Neiye - Section 18 - The Dao of Moderation (FINAL SECTION)

[dawei]

FINAL SECTION 

 

Eno:

 

Section 18: The Dao of Moderation

 

All human life must rest upon contentment.
Through cares its guiding lines are lost.
Through anger its source is lost.
When there is care or sadness, joy or sorrow,
the Dao finds no place.
Loves and desires – quiet them!
If you encounter disorder, put it right.
Draw nothing near, push nothing away;
blessings will spontaneously come to stay.
The Dao comes spontaneously,
you may rely upon it to shape your plans.
If you are tranquil you will grasp it;
agitated, you will lose it.
The magical qi within the heart,
now it comes, now departs.
It is so small that there can be nothing within it.
It is so great that there can be nothing outside it.
It is lost through the harm of agitation.
If the heart can grip tranquility,
the Dao will spontaneously fix itself therein.
In he who grasps the Dao
it steams through the lines of his face
and seeps from his hair.
There is no failing within his breast.
With the Dao of moderating desires,
the things of the world cannot harm him.

Linnell:

 

凡 人 之 生 也 Always : at the birth of people –
必 以 其 歡 They certainly have joy.
憂 則 失 紀 When they are worried, then they lose these tenets.
怒 則 失 端 When they are angry, then they lose the source.
憂 悲 喜 怒 Where there is worry, grief, love, anger,
道 乃 無 處 Then Dao does not dwell.
愛 慾 靜 之 Love and desire : still them.
愚 亂 正 之 Foolishness and confusion : properly align them.
勿 引 勿 推 When you do not pull and do not push,
福 將 自 歸 Good fortune will naturally return to you :
彼 道 自 來 That Dao will naturally arrive,
可 藉 與 謀 Which you can rely on and consult with.
靜 則 得 之 When you are still, then you attain it,
躁 則 失 之 When you are impatient, then you lose it.
靈 氣 在 心 This potent Qi in your heart/mind :
一 來 一 逝 One moment it arrives, one moment it departs.
其 細 無 內 It is so tiny there is nothing inside it,
其 大 無 外 It is so great there is nothing outside it.
所 以 失 之 The reason that you lose it
以 躁 為 害 Is because impatience causes harm.
心 能 執 靜 When the heart/mind can maintain stillness,
道 將 自 定 Dao will naturally settle there.
得 道 之 人 For people who attain Dao :
理 丞 而 屯 泄 Regulation supports it and it will not dissipate easily,
匈 中 無 敗 So that the center in their breast does not fail them.
節 欲 之 道 When following the Dao of restraining desire,
萬 物 不 害 The ten thousand creatures do not cause harm.

Roth:

 

-- Section 25 --

1. The vitality of all people
2. Inevitably comes from their peace of mind.
3. When anxious, you loose this guiding thread;
4. When angry, you lose this basic point.
5. When you are anxious or sad, pleased or angry,
6. The Way has no place to settle.
7. Love and desire: still them!
8. Folly and disturbance: correct them!
9. Do not push it! do not pull it!
10. Good fortune will naturally return to you,
11. And that Way will naturally come to you
12. So you can rely on and take counsel from it.
13. If you are tranquil then you will attain it;
14. If you are agitated then you will lose it.

-- Section 26 --
1. That mysterious vital energy within the mind:
2. One moment it arrives, the next it departs.
3. So fine, there is nothing within it;
4. So vast, there is nothing outside it.
5. We lose it
6. Because of the harm cause by mental agitation.
7. When the mind can hold on to tranquility,
8. The Way will become naturally stabilized.
9. For people who have attained the Way
10. It permeates their pores and saturates their hair.
11. Within their chest, they remain unvanquished.
12. [Follow] this Way of restricting sense-desires
13. And the myriad things will not cause you harm.

Shazi Daoren: Not Forcing

 

-- Section 25 --
As for all human life,
it thrives within serenity.
Worry results in the loss of discipline;
resentment results in the loss of equilibrium.
When worried or sad, fondly attached or resentful,
the Dao then is without abode.
Fondness and desire: still them;
folly and confusion: correct them.
Do not pull, do not push,
good fortune will naturally return,
the Dao will naturally come.
By this means you can rely on it.
Tranquility results in attaining it,
impatience results in losing it.

