The Legalist Doctrine of Han Feizi (3rd century B.C.)

The essence of legalist doctrine is the use of sovereign law to secure the authority of the ruler, to harness the talents of the ministers, to keep harmony among the people, and to protect the peace from enemies abroad. In short, the aim is to make the state strong and to keep it under control. In this emphasis on the strong state it conflicts with traditional Confucian values that put neighbours and family first.

The essential energy of the state is focused on the knowledge and practice of agriculture and warfare. Agriculture is practiced in times of peace to fill the granaries, and warfare in times of war to repel invaders, preserve alliances and crush enemies. These two activities keep men busy and keep the state strong.

Rewards are clear, penalties severe. Punishments include ministers. Rewards include commoners. With these two levers of authority, the sovereign keeps control of the state. If he should ever be foolish enough to give either power away, then he will lose authority.

Everything has its specific function, every person has his specific qualification. The ruler just assign names. When names and forms are in agreement, superior and inferior are in harmony. The calamity of the ruler originates in self-assertion because his function is solely to rule, not to interfere. When the name exceeds the form, this deserves punishment. When the form exceeds the name, this too may be punished because it signals an attempt to gain favour or it takes away another's responsibility. To speak without knowing, or to not speak when one knows, both deserve to be punished. When forms and names match each other, then this deserves reward. Chastisement and commendation are the two handles by which fear of punishment and greed for reward are exercised.

"Rules and measures" is the sovereign's treasure. "Allies and followers" is the minister's treasure. Thus, the sovereign uses rules and measures to divide up alliances that could threaten his authority. If the ruler's personal bias of like and dislike are concealed, then the ministers' true hearts will be revealed. If the ministers reveal their true hearts, then the ruler will never be deluded. With laws and numbers that are definite and impartial, the ruler will not be deceived. Ministers must never realise wishes that are outside the rule of law, nor bestow favours that are within the rule of law. 

When high and low are connected, everything will be in order.

So it was that "the early kings esteemed legalism".

Thus advised Han Feizi. And he was killed for his troubles.

Comments: So we see how even an enlightened kind of authoritarianism, just like capitalism today, is based on fear and greed. It is successful precisely because it utilizes human nature instead of trying to change human nature. And yet, though endowed with external strength, the authoritarian and the capitalist society are both internally conflicted. When we all go for the same aim, whether it be power or money, naturally there is conflict. The ruler and the state want to be strong because they are afraid of the dark days, the days of war and lack that leave their imprint on our memory, on our history, on our subconscious, but by being afraid of the dark days, we are always living in the dark days. The only way out is if we could switch from this reactive victim-mentality to the creator-mentality. This is what Nietzsche spoke of in his "Genealogy of Morals", a summary of which you can read at the link. Indeed, we must overcome our greed and fear, and with gentle reason heal our inner conflicts.

Staking out New Ground (I Ching, 3 — zhun)

3. zhun — water/thunder
XIX/XXI

DIFFICULTY-HESITATION-HOARDING-SPROUTING-GARRISON

The original meaning of zhun is of a sprouting seedling, but it is also associated with gathering, either of grain or of men. Its earliest meaning might be military - an army encampment or garrison. For more, see here.
http://www.yijing.nl/i_ching/hex_1-16/03-04.htm

Difficulty. The risks are high, but the omens are good. Do not act. You do not have a direction. Appoint noble princes.

   1.    Stone pillars. Favourable sign for a dwelling. Appoint noble princes.

   2.    As if stuck, as if blocked, if chariots and horses come teeming like bandits trying to steal a marriage match, let them hear the female fortune: she will not marry, for ten years she will not bear children.

    3.    If you stalk deer without vigilance, you end up straying into the centre of the forest. The noble person is subtle. He returns home, not letting on that he is lost. Going on will bring bad luck.

    4.    If chariots and horses come teeming, seeking a marriage match, then auspicious that you should go. Nothing unfavourable will come of it.

    5.    Saving the deer fat, if there is little, the omens are good; but hoarding much, the omens are bad.

    6.    If chariots and horses come teeming, shedding floods of tears, then the blood of the relatives has flowed.

Commentary: Staking out new territory, it is often better not to have a pre-conceived purpose because you are not in a position to have one, just as a plant sends out roots in all directions. When French settlers colonized America, they came with big projects, the British with none. The French settlements quickly collapsed, the British thrived, adapting better to the conditions around them. The meaning of this hexagram is perseverance in non-action while staking out new territory.

Both translation and commentary are my interpretation from various sources, and probably my last post on the I Ching. I wish you all good luck in your new encampments!

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

—Rainer Maria Rilke

Painting: by Adèle Aldridge from ichingmeditations.com
Video: 'Any Road' by George Harrison. Lyrics here.

