69
caught in a rip current
the shore just further away
stop fighting the tide
Lesson # 69
Let us learn from military strategists:
It is easier to defend than it is to attack.
The wise strategist
defeats the enemy without weapons
and before the battle begins.
The wise strategist
never underestimates their opponent,
and protects what is precious.
They know that the greatest loss
is to fight needlessly.
To engage lightly in war
is to lose our treasure of gentleness.
Therefore, when soldiers meet
who are equally strong,
he who is compassionate
shall conquer.
From: 81 Lessons from the Tao Te Ching
Number 69 The easy way
Let us learn from military strategists
It is easier to defend
than it is to attack
It is better to step back
than jump forward
It is better to appear to be still
than to be observed marching on
It is better just to raise your arm
than to shake your fist.
The wise strategist defeats the enemy
without weapons and before the battle begins
The wise strategist never underestimates their opponent
and never abandons their treasures
They know that the greatest loss
is to fight needlessly
NUMBER SIXTY NINE
A great soldier used to say:
“I plan not to be a Lord, but to be a follower;
I plan not to advance an inch, but to recede a foot.
This is called:
Advancing with the advantage of Inner Life,
baring the arm with the energy of Inner Life,
grasping a weapon with the force of Inner Life,
meeting the foe as a soldier of Inner Life.
There is no calamity greater than lightly to engage in war.
To engage lightly in war is to lose our treasure of gentleness.
Therefore, when soldiers meet who are equally strong,
He who is compassionate shall conquer.
Isabella Mears, The Tao Teh King, A Tentative Translation from the Chinese, William McLellan, Glascow, 1916.
Number 69 (commentary) Why does Lao Tsu talk about war so much?
There appears to be a lot of advice for Generals in this work, which is odd since Lao Tsu seems to abhor war. But there are battles and there are battles. A spiritual teacher understands that the most pitched and persistent battle we face is staged between the many sides of ourselves. There is a war-loving, narcissistic hero inside of us that wants to triumph over everyone, be morally superior to everyone and win at everything. It sees itself as the Captain of our Fate. There is also a war-torn, injured child within us who only wants to lick our wounds in a cave somewhere or to wallow in helpless victimhood, collapsing or complaining over the cruelty of our fate.
Our Emperor ego is the Master of the tiny universe inside our skull. It has a secret belief that everything else revolves around it. It lashes out with judgement and criticism, always trying to capture more of our internal conscious attention through its ongoing monologue. It kidnaps our time through obsessive thoughts. It tries to put us into a trance through the pursuit of mindless escape into obsessive activity, media or chemicals to escape our inner pain and chaos. It forgets to meditate.
In this battle the only hope against this onslaught is to be still.
The ego cannot be crushed, but it can slowly wear itself down, thrashing about at the phantoms it creates, until, after a lot of work, only stillness remains.
Tangent and Tool #69, Tending the fire A question and a reflection: “How can I be peaceful and a warrior for change at the same time?”
Much of Lao Tsu’s thought seems to suggest that the goal is to move beyond dissatisfaction and that dissatisfaction unsettles the tranquil mind. I believe his teaching to be more subtle than that. The job of a General is to defeat the enemy. The job of an activist is to skillfully speak truth to entrenched power for the sake of creating positive change. But the challenge Lao Tsu asks of us is to do so without resorting to the enemy’s tactics. Act with integrity while in the battle but learn the skill of letting go of the battle when you are home and not on the battlefield. And always (ALWAYS!) stay connected with your heart, to your allies, to the world as a whole and especially to your enemies. Feel all the pain (theirs and yours), let the rage burn, hold the vision, embrace the ambiguity, frustration and the vulnerability, take the next step and then let it go.
The goal of contemporary Taoism is not some flight into some ersatz, peaceful, neutral, blank space that you call spirituality. It is to live completely, authentic, and fully alive, with a rich palate of emotions, especially the harsh or uncomfortable ones. But, because you hold your experience in this vastly wide context, you can be more skillful in expressing these feelings and act on them skillfully and without harming others. Also, because they do not own all of your awareness, you can watch them rise, take action, and then watch them fall and fade away. It is possible to fight with intensity when needed, and then walk away after the battle and return to a more peaceful, connected state of mind.