-- Section 26 -- Dao of Tempering Desire
The ephemeral Qi within the Heart:
One moment it comes, one moment it departs.
So minute, it is without interior;
so great, it is without exterior.
Where we lose it,
is due to our impatience causing harm.
When the Heart maintains stillness,
Dao will naturally stabilize.
For people who attain Dao,
it pervades their structure to the tip of their hair.
At the center of their chest, nothing is lost.
Temper desire with Dao,
and the myriad things will not trouble you.

Yueya:

 

-- Section 25 --
Considering the vitality of human beings,
It inevitably comes from peace of mind.
When anxious, you lose the guiding thread.
When angry, you lose the fundamental point.
If you are anxious, sad, pleased, or angry,
There is no place within you for the Dao to reside.
Love and desire: still them!
Folly and confusion: correct them!
Do not push, do not pull!
Auspiciousness will naturally return to you,
And that Dao will naturally come to you
So you can rely on it and be guided by it.
If you are tranquil, you will come to realize it.
If you are agitated, you will come to lose it.

-- Section 26 --
Considering the vitality of human beings,
It inevitably comes from peace of mind.
When anxious, you lose the guiding thread.
When angry, you lose the fundamental point.
If you are anxious, sad, pleased, or angry,
There is no place within you for the Dao to reside.
Love and desire: still them!
Folly and confusion: correct them!
Do not push, do not pull!
Auspiciousness will naturally return to you,
And that Dao will naturally come to you
So you can rely on it and be guided by it.
If you are tranquil, you will come to realize it.
If you are agitated, you will come to lose it.

Reid:
330 怒則失端。
When angry, they lose their direction.
331 憂悲喜怒,
(If people are hindered by) anxiety, grief, euphoria, and anger,
332 道乃無處。
Dao is then without any (empty) place to abide.
333 愛慾靜之,
Attachment and lust: quiet them;
334 遇 {43} 亂正之。
Encountering confusion, correct it.
335 勿引勿推,
Do not pull, do not push.
336 福將自歸。
Then good fortune will approach and naturally return.
337 彼道自來
This Dao of (allowing good fortune to) approach spontaneously
338 可藉與謀。
Can be relied on by following this strategy:
339 靜則得之,
If tranquil, you will attain it;
340 躁則失之。
If agitated, you will lose it;
341 靈氣在心,
The magical energy-breath (ling qi) {44} within the heart-mind:
342 一來一逝。
For a moment it draws near, and the next it disperses.
343 其細無內,
So thin, there is nothing inside of it;
344 其大無外。
So wide, there is nothing outside of it.
345 所以失之,
The reason you lose it,
346 以躁為害。
Is because agitation obstructs it.
347 心能執靜,
If the heart-mind can remain quiet,
348 道將自定。
Dao will approach and (ling qi will) naturally affix itself.
349 得道之人,
People who attain Dao
350 理丞 而屯泄,
Are aided by its principles, which fill {45} and flow through them.
351 匈中無敗。
Within the breast, they are not defeated (by pleasure, anger, sadness, or worry).
352 節欲之道,
Applying the dao of restraining the desires (of the five senses), {46}
353 萬物不害。
The myriad things bring no harm.

{43} “遇 meeting” is normally replaced here with its homonym “yu, 愚, stupidity.” The proceeding line “do not pull, do not push” might suggest that “encountering” was intended here as a wu wei approach, given that the text earlier discouraged thinking too much and making “premature determinations.”
{44} See also “shen ling” in technique #1 of Guigu Zi, found in the Introduction.
{45} “Tun, 屯, village, station” is normally replaced with “mao, 毛, hair” to say “flows through to the tips of their hair.” In The Complete I Ching, Alfred Huang comments on hexagram three, which is entitled “Tun, 屯”: “The character for the name of the gua has two meanings and is pronounced in two different ways. In most cases, it is pronounced tun, carrying the meaning of gathering, assembling, and filling up with abundance. In ancient China, a warehouse was called tun. In the I Ching, and only in the I Ching, this character bears the meaning of beginning. In this case, it is pronounced zhun.”
{46} See above NY279-284:
乃為之圖 Enact this plan:
節其五欲 Restrain the desires of the five senses
去其二凶 And forgo the two calamities
不喜不怒 (Accepting) neither pleasure, nor anger
平正擅匈 Then peace and alignment will reclaim the breast

Edited October 5, 2019 by dawei