OldDog

The other day I was reading David Hinton's Classical Chinese Poetry. This is only incidental in that it suggests the frame of mind I was in at the time. As I was reading, an image from my childhood came to mind. It was that of being on a lake in the early morning at the base of a large stone cliff, fishing with my father. This was an actual memory. Now, it has been many years since I have even thought about that location and fishing but the image was clear and strong. It then occured to me to look up the hexagram where Gen (mountain) is above and Dui (lake) is below; hexagram 41, to see what it had to say about this image. In reading about Sun, special emphasis is placed on Sincerity. Consultiing severaI Chings confirmed this emphasis but not in all cases. Sincerity seems to be pivotal to understanding Decrease in favorable terms. My question has to do with the origin of the notion of sincerity. Does it come from the lower trigram, Dui? Is there some special significance to sincerity, perhaps cultural, that neeeds to be understood? Can sincerity be thought of more like humility, which also seems appropriate to understanding this hexagram? To be clear, this hexagram was not the result of a casting but occurred to me during a reflective moment of the day. I would appreciate any insights on this hexagram.

Was in a pensive mood this morning ...

That string of music certainly epitomizes the zietgeist of the late 60s. Music has such an ability to dredge up emotions and images from deep inside. Not something that can be expressed in words.

For me Ch.36 speaks to the relativity of opposites and the notion of change and reversion, which is a central taoist theme. Emptiness and fullness alternate, and their relations are not fixed. Past years cannot be recalled; time cannot be arrested. The succession of growth and decay, of increase and diminution, goes in a cycle, each end becoming a new beginning. In this sense only may we discuss the ways of truth and the principles of the universe. The life of things passes by like a rushing, galloping horse, changing at every turn, at every hour. - Chuangtse (Lin Yutang)

The Great (universe) gives me this form, this toil in manhood, this repose in old age, this rest in death. Surely that which is such a kind arbiter of my life is the best arbiter of my death. - Chuangtse

The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you. - Werner Heisenberg

No, you're thinking Road House. Most Texas dance halls are pretty tame and many are family oriented depending on the genre of music. There are some notorious ones where if you ain't from around there you couldhave some trouble. I've been to dance halls and seen children out on the dance floor as young as six or eight. One night at Gruene Hall a 10 year old boy came up and asked my wife to dance. He was with his family and saw my wife dancing and decided to get a little practice in with someone old enough to be his grandmother before asking the girls. Great fun.

I don't know of any internet radio stations ... tbh, have not looked. Among those carrying on the tradition there is none finer than Jake Hooker and The Outsiders. Here is a sample that perfectly captures the atmosphere of a great Texas dance hall.

Just for comparison sake ... There is a genre of country music that it still alive in rural Texas represented by the likes of Johnny Bush, Ray Price, Curtis Potter and others from an older generation. This music permeates Texas dance halls and is geared for .... well, dancing.

I'm totally down with Webb Pierce. One of the finest old style Honky Tonkers.

And if you prefer something a littles more idyllic, you can't do better than Dougie MacLean.

The celtic tracks put me in the mood to review some of my favorite celtic groups. The Tannahill Weavers are by far my favorite. They sing a wide range of ballads and their musicianship is top notch. Here is a rousing set.

I totally buy into the notion of TTC as poetry; though I admit it takes some understanding. I am sure that much is lost in translation, depending on the art of the translator. The sense of rhyme and rhythm from the original Chinese, I would imagine, would be hard to preserve. Such things likely have a cultural aesthetic that does not translate. Still, I think the notion of poetry, as we understand it in the west, shows up in various interpretations of TTC. Recently, I obtained a copy of David Hinton's Classical Chinese Poetry: An Anthology and have been enjoying it very much. Clearly he considered TTC as poetry, since he included excerpts in his work. My original motivation for obtaining Hinton's anthology was not for the poetry but to get a take on how someone would approach translation of Chinese when the motivation was not from a study of philosophy.

