thus it possesses virtue
Lower Virtue isn't without virtue
thus it possesses no virtue
Higher Virtue involves no effort
or the thought of effort
Higher Kindness involves effort
but not the thought of effort
Higher Justice involves effort
and the thought of effort
Higher Ritual involves effort
and should it meet with no response
then it threatens and compels
virtue appears when the Way is lost
kindness appears when virtue is lost
justice appears when kindness is lost
ritual marks the waning of belief
and the onset of confusion
augury is the flower of the Way
and the beginning of delusion
thus the great choose the thick over the thin
the fruit over the flower
thus they pick this over that
Tao Te Ching, ch 38, translated by Red Pine
Virtue here is translated from the Chinese word "de", which also means "inner power" or "character". In the bulk of this chapter Laozi discusses de and the degression that indicates when we've strayed from the Dao.
High de(virtue) is not tied to a fixed moral framework - it is not displayed as virtuous. The sage aquires de by according with the Dao(Way). This is achieved by means of wu wei(uncontrived action), which is why high de is without selfish motive or action.
When the Dao is lost, virtue appears as an ideal to strive for, which is in line with Confucius thought. Once virtue becomes a fixed ideal, moral judgements of right and wrong, good and evil, arise. Moral judgement becomes the stepping stone for a moral framework, which eventual leads to rituals. Rituals impose on people's actions and ability to be natural. Ironically, this contrivance, which is designed to lead one down a virtuous path, ends up leading them further from true virtue.
Now, let's examine the last five lines of this chapter. Here Laozi is warning us not to get caught in the delusion of prediction. We CAN NOT predict the future - only guess. If our guess is right, it doesn't mean we predicted anything. It's important to be prepared for the future and have direction, but our actions should be according to what is - not what might be. This could also be seen as reminder to keep our actions selfless rather than being motivated by future gain.
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeletere: "It's important to be prepared for the future and have direction, but our actions should be according to what is - not what might be."
It's not clear to me how to differentiate between what is and what might be. Can you give an example?
What comes to my mind is: if I am going for a long hike, I will bring water to drink, even though at this momment, I am not thirsty. I doubt Laozi would tell me I'm doing things wrong.
We are on the same page - maybe my wording could have been better.
ReplyDeleteLike I said, "it's important to be prepared" - bringing water on a long hike is being prepared. Drinking limited water when you're not thirsty is an example of not according with "what is".
To try and reword things, we should not go down a fixed path, rather be prepared for many paths and adapt according to the situation.
To further explain things - the flower represents the future, which we can not ever have a complete knowledge of. The fruit represents the "real" found in real time experience. The flower in its beauty can be distracting, so we can lose our focus on living in the present. People worry about the future - people also forget to prepare because they expect things to go a certain way. The fruit is where the nurishment is - it is what one has to accord with to be successful. If you are distracted by the flower long enough, you will spoil the fruit.
ReplyDeleteThank you Scott for your comment! It was very helpful.