Harmonious Emptiness

Heaven, Earth, and Humanity; upper, lower, and middle It might be said that Dao De Jing talks about all three whenever it mentions any one. Dao, politics, and internal government. A lot of parenthesis are needed.

yeah, it's rare there aren't one or two words I have to look up in a sentence. Also, I haven't studied the modern characters so sometimes words I do know, I don't recognize. I just started with Classical characters and grammar and investigate each character in different contexts, etymologies, etc. to figure out what they must mean. So my memorized vocabulary is very limited.

With interference there is failure. By forceful grasping there is loss. The sages are not forceful, thereby they are without failure. In attending to the commoners, it's 常always 於the case that 幾many things 成end 而in 敗failure. note that 從事 is a compound character meaning "attending to." It's perhaps intentionally less strong than "ruling over." Keep in mind that much of the Taoist advice is very anarchistic. If the caution taken at the end was the same in the beginning, it would be followed by no failure in affairs. It's very general advice. Sure it could be applied to government, as it could to cooking rice without burning it. Therefore the sages Desire not desiring Do not put high value on rare commodities which are difficult to obtain Teach by not teaching, returning the masses to the place where the all myriad things are assisted (in returning to) their nature. In this way they do not fail, no? I think "egotistical action" is really the best definition of wei here, as it is also in earlier chapters.

I don't know. I did a search on the early forms of the words suggested by 張駿龍 and they don't appear any more similar or sensible imo. Guess we'll agree to disagree. btw, for the sake of those who don't read Mandarin very easily, including myself, if you don't mind adding a quick translation for characters.. tnx..

I think it looks much closer to with the hands, etc., an older version of 涣scattered I don't really see that for this. I haven't gone in depth with the ancient scripts, but I can see how it's a bit close to with a different marking for the eye above it, and having "heart" below the phonetic rather than beside it. "Spy" plus "heart" means "enjoyment." Also, the Mawangdui text has 淩澤 "crossing a marsh." "Marsh 澤" has the same phonetic as for "enjoyment," but with "water" to the left of it, giving the meaning of "marsh," rather than "heart" giving the meaning of "enjoyment." What's interesting there, though, is that the word for "澤marsh" also means "the place where water gathers / a marsh / grace / favors / kindness / brilliance / radiance / luster / bright / glossy / smooth / to benefit / to enrich," so maybe the word in the MWD text was meant to say something about crossing over to brilliance. I suppose maybe we would have to look at another word that has "heart" to the left of the character, and see if it appears beneath the character in the Guodian text. If it looks the same (sort of teardrop with a line through it), then we will have more to go on one way or the other. I think the fact that the MWD scibe(s) read the phonetic the same way suggests that this is in fact the phonetic of the character. Otherwise it might just be saying "So dispersed, he is like a spy." Oddly, the MWD text has 浼呵亓若淩澤 Asking favour, he is like crossing a marsh. But! 浼 has "免 evade" as the phonetic, with "water" to the left of it again. If "water" wasn't on either phonetic of the first and last words, the sentence in the MWD text would read "免Evasive, they were like 睪spies 淩 passing through." This could contrast with the preceding line in the Guodian "bold, like (invited) guests." Thank goodness we're more certain about other parts of the text.

They're all around us like radio waves bringing hits from the eighties

有 物 混 成 ， Something exists, random and chaotic, yet perfect and complete (DDJ25)

Yup. There's too much to gain by those in power being greedy. "Desires obscure the mystery" says the Dao De Jing. Some have tried to force the absence of desire, with Communist dictatorships, but this never worked either. Just stay on the fringe. I don't know. That seems to be the counsel of Chuang Tzu and some other Taoist leaders.

oh, whoops - thanks for the correction. I took that from my Mawangdui translation which had 屳. I've changed that to: 长古之善爲士者， The exemplary actions of the ancients who studied (nature/the way) 達 means to reach/arrive at, but also "understanding" and comprehension I'll change that too, to "What is certain is that (we can)not plumb the depths of their mysterious comprehension" 玄xuan means deep, but also mystical, so drowned is lyrically connected there as well as with the following lines "the depths of which cannot be written." Perhaps it might equally be said "What is certain is that they did not drown upon reaching the depths of mystery." This seems to connect with the last line, for me, about not choking when the time was nigh. I'll change it to that too. not sure, but it was also used to mean "extended to, arrived at," example: 達於諸侯 "... (This rule) extended to the feudal states" 志 also means "records" perhaps since "determination" is related to finalizing something, as making a record of it puts it into historical reality. It seems like "the depths of which cannot be affirmed," but which would suggest "not written" by the following sentence "therefore I speak it as such."

