Belief

My experience with belief is such my experience with knowing
I seek belief in something or someone
            much as I wonder at the flow of water or the fall of grains of sand.
The more I experience and observe
The more I realize I do not understand
The more I distance myself from understanding.
As my pursuit of a belief in something matures
            I recognize my naivete about that subject
            And the complexity of belief as a whole.
Those in whom I would believe
            Prove as impenetrable as the reasons for nature’s wrath.
No construction or regimen can prevent the eventual
            Devastation of disappoint in a person whom have placed your faith.
No study can tell you when faux integrity
            Will fall upon you and crush your simple belief.
It would be better to study the water’s flow
            Or the fall of the grains of sand
            Than to work at belief in something of man
            Or man himself.
Though never fully understandable
            Water and sand are concrete in their content
Man and his manufacture live far too malleable
            For either belief in or understanding of thus
Take away my desire to believe
            Reinforce my faith in the pursuit of knowledge
            And the satisfaction of its fruits
That one day soon I will lay me down
            Among my dead beliefs and those I once believed in
The reality of water’s flow and sand grains falling
            Will comfort me, and my faith shall be with them.


Derek Lin Translation Tao Te Ching 10

1.  In holding the soul and embracing oneness
2.         Can one be without straying?
3.  In concentrating the energy and reaching relaxation
4.         Can one be like an infant?


5.  In cleaning away the worldly view
6.         Can one be without imperfections?
7.  In loving the people and ruling the nation
8.         Can one be without manipulation?
9.  In the heavenly gate’s opening and closing
10.       Can one hold to the feminine principle?
11. In understanding clearly all directions
12.       Can one be without intellectuality?


13. Bearing it, rearing it
14. Bearing without possession
15. Achieving without arrogance
16. Raising without domination
17. This is called the mystic virtue

Lines 1 – 4

1      In holding[1] the soul[2] and embracing[3] oneness[4]
2      Can[5] one be without[6] straying[7]?[8]
3 In concentrating[9] the energy[10] and reaching[11] relaxation[12]
4  Can one be like[13] an infant[14]?


[1]         zài;          to carry; to convey; to load; to hold; to fill up; and; also; as well as; simultaneously

[2]         pò           soulmortal soul, i.e. attached to the body

[3] 抱         Bào         to hold; to carry (in one‘s arms); to hug; to embrace; to surround; to cherish

[4] 营         ying;        barracksbattalion; to build; to operate; to manage; to strive for

[5] : 能   néng;       can; to be able to; might possiblyability; (physicsenergy

[6] ; 无; wú;          not to havenononenot; to lackun-; –less

[7] ; 离; lí;            to leave; to part from; to be away from; (in giving distances) from; without (something); independent of; 

[8] ;        hū;          in; at; from; becausethan; (classical final particle similar , expressing, question, doubt, astonishment)

[9] ; 专; zhuān;     for particular person, occasionpurposefocused on one thing; specialexpertparticular; concentratedspecialized

[10] ;气; qì;           gasairsmellweather; to make angry; to annoy; to get angryvital energyqi

[11] ; ; zhì;          finedelicate; to send; to devote; to deliver; to cause; to convey

[12] ;       róu ;        soft; flexiblesuppleyielding; rho

[13] ; 儿; ér;           son; r nonsyllabic diminutive suffixretroflex final

[14] ; 婴; yīng;        infantbaby

Lines 5 – 12

5 In cleaning[1] away[2] the worldly[3] view[4]
6  Can one be without imperfections[5]?
7   In loving[6] the people[7] and ruling[8] the nation[9]
8  Can one be without manipulation[10]?
9 In the heavenly[11] gate’s[12] opening[13] and closing[14]
10  Can one hold to the feminine[15] principle?
11 In understanding[16] clearly[17] all[18] directions[19]
12  Can one be without intellectuality[20]?

Lines 13 – 17

13 Bearing[21] it[22], rearing[23] it
14 Bearing without[24] [25] possession[26]
15 Achieving without arrogance[27]
16 Raising[28] without domination[29]
17 This is[30] called[31] the mystic virtue[32]

[1] ;  dí;             to wash; to cleanse

[2] ;       chú;         to get rid of; to remove; to exclude; to eliminate; to wipe out; to divideexceptnot including

[3] ;       xuán;       blackmysterious

[4] 览;    lǎn;          to look at; to view; to read

[5] ;        cī;           blemishflawdefect

[6]  爱;    ài;           to love; to be fond of; to likeaffection; to be inclined (to do something); to tend to (happen)

[7] ;        mín;        the peoplenationalitycitizen; (Chinese surname)

[8] ;        zhì;          to rule; to govern; to manage; to control; to harness (a river); to treat (a disease); to wipe out (a pest); to punish; to research

[9] 国;   guó;         country; nationstatenational; (Chinese surname)

[10] ; wéi;         as (in the capacity of); to take something as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; by (in the passive voice)

[11] ;       tiān;         dayskyheaven

[12] 门; mén;        gate; doorgatewaydoorwayopeningvalveswitchway to dosomethingknackfamilyhouse;

[13] 开; kāi;          to open; to start; to turn on; to boil; to write out

[14] ; hé;           door; to closewhole

[15] ;       cí;           female

[16] ;       míng;      brightoppositedark ; (of meaningclear; to understandnextpublic or openwise

[17] ;       bái;          white; snowy; pure; bright; empty; blank; plain; clear; to make clear;

[18] ;       sì;            four; 4

[19] 达; dá;           to attain; to reach; to amount to; to communicateeminent;

[20] ;     zhī;          to know; to be aware

[21] ;       sheng;     to be born; to give birthlife; to growrawuncookedstudent

[22] ;       zhī;          (possessive particleliterary equivalent of ); himher; it

[23] ;       chù;        livestockdomesticated animaldomestic animal

[24] ;       ér;           and; as well as; and sobut (not); yet(not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast)

[25] ;       bù;          (negative prefix); notno

[26] ;       yǒu;        to havethere is; there are; to exist; to be

[27] ;       shì;          to rely onmother (formal)

[28] 长; cháng ;    length; longforeveralwaysconstantlyforte

[29] ;       zǎi;          to slaughter livestock; to govern or rule; to cheat customersimperial official in dynastic China

[30] ;       shì;          is; are; amyes; to be

[31] 谓; wèi;         to speak; to say; to name; to designatemeaningsense; (Chinese surname)

[32] ;       dé;           virtuegoodnessmoralityethicskindnessfavorcharacterkind