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).


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Translation by Nina


	Dao De Jing Chapter 78 Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water, yet when it attacks what's strong and firm, nothing can hold up against it. That's because there's nothing that can change as easily as water. Water conquers what's firm and unyielding. By being flexible, it can conquer what's strong. There's no one in this world who wouldn't be able to get the gist of that, yet no one has the ability to act in that way. Therefore, the words of a wise person declare: Someone who willingly accepts ridicule from the state is designated the lord of the altars of earth and grain. Someone who willingly accepts the inauspiciousness of the state is designated the king of the world. Straight-forward words seem to get turned around. Commentary: 78 ~ Patience -Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water, yet when it attacks what's strong and firm, nothing can hold up against it. -That's because there's nothing that can change as easily as water. -Water conquers what's firm and unyielding. -By being flexible, it can conquer what's strong. -There's no one in this world who wouldn't be able to get the gist of that, yet no one has the ability to act in that way. Water is soft and flexible, yet it's through soft persistence that it can hold up against what's strong and rigid. It's by being flexible that it doesn't get torn apart by what's strong and rigid. Anyone in the world can easily see how water can eventually wear down the hardest rock simply by following its natural course over a period of time. If you throw a rock into a pool of water, the water may splash about a bit at first, but then settles back down. Even though people can observe that in nature around them, it's hard for most to act in that way. -Therefore, the words of a wise person declare: -Someone who willingly accepts ridicule from the state is designated the lord of the altars of earth and grain. We can look at the "state" as though we were looking at our own "self". If the "state" is the part of the "self" that contains many different voices (like the ones in our heads) that are constantly ridiculing and second-guessing us - maybe it's best to accept those messages rather than trying to forcefully eject them? Being soft and tender to those parts of ourselves, and in that way we can become the "lords of the altars of earth and grain" - thus conquering them in our day-to-day existence and being able to survive. -Someone who willingly accepts the inauspiciousness of the state is designated the king of the world. If the "state" is also seen as the outside forces over which we have no control whatsoever (and can be inauspicious at times) - maybe when we learn to accept those things as well, we can then conquer the parts of ourselves that see them as being negative. -Straight-forward words seem to get turned around. The words get turned around - because we've been taught all our lives that we have to be rigid and strong in order to accomplish anything. Fight those demons! Get tough! Hold up shields and weapons against them at all costs! Laozi might be suggesting that if we take a softer approach, the tenderness will evaporate the resistance we have to accepting and working through all the stuff. Even though we might feel in our hearts that softness brings us more happiness and enjoyment in life, there's always the nagging thought that we have to get tough. If we can look at the bigger picture, we can see that being rigid and strong might bring immediate results, but they're short-lived. Through soft patience we can bring much more long-lasting results - just like water. \| 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 \|