Chapter 61

^[1]  Translating this line, paradoxical ‘omnipotent’ nature of the lower position, is more extemporaneous and iffy than most, especially as I’m striving to stay as close to the original. Capturing the feeling requires few words, few words increases the murky like muddy water–ness. Oh well…

Fourth Pass: Chapter of the Month (pandemic era) 8/3/2022

Zoom on YouTube Recordings:

https://youtu.be/1RHm3zAax4k 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?

This is in regards to the words larger and smaller used in this chapter. I made the following corrections in 2012. They still make sense, but I’ll add a few more thoughts on this at the end of the Reflections section.

I completely dropped ‘country’ ( 国) from my poetry, i.e., larger country ( 大国) smaller country (小国), and instead just use the adjectives:  The larger (大) and The smaller (小). The character for ‘country’ ( 国) is found about ten times in the Tao Te Ching. D.C. Lau usually translates it as empire or state. I shift back and forth throughout my translation, either omitting it, or translating it as country, empire, state or nation, all of which can apply. Thinking of this character and its meaning in a deeper and more personal way, country make sense, as would ‘native home’. Nations, states, empires are all recent cultural adaptations… emergent properties arising from our primal tribal instinct. What is the most useful way to interpret this for common people (not kings or presidents)? Sometimes just leaving it silent and implied may work best. Anyway, that was what I’ve done here. The dynamics of The larger (大) and The smaller (小) apply universally, not just to country or state. On the other hand, using country or state as an example of the process can help illuminate it.

Reflections

The larger spreads below where all under heaven meet.
Of all under heaven, the female normally uses stillness to overcome the male.
Using stillness she supports the lower position.

Reading this chapter today, it came across as the dynamic necessary for social harmony. The connection between the larger and smaller forces in life unfold more harmoniously when the larger entity takes the lower position.

The male (yang or active) side of our nature innately drives us to succeed (win, overcome). The female (yin or passive) side of our nature innately drives us to back off, take the lower position—be ‘lazy’.  So how is it that the female side uses stillness to overcome the male? Fundamentally, the male eventually runs out of energy, where as the female stillness is the result of the dispersal of that male energy. In other words, entropy is where organized energy always ends up. Stillness overcomes the male sooner or later. You might say, stillness has eternity on its side.

I experienced this in a practical way with by young sons. When they would throw a tantrum, all I as the larger entity needed to do was be still and wait them out. Patience is the most powerful tool available to parents rearing children. Unfortunately, in our modern and socially fragmented society, deep patience is often lacking. We want what we want, and we want it now!

For this reason, the larger, using the lower position, normally takes in the smaller,
The smaller, using the lower position, normally takes in the larger.

In relationships, one entity naturally becomes the larger while the other entity becomes the smaller. This is easy to notice in conversation, for instance. If I’m with a very talkative person, I’ll become quieter, and vice versa. There is no such thing as 50/50 in nature. Interactions between the larger and the smaller (the yang and the yin, the positive and the negative) maintain a natural dynamic balance.

When each side, the larger and the smaller, in a relationship use the lower position, their relationship is a harmonious flow, a dynamic balance of opposite forces. Absent that use of the lower position by both sides, chaos and dynamic imbalance ensue briefly until the relationship disintegrates.

Hence, perhaps the low takes in, perhaps the low yet taken in.
The larger only wishes concurrently to raise the people.
The smaller only wishes to join in the affairs of the people.

This larger versus smaller dynamic also applies to one’s inner life. These are the two competing sides of one’s personality. The relationship we have within ourselves will be either harmonious or destructive depending on each side of our nature’s ability to use the lower position.

The difficulty here is that we have no true control over those two sides of our nature. They are innate. The degree of each is determined by genetic inheritance, and then greatly influence by circumstances and our expectations. The wide scale imbalances that people suffer now is essentially a result of civilization, now made more acute by exponential increase in technological advances over the last few centuries.

Actually, the Tao Te Ching acknowledges this negative consequence of civilization. Thus, the problem began much earlier than a few centuries ago. (See The Tradeoff) As chapter 80 cautions,

Small country, few people.
Enable the existence of various tools, yet never need them.
Enable the people attach importance to death, yet not travel around.
Although there exists boats and carriages, there is no place to ride them.
Although there exists weapons, there is no place to deploy them.
Enable the people to again use the knotted rope.
Find their food sweet, their clothes beautiful.
Peaceful in their lives, happy in their customs.
Neighboring countries mutually seen in the distance,
Of chicken and dog sounds mutually heard.
People until death not mutually come and go.

