Introduction

I think onomatopoeias are amazing, and this verse has one! Woohoo!

This verse also bends our innate desire to make something concrete out of statements of principle. Doing so would violate the spirit of self-inquiry and self-knowledge at the base of Weaving the Way. There can be no prescribed and simple rules to follow in something as complex and dynamic as life. Even the most seemingly clear-cut situations are only shades of grey, and to abdicate our capacity to make hard choices based on careful deliberation is to abandon the gift of reason that adorns human consciousness.

The good news is that delightful onomatopeia reveals a very practical tool for separating the silt that muddies the waters. This tool allows us to see what’s what, rebalance our system, and make good choices.

Translation

The Wise frequent Yin-mind,
and the ordinary mind is Yang-mind.

Supporting those who deserve it,
and also those who don’t,
That’s integral support.

Trusting those who are trustworthy,
and also those who aren’t
That’s integral trust.

The Wise, while in the world,
“Hee-hee-hoo” makes the world and mind mix.
Ordinary minds pay attention to their senses,
Sages pay attention to “the baby.”

Commentary

The Wise frequent Yin-mind,
and the ordinary mind is Yang-mind.

There’s an ongoing need to check in with the Yin-mind regularly because our regular functions of the mind are Yang. With enough time and practice, we can remain aware of the Yin in the context of the Yang. But speaking as someone who has been doing this my whole life, the periods of arrogantly thinking, “I got this,” are usually quickly followed by a disaster. Pride comes before the fall isn’t an empty saying!

It is worth a moment to describe the key terms involved: yin-mind, yang-mind, and mind.

First, the term mind, which is better translated as something like heart-mind or body-heart-mind matrix, but those are awkward. Mind does not equal thoughts and emotions. Mind is the capacity to have perceptions, emotions, and thoughts. Mind is the aspect of our consciousness that lives in the liminal space between being and becoming, the translator and transformer of these two states.

Yin-mind is the being side of the mind that is fundamentally still, receptive, pregnant with possibilities, and intuitive. It is the unknowable that is the embryo of all that is.

Yang-mind is the becoming side of the mind, always having experiences, slicing and dicing them with names, and exploring the frontiers of life.

By nature, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” All those loud things in our sense experience dominate the consciousness while the ever-present, ever-new, blissful silent stillness within which they arise goes unnoticed. Unless we take time to pay attention to that side of our being, that is.

Supporting those who deserve it,
and also those who don’t,
That’s integral support.

Trusting those who are trustworthy,
and also those who aren’t
That’s integral trust.

What at first seems like either a beloved spiritual ideal of selfless giving or an edgy concept of (potentially) unhealthy selflessness, codependency, enabling, and a lack of boundaries is not either.

This is much simpler than that.

Weaving the Way means fulfilling our function in it. That’s integral support.

Weaving the Way means trusting that things work out and everyone is playing their part. That’s integral trust.

Considering both statements, we realize that integral support and trust are attitudes we adopt, not proscriptive behavioral commandments. That is what makes them integral, “innate or instinctive to a person or thing.”

For example, giving the best of ourselves to everyone we meet may mean clearly informing someone that we cannot help them and telling them what we know about how to get help. It may be that trusting someone untrustworthy means trusting in their untrustworthiness so that we can make appropriate preparations to accommodate their behavioral patterns.

The Wise, while in the world,
“Hee-hee-hoo” to make the world and mind mix.

When Weavers of the Way find themselves “in the world,” they use their breath to rebalance the situation. Being “in the world” means that the mind has turned its attention outward through the senses, become ensnared in the illusion of separateness and rigid self-identification, and become excessively yang.

Many variations of the breath technique indicated here with the onomatopoeia “Hee-hee-hoo” are known as “mixing mind with space.” This version has two sharp inhalations through the nose and one long exhalation through the mouth. The physical key is in extending the exhale as long as comfortable, while the mental cue is to expand the edges of your awareness. If expanding the edges of awareness seems abstract, you can think of looking out on your experience as though from the windows of an airplane.

Ordinary minds pay attention to their senses,
Sages pay attention to “the baby.”

We all know what it is like to pay attention to our senses.

We were introduced, obliquely, “the baby” in verses 10 and 28. We also met the concept more specifically, though less explicitly, in verse 45 through the practice of “bathing.” The notion of the baby is also present In verse 48 and in other areas that mention “preserving the center.”

In this commentary, I’ll add that “the baby” can be understood as the raw, vulnerable expression of the Dao within us. While the Dao is indestructible, and the Way is broad and vast, Weaving is a delicate, internal state that requires constant tending. We know the baby will become independent one day, but until then, we have a job to do.