Translation
Under heaven, all say my way is great resembling nothing.
Man is only great by reason of resembling nothing.
If it resembled anything, long ago indeed, it would trifle as would man.
I have three treasures of which I hold and protect:
The first I call kindness,
The second I call thrift,
The third I call not daring to act before all under heaven.
Being kind, I can be brave,
Being thrifty, I can spread out,
Not daring to act before all under heaven acts, I can succeed steadily.
Now, abandoning kindness for daring,
Abandoning thrift for spreading out,
Abandoning the rear for the front,
Death!
Man using kindness in battle normally succeeds, and in defense normally resolute.
Heaven leads in rescuing using kindness of defense.
1) land under heaven all (each and every) say (call; name; meaning; sense) I (we) road (way, principle; speak; think) big (large; great; major) similar (like; seem; appear) no (not) resemble (be like). 天下皆谓我道大似不肖。(tiān xià jiē wèi wŏ dào dà sì bù xiào.)
2) husband (man) only (alone) big (large; great; major) reason (cause; on purpose; hence) similar (like; seem; appear) no (not) resemble (be like). 夫唯大故似不肖。(fū wéi dà gù sì bù xiào.)
3) like (as if, seem> if; > you) resemble (be like), for a long time (long; of a specified duration) already (indeed; really; how)! his (its; their; they; that) thin (thin and soft; fine; trifling) also (too) husband (man). 若肖，久矣！其细也夫。(ruò xiào, jiŭ yĭ! qí xì yĕ fū.)
4) I (we) have (exist) three (more than two; several; many) treasure (precious) hold (grasp; support) <conj.> and (yet, but) protect (maintain; preserve) of: 我有三宝持而保之：(wŏ yŏu sān băo chí ér băo zhī:)
5) one say (call; name) kind (loving; mother), 一曰慈，(yī yuē cí,)
6) two say (call; name) thrifty (frugal), 二曰俭，(èr yuē jiăn,)
7) three say (call; name) no (not) bold (dare; be certain) do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean; support) land under heaven earlier (first, ancestor). 三曰不敢为天下先。(sān yuē bù găn wéi tiān xià xiān.)
8) kind (loving; mother) reason (cause; on purpose; hence) can (be able to) brave (valiant), 慈故能勇，(cí gù néng yŏng,)
9) thrifty (frugal) reason (cause; on purpose; hence) can (be able to) wide (vast; expand; spread), 俭故能广，(jiăn gù néng guăng,)
10) no (not) bold (dare; be certain) do (act; act as; be; mean) land under heaven earlier (first, ancestor) reason (cause; hence) can (be able to) accomplish (become; result) sharp weapon (good tool) older (develop; increase_long). 不敢为天下先故能成器长。(bù găn wéi tiān xià xiān gù néng chéng qì cháng.)
11) modern (present-day; now) give up (abandon; give alms) kind (loving; mother) just (for the time being; even; both…and….) brave (valiant), 今舍慈且勇，(jīn shè cí qiĕ yŏng,)
12) give up (abandon; give alms) thrifty (frugal) just (for the time being; even; both…and….) wide (vast; expand; spread), 舍俭且广，(shè jiăn qiĕ guăng,)
13) give up (abandon; give alms) back (after) just (for the time being; even; both…and….) earlier (first, ancestor), 舍后且先，(shè hòu qiĕ xiān,)
14) die (extremely; deadly; fixed; rigid) already (indeed; really; how)! 死矣！(sĭ yĭ!)
15) husband (man) kind (loving; mother) use (take; so as to_and) war (fight) standard (norm; rule > imitate; follow) victory (success; surpass), use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) guard (defend; keep watch; abide by; near) standard (norm; rule > imitate; follow) solid (firm> originally > admittedly; no doubt). 夫慈以战则胜，以守则固。(fū cí yĭ zhàn zé shèng, yĭ shŏu zé gù.)
16) sky (heaven; day; season; nature; God) support (bring; handle, will> lead) rescue (save; help) of use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) kind (loving; mother) defend (guard; protect) of. 天将救之以慈卫之。(tiān jiāng jiù zhī yĭ cí wèi zhī.)
Third Pass: Chapter of the Month
Corrections:
Line 3: No big deal. Just a comma I felt needed moving.
Lines 15: Big deal! This line bothered me today. Man using kindness normally succeeds, according to rules admittedly. This just didn’t make sense. How did it ever? At first I thought, “Perhaps it just needs a little rephrasing”, like changing this “according to rules admittedly” to read something like “according to rules no doubt”, or “according to rules as a matter of course”.
Still not pleased with this, I slept on it. Today I dug deeper and I saw the light. Curiously, I had the pin yin right all along, but that’s another story. The problem is that the final characters toward the end can be read either as two words, or as one word. Why did I go for the one word meaning, when two makes much more sense? Who knows… certainly not me. In the end, it is all mysterious. Although, that may be a sign of me aging. 😉 Oh, memory is a curiously unreliable beast; it favors this and ignores that all the time.
Here is the change and the breakdown. Note also that I added the word battle; why I left that out I’ll never know, as well.
