We look at it and do not see it;
Its name is The Invisible.
We listen to it and do not hear it;
Its name is The Inaudible.
We touch it and do not find it;
Its name is The Subtle (formless).
These three cannot be further inquired into,
And hence merge into one.
Going up high, it is not bright,
And coming down low, it is not dark.
Infinite and boundless, it cannot be given any name;
It reverts to nothingness…
It is The Vague and Elusive.
When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty,
There arises the recognition of ugliness.
When they all know the good as good,
There arises the recognition of evil.
Therefore:
Bring and non-being produces each other;
Difficult and easy complete each other;
Long and short contrast each other;
High and low distinguish each other;
Sound and voice harmonize with each other;
Front and back follow each other.
Lao-tzu.
Tao Te Ching, in Wing-Tsit Chan,
Trans. And comp. A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy.
hmmm .. old course of philosophy , still echoing in our age . philosophy is all about the integrity of most glaring opposites.
ReplyDeleteone thing which is missing is that , when any one of thing is being pursued, it structured itself so that other opposite have to overcome this 'structure' to come into being again. In this process this opposite at this specified time modified itself . this modification and structure changes our world.
so we should not be so despair about seemingly to and fro motion of history and humans
as you know, human traps in history and history traps in humans