20 Stop thinking, and end your problems.
What difference between yes and no?
What difference between success and failure?
Must you value what others value,
avoid what others avoid?
How ridiculous!
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Layer upon layer
She finds deep in her own experience the central truths of the art of living, which are paradoxical only on the surface: that the more truly solitary we are, the more compassionate we can be; the more we let go of what we love, the more present our love becomes; the clearer our insight into what is beyond good and evil, the more we can embody the good. Until finally she is able to say, in all humility, "I am the Tao, the Truth, the Life." S. Mitchell
Translation of the Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell, Harper & Row, 1988. In keeping with copyright law only the chapter under study is fulltext. All other chapters show only the first stanza.
Study Group Contac: Lissa Lord:lissalord@gmail.com
Tao in WordLayers
Layer upon layer
Hello, I think I need some help with this one, usually I find the Toa inspiring, this time I find it depressing. Any other interpretations out there to shine some light. I guess I'm feeling a little low any way. This time I find no help here.
ReplyDeleteKristen ... Yes, there are other translations that read differently than this one. I'll put one up, soon. Looking at the Mitchell 20, I start at the end. "I drink from the Great Mother's breasts." All of the text above describes a marshmallow personality, until we go to the source—the Great Mother Tao—for our sustenance. Here we are energized and full of more than we need. The last line of this chapter is a reminder that I can start over if I begin properly nourished. I am no longer who I used to be. There is no value given to what I do, no right and no wrong, no yes or no. I flow to the next place that is holy and of value to me (it may not be worth a hoot to society but then, I am not society's child). What excites me? Truly? Silence. (not parades, not parties). My smile is deep and constant and does not happen because of external events. (Well, my human Lissa smile is pretty ordinary as are my frowns and tears.) I have learned that my home is where I am—physically, mentally and spiritually. I don't have to look for it. In fact, it is better if I wait—if I drift along with the prairie winds and moments of my days. What I do, where I go, my home and my thoughts—most likely appear dull and boring to others. I do the next thing, I go to the next place, I think the next thought. This may appear aimless to society but I am satisfied ... completely and, guess what, there is plenty of room in my empty, idiot's mind for creative thinking and words I’ve never thought before.
ReplyDeleteLissa, you write beautifully. Thankyou so much for your insights. They help alot. Now I feel inspired again....:)
ReplyDeleteThis to me is a slap in the face of that which is popular and the people that are consumed by keeping up with the "Jones". Only in comparison to "them" do I seem to be dull, confused and missing the reason for life. But by keeping to the Tao, I am nourished by the Great Mother and want for nothing. This one is funny because I can almost hear Lao laughing. It is also sad because it seems like a shame that so many follow a path of illusion.
ReplyDeleteThe Whole Heart of Tao by John bright-Fey. Within his translation of chapter 20 reads:
ReplyDeleteI must form a balance between the world of man
about me
and the world of man inside of me
if they gather
then I am alone
if they are abundant
then I am desolate
if they are bereft
then I bring them together in joy
if the white thought is exhausted
then I bring them self-assurance
patiently I move
seeking rest for each moment in space and time
conforming to the gifts of the moment
like water to the shoreline
helping the families
within and without
to join purposes and grasp and listen and
comprehend