Tao te Ching: 52

There was a beginning of the universe
Which may be called the Mother of the Universe.
He who has found the mother (Tao)
And thereby understands her sons (things)
And having understood the sons,
Still keeps to its mother,
Will be free from danger throughout his lifetime.
Close the mouth
Shut the doors (of cunning and desire),
And to the end of life there will be (peace) without toil.
Open the mouth.
Meddle with affairs,
And to the end of life there will be no salvation.
Seeking what is small is called enlightenment.
Keeping to weakness is called strength.
Use the light.
Revert to enlightenment,
And thereby avoid danger to one's life–
This is called practicing the eternal.

Again, a cautionary tale. Each one is slightly different but they all hit on the same topics: the one, the two, the three, and the ten thousand. Practice hsü. Rule with wu-wei. What is most interesting to me is that it says keep to the light and revert to enlightenment.

Reversion is the action of Tao, so if we stop trying, we become enlightened. It is only by struggling and not following Tao that we are not enlightened.

How odd, then for a philosophy that says to keep to the black and not the white, to advocate the light. We equate white and light today, but this puts me in the mind of space in a way. Let the Tao be your star. A guide home.

Tao te Ching: 51

Tao produces them (the ten thousand things).
Virtue fosters them.
Matter gives them physical form.
The circumstances and tendencies complete them.
Therefore the ten thousand things esteem Tao and honor virtue.
Tao is esteemed and virtue is honored without anyone's order.
They always come spontaneously.
Therefore Tao produces them and virtue fosters them.
They rear them and develop them.
They give them security and give them peace.
They nurture them and protect them.
(Tao) produces them but does not take possession of them.
It acts, but it does not rely on its own ability.
It leads them but does not master them.
This is called the profound and secret virtue.

And now we return to hsüan-te, the profound and secret virtue from Chapter 10. This is the mysterious and secret virtue that has Tao inherent in it. The one produces the two, the two produce the three, and the three produce the ten thousand things. Yet, these ten thousand things do not exist on their own nor as a collective. These ten thousand things are us, the animals, plants, everything we can point to and many things we can't.

These ten thousand things are from Tao, and te (virtue) fosters them. What does it mean that virtue fosters them? It means that it allows them to grow. And they do grow. Why is it virtue? Because it is the thing that proceeds from Tao without being named. The great virtue and the specific virtue. Quiddity and haecceity. This was in Chapter 21, and is opposed to the cultivated virtue of Confucianism and other systems that attempt to find te because they do not follow Tao.

This chapter reminds that hsüan-te is not one of the ten thousand things, but rather more of it and a part of all of them. It reminds us that Tao and te are not matter on their own, and that they do not have matter except through the ten thousand things.

Tao te Ching: 50

Man comes into life and goes out to death.
Three out of ten are companions of life.
Three out of ten are companions of death.
And three out of ten in their lives lead from activity to death.
And for what reason?
Because of man's intensive striving after life.
I have heard that one who is a good preserver of life will
not meet tigers or wild buffalos.
And in fighting will not try to escape from weapons of war.
The wild buffalo cannot but its horns against him,
The tiger cannot fasten its claws in him,
And weapons of war cannot thrust their blades into him.
And for what reason?
Because in him there is no room for death.

Han Fei Tzu had an interesting thought about this, not so much that the translation was three of ten but three and ten. Thirteen, which is the number of the four limbs and the nine external cavities. There is more about that in Han Fei Tzu's work.

If it's three of ten, then Lao Tzu seems to be missing one in there somewhere. Perhaps that one is the one he is speaking of: the good preserver of life.

This seems to be rooted in the same segments as the non-violence protocols of the Buddhists. Do not harm, do what is best for life and life will do what you need. I'm somewhat baffled by this passage though, as many of the chapters are very practical advice that is easy to follow. The message of this one seems to be that your life will be more peaceful if you yourself are a good steward and preserver of life. Perhaps that is true. After all, in Chapter 46 he says that those who make war are plagued by war, and those who make peace live in peace.

Tao te Ching: 49

The sage has no fixed (personal) ideas.
He regards the people's ideas as his own.
I treat those who are good with goodness,
And I also treat those who are not good with goodness.
Thus goodness is attained.
I am honest to those who are honest,
And I am also honest to those who are not honest.
Thus honesty is attained.
The sage, in the government of his empire, has no subjective
viewpoint.
His mind forms a harmonious whole with that of his people.
They all lend their eyes and ears, and he treats them all
as infants.

Lao Tzu says that the sage, the good leader, doesn't have a personal agenda. He reacts (as much as a ruler of wu-wei reacts) to the will and needs of the people, but always deals with goodness and honesty. Goodness is subjective to so many people, but haven't you known someone who seemed wonderful and good, even though you just met them? Even if they don't agree with you? This person is gentle and subtle and feminine (passive, vacuous), all the things we would want to see in a mother. That is why these are all metaphors Lao Tzu uses for the Tao.

This method of behavior is what Lao Tzu means.

