When the Tao prevails in the world, they send back their swift horses to (draw) the dung-carts.Red Pine quotes Li Hsi-Chai as stating,
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
When the Tao is present in the universe,
The horses haul manure.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
When the world has the Tao
Fast horses are retired to till the soil
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
"When the world is right with Tao,"
Lao Tzu said,
"horses haul fertilizer to the fields.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
When the ruler possesses the Tao, soldiers become farmers.Whether we're referring to horses or people, I think the message from these two lines is abundantly clear: When we're not busy trying to hurt each other, we can lead more tranquil and productive lives.
To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.
In a conversation last May with my teacher in Wudang, someone asked how to become a Taoist. His comment was "Be a farmer." He was alluding to some spiritual alchemy things as well, but this comment, well supported by V46, was about nurturing and bringing forth, rather than destroying and fighting.
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