Enthusiasm, Excess, Happiness (I Ching, 16 — yù)

 16. yù — thunder/earth
XXI/XXX

 ENTHUSIASM-EXCESS-HAPPINESS


When we are enthused, when we are happy, when we have a surplus, it is worthwhile to get organized, appoint helpers and venture out on worthwhile projects. 

 

1. Trumpeting out our enthusiasm does no good. It wastes the energy that should be reserved for action.

2. Our certainty is as solid as a rock, but by the end of the day, we are spent. This bodes well! Just observe the rising of negative thoughts, and cut them at the root.

3. If we depend on others to reinforce our enthusiasm, and for self-verification, then we will regret it. Any delay will bring regret. Do good without thought, quickly! For if you are slow, doubt will overcome you.

4. Become acquainted with the well-spring of your enthusiasm. If it is great, then it will bring fortune and success. Have no doubt that if you persist in your truth, friends will stand by you as in a hairpin to assist in your venture.

5. Know the sources of enthusiasm that bode ill and will cause you suffering. Ultimately, they will not kill you, but be sure to learn from them. Observing your feelings with a friendly detachment, you allow life to become your teacher. As you grow out of the shell of your conditioning, you begin to write your own destiny.

6. If enthusiasm arises from dark motives, then you may succeed at first, but it will be a pyrrhic victory. That’s life! Change course to what is balanced and correct to align with your inner truth. This will always serve you best in the long run.
 

 
Image Explanation by Margaret Pearson: Thunder over Earth. Early Chinese envisaged earthquakes as thunder breaking out of the earth. Having excess is likened to such an upheaval. This image reminds us that having much can be dangerous if it is not shared in appropriate ways. With increased wealth or power come responsibilities too great for one person to control alone. Having too much can end up being upsetting as earthquakes upset the earth. New forms must be created to delegate, to recognize the good in others and to celebrate in sacred rites and song the joy that comes from abundance. Some of the excess must be sacrificed to the Highest Power, and then shared among those whom we can trust to take care of our community. Only in this way can we be worthy of those who have contributed to the fortune of our present situation. (based on "The Original I Ching", Margaret Pearson)

The version in green is my own, from various sources.

Another good link:
http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/learn/gua/hexagrams/hexagram16.php


Paintings: by Adèle Aldridge from ichingmeditations.com
Photo: by Diana Paola from dianapaola8.tumblr.com

Symbolism: East and West

Ingredients:

A collection of quotations, followed by a little video of the paintings of Marc Chagall (1887-1985) accompanied by Cerys Matthews, formerly of Catatonia, singing the Welsh song of unrequited love "Myfanwy".

Directions:

Jean Moreas ("Manifesto of Symbolism", 1886)
"To clothe the idea in perceptible form..."

François Cheng (Chinese Poetic Writing, 1977)
"The influence of a language conceived no longer as a denotative system that "describes" the world, but as a system of connections that provokes the act of signifying, is decisive here. Poetry, calligraphy, painting and myth form a semiotic network, both complex and unified, which cannot be compartmentalised. The three talents (san-tsai) of Man, Earth and Heaven participate in a relationship of both correspondence and complementarily. The role of man consists not only of "fitting out" the universe, but of interiorizing all things, recreating them so as to rediscover his own place within. In this process of "co-creation", the central element with regard to literature is the notion of wen. This term is found in many later combinations signing language, style, literature, civilisation, and so forth. Originally, it designated the footprints of animals, or the veins of wood and stone, the set of harmonious or rhythmic "strokes" by which nature signifies. It is in the image of these natural signs that the linguistic designs of calligraphy were created, and these are similarly called wen. The double nature of wen constitutes an authority through which man may come to understand the mystery of nature, and thereby his own nature. A masterpiece is that which restores the secret relationship between things, and the breath that animates them as well."

Odilon Redon "My drawings inspire, and are not to be defined. They place us, as does music, in the ambiguous realm of the undetermined."

Chung Hung (6th century) "The Breaths animate beings and things; these in their turn inspire man. Pushed by the impulsions and feelings which dwell within him, man expresses himself through dance and song. His song is a light which illuminates the three spirits (Man-Earth-Heaven) as well as the ten thousand creatures. Thus it makes an offering to the spirits, and makes manifest the hidden mystery. For unsettling Heaven and Earth, for moving the gods, nothing equals poetry." (The Chinese, like the Egyptians, have a myth of how the linguistic signs of writing were stolen from the gods, analogous to the Greek myth of Prometheus who stole fire.)

Goethe (from Prometheus)
"...Do you somehow imagine
That I should hate Life,
Flee to the desert,
Because not every
Flowering dream should bloom?
Here I sit, I form humans
After my own image;
A race, to be like me,
To sorrow, to weep,
To enjoy and delight itself,
And to heed you not -
Like I!"

