Taoist Philosophy - Chapter 86

[Marblehead]

He Who Boasts

 

One who boasts
Is not established;
One who shows himself off
Does not become prominent;
One who puts himself on display
Does not brightly shine;
One who brags about himself
Gets no credit;
One who praises himself
Does not long endure.
One who stands on tiptoe does not stand firm;
One who strains his strides does not walk well;
One who prides himself is not chief among men.
In the Tao, such things are called
“Surplus food and redundant action”
And “The dregs and tumors of Virtue”,
And there are those who hate them.

These in the eyes of Tao
Are things of disgust.
Therefore,
The one with the Tao in them
On these does not dwell.


Advice Against Ostentation

The man who tries to show off his wealth is merely a merchant. People see him walking with big strides and call him a leader of the community.

Of the five vices, the vice of the mind is the worst. What is the vice of the mind? The vice of the mind is insolence.


He Who Reveals Himself Is Not Luminous;” The Definition Of Good

Besides, were a man to apply himself to humanity and justice I would not call it good. What I call good is not what is meant by humanity and justice, but taking good care of one’s Character. And what I call good is not the so-called humanity and justice, but fulfilling the instincts of life. What I call good at hearing is not hearing others but hearing oneself. What I call good at vision is not seeing others but seeing oneself. For a man who sees not himself but others, or takes possession not of himself but of others, possessing only what others possess and possessing not his own self, does what pleases others instead of pleasing his own nature. Now one who pleases others instead of pleasing one’s own nature is just another one gone astray.

Conscious of my own deficiencies in regard to Tao, I do not venture to practice the principles of humanity and justice on the one hand, nor to lead the life of extravagance on the other.


He Who Boasts Of Himself Is Not Given Credit

“Would you hate to die?” asked the Sage.

“Indeed,” replied the disciple.

“I’ll teach you how to escape death,” said the Sage. “There is a raven in the eastern sea which is called ‘dull-head’. This dull-head cannot fly very high and seems very stupid. It hops only a short distance and nestles close with others of its kind. In going forward, it dare not lead, and in going back, it dare not lag behind. At the time of feeding, it is somewhere in the middle and always has enough. Therefore, the ranks of this bird are never depleted and nobody can do them any harm. A tree with a straight trunk is the first to be chopped down. A well with sweet water is the first to be drawn dry. I heard from the great master, ‘He who boasts of himself is not given credit. The man who claims distinguished service falls and the man who achieves fame will be defamed.’ Who can abandon distinction for service and reputation and return to the common level of men? Tao pervades everywhere, and yet does not show itself, Te influences everything and yet does not make its name known. Live sincerely and plainly like the others and suffer yourself sometimes to be called a fool. Avoid being conspicuous and keep away from a position of power. Do not live for service and fame. Thus you will not criticize others and others will not criticize you. The perfect man has no thought of reputation.

Edited March 5, 2013 by Marblehead

[zerostao]

thanks for posting this, i kinda needed the reminder.

[Marblehead]

thanks for posting this, i kinda needed the reminder.

 

Thanks. Yes, I too need this reminder now and then.

[strawdog65]

With humbleness before the Way,

I too succumb to it's True Nature.

 

 

Peace!

[Alfred E]

With humbleness before the Way,

I too succumb to it's True Nature.

 

 

Peace!

Yin

Nature is true power, Tao is Nature through Yin,

Gravity is a natural law of the Universe.

Gravity is Yin, it needs do nothing to do work.

The Earth needs only to do nothing to be warmed by the Trillions of Trillions of nuclear explosions which make up the Sun.

The Earth is not destroyed by the Yin Power of Distance.

This is the TAO.

[Marblehead]

Last two posts noted. I have nothing to add at the moment.

[Aaron]

Two things, first your translation is really not that good, I would suggest reading another copy, it's not even placing the lines in the correct order. Second this chapter doesn't need a lot of explanation, all you really need to say is "these are the things that you shouldn't do and if you do do them, this is what will happen".

