It's been most of 20 years since I first discovered Lao Tsu's Tao Te Ching. I was in a pretty hippie-dippy lifestyle and mindset, and had all but shunned Catholicism. In short, it jived with me.
I'm a little bit less of a hippie now than I was then, but I reckon I'm still a hippie at heart and there's a lot about eastern thought that I still dig.
Whether it was age, immaturity, my daily bong hits for breakfast or a combination of all of the above, it was hard to wrap my head around every thing this text tried to communicate but it spoke to me nonetheless. I love the message in its passages and would be remiss if I didn't mention Benjamin Hoff's The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet as cornerstones for helping me better understand the concepts.
When I finished the last book I was reading and returned to my shelves for the next project I came across my old copy of Tao Te Ching, and although it sat there silent, sandwiched between Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild and D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, it spoke to me again.
And I couldn't have been happier to see my old friend.
So I've spent the last two months with it, contemplating its lines, embracing some of its messages, shaking my fists at its simplicity.
As a whole, the publication is as any other book is and should be: imperfect.
That doesn't detract from its message, though. I think -- as a people, a chapter in the universe's history -- that so much good could be harvested from the world if we all made an effort to follow a sliver of what Lao Tsu wrote. Like books, I'm far from perfect and am humbled by revisiting these pages and having a greater understanding of my flaws and how I can become a better human being.
Anyway: Whether it was a good idea or not, it occurred to me that I was nearing my 10,000th tweet and since the elements between heaven and earth are referred to as the 10,000 things, I thought I'd try to condense each chapter into a 140-character-or-less synopsis. There are a few exceptions around which I could not dance, and I should thank James Inman for turning me onto the Stephen Mitchell translation of the text, which I turned to often in this exercise. The results follow.
I love you people.
One
Speech/ID aren't being, but vehicles of care.
W/o want: confusion; w/focus: possibility. W/o light the homonymic
roots=obscurity illuminated
Two
B/c of beauty-->ugliness; good's deemed by
evil. Sage does not; the 10K things create w/o possession, work w/o credit,
forget into eternity.
Three
Don't pedestal talented=strife avoided. Greed:
quieted w/gain absence. Shun need=pure heart. Live 4 life, not want. Clear
mind=no lure. Undo
Four
Unfull/tapped the Taoan well=ever-replenished.
Blunted sharpness/untangled knot/softened glare. Merged w/dust the ageless
source in the dark
Five
No
sides in the universe. The 10K things=things. The wise=fair; people=just
people. Existence=a vacuum w/consistent movement. Stay centered.
Six
Between
heaven & earth=an undying spirit, the original mother who delivers
(clouded) life -- an available source -- to the 10K things/worlds
Seven
Heaven/earth=eternal,
for they weren't born/won't die. Behind but ahead, detached but w/all=the Sage
who finds fulfillment via selflessness.
Eight
Acme
of good=H2O; natural food 4 even the "unwanted," akin 2 the Tao.
Cherish the earth/embrace kindness, truth, justice, joy, & presence.
Nine
Seek
balance. Strive for the regard of others & you will become bound to them.
Rest upon work's completion & you will travel a peaceful path
Ten
Value
body/soul as 1. Be flexible/alert as an infant. Shed the past. Love/lead w/o
will. Be open 2 all. Have w/o possessing. Work w/o credit
Eleven
Spokes->wheel;
hub->movement. Clay->pot; space inside->use. Walls->doors/windows;
they lead outside. Merit: what's there; value: what's not.
Twelve
Color
blinds. Tones deafen. Flavors dull. Thoughts weaken. Desire decays. The Sage
follows feelings rather than senses; releasing, choosing.
Thirteen
Shame/misfortune=part
of humanity. Find acceptance in them & in being unimportant. Don't value
loss/gain. Surrender yourself; care for all.
Fourteen
It
can't be seen, heard, or held. It's not bright or dark. Approach: no beginning.
Follow: no end. Move w/present. Be @ ease n your own life
Fifteen
The
Sage: profound, subtle, wise, careful, alert, courteous, fluid, shapable,
receptive, clear. Be patient & still w/o seeking fulfillment.
Sixteen
(a)
B
empty, still, & watch the return of the 10K things as they rise & fall.
In growth they flourish, return 2 the source. The return=stillness
Sixteen
(b)
Stillness=nature.
Nature=unchanging. Constancy=open-mindedness. Open-mindedness=open-heartedness.
Open-heartedness=magnificent.
Sixteen
(c)
W/magnificence
comes divinity. W/divinity comes oneness. W/oneness comes the Tao (the way),
which is forever, even after our body dies.
Seventeen
Sanctity=almost
unknown. Next: known/loved. Then: feared. Last: despised. Lack of
trust->untrustworthiness. Sanctity does; we take credit.
Eighteen
Empty
mind=altruism. Knowledge begets feign. W/o peace in family, we have duty,
expected respect. W/peace in country, patriotism=forgotten.
