Eastern Philosophy Donna Chapman
Li Schroeder June 3, 2000
Paper #3
What are Lao Tzu’s principles of Non-Contention?
Why does the Sage not Contend?
Why can no one Contend against the Sage?
How can Non-Contention be applied in daily life?
What is the difference between
Wei (Action),
Wu Wei (Inaction), and
Wei Wu Wei (Spontaneity)?
Eastern Philosophy Donna Chapman
June 3, 2000
What are Lao Tzu’s principles of Non-Contention? Why does the Sage not Contend?
Why can no one Contend against the Sage? How can Non-Contention be applied in daily life? What is the difference between Wei (Action), Wu Wei (Inaction), and
Wei Wu Wei (Spontaneity)?
Lao Tzu’s principle of Non Contention is similar in spirit to the Buddhist concept of Duhka. By this I mean...the yin/yang of Discomfort and Desire.
To Contend is to compete. Why do people compete because they desire...to be more than they are, to be better than someone else, to have power over others, to have power over themselves. In the same fashion that discomfort/desire are the root of ego in the Buddhist tradition, so also is Contending the root of ego in the path of the Tao.
Perhaps the best way to illustrate elements of the Tao as “Duhka” would be to reflect them against its main contemporary at the time, Confucianism. Confucianism was the dominant religion, and Taoism was a counter-culture with respect to it. The Way of Confucius was a way of ethical, social, moral, and intellectual disciplines. And a Way of ethical, social, moral and intellectual VALUES. This is important because values are societal constructs by humans to elevate or subjugate other humans. I imagine that it was rather difficult for the common man to fit comfortably into Confucianism because of it’s high regard for values that he could never hope to attain such as education for example. The Tao turns sharply away from labels like beauty, intellect, loyalty, goodness, integrity, cleverness, virtue, because in creating them, we create the antithesis of them: ugliness, stupidity, betrayal, evil, moral corruption, gullibility, and immorality.
The Confucian values of humanity are justice, wisdom, loyalty, goodness, cleverness, virtue and integrity. The valuation of these subjective elements leads to a hierarchical values system for the social group. It generates the “haves” and the “have nots”. This leads to the never ending cycle of discomfort/desire. Contention/Duhka. The subset of the “haves” and “have nots” is the “can’ts” and “never wills”. These subsets lead to hopelessness and despair/desire and Contention.
#2
(When all) below heaven know beauty as beauty,
There arises ugliness.
(When they all) know the good as good,
There arises evil.
Therefore,
Being and Non-being arise together
Difficult and easy complete each other.
Long and short take shape together.
High and low lean toward each other.
Sound and tone make harmony together.
Front and behind accompany each other.1
By refusing the identification of Values the Tao develops as a Way that everyone can follow with a hope of success. The nature of the path narrows considerably based upon the state of the practitioners consciousness. A farmer’s Tao is simplicity because a farmer’s awareness is limited, a Sage’s Tao is more difficult because her awareness is broader. She knows what she is releasing.
#3
Exalt not the virtuous,
So that the common people will not Contend. (Want, Desire)
Treasure not goods difficult to obtain,
So that the common people will not steal.
Display not the objects of desire,
so that the common people’s minds will not be confused.
Therefore, in the government of the Sage,
(The people’s) minds are empty,
Their bellies are full,
Their ambitions are weakened,
Their bones are strengthened.
(As) their minds are always
Free of knowledge and desire,
The clever will not dare to interfere.
(Through) action without action,
All will be at peace.2
One becomes a Sage by achieving the Natural, by releasing labels (Values). Taoists refer to “The Natural” as harmony with rhythms of the cosmos. As previously stated, Values are a construct of humans, and human social structure. The Natural knows how to treat others, how to live an honorable life just for the sake of doing so.
The Ideal of the Sage is freedom from desire or discrimination, (knowledge of the world) calmness and Tranquility (knowledge of the true nature of self), and spontaneity of action and non-attachment (spiritual knowledge).