The Heaven and Earth join, And the sweet rain falls, Beyond the command of men, Yet evenly upon all. - Ch 32, Lin This is the verse of TTC that has drawn me back for many years. On first reading the attraction was intuitive, without understanding. Now, after many readings and much reflection, I see that it expresses in a few simple words several key ideas. It points to Tao, the source of all; It describes how things come about in the natural world, the creation of 10,000 things; It speaks to the impartiality of Tao; And, that it is done because it is self-so. Lin Yutang's translation was my first exposure to the TTC. It has been my constant companion ever sense. Lin's rendering is almost poetic. Some would argue that a poetic interpretation is not a literal translation and is therefore lacking. I tend to disagree, at least in the case of Lin. The TTC teaches (Ch 1) that the Tao cannot be expressed in words. Poetry is a devise that is able to communicate ideas that are difficult to express. Such a device in the hands of a knowledgeable and skilled translator can be very enlightening. This is one reason why I favor Lin's translation and interpretation.

A dog is not considered good because of his barking, and a man is not considered clever because of his ability to talk. -CZ

Korean music totally yang!? Don't think I understand that. How does one characterize music - Korean or otherwise - as yin or yang? Question might lead to a separate thread of its own.

"What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning." - Heisenberg

That's remarkable. Have always enjoied the sound of asian instrumentation. I am particularly fond of the guqin. My Taiji teacher would play guqin music as we did our forms. Really set the mood for being relaxed and expressive in our form. I have several CDs of this style of music that I like to play when I am reading. Here is a sample.

Glad to have helped. Would like to know your impressions after you get into it.

Yes, All is One .... Ten Thousand Things. This is an important and subtle point in LZ and a little more developed in CZ.

Interesting you should bring an alchemy perspective into the discussion. I am currently reading Pregadio's The Seal of the Unity of the Three. Not that I am a budding alchemist, I'm not. I took up this read as part of my study of the I Ching .... and it has not been a disappointment. Phenomenal read! I have the Cleary work you mention but was not very succesful with that. I just could not get past the symbolic/cryptic language. Pregadio has been much more accessible for me. I may go back and revisit Clarey armed with a better understanding.

That reminds me. Someone I have not listened to in a while is the Everly Brothers. I'll have to dig out one of their "Best of" CDs. I've never had a lot of money to spend on music. So, I have to rely on compilations - Best of - Essentials - to cover my interests. If it weren't for YouTube I would not be able to expand my horizons much.

I have spent a lot of time lately, prompted largely by this chapter, considering the arising of interdependent pairs; so called opposites. I had to challenge my thinking by considering that my understanding may be superficial; that is, simple recognition of opposing pairs only gets you to the surface. Recognition that they are complementary rather than opposing begins to scratch that surface. The idea of two things opposing is almost a value judgement leading to preference of one over the other. Complementary understanding allows you to see pairs simply as interdependent. At this level, you can begin to see the confusion and contention that wrestling with distinctions and categories can bring; how such mental juggling becomes time consuming and ultimately detracts from one's ability to accomplish anything. I don't know how many layers deep such analysis has to go. I do sense that one who has been through the process ( the sage ) can reach a point where action is possible without being encumbered by the interdependencies. Thus, recognizing them is the first step in abandoning them. Is this what is meant by all things being leveled in Tao? So, to Stosh's point, what is the teaching of the sage or one who understands all things being leveled? Seems like one can begin by recognizing arisings but if the recognition is superficial the risk is in having perpetuated superficiality. How does a sage teach going further? Is this one of those things that cannot be expressed through words? I guess I am rambling a bit. I'll take a breath here.

I am not certain what you mean by polemic. It's not a word in my working vocabulary. My understanding of this chapter is that it begins by calling examples of dualities and how they arise. At this point, I do not see a judgement, as such, just simply an observation. It is the ordinary mind that assigns value and renders judgement. The chapter goes on to say that the sage attends to his activities without actions or words; that is without distinguishing between things based on arbitrary value. As a result he is unencumbered by such distinctions, accomplishes his end and when his work is done retires. I think the TTC deliberately does not mention interdependency of good and evil. To do so might imply a morality which is yet another arbitrary valuation of ordinary mind and leads to confusion and contention. Therefore the sage is silent.

Hope you don't mind me joining in. I, too, favor the Lin Yutang translation. This verse sums up the lesson in this chapter for me. He who neither values his teacher Nor loves the lesson Is one gone far astray, Though he be learned. -Such is the subtle secret. The phrase "... gone far astray ..." seems almost idiomatic to English, conveying more than just the words. Hence, most meaningful in this chapter. One thing I notice in Lin's translation is that there is not comment on what good and evil "interdepend in". I've always found that interresting.