Thoughts I've thunk while sippin' at a cup of tea and reading something provoking, often get dropped here for the benefit of humanity and my own hubris.
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At the end of verse 39 of the Tao Te Ching, is the phrase:
Not wanting to clink like jade, They clunk like rocks.--Translation from Red Pine
Most translations make both lines somewhat negative. Like in this translation from Stan Rosenthal:
Do not sound loudly like jade bells, Nor clatter like stone chimes
But Red Pine's variation is intriguing. As if just acting humble is not sufficient. Not wanting to draw attention to themselves as ringing bells, they don't make music at all.
The entire last half of this verse may put this line in perspective:
The high is founded on the low-- Thus do kings refer to themselves As orphaned, widowed, and destitute, But is this the basis of humility? Counting a carriage as no carriage at all? Not wanting to click like jade, They clunk like rocks.
The line about the carriage was a phrase for self-deprecation used by kings in China at the time. Regardless, just trying to be humble is not sufficient. This may be a reference to the hypocrits condemned by Jesus.
The question still remains, if you are true to this natural way, will you just be automatically humble? Or just true is a more esoteric sense.
© 2002-2005, Howard Abrams • Except where otherwise noted, all original content is licensed under a Creative Commons License (see details).
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