It is through their not being full of themselves that they can afford to seem worn and not appear new and complete.If you've spent any amount of time on this blog, then you know I certainly don't view myself (and I don't want you to either) as a worldly sage or some sort of guru. As we travel together line by line through the Tao Te Ching, all I am offering are my own personal insights plus comments from others that I pick out.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
Not seeking fulfillment, they are not swayed by desire for change.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
Because one is not overfilled Therefore one can preserve and not create anew
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
you can accomplish great things.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
I mention this because there are a few lines in the TTC that trouble me a tad and this is one of them. Looking at the second translation above -- particularly in terms of what's going on in the world today -- I find it next too impossible NOT to desire a change of direction in this nation and world.
So, I'm open to your suggestions. How would you explain this line?
To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.
Been sorta thinking about this in my own way lately. In this case, I'd guess that the point is the Sage is already fulfilled, and doesn't have to go looking for change. Half the troubles of the world are caused by people trying to do good to someone, right? I think Alan Watts said that.
ReplyDeleteMy own idea is that once you've come to that point of not seeking, of being fulfilled by things as they are, you are with reality, not fighting it. But you can still effect change, by simply following asthetics, by what makes life more beautiful. And because we aren't denying portions of reality by not facing it, the change is more effective and easier.
The sage has transcended the world of red dust; this is part of the point of meditation, and results in the ability to accept whatever occurs.
ReplyDeleteAnd while you may desire change in one direction, someone else, like say, the Taliban, is desiring change in the opposite. Change will occur, as sure as yin and yang rise and fall. I think your discomfort with this line is like what you expressed about Line 13. The master, the sage is patient; the change, action, movement will arise by itself. The sage is not an "activist" or attached to the changes, but can accept whatever happens.
ReplyDeleteThis has been on my mind since you posted it.
ReplyDelete@Brandon:
"...by simply following asthetics, by what makes life more beautiful."
The problem with that is "beauty" is a value judgement--generating a school of aesthetics. Need I say, what is beautiful to me, may not be to you.
A lot of people were outraged recently where I live because the condo management cut down a lot of trees in a so-called beautifcation effort (and possibly in the interest of safety). The untended woodsy-ness of the area bothered the Southern Californians who like tidy openness; the rest of us preferred to hide in the shade.
I would have preferred that the principles of nature had been followed. Perhaps a little judicious trimming of hazardous branches to appease the insurance underwriters, but let the trees stay. Nature is beautiful, and if that's what you mean, I agree.