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Translation and Commentary by Nina


	Dao De Jing Chapter 46 When the world has Dao, trained horses are set free to fertilize the countryside. When the world is without Dao, army horses thrive in the outskirts of the city. As for crime - nothing contributes to it more than wanting too much. As for offending others - nothing is sadder than the desire to gain. As for misfortune - nothing is greater than not being content with what you have. Know that you already have enough, your actions are enough, and you'll always be enough. Commentary: 46 ~ Greed causes discontent -When the world has Dao, trained horses are set free to fertilize the countryside. -When the world is without Dao, army horses thrive in the outskirts of the city. We've been told by Laozi that Dao is in everything - always present even it if can't be seen, heard or touched. The first two lines of this chapter entertain the question: How could the world at one time "have" Dao, and at another time be "without" Dao? Even though Dao is ever-present, it can be as nebulous and opaque as the air we breathe. So, when people become so blinded by their own agendas in an effort to get everything they can from the world in which they live, they've lost touch with Dao and therefore seem to be "without" it. (Note: Horses were trained in ancient China to pull the war chariots of the various armies.) When people aren't striving through their own greed to gain the property or possessions of others, there's no longer a need to prepare for battle. Thus, the horses that were trained to take soldiers into battle can be put to a much more beneficial use. Not only are the horses allowed to frolic and run freely through the countryside, but they also fertilize the fields. When people demand to take over what they desire from others, then the horses are put into pens and prepared for battle. -As for crime - nothing contributes to it more than wanting too much. -As for offending others - nothing is sadder than the desire to gain. -As for misfortune - nothing is greater than not being content with what you have. Greed not only causes harm to others, but it can also cause stress and anxiety as well as feelings of discontentment within yourself. If you look at others as merely a tool to acquire something you want from them, you'll soon be all alone. You can try moving from person to person, hoping that you'll eventually find those who'll appease your greed, but you'll always be detected as someone who's only out for themselves. Then the true misfortune arrives - you realize that you can't even be satisfied with yourself. -Know that you already have enough, your actions are enough, and you'll always be enough. The only way to avoid misfortune, discontent and stress is to look to and appreciate the things you have - not what you don't have. That's a common and repeated idea by Laozi. In this chapter he brings out the fact that all wars are caused by greed. You can either decide to allow Dao to work unfettered and reap the benefits of the crops nourished by the manure of the peaceful horses - or you can try to force the horses to wage war along side of you and reap misfortune and calamity. 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 \|