Tao te Ching: 48

The pursuit of learning is to increase day after day.
The pursuit of Tao is to decrease day after day.
It is to decrease and further decrease until one reaches the
point of taking no action.
No action is undertaken, and yet nothing is left undone.
An empire is often brought to order by having no activity
(laissez-faire),
If one (likes to) undertake activity, he is not qualified to
govern the empire.

This is the chapter that prevents me from ever becoming a Taoist. Is it a failing on my part, an incompatibility, or something with Taoism? I do not know.

I understand that the pursuit of Tao is to decrease. Get rid of your baggage, get rid of your assumptions, quit trying to acquire things. Simplicity. I can respect that and find great peace as I simplify my own life. It is only the word learning that gets to me. Perhaps another translation would have a better feel for me. Too many say learning or knowledge. It may mean to acquire, to build the assumptions and general knowledge.

I draw a line and say that truth (or perhaps Truth, if there is such a thing) is not something to increase or decrease.

I find learning vital, how else would one know about the Tao?

Tao te Ching: 47

One may know the world without going out of doors.
One may see the Way of Heaven without looking through
the windows.
The further one goes, the less one knows.
Therefore the sage knows without going about,
Understands without seeing,
And accomplishes without any action.

The last sentence obviously makes this about wu wei. On the surface, it advocates contemplation and not exerting yourself, and what is more exhaustive and yearning than discovery and exploration? They are the epitome of grasping.

Lao Tzu cautions that one need not look beyond themselves to be able to follow the Tao. The Tao is in all things, and if we allow ourselves to follow it, we will have great contentment and spontaneity of action. Nothing will be forced, we will act without thinking strenuously or acting with effort. That is the way of Tao.

I can see this when I analyze it, but the surface translation seems to be the one I see most commonly. Stay at home. Do not discover or explore. Be happy with what you have. Knowledge is bad.

Keep in mind, knowledge most often means cunning, and cunning is an avaricious sort of intelligence. Wanting to expand and grow is what all life must do. That isn't against the Tao.

Tao te Ching: 46

When Tao prevails in the world, galloping horses are turned
back to fertilize (the fields with their dung),
When Tao does not pervail in the world, war horses
thrive in the suburbs.
There is no calamity greater than lavish desires.
There is no greater guilt than discontentment.
And there is no greater diaster than greed.
He who is contented with contentment is always contented.

When man follows Tao, his resources go into cultivation and creation. When he does not, we see the implements of war in our towns and neighborhoods. Would you rather that we used steel and manpower to build a bridge or to see the jeep and machine gun drive down your neighborhood street? I would rather put our resources into something worth and noble and creative than into war.

Besides, horses tear up yards if there are enough of them. All the tromping and stomping eventually destroys the landscaping. Wouldn't that be true of tanks rolling down the street and security checkpoints set up in intersections? The beauty and cultivation are gone for the pragmatism (and some would say paranoia) of security and war.

Practice hsü and vacuity so that you do not want things you do not need. If you want too much, if you're too greedy, you make yourself sick and unhappy. It is your own doing, no one else's. Advertisement and marketing only exposes you to what is out there. It tries to make you want and desire and covet, but ultimately it's up to you.

The Four Noble Truths align perfectly with this chapter: there is suffering in the world, it is caused because you want stuff. You can make the suffering end. Taoism simply says to follow Tao. The entire book gives examples of what following Tao looks like, but Buddhism differs by actually offering the Eight Fold Path, which is a way to accomplish that cessation of want/greed/coveting.

You will always want and need things, but you won't always suffer for not having them. That is the difference between being greedy and not being greedy.

Tao te Ching: 45

What is most perfect seems to be incomplete;
But its utility is unimpaired.
What is most full seems to be empty;
But its usefulness is inexhaustible.
What is most straight seems to be crooked.
The greatest skills seems to be clumsy.
The greatest eloquence seems to stutter.
Hasty movement overcomes cold,
(But) tranquility overcomes heat.
By being greatly tranquil,
One is qualified to be the ruler of the world.

I've known people that this applies to, both personally and culturally. It makes me think of the simplicity of the Dalai Lama, or the folksy eloquence of Will Rogers or Woodie Guthrie. There are people that are seen as the masters of their craft, and yet they do it so casually that it seems that not only is it done in an offhand manner, but that the individual parts don't equal the great total at the end.

A great speaker may include "ums" or asides, becoming all the more human and making their message all the more potent for it. Had they simply rehearsed over and over, it may have been perfect but it would have not resonated so.

If something is looks good, but isn't quite perfect, but it still works best then it is perfect. So says the Tao.

The fullness through emptiness theme is visited once again. It's something to aspire to as a person, I think. To have a wide range of skills and proficiencies and yet be plain and unassuming; simply useful when needed. It's also something to aspire to when packing luggage. Practical advice for vacations, courtesy of thousands of years ago.

Tranquility takes a dual meaning at the end. Moving quickly, such as jogging or running, can keep you warm when it is frigid outside. Being slow and not overexerting yourself helps one keep their cool during the sweltering summer. Yet that lack of exertion is actually the practice of wu wei, which every other line describes as well. The best comes naturally, without being forced. The sage is that type of man.

