Blessed be the LORD my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fightThe writer credits God with equipping humanity with the ability to war and fight, whether one is doing so externally or internally.
~ King James version ~
War comes from straying from the path.
~ possible Taoist alternative ~
Tao does not discriminate nor take sides. By valuing no distinction, there is no need to be at war. It is when we stray from the path of Tao that we discriminate and take sides. Tao is impartial; we are not.
If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.
"Weapons are not proper instruments for gentle people;
ReplyDeletethey use them only when they have no other choice.
Peace and quiet are what they value.
They do not glory in victory.
to glorify it is to delight in the slaughter of people.
Those who delight in the slaughter of people will
never thrive among all that dwell under heaven."
~Tao Te Ching, chapter 31, Tolbert McCarrol translation
"The effect is reciprocal;
Land where battles were fought,
Wild grasses grow abundantly.
The time after war
Is always a time of suffering.
The wise use the army for defence,
Dare not use for aggression."
~Tao Te Ching, chapter 30, Wong Kiew Kit translation
The ideal person does not avoid combat altogether, but rather avoid conflict except when avoiding conflict results in more pain than the conflict itself.
We must also take into account the fact that the Tao gives birth to all things, and so it gives birth to war as well. You could easily replace "LORD" with "Tao" and it would be true.
I don't really have the mental capacity this late at night to really contemplate the meaning of Psalm 144, so I will only say this: It is a psalm of David, who saw considerable fighting in his days.
I agree with Four Tael. Taoist-inspired martial arts are all about skilled defense; you don't start fights, but it is good to finish them and survive.
ReplyDeletePsalm 144, at least up to verse 12, is just a King (David) praying for deliverance from his enemies.
Verse 4 is really quite lovely, could be Chuang Tzu:
"Man is like a breath, his days are like a passing shadow.