41
in the statue’s shade
a monkey eats a banana
Buddha doesn’t smile
Lesson # 41
The wise student
looks for the Tao
and becomes
a faithful fool.
The mediocre student
looks for the Tao and starts to
teach it to others.
The ordinary student
hears about the Tao
and laughs,
as well they should.
Come on! The dim brightness,
the pathless path,
the deconstruction of virtue, the purity
of mud. It all sounds crazy.
The Tao hides from plain view,
and yet it is everywhere,
nourishing everything.
From: 81 Lessons from the Tao Te Ching
Number 41 The long, strange trip
Some folks hear about the Tao
and walk that path for the rest of their lives
Some folks hear about the Tao
and think about it every now and then
Some folks hear about the Tao
and crack up in boisterous contemptuous laughter
That laughter seems to pop up whenever anyone tries to describe the Tao
No wonder
This is not a simple or logical path to walk
What should be clear is obscure
The further into it you go that more childish you become
The longer you walk the path the rougher it gets
What you used to consider Virtue now seems empty
You cannot aim for purity now that you know everything is gray
The structures of morality you used to rely on no longer seem complete
Forms morph and what was once clear and straight-edged now softens.
The older you get the less you know and the wiser you are
You begin to hear the subtle music of the universe that no one else can hear
You begin to see patterns that seem nonsensical to others
You feel a fullness a richness an openness to experience
That is the gift of seeking the nameless
NUMBER FORTY ONE
When great scholars heard of Tao, they diligently followed it.
When mediocre scholars heard of Tao,
sometimes they kept it, sometimes they lost it.
When inferior scholars heard of Tao, they laughed at it.
Whether they laugh or whether they follow, Tao remains active.
Therefore the poets have said:
Brightness of Tao seems to be dark,
Progress in Tao seems going back,
The aim of Tao seems confused.
The highest Tao seems lowliest,
Great purity seems full of shame,
The fullest Teh seems incomplete.
Teachers of Teh have lost their zeal
And certain Truth appears to change.
A great square with inner angles,
A great vase unfinished,
A great voice never heard,
A great Image with inner form.
Tao is hid within its Name,
But by Tao the Masters bless,
And all things bring to perfectness.
Isabella Mears, The Tao Teh King, A Tentative Translation from the Chinese, William McLellan, Glascow, 1916.
Number 41 (commentary) How I grappled with Lao Tsu’s love of paradox?
A more traditional approach from other translators to this chapter comes up with weird stuff:
“The bright path seems dim.”
“The vastness of virtue seems imperfect.”
“The greatest purity is as uncleanness.”
“The purest light seems stained.”
“The perfect square has no corners.”
A great vase unfinished.
I believe that Lao Tsu is not out to trick us but is trying to get us to understand something which is very difficult to understand.
I read the ten authors (see Annotated Bibliography) who have struggled with this chapter before me. Each one of them has a different view as to what these Chinese characters might mean.
I took a lot of notes and then let all this material soak in.
Then, out of both my life experience and this research, I take a stab at what this might mean as advice for a person living today; a person acutely aware of the absurdity of denial around them; a person who is watching the global storm clouds approaching.
Tangent and Tool #41, Walking the path alone A question and a reflection: “What does it mean to be a pilgrim?” A lot of this book was written just to help us, and our children learn to handle the stressors that the future is going to hand us. But the Tao Te Ching is a spiritual text and along with giving us some practical advice about how to live a good, virtuous life, it also points us to some spiritual truths. It asks us to see beyond the apparent reality we all walk around in and perceive the dance of creation that brings reality to life. You may notice that the more you do this, the more you feel a bit separate from the mass of humanity that is content to just seek pleasure and entertainment and avoid pain and confusion. You are not alone, but you do need to walk a stretch of this path alone. Feel whatever you feel as you keep walking.
It all will work out. Life will go on. The universe will continue to expand, unfold and the experiment that began with the Big Bang will continue to operate in full swing and will play out with or without us.
By all means. fight to save the cheetah, to preserve our topsoil, to clean up our water and air, to bring social justice to our civilization and to support and elect those who value life, freedom to choose, knowledge, education, curiosity and love.
But also, walk outside at night and look up. Know that you are a tiny part of a vast unfolding that is complex beyond your imagination. Seek to learn how to let that awakening bring some peace to your sore, beleaguered heart.