Verse 18: Weak Practice
Introduction
Lao Zi is not mincing words in this verse! It reminds me of an interaction with my teacher early in my training when he admonished me rather sharply, “Speak from, not about!”
In verse 5, we get a hint of Daoist/Confucian conflict when the function of nature is said to be “not benevolent.” This verse directly confronts what it thinks is weak practice: behavior regulated according to doctrinal values instead of proper alignment with the Dao
Weaving the Way is fundamentally an attunement to the great symphony of divine Love. It demands that we master our particular instrument, this unique individual being with various skills and talents, and harmonize with the music of life. In correct attunement, our presence is an essential thread that doesn’t stand out.
Corrective measures are only necessary when we are off-key. When we talk about how we “should” be, we’re already coming undone.
Translation
When the Way is neglected,
values of charity and virtue appear.
Wisdom and understanding emerge
together with great delusion.
Devotion and love only need mentioned
when relationships are off-course.
Why speak of steadfast officials
unless the nation is in chaos?
Commentary
When the Way is neglected,
values of charity and virtue appear.
I use the terms charity and virtue here to represent the Confucian value rényì (仁义, benevolence-righteousness). The idea, simplistically summarized, can be thought of as “refrain from all that is evil, do all that is good.” This teaching is everywhere and is hard to describe as a bad idea. Lao Zi agrees, but with a twist.
He’s saying that concepts of charity and virtue are only present in our consciousness when we notice that they are missing. In other words, charity and virtue are how humans naturally behave when connected with the profound mystery of the Dao. To notice that charity and virtue need to be discussed or are lacking is to see that we are no longer attuned. Instead of living the Way, we’re talking about the Way. Do not be satisfied with espousing high values that you struggle to maintain.
Wisdom and understanding emerge
together with great delusion.
This stanza has a similar message. Why be proud of wisdom and understanding? It’s just an expression of how ignorant one was before! Are we all that wise for remembering who we truly are? Is our understanding of the Great Mystery special when it’s been revealing itself to us constantly and we’ve been refusing to see it? If we’re talking about wisdom and understanding, that must mean someone doesn’t have it!
On a more positive note, the consequence of this relationship between ignorance and wisdom is that the more profoundly confused and miserable we are, the more deeply we appreciate our relationship to weaving the Way when we discover it. Zen Master Boshan said it well, “Great Doubt, Great Awakening. No doubt, no awakening.” When we feel lost and conflicted, we have the required gateway into a more profound truth. The pain of being out of alignment and out of integrity is the universe’s way of goading us back into its natural laws.
Devotion and love only need mentioned
when relationships are off-course.
Applying the same logic as above, this stanza explains itself. Being devoted and loving is natural when we are in alignment with our deepest self: an individual manifestation of the sublime as it constantly unfolds according to natural laws. No one needs taught how to love. Many of us learn that trust and Love aren’t safe; we cope with our unpleasant reality by disconnecting from our source, and our ego needs to override universal values. This is an unnatural and unfortunate state of affairs. When we “come home” to Love, we give up everything that kept us from it; we’re not getting something new.
As an interesting tidbit, I’m using the word relationships to represent the idea of liùqīn (六亲, six relations) held in the original texts. At the time, the term was representative of nuclear family structures. Since our organizing units today extend well beyond our family units and are significantly different in structure, I chose “relationships” instead of “family” or “kin” to translate the concept.
Why speak of steadfast officials
unless the nation is in chaos?
As mentioned before, the Dao De Jing is often interpreted as a social commentary and leadership text, similar to the writings of the Confucians. From that perspective, this is very plain speaking and requires no commentary.
Also as previously mentioned, I find the teachings more valuable as a practical manual for meditative living. Looking at this phrase through that lens, I feel it directly expresses a specific internal condition: internal conflict managed through self-control.
What is a steadfast official? The part of us that knows how we “should” behave and keeps us on lockdown. What is a nation in chaos? An internal state that has many conflicting desires and needs that can’t be satisfied. How does this feel? Awful, like we are white-knuckling our way through life. It is exhausting, and we eventually fail to contain it – turning to various regretful behaviors to release the pressure. We don’t need to be righteously self-controlled when our system is in alignment and integrity.
“Strong practice” is not exhausting when it’s genuine.