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Translation by Nina


	Dao De Jing Chapter 65 The actions that were handed down by those who followed Dao in the past were in opposition to what was considered intelligent by the rest of the people. They were regarded as being foolish. Most people's difficulties come from the way they choose to cure their problems. That's the way they perceive things. Therefore, that's the way they perceive the rest of society - as though the rest of society was out to rob them. Because they don't understand how society works, society controls their De. Always try to understand both of those things, and look for the flaws in attempting to follow those patterns. Always understand that looking for flaws in those patterns is correctly described as the mystery of De. The mystery of De requires inquiry. Always being on the move. When things work together to see the other side, in that way they reach the greatest agreement. Commentary: 65 ~ The perceiver and the perceived -The actions that were handed down by those who followed Dao in the past were in opposition to what was considered intelligent by the rest of the people. -They were regarded as being foolish. It can be hard to think that a person who followed Dao would be considered foolish by anyone. Most people look to a philosophy as a method to teach them to be all-wise and respected by others. If we look to Nature to find intelligence, we'll most often go away scratching our heads or laughing at the absurdity of that notion. So, if a person followed the Nature of Dao, wouldn't they appear foolish to most people? -Most people's difficulties come from the way they choose to cure their problems. -That's the way they perceive things. If the world is looked upon as a series of problems that need solving, then life must seem very difficult. As the perceiver, a person could find chaos everywhere simply because it didn't fit in with his idea of how the world should work. -Therefore, that's the way they perceive the rest of society - as though the rest of society was out to rob them. -Because they don't understand how society works, society controls their De. If a person feels the need to change society due to their own perception, then they would most likely think the rest of society was out to change them as well - trying to rob them of their individuality. Society doesn't function like an individual person, and it's erroneous to think it does. Until the role of society is understood, a person will never be free of the conditioning and control placed by society on their minds. -Always try to understand both of those things, and look for the flaws in attempting to follow those patterns. -Always understand that looking for flaws in those patterns is correctly described as the mystery of De. -The mystery of De requires inquiry. Try to look at the world and your relationship within society as both the perceiver and the perceived. We tend to fall into the trap of believing that others think the same way we do. If our intentions are to hurt others, we think others are trying to hurt us. If we want to appear superior, we think others are trying to become superior. If we lie, we think others are lying to us. If we can look at the actions and words of others as being completely different from what we might conceive them to be, then we've found flaws in our own ways of thinking. Looking for the flaws and getting to understand them is a great tool in discovering the mystery of our own hearts. That's the mystery that really needs to be examined - not looking for problems where there are none. -Always being on the move. -When things work together to see the other side, in that way they reach the greatest agreement. Willingness to change - both as the perceiver and the perceived - keeps us always on the move. Not getting stuck in ruts we've built for ourselves based on beliefs, theories or the conviction that we really know what's going on - we can truly see the other side of the coin and revel in the diversity rather than trying to fight with it. It's no wonder those who connected with Dao appeared to be foolish - they were always open to the awe and mystery of life. Intelligent minds don't often take seriously one who doesn't even take themselves or their beliefs seriously. \| BY: Nina \| Guodian Laozi \| DDJ Concordance \| Comparisons \| From the DIO Forum \| BY: Bao Pu \| By: Joshua \| Who was Laozi \| \| 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 \|