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Translation and Commentary by Nina


	Dao De Jing Chapter 8 The foremost goodness is like water. Water is good at benefiting all living things, even though there are arguments about how it could reside in places that most people hate. In that way it is very close to being like Dao. For a resting place, the soil is good. For the mind, depth is good. When giving, being like the heavens is good. When speaking, sincerity is good. To set a course of action, curing problems is good. When dealing with affairs, having ability is good. When moving, sensing the right time is good. It's only by not disputing with things that no mistakes would be made. Commentary: 8 - Faultless -The foremost goodness is like water. -Water is good at benefiting all living things, even though there are arguments about how it could reside in places that most people hate. -In that way it is very close to being like Dao. Water doesn't differentiate between which things it'll nourish. It spreads its life-giving quality to all things. Water not only enables those things we like to flourish, but also feeds those things we detest. In a garden, it nourishes both the roses and the weeds. In human life, it nourishes both saints and sinners. People try to make distinctions between which things should survive and which things should be exterminated, so they have quarrels. Because water doesn't make those determinations, it can be likened to Dao. -For a resting place, the soil is good. -For the mind, depth is good. -When giving, being like the heavens is good. -When speaking, sincerity is good. -To set a course of action, curing problems is good. -When dealing with affairs, having ability is good. -When moving, sensing the right time is good. If we look at some of the qualities of water, we can see how simply it deals with everything it comes into contact with. People could deal as simply with things by learning lessons from water. Water soaks into the soil simply because of the force of gravity - there's a time for resting comfortably and relaxing with gravity. Water will fill in the deepest areas of pits and holes - allowing ourselves to travel to the depths of our minds instead of staying on the superficial surface can be beneficial. Water rains down from the heavens giving nourishment to all things - true giving is like that without looking for recompense. Water can naturally make sounds as soft as a trickle or as thunderous as a waterfall - if we speak with sincerity there's no need to worry about what's being said. When water is set on a course of action it follows the lowest points and eventually reaches an appropriate end - if we set out with the intent to cure the problems we might encounter, following our own natural course is best. Water has the ability to take on many different shapes and forms from snow to mist to dew drops - being adaptable and finding a way to use our own abilities to the utmost, situations we encounter would flow more easily. Water doesn't move unless its provoked - if our own actions are based on what flows naturally from within us we'll sense the right time for taking actions. -It's only by not disputing with things that no mistakes would be made. Laozi finishes up this chapter by going back to his original statement about how people argue to determine what should be nourished and what shouldn't. By nourishing all things, water can be beneficial to everyone. When you can see that all forms of existence can be of some benefit, then there's no reason to find fault with any of them. This is a very hard concept to swallow, as we're usually looking for someone or something to blame for the hardships in our lives or in the world. If our hearts and minds allow love and acceptance to wash over ourselves and others, without looking to blame or criticize, there's a chance that love and acceptance will grow in all of us. 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 \|