Not here to stay

[The Name]

Hi, here is my translation of the first 9 chapters of the Tao Te Ching

 

 

The Manifestation of Being

 

The tao which distracts is not the real tao

Recognition which is recognized is not real recognition

Not naming, heaven and earth represent the source

By naming myriads of objects, one follows the feminine principle

The original state is devoid of desire

Comprehensive unconditional awareness is of the source

The many are full of desire

Comprehensive unconditional awareness is the last frontier

It becomes dual when objectified and given strange names

Even if the speech is profound

This profound conflicts with that profound

Thus do the many and the profound form the gate

-

Everybody in the world recognizes beauty as the beautiful

And then the ugly manifests

Everybody recognizes good as the good

And then the opposite manifests

Holding on to illusions results in dissociation from life

Difficulty and ease form a whole

Long and short complement each other

Elevation and lowliness together manifest the waterfall

Notes and tones are of one harmony

Front and back accompany each other

Thus, the sage is righteous without being bound by duty

He does not carry out speeches in order to teach

But myriad things arise if he tries not to speak

Life is not to hold on

Contrivance is lack of confidence

The complete attainment is without end

It is the infinite

And cannot be departed from

-

Not virtuous yet virtuous

Thus compelling the subjects not to engage in conflict

Not having value, commodities seem undesirable

Thus compelling the subjects not to act as bandits

Avoiding that which may arouse desire

Thus compelling the heart-mind not to be confused

When the righteous sage becomes ruler, he purifies the heart-mind,
satisfies the stomach
weakens ambition
empowers the structure

Naturally compelling the subjects to be free of conditioning and desires

Compelling men of knowledge not to speculate

Doing without trying

Devoid of method and coercion

-

The way is to pour out in order to function like a spacious vessel

It is that which manifests a myriad things from the beginning

Blunt the sharpness

Untie the entanglements

Harmonize light with the dust

Seemingly the same as life

I do not know whose child it is

Emperors and gods all originate from it

-

Heaven and earth are not benevolent

Myriads of things are cut down like dogs

The sage does not posses kindness

Ordinary people are cut down like dogs

If heaven and earth originate from the middle space,
why use contrivances?

The false does not bend

To find it is to forget about it

The great many who speculate become impoverished

Do not guard opinions

-

The valley spirit does not die

Right speech leads to the profound feminine

The profound feminine leads to the gate, right speech is the root of heaven and earth

Life flows softly, it is not forced

-

Heaven endures, earth endures

Heaven and earth have endured since time immemorial

They do not have a life span

Thus they endure forever

Rightly viewed, the sage is the same as the timeless self

The external aspect of the self is the self that does not die

Who is it that believes he has no self?

This way you are complete

-

The highest goodness is like water

Water is beneficial to myriads of creatures because it never stands in opposition

The multitudes of men become corrupt

Few are those who purposely become in harmony with the Dao

Resting like earth

The heart-mind as an abyss

Being benevolent

Speaking the truth

Well governed

Resolving affairs competently

Flowing with the seasons

Always without strife

Devoid of purpose

-


Holding on to an overflowing vessel leads to restlesness

Gathering clever speculations

Which cannot be succesfully preserved

As a hall full of gold and precious stones

Which no one has the ability to defend

These abundant riches are like a wild horse

Leading to error

To succeed you must merge heaven with Dao

[Chang]

Hello and welcome to the forum. You are accepted. Glad to have you as a member. None of us are here to stay but we can but hope that you remain here long enough to discuss your interpretation of the Tao Te Ching.

 

Please take the time to read the two posts pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum terms and rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started.

 

For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day.

 

Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you,

 

Chang and the TTB team

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Marblehead]

Yeah, Welcome, good work with your translations, and really, no one is here to stay.

[dust]

Well that's an odd thing to do

[soaring crane]

Yeah, Welcome, good work with your translations, and really, no one is here to stay.

 

I certainly hope not! We all have a lot of living to do :-)

[Marblehead]

Add more water.

And stir briskly.

[shunka]

Add more water.

 

 

And stir briskly.

 

dare I ask?

 

Instant Tao?

 

yhs

shunka

[silent thunder]

mmm tao tea...

 

welcome mate!

[Marblehead]

Less edge, more round? Just a spontaneous response.

I tried imagining stirring briskly in a square bowl and it didn't work well at all. So yes, less edge and more round.

[FmAm]

I certainly hope not! We all have a lot of living to do :-)

 

I'm a nitpicker and a preacher, so I have to correct: world is full of things not to do. There ain't a single thing to do. Still, world is full of spontaneous events and doing. Living is happening.

 

I haven't done anything today. However, I have experienced me brushing my teeth and me walking 6 miles today.

Edited January 23, 2015 by FmAm

[The Name]

Thanks for the warm welcome

 

I used this online dictionary to translate it in a way which properly conveys the jist of Lao Tzu's argument.

 

My ignorance of the chinese language became an impassable barrier after chapter 9, this is why I stopped there; it seems that after chapter 9 the material takes quite an esoteric twist.

Since I do not know chinese I improvised and maybe gave it a slight Zen inclination due to my outlook, although, quite honestly, the other online translations aren't very satisfactory when it comes to conveying the message in a coherent manner.

 

What struck me as most interesting is how ambiguous those chinese ideograms are, how the hell do you even communicate using that language, it seems to require the ability to know four corners when one is presented.

[dust]

I used this online dictionary to translate it in a way which properly conveys the jist of Lao Tzu's argument.

 

Be careful with those words

 

By the way, if you wanted to discuss any particular chapter or idea in the Textual Studies section, I'm sure people would be happy to. Seems like you've got some interesting ideas.

[The Name]

Be careful with those words

 

....

 

 

By the way, if you wanted to discuss any particular chapter or idea in the Textual Studies section, I'm sure people would be happy to. Seems like you've got some interesting ideas.

 

Thanks. But as I said, I don't understand chinese....the translation was merely for fun.

[Marblehead]

Thanks. But as I said, I don't understand chinese....the translation was merely for fun.

Yeah, but that's what we do when we discuss the chapters. I don't read Chinese either but I love discussing with those who do.

[The Name]

Yeah, but that's what we do when we discuss the chapters. I don't read Chinese either but I love discussing with those who do.

 

Ok then, I'll take a look and see if I can contribute.