"Although most animals can make vitamin C from scratch, humans have lost the ability over the course of evolution. We must get it from food, chiefly fresh fruits and vegetables. One of this vitamin's main functions is helping the body manufacture collagen, a key protein in our connective tissues, cartilage, and tendons." http://surgery.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=21522 You also need lecithin in order to generate new cells as they make up the cell membranes and also surrounds the joints and brain to protect them. Egg yolk, peanuts, and seeds, are good sources.

Below is my translation and commentary of Chapter 15 in the Guodian texts of the Dao De Jing. I've changed some but not all of the modern characters to Classical. 长古之善爲士者， The exemplary actions of the ancients who studied (nature/the way) 必非溺（弱）玄達， What is certain is that (we can)not plumb the depths of their mysterious comprehension What is certain is that they did not drown upon reaching the depths of mystery. (“not 溺drown” is poetic, relating to 深depth and 玄deep/dark/mysterious. Either or both of these translations make sense to me. To put these words in English is a bit like describing a sunset to someone who isn't looking at it. It's a bit of that, and a bit of this, but it's all very open to how you look at it.) 深不可志。 The depths (of which) cannot (be fully explained with any amount of) determination 是以爲之颂： Therefore I proclaim them as such: 夜乎奴（如）冬涉川。 Night travellers! Like in winter crossing a river (夜 dark also means “in the dark.” I would suggest this is actually a contrast to “planning/careful,” as in they move steadily and quickly. When travelling at night or over a frozen stream, you get it done quickly and with determination. You don’t take your time.) 猷乎其奴（如）畏四邻。 Planning! They were like fearing neighbours on all sides 敢其奴（如）客。 Bold and courageous, they were like (roaming) travellers (Curious that 敢bold and courageous was changed to 儼 grave and respectful in later copies. I suspect this is because ke客 was assumed to mean “guests” rather than “travellers.” “Night travellers” in the previous lines suggests that ke was in fact talking about brave travellers. Daoists have always been associated with roaming, too, have they not?) 涣乎其奴（如）怿(懌) Scattered! They were as though enjoying themselves (scattered is written as dispersed water) 屯（敦）乎其奴（如）朴(樸)。 Stationary! They were as though simple trees 沌（原字从土）乎其奴（如）浊(濁)。 Chaotic! They were as though sand stirred up in the water 竺（孰）能浊以朿者， Who can be like stirred up water, and penetrating 將徐清。 Then becoming quite and calm, clear and pure(?) 竺能仄以往者， Who can be at formerly at rest 将余生。 Then becoming lively 保此道者 Those who preserved this way 不谷趟吐 Did not choke when the time came (not sure what to make of this last line. The image “not-valley-time-spew out” conjures an image of emptiness, like that profound silence that seems to make some people choke. Very obstruse.) To me, the chapter suggests that “when the ancient masters were still, they were stationary like trees; when they were moving, they were like travelling the paths at night; when they were enjoying themselves, they were like spraying water; when they were unpredictable they were like sand kicked up into the water. They changed with the time of the moment. When they were calm, they could instantly change to fast and penetrating. When they were fast and penetrating, they could instantly change to tranquil. Flexible and yielding, depending on the time, just as the I Ching counsels actions must be. This is also very much the way of Chen style tai chi chuan. Slow, relaxed, and calm, and thunderously powerful. Thunderously powerful and then slow, relaxed, and calm. A Taoist art for certain. [edits made to first 3 lines, see below for details]

There is a genius that lies under the intellectual, extractive, abstractive mind. The process of creativity.