Yen Yu (12th century) Man, Earth and Heaven correspond to human feelings, natural wonders and the language that is beyond language. "Among the great poets of the T'ang, the highest place is always given to the ineffable spirit. Like antelope horns which blend with tree branches in the forest, their verses are little preoccupied with observation or analysis. They possess a radiant transparency which can never be discerned. Sound which vibrates in the air, colour which shimmers like a mirage, the moon reflecting in the water, the face looking out of the mirror: such is the appearance of their poetry, a poetry of limited words, yet of meaning always extending Beyond."

Evelyn Pickering de Morgan "Art is eternal, but life is short…"

Ch'ing yuan Wei-hsin (8th century) "Before I had studied Zen for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and waters as waters. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and waters are not waters. But now that I have got its very substance I am at rest. For it's just that I see mountains once again as mountains, and waters once again as waters."

The Lord of the East (Qu Yuan)

Ingredients:

This is the first of the shamanic "Nine Songs", in Chinese Jiu Ge (九歌), supposed to have been collected by Qu Yuan in the 3rd century BC as part of his anthology Chu ci, or songs of Chu, often known as "Songs of the South". This is as a very late celebration of dragon festival day which is said to be in honour of this poet. The songs almost all express a love between the shaman and the god/goddess to whom the song is addressed, all except the first, addressed to the supreme spirit called "The Lord of the East". Here it is in translation alongside a beautiful video of Bei Bei playing "Under the White Wind" on the gu zheng (or zither). For more zither-playing by Bei Bei, see: http://www.youtube.com/user/BeiBeizheng

Directions:

The Lord of the East

On this auspicious day, favourable and sacred,
Let us turn east and pray that we may please the Lord.
I hold forth for Him my long sword by its jade guard.
Clothes adorned with jade pendants make a tinkling sound.
Gifts are laid upon the jewelled mat with its jade weights.
I sprinkle the rich and fragrant flower-offerings,
Served with orchids, tender meat wrapped with scented grass.
I set out the cassia-wine and peppered drink.
Now the sticks are raised, the drums are struck,
To beats distant and slow, the chanters gently sing.
Then the reed organ and zither loud reply.
Finally come priestesses dancing in their splendid robes
And all the hall is filled with the sweetest fragrance.
The five sounds mingle in mellifluous harmony.
The Lord is well pleased, his heart at rest.

Poetry & Qi Gong accompanied by Bach

Ingredients:

Qigong demonstration by Mingtong accompanied by four movements of Bach's Flute Sonatas in E minor and E flat major playing in the background.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wxdLG7CVmI

Directions:

Ann Taylor (1782-1866) — The Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveller in the dark,
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.


~*~

Mary Oliver — One


The mosquito is so small
it takes almost nothing to ruin it.
Each leaf, the same.
And the black ant, hurrying.
So many lives, so many fortunes!
Every morning, I walk softly and with forward glances
down to the ponds and through the pinewoods.
Mushrooms, even, have but a brief hour
before the slug creeps to the feast,
before the pine needles hustle down
under the bundles of harsh, beneficent rain.

How many, how many, how many
make up a world!
And then I think of that old idea: the singular
and the eternal.
One cup, in which everything is swirled
back to the color of the sea and sky.
Imagine it!

A shining cup, surely!
In the moment in which there is no wind
over your shoulder,
you stare down into it,
and there you are,
your own darling face, your own eyes.
And then the wind, not thinking of you, just passes by,
touching the ant, the mosquito, the leaf,
and you know what else!
How blue is the sea, how blue is the sky,
how blue and tiny and redeemable everything is, even you,
even your eyes, even your imagination.


~*~

Hadewijch (13th century) — All Things

All things
are too small
to hold me,
I am so vast.

In the Infinite
I reach
for the Uncreated.

I have
touched it,
it undoes me
wider than wide.

Everything else
is too narrow.

You know this well,
you who are also there.


~*~

Rabia al-Adawiyya (717-801)

I carry a torch in one hand
And a bucket of water in the other:
With these things I am going to set fire to Heaven
And put out the flames of Hell
So that voyagers to God can rip the veils
And see the real goal.

Does the I Ching tell a Story?

This blog was originally phrased as a question... can you guess what this poem is about? I hinted that this was something in translation, so to think of words in their broadest possible sense, not to deduce things from the terminology used because this is arbitrary. It is in fact the list of hexagram titles of the I Ching! Now that's revealed, I'll change the question...

Does the I Ching tell a Story? (trans. —okei)

Daybreak, earth springs anew.
Waiting, struggling, calling together.
Offers cautious, trust witheld.
Fellowship begets good reward,
Followers spread forest contemplation,
Detractors elegant, sent home.
Unexpected bounty, determines success,
Worst overcome with time.
Pullback, strong charge, wounded.
Family disagreements impede release.
Less, more, breakthrough, betrothal.
Community rises exhausted, relief.
Simplicity, cauldron resonating, stillness.
Gradual homecoming, enough travelling,
Divining joy, overflowing restraints.
Sincerely, worth doing, unfinished.

