Dao De Jing 29 – Proper way/attitude to face the world
When one attempts to manipulate the world, I see him fails.
The world is holy, it cannot be manipulated, whose attempt to manipulate it, fail; whose attempt to rule it, lost it.
-> The world is a consequence of a multitude of factors, both within and without. How can one’s limited self, with all its bias-preconception-illusion, accurately sees and runs the world?
Since things may lead or follow; be warm or cold; be strong or weak; be upright or fall.
-> The moon gets brighter and then dark; stock market goes up and down; empire becomes powerful and then fall, and same applies to a person, an organization, a society, and a civilization.
Therefore sages let go of (man-made) extreme, luxury, and excess.
-> Knowing the world runs in its own rhythm. Sages surrender the desire to manipulate extreme, luxury, and excess, and abide is reality beyond these changes.
Chapter 29 Discussion:
How to face the world? Stop trying to manipulate, follow the flow, Laozi suggested. But how about my health, my family, and my career? Do i not need to manipulate to keep them going? Instead of manipulation, which implies forcefulness and control, one can approach the tasks like water: with humility and responsibility (see also DDJ8 – Dao is like Water). Knowing despite of our best effort, things might not work out in ways we like to see (sometimes it gets better), nevertheless we accept our role and do it with our best ability. When we have done so, we feel peace in the process irrespective of the outcome; we are beyond our expectation, we are in peace. So Laozi said, let go of our excess arrogance and expectations, and do our best in the flow.
Bilingual version of Chapter 29: https://www.lisiming.net/philosophy/chinese-philosophy/daoist/daoist-philosophy/dao-de-jing-core-33-chapters/ddj11-3/
Proper way to face the world…
Unattached to results… understood. But where is the line drawn between following the flow… and apathy or not doing that which should be done? (the incidence between Liu Bei and Du Biao in ROTK) Where is the line drawn between being an instrument of inevitable change and…. manipulation? (Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent civil disobedience)
Do we have to find that line ourselves… or is there some guidelines for recognizing it? Does the line even exist?
Gandhi was following his flow, and same for Liu Bei. What would be your flow?
The kind of line we draw is in accordance to the type of devotion we choose in our life. For devotion towards nonduality and selfless service, for example, when face a choice, one would ask “What do Thee want me to do (or not do)?” “For the highest good of all, what does the universe want me to do/be in this situation?”
The Dao may call for standing the ground, or it may call for laying low. Do your best, ask and listen when in doubt. When you are making the right choice/action, it should brings you towards upliftment, freedom, lightness, and peace. Even though the decision might bring up some bumps in the short run, when one overcome them one would feel more empowered, stronger, and aligned in the long run.
What would be your devotion? Are you ready to flow with it?
… no expectations… no ambitions…
Good! But the universe might have some for you!