Nineteen
W/o
holiness/wisdom->increased happiness. W/o morality/justice->increased
compassion. W/o imagination/gain->theft would fade. Temper desire.
Twenty
Unlike
others I drift, alone, have nothing; am a fool, confused, dim, weak, and dull.
Give up learning; end your troubles. I am nourished.
Twenty-one
Elusive,
intangible is the way and the greatest merit is to follow the way. Within are
image, form, essence, and in the essence, faith.
Twenty-two
If
there is a thing you want, embrace its opposite and you shall have. By not
doing, brightened becomes the value of all there is to be done
Twenty-three
If
the universe cannot make a thing everlasting, why would man think *he* can?
Open yourself up to the thing. Be at one with whatever it is.
Twenty-four
Stand
firm. Employ a steady pace. Avoid flashiness. Do not be smug, boast, or brag.
These pieces of extra baggage do not bring happiness.
Twenty-five
The
Tao is serene, empty, solitary, unchanging, infinite, present. It flows through
all things, inside and out, returning to the origin.
Twenty-six
The
Sage travels all day, unattached & calm in the presence of the beautiful
things. He is heavy like light's root, unmoved by restlessness.
Twenty-seven
The
Sage cares for all men, all things, abandons none. He respects the teacher,
cares for the student. His open mind lets intuition lead him
Twenty-eight
W/man's
strength, woman's care, honor, & humility, u can return 2 the state of the
uncarved block, be a child again, an example to the world
Twenty-nine
The
universe=sacred. It cannot be improved, changed, or held. Ahead/behind, hard/easy,
strong/weak, up/down, the Sage avoids extremes.
Thirty
Do
-- w/o force -- what must be done. Achieve results w/o glory, boasting, or
pride. Results=the natural way. But not through violence.
Thirty-one
The
wise uses weapons only when he has no choice. He endears peace & quiet,
does not rejoice at victory; that would show delight in killing.
Thirty-two
Undefined,
unformed, the Tao cannot be harnessed or grasped. Otherwise, the 10K things
would obey, heaven & earth would come together.
Thirty-three
Know
others=wisdom. Know the self=enlightenment. Mastering others requires force.
Mastering the self needs strength. Stay present, centered.
Thirty-four
The
Tao flows everywhere; the 10K things depend on it, return to it. It fulfills
w/o claim/is not their lord/does not show greatness.
Thirty-five
Keeping
to the Tao keeps one in touch w/universal harmony. Still it cannot be
described. It cannot be seen, heard, or exhausted.
Thirty-six
Expand
b4 shrink; strong b4 weak; raised b4 cast down; giving b4 receiving: natural
perception. Soft/weak>hard/strong; no weapons display.
Thirty-seven
Tao's
non-action leaves nothing undone. Were rulers 2 c, the 10K things->natural
development. W/o form: no desire; w/o desire: tranquility.
Thirty-eight
Lost
Tao=goodness. Lost goodness=kindness. Lost kindness=justice. Lost
justice=ritual. Ritual=faith/loyalty/chaos root. The fruit>the flower
Thirty-nine
Sky:
clear; earth: firm; spirit: strong; valley: full; 10K things: alive. All:
whole. Humble=noble root. Love the parts/understand the whole
Forty
Returning
is the motion of the Tao. Yielding is the way of the Tao. The 10K things are
born of being. Being is born of not being.
Forty-one
Bright
seems dim; forward like retreat; easy way seems hard. Great talent ripens late;
highest notes=hard 2 hear. The greatest form=no shape
Forty-two
The
10K things carry yin, embrace yang. Combined: harmony. Ordinary men hate
solitude but the Sage embraces aloneness; he's one w/universe.
Forty-three
What
has no substance enters where there is no space. The Sage teaches w/o words,
performs w/o actions. Too much success=not an advantage.*
*last
line from chapter 39
Forty-four
He
who is attached to things will suffer much. A contented man -- he who shuns
fame, self, wealth, gain, and loss -- is never disappointed.
Forty-five
The
Sage allows things to happen, shaping them as they come. Sidestepping,
stillness and tranquility set things in order in the universe.
Forty-six
No
greater sin: desire. No greater curse: discontent. No greater misfortune:
wanting something for oneself. Know when enough's enough.
Forty-seven
Know
heaven/earth thru ur window. See (like the Sage) w/o looking. Work w/o doing.
Know w/o travel. The more u know, the less u understand.
Forty-eight
The
Sage gains by letting go. To pursue learning=acquisition; to pursue the
Tao=dropping. W/less done, non-action occurs/nothing left undone
Forty-nine
The
Sage knows others' needs, is good to the good, has faith in the faithful, is
shy/humble. Others look 2 him/listen. His mind: like space.
Fifty
Aware
of death, the Sage has no illusions of mind/resistances of body. His actions
flow from his core. Death awaits, like sleep after work.
