes’. The world we see ‘out there’ is merely a reflection of ourselves – the biological ‘in here’. Yet, we are under the illusion (bio-hoodwink) that we experience an ‘objective’ reality. That illusion works well throughout nature. Only we (I suppose) have difficulty with this because we think. Using all under heaven to observe heaven helps demolish our self-centric point of view.
Finally, if you have read various translations of the Tao Te Ching, you may have noticed some translators endeavor to make the English sound beautiful and poetic. There is some downside to that (naturally… everything has a price). The wonderful thing about the original Chinese is its ultra terse nature. Basically, fewer words means more mystery, inviting the reader to read-between-the-lines all the more. Writing a translation that more people enjoy reading requires more beautiful and persuasive words. The unique thing about the Tao Te Ching for me is that it’s like a technical book on a spiritual subject (and thus less fun reading). A nice little irony, I’d say.