Qi Gong Eight-Piece Brocade, accompanied by an Excerpt from Dante's Paradiso

A beautiful demonstration of the eight-piece brocade in qi gong, accompanied by music of Nick Cave & Warren Ellis: "Mary's Song", and "The Water Song", the latter forming the background to a reading of "Journey to the Moon", an excerpt from Dante's Paradiso, starting at 02:55 in. (from Danto's "Paradiso, Canto II", trans. based on Cotter)

O you who are seated in your little boats,

Eager to listen, following in the wake

Behind my ship that singing plows her way,



Turn back to look again on your own shores:

Don't put out on the high seas, for, perhaps,

In losing me you may run far adrift!



The waters I take were never crossed before.

Minerva blows and Apollo pilots me,

While the nine Muses point me out the Bears.

You other few who stretched your necks on high
In time to taste the bread of angels which
People here feed on, but never have their fill,

You well may put your boat out on the deep
By staying in the furrow of my wake
Before the waters flow back smooth again.

Those glorious men who sailed the sea to Colchis,
When they saw Jason turned into a plowman,
Were not as thunderstruck as you shall be.


The inborn, boundless thirst for that kingdom
Created in God's image swept us onward
Almost as swiftly as the skies you see.

Beatrice gazed upward and I gazed on her;
And in the time perhaps it takes an arrow
To strike the bull's-eye, fly, and leave the bow,

I saw myself arrived at a thing of wonder
Which drew my sight to it, and therefore she
From whom my close concerns could not be hidden

Turned towards me, as glad as she was lovely,
And said, "Direct your mind with thanks to God
Who here has made us one with the first star."

I thought we were enveloped in a cloud,
Shining, solid, dense, and highly polished
As a diamond struck by the sun would be.

The timeless pearl took us inside itself
In the same way that water can receive
A ray of light while it remains intact.

If I were body (and here we can't conceive
How one dimension could contain another,
Which has to be when body enters body),

All the more should longing then inflame us
To see that Essence in which we may see
How our own nature and God join in one.

There shall be revealed what we now hold by faith:
Not proven to us, but known on its own,
Like the first truths believed by human beings.

To Heaven! (Two Love Letters by Yu Xuanji)

There is no other way
To heaven but through love
 
No faster way to hell
Than fearing love is lost.

–okei

Merry Christmas everyone!

In thoughts for those who are apart from loved ones over the holidays — 
a video offering: two love letters by the Tang dynasty poetess Yu Xuanji.

I'm really hoping this bout of melancholia doesn't make people sad,
but on the contrary grateful and happy...
But if it does dampen the Christmas party spirit,
 then that wasn't the intention and I'm very sorry!


 

Spring Love to Zian

The stone paths up the mountain are treacherous and steep.

I climb them without fear or strain, missing you so deep.
 Ice melts and in far streams I hear music from your lips.
 In snowy peaks I see the jade contours of your hips. 
Don't listen to gitana songs nor drink unripe wine, 
Give up idle company and playing chess all night. 
We shall hold firm in our union as the rock the pine, 
Two wings of the same bird, no-one else could give us flight.
Though sad I am to walk alone, this last winter day, 
When the moon is full, my love, we'll meet again I pray. 
Parted, what gift of mine could I offer up more true?
 Fallen tears in the spring light upon a poem... to you.

—Yu Xuanji
a courtesan-poet-nun from 9th century China who died at 25 on charges 
(possibly trumped up) of beating a maid to death.
 

Gazing into Jiang-Ling Horizon Longing for Zian

Maple leaves, by thousands branching, ten thousand each tree,
Under yonder bridge, dusk falls, the last sails slowly leave.
Love! my heart is rushing like the flow of river Xi,
Day and night, it eastwards scrawls, longing you without reprieve.  

Fantasia of Life (Lin Yutang)

Ingredients:

This is an edited version of poems selected and translated from Chinese by Lin Yutang, which all share a certain quality of understanding of life, reminiscent of Fitzgerald’s "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam".

Directions:

Liu Chienfu

O, have you heard of that immortal quest,
Five hundred virgins for a king’s behest,
Where are they? Where the potion Yenti promised?
Their eyes closed, and Laozi’s too like all the rest.


Teng Chingyang

We are but passing guests from who knows where.
Say not thy home is here, thy home is there.
It suits me well wherever I may be;
The flowers bloom here and there and everywhere.


Chuehwen

What rich fields of gold below yonder hill.
A newcomer harvests what others till.
Rejoice not, dear newcomer, at your turn —
There waits behind a new newcomer still.


Shin Yu-An

The one who’s drunk shares liberally his smiles,
He does away with foolish masks and guiles
From him I’ve lately come to realize
Spurn bookish wisdom and ambitious wiles.