Born of these is a direct knowledge of the energy of the world (Te)
#56
(One who) knows – does not speak
(One who) speaks – does not know
(If one) closes the mouth, shuts the doors,
Dulls the edges, unties the tangles
Harmonizes the light, and unifies the dust,
(One reaches) the mysterious unity.
Then it will not be possible for love and hatred
to touch (you), for gain and loss to affect (you),
nor for honor and disgrace to move (you).
Therefore, (you) would be the honored one of the
(world) below heaven.
A Sage is like a brand new infant who can do nothing else but take life in. She cannot judge it, she can only experience it, let it go and move on to the next experience. She is like water, still and calm, until a stone is tossed in, and then after the upset of the ripples, returned to calm and still. She desires nothing, she does not Contend.
#49
The Sage’s heart is not fixed,
And so takes the people’s heart as (his own) heart.
The good (ones) I treat well.
The bad (ones) I also treat well.
(This is) the Te of goodness.
The honest (ones) I treat with honesty.
The liars I also treat with honesty.
(This is) the Te of honesty
The Sage dwells harmoniously with all,
Blending his heart (with all things)
(In the world) below Heaven.
The people’s ears and eyes are all fixed.
(Thus) the Sage (regards) them all as (innocent) children.3
If the Sage walks the path in the Natural, (does not Contend) then what about the others who are not in the path, the others who may Contend against the Sage? (see above) The answer is simple.
The honest (ones) I treat with honesty.
The liars I also treat with honesty.4
It takes two to Contend. It takes two to tango. If the Sage is truly in the Natural, she will not engage the one who Contends against her, and the Contention is neutralized. It isn’t that she chooses Non Contention or non-engagement, but rather that since she is in the Natural, to Contend or not Contend simply does not exist. It is not labeled, it has no state of consciousness/awareness.
#67
Everywhere, they say the Way, our doctrine,
Is so very like detested folly;
But greatness of it’s own alone explains
Why it should be thus held beyond the pale.
If it were only orthodox, long since
It would have seemed a small and pretty thing!
I have to keep three treasures well secured:
The first, compassion; next, frugality;
And third, I say that never would I once
presume that I should be the whole world’s chief.
Given compassion, I can take courage;
Given frugality, I can abound;
If I can be the world’s most humble man,
Then I can be its highest instrument.
Bravery today knows no compassion;
Abundance is, without frugality,
And eminence without humility:
This is the death indeed of all our hope.
In battle, ‘tis compassion wins the day;
Defending, ‘tis compassion that is firm:
Compassion arms the people God would save!5
The Way of the Tao approaches social action from the standpoint of inaction. By being, not doing. A result is achieved by allowing the result to happen, rather than by interfering, manipulating or in other ways causing the result to happen.
#2 continued...
There for the Sage
Manages affairs without acting, and
Travels (the path of) the wordless teaching.
The Ten Thousand Things interact,
But (the Sage) does not turn away (from them).
(They) spring up, but (the Sage) does not grasp (them).
(The Sage) acts, but does not rely on (actions).
Accomplishes, but does not rest on (accomplishments).
Because (the Sage) does not rest on (accomplishments),
(They) cannot be taken away.6
This apparent inaction is called Wu Wei.
If a Sage happens also to be a ruler, Wu Wei means to govern by letting the people do what people do, not by telling them to do what you think they should do. Most if not all rulers have controlled the masses through Wei, that is: action. The reciprocating result of the influence of a ruler is the establishment of an aristocracy. If there is an upper class, there must be a lower class for the upper class to rule, and be better than. And so here we are back with the “haves” and “have nots”
#57
Use the normal to govern the state.
Use surprise to fight battles.
Use not doing to regulate (the world) below heaven.
How do I know this is so? Through this:
(When) superstitions and taboos abound in the land,
The people will become impoverished.
(When) beautiful things fill the Imperial courts,
The state and the family will become confused.
(When) there are many clever and cunning people,
Strange things will begin to happen.
(When) laws and decrees are made prominent,
Thieves and rebels will appear.
Consequently, the Sage says,
I take no action, and the people reform themselves.
I love stillness, and the people regulate themselves.
I (engage in) no business, and the people enrich themselves.