Man using kindness in battle normally succeeds, and in defense normally resolute.
husband (man) kind (loving; mother) use (take; so as to_and) war (fight) standard (norm; rule > imitate; follow) victory (success; surpass), use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) guard (defend; keep watch; abide by; near) standard (norm; rule > imitate; follow) solid (firm> originally > admittedly; no doubt). 夫慈以战则胜，以守则固。(fū cí yĭ zhàn zé shèng, yĭ shŏu zé gù.)
Reflections:
Lines 3 tickled me today. If it resembled anything, long ago indeed, it would trifle as would man. Yes, I even chuckled. Why is difficult to answer. Perhaps, its truth struck me deeply at that moment. They say laugher is a release of tension, which sounds about right. Now, it is not the first time I’ve considered that view, or been struck by it; indeed, I hold it deeply. Yet, in that moment, it re-struck me. It just goes to show how important it is to keep words alive and connected into what they echo. It is all too easy to lazily fall back on our ‘talking points’. On the other hand, lazy rest is good. As always, balance is my Holy Grail.
This is an interesting problem. Words can dull perception and shield us from the vibrant emptiness that flushes each moment. On the other hand, we can use words to point out that mind numbing effect to which we so often turn. The three treasures help.
Kindness: When I can muster enough of this emotion, it neutralizes any tendency I feel to judge others. Words being the key tool we use in passing judgment. Words permit us to hold on to our judgments permanently. Holding-on shields us from the emptiness by producing an illusion of self, i.e., Buddha’s 2nd Truth, “… The illusion of self originates and manifests itself in a cleaving to things“. We then waste much of life protecting that fantasy. Conversely, with less illusion-of-self (ego) to protect, I can be brave.
Thrift: When I can muster enough restraint, I am more likely to stop in time. Man handles the realization to stop. Knowing to stop [he] can be without danger. Having restraint, I can spread out.
Not daring to act: When I can muster enough patience, I am better able to follow circumstances. Without patience, I tend to push my own agenda to make circumstance conform to my ideal. Naturally, I can’t see the futility and failure of this approach when I’m in hot pursuit of my immediate goal. Conversely, Not daring to act before all under heaven acts, I can succeed steadily.
I can succeed steadily holds a subtle clue. Succeed steadily as contrasted with winning the jackpot, the game, the prize, our hearts desire, etc., suddenly. Our biological urge to have it all, and have it now, is as detrimental to well-being as it is powerful. Of course, in wilderness circumstances—sans civilization—this urge would be much less of a problem. Nature’s wild side would keep these urges in check constantly. How? The last line offers a hint to contemplate: Heaven leads in rescuing using kindness of defense.
Second Pass: Work in Progress
Issues:
This chapter came across as having the most awkward translation wording of any chapter to date. Shame on me! However, maybe it was just a poor choice for a few words that brought the whole experience tumbling down (to be melodramatic about it). I usually translate tiānxià (天下) as land under heaven, or just under heaven. For some reason I used below heaven. Xià (下) means under, below, down; underneath; lower; inferior; next… to name a few of its many uses. But, when used with heaven, under just feels better. Go figure.
Next, the line 3 reads in part, … long ago already it would trifle. Here, already feels a bit awkward. The character here, Yǐ (矣), means already; indeed; really; ‘how’. Long ago indeed, fits the mood better, perhaps.
Finally, the line 7 reads, The third I call not daring to act before all under heaven. I don’t know if the word before (all under heaven) conveys the point. In advance of (all under heaven) may put it better, but I prefer to keep the word count low… Chinese style. So, I’ll leave it before for now, unless anyone has another idea.
Commentary:
The not daring to act before all under heaven (or in advance of) is another way of describing wéi wú wéi (为无为) of chapters 3 and 63. Such acting without acting (doing without doing) is letting all under heaven take the lead, and leaving me to simply conform. Conforming to how it is—reality—is so easy, and yet so impossible. To me, that really parallels chapter 70’s Our words are very easy to know, very easy to do. Under heaven none can know, none can do. Although, getting older does make it considerably easier, mainly because after years and years of seeing how ‘jumping the gun’ doesn’t bear quality fruit in the long term. Letting nature take its course, whenever I am able to do so, always seems to turn out just right, or to put it in Taoist terms, Zì rán (自然) which means: natural world; nature; naturally; in the ordinary course of events; of course; naturally.
These two characters offer an interesting glimpse into the idea of what nature is, in my view. Sometimes I think we get so used to using a word, we forget what it really implies. So consider this: Zì (自) means: self; oneself; one’s own; certainly; of course; from; since. And Rán (然) means: right; correct; so; like that. Put two meaning together you get, self right, certainly correct, self like that, and so on. I see no hint of free will, ideals or choice. I suspect that the whole notion of free will is a somewhat ‘modern’ one (i.e., modern being from the times of Jesus up until now). That said, I suppose there has always been some sense of implied free will, which is what wéi wú wéi deflates.