The great irony for humanity lies in how we largely expect civilization to fix our problems. We are fundamentally blind to how central civilization itself is the underlying cause of our more troubling social and personal problems. Indeed, civilization weakens the natural sense of humility our ancestors experienced in the wild. We are blinded by the certainty of belief that civilizations promote—“education”. Chapter 71 identifies this as a disease, Realizing I don’t know is better; not knowing this knowing is disease.  We are cognitively certain (belief) that civilization is the solution, if only we could find the right way to tweak it. In other words, we have not even identified the real cause of our problem… our disease.

While civilization sets up the circumstances that we find ourselves in, the disease occurs on the individual level. Deeply realizing one has this disease makes management possible, which at least helps counteract the effect of civilization in one’s own life.

Both each satisfying the position they want,
The larger fittingly serves the lower position

In any relationship—be that in a country, between two people, or within one’s self—the larger (the most adept side) needs to serve the lower position to foster harmony of the whole. This is otherwise recognized and prized as humility. It is interesting to note that those larger forces who were unable to serve the lower position have gone down in history as villainous infamous people, e.g.,  Adolf Hitler,  Joseph Stalin, Vlad the Impaler, Pol Pot, Ivan the Terrible.

Conversely, those able to serve the lower position have gone down in history quite differently, e.g., Jesus, Buddha, Asoka, George Washington. Of course, there have also been all our innumerable ancestors who have been somewhere between these two extremes.

Correction section continued

I was thinking back to the era when the Tao Te Ching was created, ~500BCE (or earlier), China was either ruled under a single dynasty (Xia, Shang, Zhou) or a collection of warring states during the end of Zhou (Zhanguo 475–221 bce). Larger (大) and smaller (小) could refer to these states, or more accurately, I feel, native homes. This chapter then is offering counsel on how to bring about a harmonious relationship between them, and in principle, between any two entities or factions.

Chapter Archive https://youtu.be/WLMYBRHrm8U
This is the complete video. It begins with blowing Zen followed by the meeting

Third Pass: Chapter of the Month 11/14/2014

Reflections:

I’ve long found these three lines to be excellent advice, and when I can serve the lower position, it works like a charm. Of course, emotion is always ready to stir things up.

Of all under heaven,
… The female normally uses stillness to overcome the male.
Using stillness she supports the lower position.
The larger fittingly serves the lower position.

Over the years, I’ve found that as I reach deeper levels of that lower position I become aware of the flailing about of those at positions above me. Fear and insecurity are what keep us flailing about at ‘upper’ levels, and these emotions blind us to what lies below. I feel this is counts as one of the great ironies of life. Our fears drive us to reach for the ‘upper’ position, where we are all-the-more insecure and unstable. The peace we seek lies in serving the lower position, but the bio-hoodwink insistently tells us we will find peace only after we have control, reach the top, and succeed.

Chapter 37 just came to mind and fits very well with this chapter, although I suppose that can be said for many other chapters as well.

The way normally does nothing, yet there is nothing not done.
If kings and noblemen will abide by this,
Everything will self transform.
Transform yet desire rises;
Press it down using nameless simplicity.
Of nameless simplicity, man also supports without desire.
No desire and still, all under heaven will settle themselves.

This chapter also depicts the overall linkage in nature—the big picture. The odd thing is how small things can seem large and large things can seem small, on the surface… at first glance. That is because what we need (or fear) to see plays such a major role in perception, or rather what we think we see. This is where the symptoms point of view comes in handy. It gives you an opportunity to use stillness to overcome the male, plumb and ponder deeper waters than your initial surface impressions. Taking this vast web of interconnectivity into account leads the mind into a peaceful blank… or to terrible uncertainty.  😉

Speaking of “a peaceful blank”, chapter 64 comes to mind now.

Its peace easily manages, Its presence easily plans,
Its fragility easily melts, Its timeliness easily scatters,
Acts without existing, Governs without disorder.
A tree barely embraceable grows from a fine tip.
A terrace nine layers high rises from piled earth.
A thousand mile journey begins below the feet.
Of doing we fail, Of holding on we lose.

Taking this, the wise do nothing, hence never fail,
Hold nothing, hence never lose.
People in their affairs always accomplish some, yet fail.
Being as careful at the end as the beginning as a rule never fails.
Taking this, the wise person desires non desire,
And does not value difficult to obtain goods.
Learns non learning and turns around people’s excesses,
As well as assists all things naturally, and never boldly act.