Su Tungpo

O speckless the clear moon, silvery the night!
When you fill thy cup, be sure to fill it quite!
Strive not for frothy fame, nor for bubbling wealth:
A passing dream —
A flashing flint —
A shadow’s flight!

O what is knowledge, fine and ultra-fine?
To joys simple and innocent resign!
When I go home, I’ll carry on my back
A pile of clouds —
A sweet-toned lyre —
A pot of wine.


Tung Chungfeng

I love my bamboo hut, by water surrounded,
Reached on either side by stepping stones well-grounded.
A quiet peaceful study, small but fine:
Ensconced so cozy —
So delightful —
So well-rounded.

No marble halls, no tall vermillion towers
Are quite as good as my secluded bowers.
The lawn with buttercups embroidered
Greets me in the cloudy morn —
Or when it shines —
Or when it showers.

A short low wall with windows hid by trees;
A tiny little pond myself to please;
And there upon its shady rocky banks:
A pretty girl —
A pale moon —
A soft breeze.

And how about this quiet life to lead?
A balcony to sit without a need
And earn from moon and flowers a peaceful hour
And have some friendly chats —
Some fine incense —
Some books to read.

For household use, some furniture decrepit.
Suffice with hills and water so exquisite.
When guests arrive, to set the perfect scene:
Put on the kettle —
Brew the tea —
And let us sip it.

O sweep the yard, but spare the mossy spots
Let petals speck thy stones with purple dots
And in a painting, what’s more wonderful:
Some pine trees —
And bamboos —
And apricots.

Let bloom in order pear and peach and cherry!
The morrow lies with God, so pick the berry;
Who knows but what and when the future holds?
But let’s be wise —
Be content —
Be merry!

When a friend arrives whom thou hast long admired,
Since by idle nothings you are both inspired,
Ask them to stay for a good carefree half-day:
And drink when happy —
Sing when drunk —
Sleep when tired.

A quiet home far from the hustling crowds;
Let not the trivial things thy mind becloud.
Be happy and never disenchanted,
Do not be fussy —
Nor selfish —
Nor proud.

Obey God’s will, and wait on Heaven’s pleasure.
Thy purity of heart alone do treasure.
Enough the library and the flowers’ court
For a life of peace —
And contentment —
And leisure.

Ideas towards a Structure of the Tao Te Ching

A Subdivision of Lao-Tzu's

Tao Te Ching into 27 Parts

The Unnameable Dao (1-3)
Emptiness (4-7)
Suppleness (8-10)
Openness (11-13)
Formlessness (14-16)
Genuineness (17-19)
Inner Stillness (20-21, 24)
Wholeness (22-23, 25)
Rootedness (26-28)
Peacefulness (29-31)
Innateness (31-34)
Mildness (35-37)
Simpleness (38-39, 41)
Reversion (40)

Wordlessness (42-44)
Stillness (45-47)
Harmlessness (48-50)
Straightness (51-53)
Virtuousness (54-56)
Sparingness (57-59)
Forgiveness (60-62)
Mindfulness (63-65)
Humility (66, 80-81)
Reserve (67-69)
Wisdom (70-72)
Softness (73-76)
Gentleness (77-79)


This then is a playlist of the complete reading of a compressed-haiku version of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejin) by Lao-Tzu (Laozi). The order follows that of the over two-thousand year old Ma-wang-tui version of the text which was discovered in 1973.

The spirit of Dao of these verses is illustrated by the paintings of Jia Lu and accompanied by the gayageum-playing of Choi Jin.  

And it is read by me. Enjoy!




Acknowledgments to books by Henricks and Lin Yutang especially, inspiration from Lee to begin with, an insight of Tamara, and Fangyu and Jue for a comment or two along the Way.

Spirit of Dao in the Art of Jia Lu

Ingredients:

Hello All! I've been rather absent lately. I hope you are all well!

Apart from work, I've also been enjoying putting together this...a video comprising:

(1) the verses of the Tao Te Ching (pronounced Daodejin) by Lao-Tzu (Laozi), rendered in haiku form,

(2) a selection of paintings of female beauty by Jia Lu ("Departures" pictured).

(3) the traditional Chinese instrumental piece "Return of the Fishing Boat".

Enjoy!

Directions:

Power of the Dao (Lao-Tzu)

Ingredients:

Verses 26-41 of Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) in haiku form. This completes the section on the Tao (Dao) and includes the first four verses on the Te (Virtue).

The image is "Streaming Wind" by Jia Lu.