I experienced another example of lost word meaning years ago. I was curious to know more about the origin of the word religion. I found it is derived from old Latin meaning reunite. Of course, that is the core purpose of all religion; to help individuals reunite and become whole (in whatever path that works out for the individual). Using that definition, I can easily see recognizing stamp collecting, sports, music, and a host of other paths as religion. I suppose the most effective paths are the ones that reconcile us to loss and death. All those other ‘religions’ fail in that regard. Indeed, they are more about gain and life, which in the end… ends. A teaching that embraces nothing is most effective path to reunion.
Suggested Revision:
Under heaven, all say my way is great resembling nothing.
Man is only great by reason of resembling nothing.
If it resembled anything, long ago indeed, it would trifle as would man.
I have three treasures of which I hold and protect:
The first I call kindness,
The second I call thrift,
The third I call not daring to act before all under heaven. (in advance of?)
Being kind, I can be brave,
Being thrifty, I can spread out,
Not daring to act before all under heaven acts, I can succeed steadily.
Now, abandoning kindness for daring,
Abandoning thrift for spreading out,
Abandoning the rear for the front,
Death!
Man using kindness normally succeeds, according to rules admittedly.
Heaven leads in rescuing using kindness of defense
First Pass: Chapter of the Week
If the whole world says that my way is vast and resembles nothing, why are we driven to say what ‘it’ resembles? Some examples of ‘resemblances’ that come to mind are: God, Allah, Nature, Peace, Love, Tao, etc (Tao is the only one that comes with a disclaimer, i.e., “The Tao that can be spoken is not the constant Tao”. Curiously, the view that “if it resembled anything it would, long before now, have become small” is one shared by few. I suppose giving name and definition to indistinct and shadowy experience is our way of placing ‘it’ upon a pedestal(1). Clearly, such pedestal-placing behavior is at least partly an emergent property of our social, hierarchical nature. Although, there’s another side to this too.
This chapter also parallels chapter two’s, It is because it lays claim to no merit, that its merit never deserts it. Although, written in this order puts the cart before the horse, in my view. More accurate would be, ‘it is because we don’t feel merit that we feel compelled to lay claim to merit’. Likewise, from a symptom’s point-of-view, we define, praise and put ‘it’ upon a pedestal because we fail to feel One with ‘it’(2). The ‘resemblances’ we name simply indicate our yearning for what we feel missing. Put another way, the resemblances we name reveal our inner weakness–Weakness is the means the way employs. Our weakness drives us to define ‘it’. Ironically, in defining ‘it’, it becomes small returning us back to square one. This drives some to become fervent bomb throwing fundamentalist of one neurotic stripe or another.
I find that loving and compassion requires some bravery on my part. Pigeon-holing-judgments are easy to make and cowardly compared to courage I must draw upon to withhold judgment (i.e., fearless in being timid). Loving also entails restraint. Passionate loving (or hating) emotion, focusing narrowly as it does, is plainly elitist pedestal-placing behavior. Focusing the mind’s light in one direction leave the rest of the ‘big picture’ in darkness. Thrift preserves some of that light for the other side of the coin.
If kindness, thrift and not daring to act are more beneficial, why is the opposite often more easy? Clearly, daring, spreading out, and getting out in front feel like sure paths to success and survival. Concerns that they may end in death are out of sight, out of mind. We also tend to think we are the exception to the rule. Deeper still, this daring, spreading out, and leading in front serves social dynamics; it stirs the tribal pot! It is hard to stir up support for war, for example, without the passionate “we’re the best, we’re right, we’ll win”.
Although, the deepest reason may be in how the urge to do the opposite of what is prudent influences the course of evolution in a round-a-bout way. It is another of Mother Nature’s hoodwinks I dare say. Here-in I see an ingenious side to nature’s game: Any individual that becomes aware of the hoodwink can better avoid the hook and improve their chance at survival. Wisdom, in the final analysis, may just lie in becoming keenly aware of the hoodwink. Certainly, knowledge, I.Q., talent, etc., don’t seem to confer much if anything to wisdom. Indeed, for all I know, it could be just the opposite. Even age is only relatively helpful. It is no accident that chapter three says, He always keeps them innocent of knowledge and free from desire, and ensures that the clever never dare to act. Alas, we are masters at willfully innovating while ignorant of the constant. Nature’s hoodwinks are evolutionary ‘tests’. Species that pass the test persist; those that don’t perish.
(1) My long felt reluctance to elevating things to ‘pedestal’ status must be genetic. I seem to instinctively level, if not knock down, anything that sticks up. I expect this is the key reason a Taoist point of view feels so comfortable and natural to me. Impartiality seems only natural; it is my own agenda that skews my view. Whenever I scratch the surface of my perceptions, mysterious sameness appears. That we are by-and-large a hierarchical species (i.e., set things on pedestals) is what accounts for so few people drawn to a Taoist point of view. In other words, the philosophy that an individual adopts is most likely the one that says what they innately want to hear. What could be more natural!
(2) Why do we fail to feel one with ‘it’? As I see it, words and names (and the language they enable) cut both ways. Cognitive thinking allows our discernment [to] penetrates the four quarters. The unintended consequence of that strength is the flip side. Our ability to be capable of not knowing anything is crippled.