Line by Line - Verse 10, Lines 11-12

While his intelligence reaches in every direction, cannot he (appear to) be without knowledge?
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Understanding and being open to all things,
Are you able to do nothing?
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

In understanding clearly all directions
Can one be without intellectuality?
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Can you forget what you know
and understand what's real?
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Here again we encounter the principle of wu wei, the act of appearing to do nothing, while accomplishing much. In this instance, I think both Lin and Hogan cut to the core of the concept.

Often, we land ourselves in trouble when we over intellectualize a situation or circumstance. It is not that sizing things up is bad or detrimental; it's more that humans tend to overdo a good thing! When we think something to death, we become paralyzed and are unable to easily merge with the flow of life.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.