Mair 11:1

[Marblehead]

I have heard of preserving and accepting all under heaven, but I have not heard of governing all under heaven.  One "preserves" for fear that all under heaven will prostitute their nature; one "accepts" for fear that all under heaven will alter their integrity.  If all under heaven do not prostitute their nature, and if all under heaven do not alter their integrity, what need would there be for someone to govern all under heaven?  Long ago, when Yao governed all under heaven, he made everyone delightfully enjoy their nature, which means they were not placid.  When Chieh governed all under heaven, he made everyone wearily feel the bitterness of their own nature, which means they were not content.  To be neither placid nor content is a negation of integrity.  There is no one under heaven, who can long endure when her integrity is negated.

Is a man too happy? - he will have an excess of yang.  Is a man too angry? - he will have an excess of yin.  When there is an excess of yin and yang, the four seasons will not arrive on time, and the harmony of cold and heat will be incomplete.  Would this not result in injury to the human body?  If men are made to lose a proper perspective on happiness and anger, to dwell without constancy, to think without satisfaction, and to give up midway without completing what they have started, all under heaven will begin to be arrogantly perverse and fiercely proud, then there will be conduct like that of Robber Footpad, Tseng Shen, and Shih Ch'iu.  Thus, the entirety of all under heaven would not be adequate to reward the good, nor would it be sufficient to punish the bad.  Therefore, all under heaven, great as it is, is not adequate for rewards and punishments.  From the Three Dynasties on down, people have all the while been boisterously occupied with rewards and punishments.  What leisure have they for being secure in the attributes of their nature and destiny?

Furthermore, does he delight in keen eyesight? - he will be seduced by color.  Does he delight in keen hearing? - he will be seduced by sound.  Does he delight in humaneness? - he will be confused by virtue.  Does he delight in righteousness? - he will be confounded by principle.  Does he delight in rites? - he will encourage ingenuity.  Does he delight in music? - he will encourage lasciviousness.  Does he delight in sageness? - he will encourage artifice.  Does he delight in knowledge? - he will encourage fussiness.  If all under heaven are secure in the attributes of their nature and destiny, it would make no difference whether these eight delights are preserved or not.  But if all under heaven are not secure in the attributes of their nature and destiny, these eight delights will begin to warp and ravish, bringing confusion to all under heaven.  And if all under heaven begin to respect and cherish them, great indeed will be the delusion of all under heaven!  These are not merely passing fancies that men will dispense with.  Rather they fast before mentioning them, kneel as they present them, and dance before them with drum and song.  And then what can we do about them?

Therefore, when the superior man has no choice but to oversee all under heaven, there is no better policy than nonaction.  Having adopted a policy of nonaction, he can be secure in the attributes of his nature and destiny.  Therefore it is said,

When a man values his body so that he may manage all under heaven, then all under heaven can be entrusted to him.

When a man is sparing of his body so that he may manage all under heaven, then all under heaven can be delivered to him.

Therefore, if the superior man can avoid dissipating his five viscera and overexerting his keen hearing and eyesight, remaining still as a corpse with a dragonish presence, silent in the depths with a thunderous voice, his spirit moving while heaven follows along with it, composed in nonaction while the myriad things are like so many motes of dust rising in the air, then what leisure will he have to govern all under heaven?

[Taoist Texts]

 

1 hour ago, Marblehead said:

When a man values his body so that he may manage all under heaven, then all under heaven can be entrusted to him.

When a man is sparing of his body

why body? and who is the entruster?

[Marblehead]

4 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

 

why body? and who is the entruster?

Let us remember that although Chuang Tzu was a mystic, he was very aware of the importance of the body.  Yes, I can even go so far as to suggest that he was a materialist as well.

 

The people of the empire.  Entrusting the Emperor Sage to do what is best for the empire, not only for him/her self.

 

[dawei]

On 7/31/2017 at 6:25 AM, Marblehead said:

Is a man too happy? - he will have an excess of yang.  Is a man too angry? - he will have an excess of yin. 

 

is this translation accurate?

 

It seems ass-backwards, till I had also considered Taomeows post:

 

 

 

For purposes of taoist dual cultivation, gender roles are reversed -- the woman expresses yang (knows the male), the man expresses yin (keeps the female). 

[Marblehead]

1 hour ago, dawei said:

 

is this translation accurate?

 

It seems ass-backwards, till I had also considered Taomeows post:

 

I have no idea how accurate it is.  And yes, Taomeow's perspective is valid, I think.

 

Remember?  Know Yang but hold to Yin.

 

[Taoist Texts]

On 7/31/2017 at 2:25 PM, Marblehead said:

while the myriad things are like so many motes of dust rising in the air,

this is in paralell with DDJ 4 and 56 炊累=同其尘

[Taomeow]

"Happy" and "angry" are not a yang-yin polarity though.  You can be yang-happy and yin-happy, yang-angry and yin-angry. 

[Marblehead]

Like tears of joy or tears of sadness.

 

[Taomeow]

7 hours ago, Marblehead said:

Like tears of joy or tears of sadness.

 

 

Or like war and sanctions.