Directions:

26.
Centred at the root,
Heavy and still in one’s self,
The world becomes light.

27.
The skilled leave no mark.
So the wise king neglects none
And values the raw.

28.
He knows right and wrong,
Yet returns to origins
And does not cut up.

29.
Some strive to control.
I see they will not succeed.
The world is sacred.

30.
Putting aside arms,
He achieves without cruelty.
In victory, he stops.

31.
Weapons bring bad luck.
Gentlemen do not relish war.
In victory, they mourn.

32.
Nameless, seeming small,
Like the streams that fill the seas,
Dao cannot be grasped.

33.
Know others to last.
Know self to die to yourself.
And last in the Dao.

34.
Unrestrained, innate,
Clothed in the ten thousand things,
Though meek, Dao is great.

35.
Sanctity of peace,
Plain to taste, unseen, unheard,
Its reserves endless.

36.
To lay low, raise high.
Mildness overcomes proud strength,
So powers should hide deep.

37.
Dao takes no action.
When maintained, and desires calmed,
Things transform themselves.

38.
Unconscious, unplanned,
Virtue’s the fruit of the Way,
Ethics its brief flower.

39.
Remembering the One,
Rather than tinkling like jade,
Rumble like the rocks.

41.
When they hear the Dao,
Some poor souls burst out laughing.
Else it wouldn’t be Dao!

40.
Soft means are its ends.
Dao teaches by example.
Through non-being, it is.

Reflections on the Dao (Lao-Tzu)

Ingredients:

Verses 1-25 of Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) in haiku form.

The image is "Mysterious Portal" by Baron Arild Rosenkrantz.

Directions:

1.
Behind words and names
Are the nameless origins
And the gate of Truth.

2.
Teach without words, for
Knowledge creates opposites.
Act smooth – don’t attach!

3.
Show no preferences!
Empty minds and fill bellies
For natural order.

4.
Inexhaustible,
The soft mother of all things,
Deep, still and timeless.

5.
Nature lacks humour.
It thrives in empty spaces
In the fertile mean.

6.
The valley spirit,
Ever last, ever present,
She produces all.

7.
Masters and planets
Live for the Way, not themselves,
So long they endure.

8.
Be fresh like water,
Nourishing, not comparing,
Supple, and go deep.

9.
Don’t overdo it.
When your task is done, step back!
Such is Heaven’s Way.

10.
Can you breathe softly,
Birthing, but not possessing?
This is true Virtue.

11.
Some things have value,
But power lies in empty space
Open to intent.

12.
Senses overwhelm.
Be satisfied and look in
To waken insight.

13.
He who loves himself
And respects his own suffering,
You can trust the world.

14.
An unceasing thread,
Merging in One formless form,
Thus begins the Way.

15.
The Masters of old,
No doubt seemed muddy like fools,
Unrefined, unknown.

16.
Emptiness boundless,
Centred in stillness, in fate
One sees what’s constant.

17.
The best kings are known,
The next best are loved and praised,
The worst are hated.

18.
When the Dao is lost,
We find the concepts of love
Replace the real thing.

19.
Knowledge, craft, planning,
Rid the people of these three,
Embrace the genuine!

20.
Indifferent and still,
Like a child who’s not yet smiled,
I drink my Mother.

21.
The utmost life force
Shapeless, formless, trace it back
To the obscure source.

24.
Those who overreach,
Affirming self, lose their ground.
So they are toppled.

22.
An old paradox,
“Bend over, you’ll be kept whole.”
In wholeness, you shine.

23.
One with death finds death,
One with life finds life, so too
One with Virtue’s Way.

25.
Four great mirrors are:
Man, Earth, Heaven and the Dao.
The Dao is in all.

Daoist Anarchy (Lao-Tzu)

Ingredients:

Verses 17-19 of the Tao Te Ching. This is my interpretation based on other versions.

Directions:

17.
Of the highest rulers, those below simply know they are there.
Of the next best, they love and praise them.
Of those another step down, they fear them.
Of those yet another step down, they ridicule and insult them.
When trust is lacking, he will lack trust.
Cautious! Thus is his use of words.
He completes his duties and finishes his tasks,
And the people say, "It happened naturally."

18.
When the Great Way is rejected, it is then that we find "humanity" and "righteousness".
When knowledge and wisdom appear, it is then that we find great hypocrisy.
When the six relations are not in harmony, it is then that we find "filial piety" and "compassion".
And when the country is in chaos and disarray, it is then that we find praise for "upright officials".

19.
Eliminate knowledge, get rid of argumentation, and the people benefit a hundred-fold.
Eliminate artistry, get rid of profiteering, and the people benefit a hundred-fold.
Eliminate planning, get rid of deliberation, and the people benefit a hundred-fold.
These three are your mission, yet they are not sufficient.
We should add an affirmative injunction:
Look to the simple, embrace the genuine, lessen self-interest and make few your desires.

Original Formlessness (Lao-Tzu)

Ingredients:

Verses 14-16 of the Tao Te Ching. This is my interpretation based on other versions.

