The Dao Is Open website is devoted to the cultivation of Dao (Tao) and De (Te), as exemplified in the works of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu).


Return Home	Laozi's Dao De Jing	Your Dao De Jing	Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu)	Links	Meditation	Dao (Tao) is Open Forum	Book List	Other Stuff

Translation and Commentary by Nina


	Dao De Jing Chapter 12 The five colors make a person's eye go blind. Galloping and hunting make a person's emotions go crazy. Merchandise that's hard to find causes a person's performance to be obstructed. The five flavors make a person's mouth over-stimulated. The five notes cause a person to go deaf. A wise person correctly: Responds to the basic hunger of her body, not to the enticements placed before her eyes. In that way she'd be able to ignore what's out of her reach, and appreciate what she has. Commentary: 12 ~ Don't let your eyes be bigger than your stomach. (Note: In ancient China it was believed that there were only five colors [blue, red, black, white and yellow], five flavors [salty, bitter, sour, pungent, sweet], and five musical notes [la, sol, mi, re, do] Each of these related to a specific part of the material world [water, fire, wood, metal, earth].) Each of our senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste) can be used delightfully to experience the world around us. However, we can be so seduced by those delightful sensations that we might want more and more. We can then reach a point of over-stimulation where we've lost individual sensations. Laozi not only lists the five colors, flavors and sounds, he also mentions five behaviors which could cause us to lose the benefits of our senses. -The five colors make a person's eye go blind. 1- If a person tried to look at all the colors at one time, their eyes wouldn't be able to see each color individually. When all colors are blended, they turn into one color - black. Have you ever visited a rose garden? As you walk along the paths, you can stop to enjoy the beauty of each variety of rose. But if you stand from a distance and try to take in all of them at the same time, you lose the exquisite beauty of each one. Trying to "see" everything at once makes you blind to true beauty. -Galloping and hunting make a person's emotions go crazy. 2- Needing to be constantly active would cause anyone to become an emotional wreck. "Galloping and hunting" was a favorite sport of the ancient Chinese kings. By trying to fill up every moment with activity, allowing no time for rest and reflection, a person would be overcome by their emotions. There'd always be a sense of chasing something that was just out of reach. -Merchandise that's hard to find causes a person's performance to be obstructed. 3- The search for perfection can only be a futile effort. Trying to acquire possessions that aren't readily available can be a waste of energy and time. When you finally get what you "think" you wanted in the first place, there'd always be something more perfect that would catch your eye. -The five flavors make a person's mouth over-stimulated. 4- If a person tried to fill their mouths with all the flavors at once, their mouth couldn't taste any of them. This doesn't mean that it's not enjoyable to try different flavors, but if the taste buds are assaulted they lose their ability to function properly. Any good cook knows that if you put all the spices in your cupboard into a stew at the same time it tastes awful. -The five notes cause a person to go deaf. 5- If a person tried to listen to all the musical notes at once, their ears would become so overwhelmed that it'd just sound like a cacophony. Any good composer knows when to fill a section with many sounds, and when to allow a solo. People tend to think they have to fill up every silent moment with some sort of sound. Nowadays we have radios, cd players and televisions that seem to be blasting endlessly in our ears. And how many people walk around with a cell phone pasted to their heads? It's a wonder any of us can hear at all. It can be nice to listen to the silence. -A wise person correctly: -Responds to the basic hunger of her body, not to the enticements placed before her eyes. -In that way she'd be able to ignore what's out of her reach, and appreciate what she has. Laozi suggests that a wise person wouldn't need to fill themselves up with any more than what their body actually needed to survive. A person can appreciate all the beautiful things in the world without needing to possess them. As long as you keep looking for something outside of your reach to fulfill you, you'll never find the enjoyment of what you actually have. Dao Is Open Site Map \| BY: Nina \| Guodian Laozi \| DDJ Concordance \| Comparisons \| From the DIO Forum \| BY: Bao Pu \| By: Joshua \| \| Return Home \| Laozi's Dao De Jing \| Your Dao De Jing \| Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) \| Links \| Meditation \| Dao (Tao) is Open Forum \| Book List \| Other Stuff \|