Tao te Ching: 44

Which does one love more, fame or one's own life?
Which is more valuable, one's own life or wealth?
Which is worse, gain or loss?
Therefore he who has lavish desires will spend extravagantly.
He who hoards most will lose heavily.
He who is contented suffers no disgrace.
He who knows when to stop is free from danger.
Therefore he can long endure.

Chapter 9 says similar. In fact, several chapters speak on the good of stopping at the appropriate time, not seeking too much. This combines nicely with chapter 43's discussion on reaping what you sow. I feel this chapter is largely self explanatory.

Something to think about when considering that big, unnecessary purchase or a second helping.

Yet, there are reasons to go into danger. There are reasons why the endurance of one isn't worth the sacrifice of all. This probably goes back to the basic reason I'm not a Taoist: there are some things greater than us as individuals, and they are worth the sacrifice.

While chapter 34 talks about accomplishing the task and not taking credit for it, I do not think it means great missions with risk and reward. Adventure and exploration do not seem to be a part of Taoism.

Chapter 31 discusses weapons specifically as tools of evil, something to be used when necessary. Is science, too, something best used when necessary? Does the use of weapons extend to other technologies? Without striving, without seeking more, would we have ever left our ancestral homelands? Would we ever make it beyond this world and to others?

We always use the expansion to the "new world" of the Americas as our model for moving to a populated world. Science fiction is full of it. Why not? It's really our best example of a land we anticipated as "empty" (clearly it wasn't, the first explorers knew that very quickly). Australia is another example, and so the science fiction trope of a prison planet exists as well.

If we had expanded and peacefully joined another civilization, would Taoism be more kindly to expansion? Or would it still be part of war, as all our expansions in the past have been, something best done only when necessary and realizing it taints you and is best finished and done?

Tao te Ching: 43

The softest things in the world overcome the hardest
things in the world.
Non-being penetrates that in which there is no space.
Through this I know the advantage of taking no action.
Few in the world can understand teaching without words
and the advantage of taking no action.

It would be less of a blog and more of a transcription if I did all of this without words. It would mean I could get away with forgetting to hit the publish post button too.

Chapters 8 and 15 use the ideal of water as the soft thing that overcomes. Chapter 22 all but describes a tree in pliancy and yielding, yet ultimately weathering and surviving. Remember that from non-being comes being, and from being comes the many things, so that all things are ultimately of the non-being. If nothing can get in, then the only thing inside is that same nothing.

Teaching without words, silent transmission of doctrine, is the distinguishing characteristic of Zen Buddhism. We see it mentioned here again.

Tao te Ching: 42

Tao produced the One.
The One produced the two.
The two produced the three.
And the three produced the ten thousand things.
The ten thousand things carry the yin and embrace the
yang, and through the blending of the material force (ch'i)
they achieve harmony.
People hate to be the orphaned, the lonely ones, and the unworthy.
And yet kings and lords call themselves by these names.
Thereore it is often the case that thing gain by
losing and lose by gaining.
What other have taught, I teach also;
"Violent and fierce people do not die a natural death."
I shall make this the father (basis or starting point) of my teaching.

The One is usually thought to be the ultimate thing. In chapter 25, Lao Tzu calls it Nature. The two are Yin and Yang, or the Feminine and the Masculine. The Dark and the Light. The three are Nature and Yin and Yang, and the way that they meld together makes up the ten thousand things. We all have some Yin and some Yang and we are all part of Nature. No matter how we name things, and we do and this divides things as explained in chapter 2, we are all still a part of Nature.

There is a path of Buddhist thought that says that we are nothing but the conjunction of five skandhas, or aggregates. The skandhas are form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. Perception isn't limited to the senses, but also how we perceive with our minds. So perception is also cognition. Volition isn't simply potential, though it is that, it is also impulse and action. The way these things combine make up us. It is a unique combination, but we cannot say we are any of these things. Remember the chariot and Nagasena, when he discusses the skandhas. The Yin and Yang are a part of Nature and yet distinct from it in the same way.

In my mind, this means that we are all the same stuff. If someone wants to call it Nature, the Universe, or God, it doesn't really matter. I think of it as a sort of sheet. Imagine you stick your five fingers up under the sheet and bring them together so that 5 parts of the cloth all touch each other. The union of the five parts is us, thinking we're something separate from the sheet. In a way we are, but in a much larger sense we are all the same thing and those fingers are only temporarily holding us there. If they move, all of us that was there is still there, just in a different configuration.

The quote at the end of the chapter, though it has no attribution because it's such a common aphorism, is no less true. It is probably more true because so many people in so many cultures say the same. Some look at it as Karma, Reversion, some look at it as the Golden Rule, some look at it as the Rule of Three. Physics even has this, with Newton's 3rd law. Everything has consequences. You are what you do. You are a part of everything, so remember, you also do everything.

That last thought keeps the greed monster low. I already have this, or that, why do I need it again?

Sometimes it works.

Back to It

I spent the last month working on a novel. It isn't finished, but it is very much underway. Sorry about the hiatus; philosophy and fiction (in this instance) don't mesh well.

Daily (or as near daily as I can manage) posting resumes tomorrow, December 3rd.