Fifty-one
The
Tao births/nourishes/maintains/cares/comforts/protects all things. It creates
w/o possessing, acts w/o expecting, guides w/o interfering
Fifty-two
Judgment
& desire->troubled heart. Seeing the small=insight. Yielding to
force=strength. Use instinct & return 2 insight, safeness from harm
Fifty-three
Be
aware when things are out of balance. The Sage walks the main road, his only
fear straying from it. Stay centered within the Tao.
Fifty-four
Cultivate
virtue in your self and you may cultivate it in your family, then your village,
which will flow into your nation, the universe.
Fifty-five
Knowing
harmony is constancy=enlightenment. The Sage never expects results, avoids
disappointment. W/o disappointment, his spirit never ages
Fifty-six
Be
at one w/the dust of the earth. In this state, friends/enemies, good/harm,
honor/disgrace will leave you untroubled. It is primal union.
Fifty-seven
W/o
action, people=reformed. W/peace, people become honest. W/o doing, people
become rich. W/o desire, people return to the good/simple life
Fifty-eight
Serve
as an example w/o imposing will. Be sharp w/o cutting; pointed not piercing;
straightforward not unrestrained; brilliant not blinding.
Fifty-nine
Moderation
shows freedom from one's own ideas. Be tolerant, pervasive, firm, supple, w/o
destination. Make use of what life brings your way.
Sixty
It
is possible to render evil's power so that it will not harm others. Give it
nothing to oppose and watch in refreshment as it disappears.
Sixty-one
Obtain
humility thru trust & eliminate defensiveness. Realize mistakes;
admit/correct them. Identify fault pointers as benevolent teachers.
Sixty-two
Sweet
words=honor. Good deeds=respect. Do not abandon the bad. Find & seek; sin
& be forgiven. This is Tao, the source of the 10K things.
Sixty-three
Great
acts: made up of small deeds. Confront the difficult while it’s still easy.
Give yourself 2 it w/o clinging 2 comfort. Problem erased.
Sixty-four
People
may fail on the verge of success. Give as much 2 the end as the
beginning->no failure. Seek freedom from desire. Don't hold, collect.
Sixty-five
Rule
w/o cleverness & u bless the land. Simplest path=clearest. Content w/an
ordinary life, u can lead people back to their own true nature.
Sixty-six
2
guide: 2 serve w/humility. Lead by following behind & eliminate any sense
of oppression. Stand in front: protect from harm. Compete w/none
Sixty-seven
From
mercy comes courage; from economy comes generosity; from humility comes
leadership. Simplicity, patience, & compassion for all beings.
Sixty-eight
By
not striving we develop the ability to deal with people. W/o violence, anger,
vengeance, and through humility, we forge a unity w/heaven.
Sixty-nine
You
gotta sleep on your toes...& then moving in silently, down wind & out
of sight, You gotta strike when the moment is right w/o thinking*
*This
chapter seemed hypocritical and incongruous with many of the previous chapters’
lessons, so I figured…might as well throw in some Pink Floyd lyrics that kinda
mean the same thing.
Seventy
The
Sage's best example of teaching w/o words: to remind his pupils that -- to
understand his lesson -- they must look w/in their own hearts
Seventy-one
Knowing
ignorance=strength. Ignoring knowledge: sickness. Not-knowing: true knowledge.
Presuming to know: disease. Heal yourself of knowing.
Seventy-two
W/o awe: disaster. Avoid intrusion, harassment,
interference; you won't wear on others. Know (don't show) yourself.
Self-respect>arrogance.
Seventy-three
There is danger in passion, preservation in
serenity. Heaven won't direct you; answers w/o words, met needs w/o request,
fulfilled w/o aim.
Seventy-four
W/awareness of change comes a lighter grasp.
Know death's certainty and achieve all. Too much emphasis on life=exposure to
harm, despair.
Seventy-five
We must devalue the self. When the self becomes
too important, people suffer. We must act for the good of people; have faith in
one another.
Seventy-six
Man & plant enter life delicate &
frail. In death they become rigid & firm. These are analogies of how to
spend time in the world; yield.
Seventy-seven
The Sage gives out of limitless wealth. This is
done w/o consideration, expectation, recognition, or credit. It is not even an
afterthought
Seventy-eight
Water=soft & yielding, yet solid &
strong. The Sage embodies calmness in sorrow's face, protects his heart from
evil, helps w/o effort.
Seventy-nine
To hold your own w/no expectation of others, to
recognize failure as opportunity, to never think of what's owed=to embrace the
Tao of heaven
Eighty (a)
To love labor w/o efficiency, home w/o travel
desire. To own stationary vehicles, untouched weapons. To smile in simple
clothes and eat
Eighty (b)
plain food. To take pleasure in family &
garden, enjoy the neighborhood. To grow old & die w/o worry for the
always-greener other side.
Eighty-one
The more the Sage does 4 others, the more he
has/the happier he is. This=the fulfilling/effortless work of the Tao that
radiates from heaven
No comments:
Post a Comment