 

The premise of this chapter is that your actions are a representation of yourself, just as the Tao Teh Ching references repeatedly that a Sage teaches through his actions, so to we should remember that we are judged by our actions. Actions speak louder than words.

 

 

Aaron

[Marblehead]

It's okay if you don't like it. I love it.

 

It is only one concept from the TTC, not any entire chapter.

 

The narrative that follows the poem portion is from Chuang Tzu and I think he spoke on the concept very well.

 

Please!!! do not compare what I am presenting here with any chapter of the TTC. It doesn't work that way. This is my personal recompiling of concepts, not chapters.

 

I appreciate your comment but it was misdirected because you were comparing apples to oranges.

 

This was all explained in the first few threads titled "Taoist Philosophy".

[Aaron]

It's okay if you don't like it. I love it.

 

It is only one concept from the TTC, not any entire chapter.

 

The narrative that follows the poem portion is from Chuang Tzu and I think he spoke on the concept very well.

 

Please!!! do not compare what I am presenting here with any chapter of the TTC. It doesn't work that way. This is my personal recompiling of concepts, not chapters.

 

I appreciate your comment but it was misdirected because you were comparing apples to oranges.

 

This was all explained in the first few threads titled "Taoist Philosophy".

 

So this is Marbleheadist philosophy or Taoist Philosophy? If it's Taoist Philosophy, I can't see how one could not compare it to the Tao Teh Ching. Just an observation.

 

Aaron

[Marblehead]

So this is Marbleheadist philosophy or Taoist Philosophy? If it's Taoist Philosophy, I can't see how one could not compare it to the Tao Teh Ching. Just an observation.

 

Aaron

 

Why do you need things in the exact order you want them to be in? Flexibility is a very important concept of Taoist Philosophy.

 

And yes, this (what I am presenting) is Taoist Philosophy. There are no thoughts or words of my own in any of the presentations; all the words, except for an occasional side note, are fragments of varoius translations of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.

 

What I am presenting is a complete, IMO, discussion of Taoist Philosophy as presented by Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu not just Lao Tzu.

 

Again, this was all explained when I first started the series.

[Aaron]

Hello Marblehead,

 

Very nice! I wish you luck with that.

 

Aaron

[Marblehead]

Hello Marblehead,

 

Very nice! I wish you luck with that.

 

Aaron

 

Hi Aaron,

 

Yes, It has been very worth while. I have had a number of members make positive comments to the various chapters. All I ever needed was one. If my efforts have helped just one person then all my efforts have been worth while.

 

(Hehehe. I don't hold to the concept of 'luck' either. Cause and effect, you know.)

[strawdog65]

Why do you need things in the exact order you want them to be in? Flexibility is a very important concept of Taoist Philosophy.

 

And yes, this (what I am presenting) is Taoist Philosophy. There are no thoughts or words of my own in any of the presentations; all the words, except for an occasional side note, are fragments of varoius translations of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.

 

What I am presenting is a complete, IMO, discussion of Taoist Philosophy as presented by Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu not just Lao Tzu.

 

Again, this was all explained when I first started the series.

 

 

I do believe the Tao is large enough to contain all interpretations,

as long a the central meaning is not strayed away from.

The beauty of the TTC to me is it's ability to convey it's message,

regardless of translation, about the illusion of being separate,

and the incredible realization of the dualistic nature of Nature,

of which we are contained within.

I am greatly enjoying the discussion of what the TTC means to everyone,

and feel that it's all good...if we let it just BE.

 

Acceptance and understanding

[Marblehead]

Yep. All is within the realm of Tao so all is Tao - all translations are valid because what is presented is the understanding of the translator. We surely prefer one over the other and that is good too bacause it is an expression of the duality of the manifest.

 

Personally, I felt my understanding of the TTC was greatly enhanced after reading Chuang Tzu and that is why I put the "Taoist Philosophy" thing together many years ago that I am presenting here. Hopefully it will continue to enhance others' understanding as well.