I have no desires, and the people (return to) the Natural. 7
When wise rulers butt-out of the daily affairs of the people, the people are free to return to their traditional lifestyles. They return to a life of simplicity and satisfaction...Naturally.
#58
(When) the ruler is dull and idle,
The people will be simple and pure.
(When) the ruler is discriminating and clever,
The people will be discontented and resentful.
(Since) calamity is founded on good fortune,
(and) good fortune is concealed in calamity,
Who could know the ultimate (result)?
(It the ruler) does not (use) the normal,
The normal will revert to the strange,
And the good will revert to the sinister.
For so long have the people gone astray.
Therefore, the Sage is Square, but not cutting,
Pure, but not wounding, Genuine, but not indiscreet,
Bright, but not dazzling.8
To experience Wu Wei in everyday life is to mind your own business, not think too much of yourself, and when the good comes enjoy it to the utmost, then let it go when it’s over. In the same way when the reversal comes, don’t fight it, don’t deny it, and let it go when it is over.
#7
Heaven is everlasting and Earth is eternal.
The reason Heaven is everlasting and Earth is eternal
Is that they do not live for self.
Thus they are able to live long.
Therefore, the Sage puts himself last ,
and finds himself in the forefront.
(The Sage puts) his body outside,
And so his body is preserved.
Is not the Sage then without personal interests?
Thus he is able to complete his interests.9
Wu Wei in my own life means to go visit the dove who built a nest in my garage and just look at her quietly sitting. To be aware of her, and her eggs, and her ever attendant partner boy dove. It means that when Bob – the office idiot who lives to push everyone’s buttons and stands back to watch the chaos he creates – pushes my buttons, I react only insofar as necessary to clean up the mess (as it relates only to my job), and move on. More often than not Bob’s messes are a lot more like cleaning a cat box than I would like, however, all cat boxes must be cleaned sooner or later. Bob just causes the box to need cleaning sooner.
If we can really walk in the Way of the Natural, then we walk in Wei/Wu/Wei (acting without acting) and everything we see and do and touch is as if for the first time. It is a continual spontaneous experience with no preconceived notions, no judgments, and no strings attached. The innate awareness beyond understanding of the awesome balance of “Life, the Universe, and Everything.”10 And with this awareness comes the absolute and undeniable truth that we are NOT the center or cause or effect of it.
Wei Wu Wei is the experience of apprehending the precious on a continuous basis.
#51
Every being in the universe
Is an expression of the Tao.
It springs into existence,
Unconscious, perfect, free,
Takes on a physical body,
Lets circumstances complete it.
That is why every being
Spontaneously honors the Tao.
The Tao gives birth to all beings,
Nourishes them, maintains them,
Cares for them, comforts them, protects them,
Takes them back to itself,
Creating without possessing,
Acting without expecting,
Guiding without interfering.
That is why love of the Tao
Is in the very nature of things.11
Bibliography
The Spiritual Seekers Guide, .................................................................Steven S. Sadlier
Introduction to World Philosophies, ........................................................Eliot Deutsch
The World’s Religions, .............................................................................Houston Smith
Philosophy 30, Asian Philosophy, Lecture Notes, ....................................Li Schroeder
Tao Te Ching ........................................................................translation by Li Schroeder
The Way of Life, Lao Tzu, The Classic Translation...............................R.B. Blackney
Tao Te Ching, A New English Version.................................................Stephen Mitchel
The Bible, New International Version..............................Zondervan Bible Publishers
The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy................................................Douglas Adams
1 #2 Tao Te Ching, Translation Li Shcroeder
2 #3 Tao Te Ching, Translation Li Shcroeder
3 #49 Tao Te Ching, Translation Li Shcroeder
4 #49 Tao Te Ching, Translation Li Shcroeder
5 The Way of Life Classic Translation, p120
6 #2 Tao Te Ching, Translation Li Shcroeder
7 #57 Tao Te Ching, Translation Li Shcroeder
8 #58 Tao Te Ching, Translation Li Shcroeder
9 #7 Tao Te Ching, Translation Li Shcroeder
10 Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, D. Adams
11 #51 Tao Te Ching, S. Mitchel