Ruthless Sage

[Rocky Lionmouth]

"Heaven and earth are ruthless, and treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs; the sage is ruthless, and treats the people as straw dogs."

What is this?

 

Let me try:

 

The sky and the earth treats everyone similarly, good or bad as they are. They give us nourishment, sunlight, night, rain, wind, produce, a place for burial, materials for living. They never harm intentionally and earthquakes and flood rains pass. Our lives pass, one way or another we are offerings for the continuing. Skies follow the tao, the earth follow the skies and humans live from the earths boon and borrowed warmth and shelter.

 

I'm with dawei and Wu Ming Jen, sky and earth have their own way and power, they bear no ill will to their victims and their proteges. People act selfish to do good and bad to each other, barter, betray, lie, murder, help, heal, seek profit and advancement. If you give importance to virtue as valuable, seek it for merit, then your virtue is lacking.

There is intent to destroy and create, harm is done with intent.

 

The sage follows the sky, he gives freely and respects the straw dog for as long as It exsists, respects its offering and those that benefit from it. The sage would never mistreat a straw dog nor interfere with its nature.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Rocky Lionmouth

[silent thunder]

Sun shines equally on the murderer and the healer.

Rain falls on the guilty as readily as the innocent.

[Wu Ming Jen]

I was thinking about this thread and interpretation of the classics which can be unique and individualized. Some what like lyrics to a song say the Beatles you can embrace all you need is love as a way of life or be like Charles Manson and kill people.

 

When we ask the original author they may say the words only has meaning we place on it but may not have anything to do with the original intention. If we have a balanced mind then the words will have a balanced meaning.

 

Kind of like turning the sword around and lighting up the source of awareness. 

[Rara]

Hi Rara, "Heaven and Earth are not partial. They do not kill living things out of cruelty or give them birth out of kindness.

 

​Straw dogs have ceremonial purpose so not made out of love and then destroyed out of hate.

Ah!

[Rara]

I think the word "trampling" has significance here. It's not that the people are trampling on them intentionally or with intent. It is just that they are lying in the roadway/walkway and trampling on them cannot be avoided.

Pos. I'm now questioning my interpretation on this based on my translation, as your idea here is quite different.

[Rara]

Let me try:

 

The sky and the earth treats everyone similarly, good or bad as they are. They give us nourishment, sunlight, night, rain, wind, produce, a place for burial, materials for living. They never harm intentionally and earthquakes and flood rains pass. Our lives pass, one way or another we are offerings for the continuing. Skies follow the tao, the earth follow the skies and humans live from the earths boon and borrowed warmth and shelter.

 

I'm with dawei and Wu Ming Jen, sky and earth have their own way and power, they bear no ill will to their victims and their proteges. People act selfish to do good and bad to each other, barter, betray, lie, murder, help, heal, seek profit and advancement. If you give importance to virtue as valuable, seek it for merit, then your virtue is lacking.

There is intent to destroy and create, harm is done with intent.

 

The sage follows the sky, he gives freely and respects the straw dog for as long as It exsists, respects its offering and those that benefit from it. The sage would never mistreat a straw dog nor interfere with its nature.

Nice.