The Humanities should help people to see the world, life, culture, people, humanity, with more depth. Without this depth, there is little reason for "humanity," ie., seeing people as more than numbers and objects. Lack of the humanities breeds inhumanity. This is part of the reason why the ancient Chinese imperial exams focused on the writings of philosophers.

"Don't let the good things people say about you affect you any more than the bad. Appreciate people. Find people who do what you want to do way better than you can do it, take lessons from them, and set your attainable goal/date to be able to do it with them." Not that I've mastered these things even now, but they would have been good to hear at that time.

Just wanted to highly recommend this for any I Ching enthusiasts. It is an excellent combination of Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist wisdom, and likely somewhat of an inspiration for Liu I Ming's alchemical I Ching commentary. Chih-Hsu Ou-I shows a deep understanding of the changes in need for flexibility and firmness and the significance of the lines, often illuminating the meanings of the images and Confucian commentaries before discussing their application in terms of Buddhist endeavours. An excellent text that shows the many convergences of the "three teachings" of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.

Yes, keep in mind that that is my own speculation, but it was written well before Liu Ming started writing and so he likely read it and also realized that there was a gap in such literature pertaining to alchemy and the I Ching, influencing him to generously fill in the gap as he did with so many other Taoist texts. There does seem to be a bit of similarity in style too, though I'm sure there would be regardless since the two books both talk about cultivation and hexagram lines.

just breathing again no need for words like they gave us permission

never say never life can be very clever not even being

everyone wins welcomes and salutations put on some water

They used to eat a lot of millet back in the day. It's a bit sweeter than rice and cooked exactly the same way, with higher nutrition than rice. You could pre-cook some at night and then just drop it in boiling water for about 20 seconds in the morning. Eat it with seeds and/or nuts and fruit for breakfast. I forget the whole elemental association of it, but you always want to have some non-starchy vegetable or fruit with your meal to balance it out.

Another reflection on the "straw dogs" part here: The sage realizes that all beings belong to Heaven and so reveres them as such. This could be seen, for example, in the original line for I Ching hexagram 20, Wind over Earth, Observing. "Observing, one has washed the hands but not made the offering. There is sincerity, which is reverent." This shows the demeanor with which one approaches that which belongs to heaven. The sage knows that he too belongs to Heaven, and that we all belong to Heaven to the same degree that the cells in our body belong to us. The Sage does not serve man, he first serves Heaven, and in first serving Heaven also serves man as man belongs to Heaven. He has kindness and love for all people (see DDJ49), but his portioning out of this kindness and love adheres to the will of Heaven and not of humanity. When serving the will of man, it is simply a byproduct of his serving Heaven. This is why the sage is not "ren." Also, if the sage were "ren," in the traditional way of practicing it - he would make all types of sacrifices for powerful people as would be his duty in serving the hierarchies. So, saying that the sage is "not ren," imo, would suggest that he doesn't serve the hierarchies by making these sacrifices, sacrifices which attempt to "coerce" Heaven rather than simply serving it's natural will.

Sudden upheaval Tea-ships change course, allowing... Words get in the way.

Quoted for correction: Jesus' abilities originated from The Source, but the lineage of his healing traditions apparently was Essene, not to go too far into the evidence (dated local records and similarity of teachings) of Jesus living with Buddhists during his travels, and likely learning a great deal from them, especially coming from such a rich tradition of Jewish shamans. I understand this sounds antagonistic, but it shouldn't and isn't meant to be.. What can you do though.

Master Duan was Catholic. Seems Jesus would love people enough to let them try again if they wanted to, rather than just send them to hell. You could check out the Essenes, a neo-Christian group, who purportedly have resurrected (npi) the mountainous shamanic tribe from which Jesus and his healing abilities originated.

Made sense to me as (Be as though) time is almost up without time being "almost up." Of course, this fits into the whole meaning of the chapter too. I figure there are a few other things perhaps being used here - one is the repetition for poetic effect, another perhaps being the repetition and sparcity of words because literacy was not necessarily very high at the time, so few words means more words that people know. 未 wei being one of those words. This situation does seem to lend itself to another type of poetic ingenuity where few words mean many things. The fewer, the more meanings possible really. What's also amazing is how they manage to make all of these possible meanings connect on central themes.