(It is the way of the Tao) to act without (thinking of) acting;In most cases, I find Legge's translation to be stiff and missing the main point. In this case, however, I think he nails it! In my opinion, what Lao Tzu is referring to is to act without conscious action.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
Practice non-action.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
Act without action
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
Keep still.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
Put another way, a lot of us tend to over think and, when we over think, our movements are jerky and not smooth flowing.
To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.
This is why many of us practice taiji, qigong, and other movement forms, as well as calligraphy and painting, or even making tea. Practice, of any skill (without thinking too much), makes smooth and effortless. This line is about wei wu wei. But it is the practice that makes the thinking go away.
ReplyDeleteI do like tea, especially Rooibos, we have a locally produced Green Rooibos Chai Tea... yummy!
DeleteI recently found "Tong Sing" (Dr C Windridge, 2011)it includes a discussion of Tea & Tea Houses - most interesting.
I am a regular Dragon Well drinker, not really fond of tisanes as a rule. I credit the Dragon Well with the event that I haven't had a cold or any other illness for the past year, despite living and working in close contact with people who have had nasty colds and flus. But yesterday I used the last of a bit of Da Hong Bao I got in Beijing, so lovely, and there is a particular pu-er I am also very fond of.
DeleteIt's nice to have another female/yin (I assume) voice of Tao here! Pouring some pu-er in your honor...
baroness - I've just realized I responded as a comment, not a reply, oops. It would be a delight to share a cup of tea with you.
DeleteDo you have the cd "Classic Yo-Yo" (Yo-Yo Ma)? The words of 'Track15: Trad: Simple Gifts' are shared below:
"Tiz the gift to be simple
Tiz the gift to be free
Tiz the gift to come down where you want to be;
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
Twill be in the valley of love & delight.
When true simplicity is gained
To bow & to bend we will not be ashamed
To turn, turn will be our delight
Til by turning, turning we come down right."
@ Trey, Ta-Wan, Shawn & Scott (may I picture you as Tao Musketeers)... Thank you for sharing.
Good morning,
ReplyDeleteWhat a delight, thank you. J