Verse Sixty Three

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From: jimclatfelter
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009

Verse Sixty Three
Herrymon Maurer, 1985

Do nothing-doing;
Manage nothing-managing;
Taste nothing-tasting.
Exalt the low;
Multiply the few;
Requite hatred with virtue.
Tackle the difficult when it is easy.
Handle the big when it is small.
Difficult things beneath heaven
Are made up of easy things.
Big things beneath heaven
Are made up of small things.
Thus the sage
Never deals with the great,
But accomplishes greatness.
Light promises indeed lack trust,
Much easiness leads to much difficulty.
Thus the sage
Holds everything difficult,
But meets no difficulty in the end.

Verse Sixty Three
Chao-Hsiu Chen, 2003

Do that which takes no action.
Deal with that which engenders no effort.
Taste that which has no flavour.
Treat the small as the great.
Return enmity with virtue.
Plan the difficult as the easy.
Carry out the hard work as if it were the finer details.
The difficult things under Heaven come from the easy things.
Great matter is made up of minor matter.
Therefore the sage does not try to be great, and thus he can be great.
He who makes easy promises can be little trusted.
He who considers things to be easy will meet many difficulties.
That is why the sage expects difficulties, and therefore encounters one.

Verse Sixty Three
Bradford Hatcher, 2005

Act without acting
Work without working
Savor without tasting
Greatness is ordinary, much is little
Repay ill will with virtue
Plan for the complicated while it is simple
Develop the great while it is small
The difficult tasks under heaven
Always begin in simplicity
The greatest tasks under heaven
Always begin as minutiae
This is why wise ones never assume greatness
And so can achieve such greatness
Those who lightly promise will surely be less trusted
Much ease is surely much difficulty
This is why wise ones look for things to get complicated
And so in the end have no complications at all

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From: jimclatfelter
Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009

Do that which takes no action.

Do nothing-doing;
Manage nothing-managing;
Taste nothing-tasting.

Seeing is something we can do that takes no action. We don't really "do" seeing. Seeing happens on its own. Life happens on its own. See that life is nothing-doing. It's also nothing-managing and nothing-tasting. Each translation puts it a little differently. However it's worded in English, seers know it's a description of how seeing works, how life works. This is my favorite part of the verse.

Requite hatred with virtue.

Return enmity with virtue.

Repay ill will with virtue

Some have said that this means to love your enemies. I wonder what you think it means.

Jim

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From: simon
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2009

Quote:
Carry out the hard work as if it were the finer details.

This strikes me as very practical: its so often the first step which takes time, after things happen on their own ...
Quote:
Great matter is made up of minor matter.
Therefore the sage does not try to be great, and thus he can be great.

Major (identification) problems - so far - have not resisted simple questions, such as "how many eyes am I looking out of?"

Isn't this verse a neat expression of what is always so, before some idea of a 'do-er' raises its head?
I agree, Jim, seeing is not something that can be done... it happens, or just 'is'; by itself...
As regards loving one's enemies, well, enemies require somebody to be the enemy - but that is easy for me to say, I'm not in a war situation...
But love certainly comes with seeing, that's for sure!

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From: Janet
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2009

hi jim and sinon,

i enjoy what both of you have written and feel the same way. i particularly like the idea that love is always turned-out of This, to whatever may be happening.....

these verses seem to dovetail nicely with obama's approach as far as i can tell at the moment. he doesn't appear to view any enemies. his approach seems to acknowledge disagreements on points, and rather than excluding others, he invites them closer into this space. how wonderful! sometimes, that in itself, dissolves any perceived opposition.

these last verses, also dovetail the recent discussion on lookforyourself conference...to me, anyway. i find that fascinating.

love,
janet

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