The relationship of baby and mother offers a useful way to consider this dynamic in a very down to earth way. As people mature, they gradually shift from the smaller to the larger.  Maturity is the larger, and serves the lower position. Much of life is spend running away from the lower position, but in the end, it is everyone’s destiny. Of course, we must all begin at the beginning and work our way toward that end. Chapter 36’s first six lines describe the process succinctly…

In desiring to inhale, one must first open up.
In desiring weakness, one must first strive.
In desiring to let go, one must first begin.
In desiring to get, one must first give.
This saying is little understood.
Weakness is superior to strength…

Second Pass: Work in Progress 4/24/2012

Issues:

I completely dropped ‘country’ ( 国) from my poetry, i.e., larger country ( 大国) smaller country (小国), and instead just use the adjectives:  The larger (大) and The smaller (小). The character for ‘country’ ( 国) is found about ten times in the Tao Te Ching. D.C. Lau usually translates it as empire or state. I shift back and forth throughout my translation, either omitting it, or translating it as country, empire, state or nation, all of which can apply. Thinking of this character and its meaning in a deeper and more personal way, country make sense, as would ‘native home’. Nations, states, empires are all recent cultural adaptations… emergent properties arising from our primal tribal instinct. What is the most useful way to interpret this for common people (not kings, presidents)? Sometimes just leaving it silent and implied may work best. Anyway, that was what I’ve done here. The dynamics of The larger (大) and The smaller (小) apply universally, not just to country or state. On the other hand, using country or state as an example of the process can help illuminate it.

Line 3 is curious. Using stillness she serves the lower position. The character 为 has two pronunciations / meanings. Wéi with a rising tone means: do; act; act as; serve as; become; be; mean. Wèi with a falling tone is a preposition, or has a <formal> meaning: stand for, support. Squinting my nitpicking eye, I see the similar (if blurry) meaning both these share. Perhaps it would read a little better saying, Using stillness she supports the lower position.

I’d like to change For this reason to the simpler Hence or Therefore. I don’t know what came over me. The rest of the sentence is also awkward:  the low as well as taking in, the low yet taken in. Another way to say this could be: Hence, either the low takes in, or the low yet taken in. The character 或 (huò) means perhaps; maybe; probably; or; either…or…; <formal> someone. Fortunately as this is Taoism and not rocket science, we can also try Hence, perhaps the low takes in, perhaps the low yet taken in.

The larger only wishes to concurrently raise the people. Opps, split infinitive, so this is better restated: The larger only wishes concurrently to raise the people. Next, concurrently raise the people (兼畜人) is a little odd. The middle character xu is normally used when referring to domestic animals. In fact, the same character spoken as chu means domestic animal, livestock. Yet here the context refers to people. I like to think that is an early recognition that humans are simply animals, that the distinctions drawn are due to a kind of universal cultural myopia, i.e., Humans are special.

Next, there is concurrently: 兼 (jiān) double; twice; simultaneously; concurrently; hold two or more jobs concurrently. This is more easily understood if you’ve been a parent. The experience of being fulfilling two roles simultaneously, where as the child is fully occupied with being a child. As a parent, one is both still a child and a steward (parent). Well, at least that is one way to look at it.

On the last line I’ll add the missing ‘s’, i.e., The larger fittingly serves the lower position.

Finally, I’d reconsider using both wish and want, where as the character is 欲 (yù) which means desire; wish; want; about to. It may help to use one or the other, but not desire due to my view that desire is need + thought. Of course, the same can be said for wish and want. If only they had instead used the character 需 (xū): need; want; require; necessaries; needs. Oh good grief… semantics! Am I not a glutton for punishment. 😉

Commentary:

This  chapter was a doozy, issues-wise, so I’ll keep this short. This chapter was a very useful model / reminder for me in raising my kids… the ‘animal people’. Stillness really is the most powerful ‘weapon’ an adult has in dealing with kids… or animals, which really means anybody. But, it is easier to notice its effect in the more intuitive as they notice the stillness more readily, perhaps.

The virtue of the humble, lower position is universally acknowledged. Yet, I am also drawn to success and the ‘higher’ position—not surprising seeing how animals, and especially humans, want to have ‘it’ both ways (e.g., decrease taxes not benefits, eat rich food not get fat, and countless other double-dealings). Happily I am able to notice this and take the lower position with increasing grace as each year passes. You might say the female (time) only reveals herself after much of the male (energy) has spent himself.⁽¹⁾