Dao De Jing 43 – Soft conquer strong, benefits of non-form and non-doing

05/22/2012

The softest of the world, conquer the world’s strongest.

-> What is softest? Not water, not jelly, not cotton. Non-form is.

Non-form penetrates into every space, therefore is the benefit of non-doing.

-> Form, confined to a specific description, definition, space, and category, is limited. When life identifies beyond form, one is therefore unlimited.

-> When someone does, there is the limitation of the “someone”, including its strength and weakness, preference and resistance, etc. When doing is allowed without the attachment to a particular “one”, no one is doing and paradoxically, everything is done perfectly. Look at involuntary functions of our body, it goes on without any direction from “self”, but functions perfectly.

Teachings of non-word, benefit of non-doing, few in the world arrive at it.

-> How many of us have arrived at the state of non-self, non-doing, and non-one?

* * *

Chapter 43 Discussion:

We are so used to the notion of a independent, everlasting “i”, including its doing, feeling, thinking, being, etc. Laozi describes the possibility of life beyond this self created and sustained self. Like the involuntary part of our body, our life could continue perfectly without the constant claiming creditt by our “self”, but actually despite of it.

Bilingual version of Ch43: https://www.lisiming.net/ddj34-52/

0 Comments/in Chinese Philosophy, Daoism, Online Class /by Derek

Dao De Jing 14 – Formless and timeless nature of the Dao

02/07/2012

Look but could not see, is called ‘Yi’; Listen but could not hear, is called ‘Xi’; Grasp but could not get, is called ‘Wei’. These three qualities alone could not provide an accurate description (of the Dao), therefore we blend them together as one.

-> The Dao cannot be seen, cannot be heard, cannot be touched.

Its upper part is not bright, its lower part is not obscure. Ceaseless and cannot be named, it goes back to nothingness.

-> It is neither bright nor obscure, beyond name and form.

This is the formless form, non-thing phenomenon, this is between seems and seem-not. We meet it and do not see its front, we follow it and do not see its back.

-> It exists even at the condition of no form/thing, and therefore beyond descriptions of even seems and seem-not. It is all around and within us, yet no one (self) can perceive it.

Align with this ancient way, to master today’s things. At one with the origin since ancient, is the nature of the Dao.

-> This has been the case since the beginning of all, if we can realized it, we can arrive mastery (of things and the self).

* * *

Chapter 14 Discussion:

Is the Dao playing hide and seek with us? How come it is here yet we cannot perceive it? The reason is that it cannot be found with the “self”, which is separate and dualistic in nature, for Dao is beyond separation and duality. The more the “self” tried to find the “Dao”, the further away it is from it, like a cat chasing its own tail. However, when we go beyond the “self”, and abide in this Dao, where all arises from and flows with, we find our origin, we find the center, we find truth, and everlasting peace.

Bilingual text of Chapter 14: https://www.lisiming.net/philosophy/chinese-philosophy/daoist/daoist-philosophy/dao-de-jing-core-33-chapters/ddj11-3/

0 Comments/in Chinese Philosophy, Daoism, Online Class /by Derek

Dao De Jing 11 – Duality of beingness vs. nothingness

01/31/2012

Thirty spokes, forms a wheel, together with the empty space within, yields the functionality of a car.

-> Ancient vehicle were run on wooden wheel, with 30 spokes connected to a circle in the middle of the wheel. The forms (spokes) and non-form (empty space of the circle) together yields the functionality of the wheel/car.

Clay when fashioned into vessels, together with the empty space within, yields the functionality of a vessel.

-> Form (clay) and non-form (empty space within vessel) together yields the functionality of a vessel.

Doors and windows when cut to form a room, together with the empty space within, yields the functionality of a room.

-> Form (doors and windows and walls) and non-form (empty space within the room) together yields the functionality of a room.

Therefore, beingness and nothingness together offers functionality.

-> Beingness (form) and nothingness (non-form) cannot be separated in its functionality and manifestation in the world. Can a wheel function as a wheel without the empty space in its center? Can a vessel be used to contain water if there is no space within? Can a room serve its purpose if it is filled? Similarly, empty space itself cannot do the job (of a wheel, vessel, room) without their corresponding form counterparts.

