Verse Forty Three

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From: jimclatfelter
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008

Verse Forty Three
Ray Grigg, 1995

Softness overcomes hardness;
The formless is greater than form.

Therefore,
The sage does without doing,
Works without effort,
Teaches without words.

Verse Forty Three
Sam Hamill, 2005

The world's softest thing
tramples the world's hardest
Non-being enters no-space.

Therefore I understand the benefits of not-acting.

Teaching without words,
benefits without actions€
few in the world can grasp it.

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From: Janet
Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008

hi jim and all,

its a really strange no-thing. everything you think will work seems to go in vain, and as it turns out, is opposite. force does not work, but passivity is absence of force/form and goes over well.

its like a passive awareness is all thats necessary. allowing every-thing to flow without restraint or restriction.

quote: "few in the world can grasp it".

its a slippery kind of thing. its the opposite of everything one is taught.....
'work hard, press on, fight for something.....etc.'

well, its like there is a time for any of that, but its not exclusively the way life moves through you. like i say, its slippery. how will i know?

to be honest, i go for my heart and whats on it. mostly its resting, but sometimes there really is something needing to be said or done, and i'll tell you what......it will be said or done. it sorta just grabs ahold of this one, and i have no choice.

well, thats how it is for me. i'm just saying from my own experience.

love,
janet

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From: jimclatfelter
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008

Hi Janet,

Softness is said to represent water in this verse, but it could just as well represent aware space. There's a power in this space to take hold of all that appears in it. It's a power without effort, a natural power. I don't really think I would call it a power. It's just that seeing this emptiness shows me the missing half of my identity. It makes me whole where once I was half. And that is satisfying. I suppose there is a power, a kind of grace, in the mood of satisfaction. I can see how including this soft half in our vision and identity is more powerful than ignoring it.

About daily life, I know what you mean about just having to say or do something. Some of us hold back longer than others, waiting for the dam to break.

Teaching without words,
benefits without actions€
few in the world can grasp it.

I relate this to what I said about wholeness and satisfaction and grace. We recognize it when we see it in others, and it's contagious. There's a power of attraction in it.

All for now,
Jim

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From: Janet
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008

hi jim,

hmmm....i see your points, and raise some others. it is interesting how much can be discussed from these verses. anyway, more below....

jimclatfelter wrote:
I suppose there is a power, a kind of grace, in the mood of satisfaction.

to me, its a quiet power. its not an 'outer' power, but an 'inner' power, if that makes sense. meaning, its not a 'flexing muscle' type of thing, but a deep sense of satisfaction, like you have mentioned. a feeling of being content.

Quote: About daily life, I know what you mean about just having to say or do something. Some of us hold back longer than others, waiting for the dam to break.

well, thats what i mean about letting it flow. resisting just lets it build, and when the dam breaks, boy, oh, boy. i just get a 'feeling it the air' and go with it. i feel like i'm just the interpreter. things are said and done out of no-thing. its nothing personal.

"Teaching without words,
benefits without actions€
few in the world can grasp it".
I relate this to what I said about wholeness and satisfaction and grace. We recognize it when we see it in others, and it's contagious. There's a power of attraction in it.

i get a mixed feeling with the last part of the verse. i understand what your interpretation is, but i kinda get a feeling, too, that life is such a constant flow out of This, that one cannot grasp it. i mean the only way to explain This space is to not give it any-thing to describe it to be. every-thing that appears out of This spaciousness is difficult to pin down too. it all goes without rhyme or reason. i mean, i just don't know. that is what feeling comes to me, and what i interpret in the verse.

i'm not sure if i'm explaing it quite right.

love,
janet

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