Mair 14:5

[Marblehead]

When Confucius was in his fifty-first year, {{An allusion to Confucius' celebrated statement to the effect that, at age fifty, he understood the mandate of heaven.  Like all early Chinese thinkers, Confucius accepted the importance of the Tao (Way).  He and his followers, however, gave greater emphasis to T'ien (heaven), while the Taoists, as their name implies, put Tao in the highest position.}} he still had not heard the Way.  He went south to P'ei {{In the modern district of the same name in Kiangsu province.}} to see Old Longears.

"Have you come, sir?" asked Old Longears.  "I have heard, sir, that you are a worthy from the north.  Have you also attained the Way?"

"I haven't attained it yet," said Confucius.

"How have you sought it?" asked the Old Master.

"I have sought for it in regulations and computations, but after five years I still haven't attained it?"

"Then how did you seek it?" asked the Old Master.

"I sought for it in yin and yang, but after twelve years I still haven't attained it."

"So!" said the Old Master.  "If the Way could be presented, then everyone would present it to his lord.  If the Way could be offered, then everyone would offer it to his parents.  If the Way could be told, then everyone would tell it to his brothers.  If the Way could be given, then everyone would give it to his descendants.  However, the reason why one cannot do these things is that if there is no host for it within, it will not stay, and if there is no sign of it without, it will not proceed.  If that which goes forth from within is not received without, the sage will not let it go forth.  If that which enters from without has no host to receive it within, the sage will not deposit it there.  Fame is a public instrument upon which one may not draw too often.  Humaneness and righteousness are the inns of the former kings in which one should not dwell for long, but stay only one night.  {{If, perchance, one does so, he will receive much recrimination.}}

"The ultimate men of the past borrowed a way through humaneness and lodged temporarily in righteousness, so that they could wander carefreely in emptiness, eat in the fields of plainness, stand in the garden of unindebtedness.  Carefreeness implies nonaction, plainness implies easy nourishment, unindebtedness implies nonexpenditure.  The ancients called this 'wandering about to pluck the truth.'

"He who considers wealth to be right will not part with his earnings.  He who considers prominence to be right will not part with his fame.  He who is partial to power will not share its handle with others.  Grasping them, he trembles; letting go of them, he grieves.  Yet he has not the slightest introspection to perceive that which he ceaselessly pursues.  He is one of heaven's condemned.

"Resentment and kindness, taking and giving, admonition and instruction, sparing and killing - these eight are the instruments of rectification, but only she who complies with the great transformation without impediment can make use of them.  Thus it is said, 'Rectitude is rectification.'  The gate of heaven will not open for she whose mind does not believe this to be so."

[Taoist Texts]

6 minutes ago, Marblehead said:

The gate of heaven not open

hmm.  So, that was the plan...

[Marblehead]

Yep.  You will never find peace and contentment.

 

[Rara]

Who is old longears meant to be? Are we supposed to know this?

 

Anyway, Confucius seems to be looking everywhere for this Tao. Under the rug, maybe? 

Edited March 27, 2018 by Rara
I always spell Confucius wrong first time. Meh.

[Marblehead]

40 minutes ago, Rara said:

Who is old longears meant to be? Are we supposed to know this?

 

 

According to Victor Mair, Longears is Lao Tzu.

 

[Michael Sternbach]

4 hours ago, Rara said:

Edited 4 hours ago by Rara
I always spell Confucius wrong first time. Meh.

 

Cause you are confuced?

[Rara]

12 hours ago, Marblehead said:

According to Victor Mair, Longears is Lao Tzu.

 

 

I thought this may be the case because "Old Master" is the same translation for Lao Tzu, I believe (in which he is later referred to as)

[Rara]

8 hours ago, Michael Sternbach said:

 

Cause you are confuced?

 

My emoji is my instant reaction. But for bad-joke sake, I could have used the confused one.

 

Ba-dum.

Edited March 28, 2018 by Rara