Directions:

14.
Look, and you cannot see it. We call this "the infinitesimal".
Listen, and you cannot hear it. We call this "the background hum".
Touch, and you cannot grasp it. We call this "the straight and smooth".
These three cannot be examined to the limit.
Therefore they merge together as one.
"One" – there is nothing more encompassing above it
And nothing more infinitesimal below it.
Unceasing, continuous, it cannot be defined.
It reverts to the state of nothingness.
It is called the formless form;
For it is an image without substance.
It is called the subtle and indistinct;
For following it, you do not see its back,
And greeting it, you do not see its head.
Hold to the Way of the present
To guide the things of the present
And to know the primeval beginning.
This is the beginning of the thread of the Way.

15.
The One who was skilled in practicing the Way in antiquity
Was subtle and profound, mysterious and penetratingly wise.
His depth cannot be known, and because it cannot be known,
We would sing his praises thus:
Cautious was he! Like someone crossing a river in winter.
Unresolved was he! Like someone in fear of his neighbours on all four sides.
Polite was he! Like a guest.
Self-effacing was he! Like broken ice.
Unrefined was he! Like a lump of wood.
Unparticular was he! Like muddy water.
Open was he! Like a valley.
If you let rest the muddy water, gradually it becomes clear.
If you make active the female roots, they gradually come alive.
The one who preserves the Way does not desire to be complete.
It is only because he does not desire to be complete
That he fulfils himself, yet does not need to be renewed.

16.
Take emptiness to the limit.
Guard stillness at the centre.
The ten thousand things leap forth side-by-side.
Being at rest, I see their return.
Heaven's Way is abundant.
Each returns to its roots.
This is called stillness.
"Stillness" – this means to return to one's fate.
To return to one's fate is to be constant;
To know the constant is to be wise.
Not to know the constant is to be reckless and wild.
If you are reckless and wild, your actions will lead to misfortune.
To know the constant is to be all-embracing.
To be all-embracing is to be impartial.
To be impartial is to be kingly.
To be kingly is to be like Heaven.
To be like Heaven is to accord with the Way.
To accord with the Way is to live till death free from harm.

Openness (Lao-Tzu)

Ingredients:

Verses 11-13 of the Tao Te Ching, based on the Ma-Wang-Tui manuscript (168 BC).

This is my interpretation, so please tell me if anything doesn't ring true.
Notice again how we start with the philosophical and move via the psychological to the practical.

Directions:

11.
Thirty spokes meet at the centre;
It is precisely where there is nothing that we find the intent of the wheel.
We bake clay and make vessels;
It is precisely where there is no substance that we find the intent of clay pots.
We chisel out doors and windows;
It is precisely in these empty spaces that we find the intent of the room.
Therefore, we regard having something as beneficial.
But having nothing as being open to the power of intent.

12.
The five colours light the eyes to perceive clearly.
Horse-racing and hunting disturb one's mind.
Precious belongings endanger one’s travels.
The five flavours overwhelm one's palate.
The five tones deafen one’s ears.
Therefore in the government of the master:
He sides with the belly and not with the eyes,
Thus letting go desires of the belly and opening the eyes of insight.

13.
“Regard favour and disgrace with alarm.”
“Take responsibility for suffering as for your body.”
What do I mean by “Regard favour and disgrace with alarm”?
The problem is with favour.
If you get it, be alarmed!
If you lose it, be alarmed!
This is what I mean by “Regard favour and disgrace with alarm.”
What do I mean by “Take responsibility for your suffering as for your body”?
The reason why I have great suffering is because I have a body.
If I had no body, what suffering could I have?
Therefore, to one who values acting for himself over acting for the world,
You can entrust the world.
And to one who ungenerously regards his own person as equal to the world,
You can rid him of the world.

Suppleness (Lao-Tzu)

Ingredients:

Verses 8-10 of the Tao Te Ching, based on the Ma-Wang-Tui manuscript (168 BC).

Directions:

8.
The supreme good is like water.
Water nourishes the ten thousand things without comparing.
It dwells in the low places that people disdain.
Therefore it is close to the Way.
In dwelling, it is good to live close to the ground.
In thinking, it is good to go deep.
In giving, it is good to be benevolent.
In speaking, it is good to be sincere.
In governing, it is good to have order.
In work, it is good to have ability.
In action, it is good to be timely.
Only that which is beyond comparison is therefore beyond reproach.

9.
To hold upright and fill to the limit is not so good as stopping.
When you sharpen to the limit, it will not stay sharp for long.
When gold and jade fill your rooms, you’ll never be able to protect them.
Pride in wealth and rank, unchecked, will sow the seeds for disaster.
When your task is done, step back!
Such is Heaven’s Way.

10.
Can you nourish your soul and embrace the One without forsaking the Way?
Can you concentrate your breath and make it soft like that of a new-born child?
Can you transform and purify your divine mirror so that it has no blemish?
Can you love people and guide them without filling their minds?
In opening and closing the gates of Heaven, can you play the part of the female?
In understanding all within the four reaches, can you do away with knowledge?
Giving birth and nourishing,
Giving birth and not trying to possess,
Helping to grow, but not overruling,
This is called Profound Virtue.

