Verse Sixty Two

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From: jimclatfelter
Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009

Verse Sixty Two
Gia-Fu Feng & Jane English, 1972

Tao is source of the ten thousand things.
It is the treasure of the good man, and the refuge of the bad.
Sweet words can buy honor;
Good deeds can gain respect.
If a man is bad, do not abandon him.
Therefore on the day the emperor is crowned,
Or the three officers of state installed,
Do not send a gift of jade and a team of four horses,
But remain still and offer the Tao.
Why does everyone like the Tao so much at first?
Isn't it because you find what you seek and are forgiven when you sin?
Therefore this is the greatest treasure of the universe.

Verse Sixty Two
Witter Bynner, 1944

Existence is sanctuary:
It is a good man's purse,
It is also a bad man's keep.
Clever performances come dear or cheap,
Goodness comes free;
And how shall a man who acts better deny a man who acts worse
This right to be.
Rather, when an emperor is crowned, let the three
Ministers whom he appoints to receive for him fine horses and gifts of jade
Receive for him also the motionless gift of integrity,
The gift prized as highest by those ancients who said,
'Only pursue an offender to show him the way.'
What men in all the world could have more wealth than they?

Verse Sixty Two
Stephen Mitchell, 1988

The Tao is the center of the universe,
the good man's treasure,
the bad man's refuge.

Honors can be bought with fine words,
respect can be won with good deeds;
but the Tao is beyond all value,
and no one can achieve it.

Thus, when a new leader is chosen,
don't offer to help him
with your wealth or your expertise.
Offer instead
to teach him about the Tao.

Why did the ancient Masters esteem the Tao?
Because, being one with the Tao,
when you seek, you find;
and when you make a mistake, you are forgiven.
That is why everybody loves it.

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From: Janet
Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009

i like this verse very much.

it seems the tao has no value
in good or bad.
it is for You (et. all),
no matter what...

love,
j

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jimclatfelter
Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009

The Tao is the center of the universe,
the good man's treasure,
the bad man's refuge.

The visible center of the universe! A treasure and a refuge, a safe place.

Thus, when a new leader is chosen,
don't offer to help him
with your wealth or your expertise.
Offer instead
to teach him about the Tao.

This is pretty timely, isn't it? In one week we'll have a new leader in this country. I have no wealth or expertise, and I wouldn't make much of a teacher, but I have the feeling (along with many others) that our new leader is a man of good will and integrity. He seems to have his own connection to the values Lao Tzu extolls.

Why did the ancient Masters esteem the Tao?
Because, being one with the Tao,
when you seek, you find

Being this headless space, when you look, you see.

Two of the translators use the word sin. I don't think forgiveness of sin is the right idea here. It means to me getting beyond the common idea of sin as a stain on the soul. I think the verse is talking about getting back to a natural acceptance of human nature. Loosen the straightjacket imposed by the idea of sin. Return to the Tao, the (natural) headless space we share€each in full measure.

Jim

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From: Janet
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009

jimclatfelter wrote:
The visible center of the universe! A treasure and a refuge, a safe place.

Quite!

just looking, and really feeling it, the only thing that comes to me is: ...mmmmm...

its a safe place, its comfortable....

love,

janet
p.s. i agree with your feeling on obama. i feel good about him. there is a long road..... may we move together.....for all.

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From: simon
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009

yes to everything on this thread
One line particularly stands out today:
Quote:
Clever performances come dear or cheap,
Goodness comes free;

and
Quote:
Honors can be bought with fine words,
respect can be won with good deeds;
but the Tao is beyond all value,
and no one can achieve it.

How so, "no one can achieve it"?
Well, does it "belong" to any one,
or is it not 'just (t)here'?

Everything given, nothing to 'possess'...

Wonder and gratituude!

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