* * *

Chapter 11 Discussion:

Our mind likes to separate things into categories and opposites, as if the mentally separated subjects could exist independently. However, Laozi pointed out in this chapter, as a further elaboration to Chapter 2, with the 3 examples of wheel, vessel, and room, that it is a fallacy to separate our life into duality and opposites, and that separated and dualistic subjects do not have independent, stable and everlasting reality. Not only does the separation of form and non-form a fallacy to the perceptive world, it is also a fallacy to separate our own life into opposites. For example, in the classic duality of body vs. mind. Can the body be perceived without the mind? Can the mind exist without a body? The answer is obvious. Our life consists of both the body and the mind, which are two categories we created to describe certain aspects of our life (there is more, of course). What does it matter? It points us to perceive life as it is, beyond concepts and separation the mind created which does not stand at an objective and absolute level. It points us to go beyond duality and separation of the mind. It is the nature of higher truth, which when realized, liberates us from our ignorance, which is temporary, transitory, and illusive in nature. Therefore, in the Tai-Chi symbol, the black and white (or the yin and yang) are depicted separately yet are connected and united in the center to represent the highest truth of the world. Laozi did not teach Yin and Yang, he taught the truth beyond them.

Bilingual text of Chapter 11: https://www.lisiming.net/philosophy/chinese-philosophy/daoist/daoist-philosophy/dao-de-jing-core-33-chapters/ddj11-3/

2 Comments/in Chinese Philosophy, Daoism, Online Class /by Derek

Dao De Jing 1 – Dao is beyond words and names, form and non form

12/20/2011

“The Dao that can be spoken is not the enduring and unchanging Dao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.”

-> As Dao is beyond forms, words and names are only symbols and pointers of the Dao.

“Nothingness, is the origin of heaven and earth; Beingness, is the mother of all things.”

-> Prior to the self/i arising (e.g. in deep sleep), there is no perception and therefore no heaven and earth. With the self/i arising, perception appears and one see all things.

” Abide in nothingness, one see deep wisdom; Abide in beingness, one see boundless creation.”

->When one discover the reality beyond forms, one discover the wisdom beyond the phenomenon world, when one abide in the reality of forms, one see the diversity of all creation.

“Both arise from same source but have different names, together they are called mystery.” “Lie in the deepest of mystery, is the gate to all wisdom and wonder.”

->If there is a ultimate reality that is accountable for all creations, it gives rise to both (form & beyond form). Together and beyond separation ties are gateway to the deepest wisdom and wonder.

* * *

Chapter 1 Discussion:

In this first chapter of Daodejing, Laozi presents the nature of reality (Dao) as beyond words, names, forms, and non-form. It represents the source of above all, and is beyond all dualistic separations such as form/non-form, being/nothing. This chapter cautions readers up front that one should not be lost in words, even that from this Daodejing itself. Treat them as pointers and temporary information, but seek and aim for the (Dao). The Chapter also introduces Dao as beyond duality and opposites. Typically, our minds likes to draw separation and describe the world with a subject and an object (e.g. a “i” in a “world”, a “this” vs. “that”), and think of phenomena as having opposites such as hot/cold, fast/slow, high/low, etc. Laozi discovered the reality (Dao) as beyond all this separations, including the ultimate separation of nothingness(non-form) and beingness(forms).

DDJ Chapter 1 bilingual text: https://www.lisiming.net/philosophy/chinese-philosophy/daoist/daoist-philosophy/dao-de-jing-core-33-chapters/ddj1-8/

4 Comments/in Chinese Philosophy, Daoism, Online Class /by Derek

Tag Archive for: non-form

Dao De Jing 43 – Soft conquer strong, benefits of non-form and non-doing

The softest of the world, conquer the world’s strongest.

Non-form penetrates into every space, therefore is the benefit of non-doing.

Teachings of non-word, benefit of non-doing, few in the world arrive at it.

Dao De Jing 14 – Formless and timeless nature of the Dao

Look but could not see, is called ‘Yi’; Listen but could not hear, is called ‘Xi’; Grasp but could not get, is called ‘Wei’. These three qualities alone could not provide an accurate description (of the Dao), therefore we blend them together as one.

Its upper part is not bright, its lower part is not obscure. Ceaseless and cannot be named, it goes back to nothingness.

This is the formless form, non-thing phenomenon, this is between seems and seem-not. We meet it and do not see its front, we follow it and do not see its back.

Align with this ancient way, to master today’s things. At one with the origin since ancient, is the nature of the Dao.

Dao De Jing 11 – Duality of beingness vs. nothingness

Thirty spokes, forms a wheel, together with the empty space within, yields the functionality of a car.

Clay when fashioned into vessels, together with the empty space within, yields the functionality of a vessel.

Doors and windows when cut to form a room, together with the empty space within, yields the functionality of a room.

Therefore, beingness and nothingness together offers functionality.

Dao De Jing 1 – Dao is beyond words and names, form and non form

“The Dao that can be spoken is not the enduring and unchanging Dao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.”

“Nothingness, is the origin of heaven and earth; Beingness, is the mother of all things.”

” Abide in nothingness, one see deep wisdom; Abide in beingness, one see boundless creation.”

“Both arise from same source but have different names, together they are called mystery.” “Lie in the deepest of mystery, is the gate to all wisdom and wonder.”

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