TAO TE CHING CHAPTER TWO

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The world is defined by opposites

Beauty is beauty because ugliness is perceived

Good is good because bad is perceived

Therefore, having and not having produce each other

Difficult and easy complement each other

Long and short create each other

High and low support each other

Sound and silence harmonize with each other

Front and back accompany each other.


The man of understanding is not defined by opposites

He goes about his activities without effort

Teaching without talking.

Though busy he does not turn away

Handling what needs to be done, he does not hold on

Completing, he does not take credit.

Because nothing is possessed, nothing is ever lost.

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Commentary: My purpose in doing this exercise is to bring these passages alive in the context of finding usefulness and practicality within their esoteric nature.

First however, there was a translation challenge for me over the words Sheng Jen. Mostly this is translated as the Sage. Stephen Mitchell translates it as the Master. R.L. Wing says Evolved Individuals. I prefer the Man of Understanding. This is a term John-Roger has used in one of his talks and is Chapter 76 of his book The Tao of Spirit:
Anyone can play the game.

As a matter of fact,
almost everyone plays the game
except the man of understanding.

He goes through the routine with you
and laughs
and has a good time,
and you can't understand why he's not serious about this.

It's because he understands that there is nothing to be
serious about,
because the whole divine action of God
is entirely present.

And so this man of understanding is accused of being everything
but understanding.

John-Roger from Tao of Spirit


So I like “Man of Understanding” as it seems more accessible and less aloof than the other terms. It does present another set of problems, however, one of gender. What about the woman of understanding? Mitchell gets around this by alternating between calling the Master a “he” and a “she.” I thought of saying the One of Understanding but that seemed a little too lofty. So I have stuck with the Man of Understanding as it resonates most for me. My hope is that the female readers can make the switch to include themselves.

Now on to the practicality of the passage. The most useful to me is in the last sentence, “Because nothing is possessed, nothing is ever lost.” I think it is a wonderful statement of detachment. In fact throughout the text the Man of Understanding goes about things in a detached state yet still manages to stay very involved, doing nothing but getting things done. One of the keys is the effortlessness that comes from detachment. It reminds me of the Life Design Principle mentioned in a previous post:

There is a simple next step to everything.
And that simple next step can always be taken in a relaxed way.

One of the reasons the Man of Understanding is not understood is that he doesn’t define his life in the same way as the average person. He is not run by others’ opinions and nothing is good or bad or right or wrong. Things are simply what they are and the Man of Understanding is content to leave it that way.

Tao Te Ching -- Chapter One

The spirit that can be contained is not the true Spirit

The one that can be named is not the All


From the All emanates everything.


Separation comes from identification

Therefore, unconditioned we see the essence

Conditioned, we see the form


Knowing both states arise from the same Spirit

Is the mystery within life

And the opening to all understanding



Commentary:

(Note: If you are wondering what I am doing writing about the Tao Te Ching please refer to the February 9 post.)

Jonathan Star spends 23 pages commenting on this first chapter in his Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition. He believes that it is the “seminal verse” and that it “can be considered the foundation of the entire text.” The commentaries on this blog are not an intellectual discussion of the text itself, but more about their possible usefulness and application in our lives. In other words, what relevance does this verse have to us?

A principle that re-occurs throughout the text, is the living of life with no expectation. When there is no expectation there is no disappointment. When we can get beyond the conditioned way we see things, we can live life in a more unconditional state.

We are conditioned in so many ways—language, education, family, culture, religion, etc. An unconditional state is more open, and innocent. It’s a childlike perspective, where everything is a wonder, and is to be played with and explored. Where everything is a right now experience and anything can be let go of in the moment in order to give attention to the next object of wonder. Because of their openness, children are often looked upon as being closer to the magical in life—to the divine.

The unconditioned state leads us to the space that holds all things. When we able to describe such a state we have moved out of it and returned to our conditioned world. It can’t be grasped with the mind, yet it is ever present. What a fine balancing act life is!

Tao Te Ching -- Introduction

The Tao has no expectations.
The Tao demands nothing of others.
The Tao does not speak.
The Tao does not blame.
The Tao does not take sides.
The Tao is not Jewish.

David M. Bader – Zen Judaism



From time to time I will digress from Halfland explore other topics that interest me. I was born in London, England, and raised orthodox Jewish, while being educated at Holy Trinity, a Church of England school. However, my heart has always yearned for the East. I am glad to say that in the last 10 years I have been able to make it to Japan on five occasions and also to China.

For the past couple of years I have taken to translating the Tao Te Ching an ancient Chinese book purportedly written by Lao Tzu around 500 B.C. I can’t speak a word of Chinese, nor can I read Chinese characters but thanks to Jonathan Star in his Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition, I don’t have to. Jonathan takes apart every character giving each one their multitude of meanings. In addition to his own translation he also gives examples of how other well-known translations have interpreted the passages.

There are 81 Chapters in all. The book is very concisely written and has been a fountain of inspiration for everyone looking for deeper meaning in life. I first came across the book about 25 years ago. Its multi-leveled meanings continue to inspire me. In 1990 I took John-Roger’s writings and isolated his most Zen-like teachings and compiled a book of his called the Tao of Spirit.

Given the Tao Te Ching is one of the most translated books in history, you may ask why I would want to come up with my own. The answer is that the time spent contemplating the characters and their meanings brings me to a place of peace, understanding, and acceptance. The passages give a different way of looking at life and provide a respite from the materialism that seems to permeate virtually every aspect of our lives, whether we like it or not.

In addition to Jonathan Star’s book, other translations I like are by Stephen Mitchell, Red Pine, and my all time favorite Gia-Fu Feng. In future, I'll be posting my own translation plus a commentary on what it means to me.