Story of a Sing-Song Girl (Bai Xingjian)

This is based on a short story by Bai Xingjiang from the T’ang Dynasty, China (~800 AD).

Story of a Sing-Song Girl

 

Son of an emperor, he was undone

By the beauty of a sing-song dove.

She took him in and he had such fun,

Abandoning his studies for love.

But time for lovers passes away,

A year flew by, his money ran out,

The dove it flew too, one windy day,

And he could find her nowhere about.

He began singing funeral songs,

His voice was heard, the emperor got word.

So furious was he, of his son’s wrongs,

He half-killed him for loving that bird.

But the dove, she sensed his mortal strife

And flew back at once, aching with guilt.

Soothing him, she brought him back to life

And vowed to stay till his strength was built.

Slowly she nursed him back to good health,

In time he’d be as grand as before.

She took care of him, emptied her wealth,

And encouraged him to study more.
 

She helped him to read through the long hours

And when he was tired, made him write verse

So, mind relaxed, he regained his powers

And excelled despite his father’s curse.

 

One day he was ready for the test,
But she held him back another year,
This time to make sure he did his best
And would pass with great distinction clear.

 

When the emperor heard his son, not dead,
Was alive and famous far and wide,
Distinguished in virtue and well-read,
Delighted, he called him to his side.

  

The dove saw then that her work was done
And bid farewell though he begged her stay,
Insisting she leave the emperor's son,
But relented to come but partway.

 

When the son arrived and told this tale,
The emperor called back his saviour dove,
Struck by her faithfulness to travail
That she had shown his son through her love.

 

And so the pair, united once more,
Lived happy for the rest of their years,
Blessed by a love that none can ignore
For it had shone out through pain and tears.

 

The Beautiful Person (Sima Xiang-Ru)

This is my version of a prose-poem (so-called because it is part-prose, part-poem, or as the Chinese call it fu-style) by the Chinese poet Sima Xiang-Ru from the 2nd century B.C.. The poem is called The Beautiful Person. Click on the link to see the original literal translation, and also a short biography of the poet. As we shall see from the very first line, the poem is about himself, lol.
The Beautiful Person

Handsome Sima Xiang-Ru had journeyed to see the Prince who delighted in his conversation. But another had vilified him, saying to the Prince, “Indeed he is a fine figure of a man, but behind his elegant dress and noble features, his good looks conceal disloyalty and deceit, and he uses his fine rhetoric to flatter and fulfill his pleasure. I have seen him traipsing about in the harem of your Highness. I wonder if you have noticed this?” So the Prince asked Xiang-Ru, “Are you addicted to lust?” “I am not,” he replied. “Then you must be like Confucius and Mo Di,” said the Prince. But Xiang-Ru answered, “Those ancients avoided all acquaintance with sensual delights. Confucius and Mo Di would only have to hear the voice of a beauty from the palace walls, and they would turn their chariot around. It was as if they considered woman as dangerous as raging fire or deep water, and so they hid away and secluded themselves in mountain caves. Seeing as they saw no opportunity for temptation, how can we be sure of their mettle to withstand it?

Let me tell my story of how I withstood temptation’s chalice:
Once on my travels, I came upon a mansion as evening fell.
It was all alone in the clouds, shuttered like a fairy palace.
I pushed my way through the elegant front door having rung the bell.

Exotic perfumes hung in the air, and rich tapestries and there …
Reclining languid and charming on a bed, skin clear and cheeks red
The image of a lady waiting alone, curvacious and fair.
Seeing surprise, and hesitation in my step, she smiled and said:

“From what country do you come? Have you travelled far to reach this place?”
And she offered me wine, brought out a lute, and as I plucked the strings,
I played White Snow and Dark Orchid, and then she sang with mournful face,
“In solitude here, I am. This emptiness no happiness brings.

I long for the handsome prince who can lead me into sunlight’s glades
And in my sadness waiting, here he is! But how long he delays,
Till day becomes evening, alas, and my flower complexion fades.
To you I dare confide my body. Long may we share in lovers’ ways.”

She was so close that her jade hairpins brushed my hat, our clothes whispered.
The sun set in the West, mysterious dusk, light swallowed in darkness.
Outside cold silk snow swirled and from our closed room no sound could be heard,
Just the wind, sad and chill, that all the more increased invitingness.

A golden brazier breathed scented smoke, the bed was laid with fine sheets,
Its curtains lowered, quilt turned back, ivory pillow, all to a tee.
She stepped out of her robe, showing her undergarments’ lacy pleats,
That revealed her white delicate nakedness, her shapely beauty.

Then she came close to me, wrapping her softness, slipping around me,
But my heartbeat did not increase, my purpose steady in my breast.
As the Odes of old say, “clearly we were sworn in good faith to be”:
My resolution upright, without wavering, I wished her the best."