Verse 3 | Tao Te Ching | Tempering
“When steel is tempered, it’s taken from the fire
It’s beaten and then dropped in the water
The impurities in the metal will make it crack
I go back and forth from hot to cold
Over black and white more often
Than a fly walking across a zebra’s back”
- Jay Buchanan
What is the act of living, if not a blacksmith?
We are indeed tempered by every day we live on Earth, and as we mature into adulthood, we hopefully become an instrument finely honed and folded to withstand the demands of living, through resilience and the recognition of our usefulness. We become instruments of knowledge and advancement, and we do this together by recognizing each others gifts, and using them amongst the gifts of many to reach a goal.
All of this is familiar to us. We do wondrous things when we work together, however nuanced that is.
Being a sharp sword is great, but it becomes something else entirely when this perspective is shared by everyone in attendance, at all times. We are one, but we are surrounded by many.
Even though I may not be the sharpest tool in the drawer, Language seems pretty important, if not paramount to the function of us as a species, especially in the context of all this talk of steel and blacksmiths, and fire and water.
There are so many ways to misunderstand a person through the ever contentious glow of a language. There are so many languages! If one were to translate information from one text in one language to another, what is lost in the process?
When I was studying English in college, our instructor pointed out the word Love in English, does not appear to have an equal in its meaning and depth within the confines of our modern English. You can adore a person, for example—but does that really compare to loving them? This can’t be said of other languages though. Depending on which one is being discussed, this language might have several choices for the word love, all with the same gravitas.
The instructor’s point being: translation is difficult and muddy and murky and nuanced. I own 9 or 10 copies of the Tao Te Ching because I am curious as to how an individual or a group of folks, translate it from Chinese dialects.
Where the second verse introduces the idea of dichotomy, it more importantly exemplifies the notion of relativity. Ugliness exists because there is beauty, etc..
This third verse of the Tao Te Ching seems to build off of the relativity of the second verse by introducing the idea of interacting with others through tempering, which by the way, is just as much about elasticity as it is hardness or resilience. This below, is a translation Ralph Alan Dale:
Overpraising the gifted leads to contentiousness.
Overvaluing the precious invites stealing.
Craving the desirable loses contentment.
The natural person
Desires without craving
And acts without excess.
By doing nothing,
Everything is done.
Dale exercises a tone of brevity in his translation of the Verse 3 of the Tao Te Ching. In contrast, compare that against this translation by Witter Bynner:
It is better not to make merit a matter of reward
Lest people conspire and contend,
Not to pile up rich belongings
Lest they rob
Not to excite by display
Lest they covet.
A sound leader’s aim
Is to open people’s hearts,
Fill their stomachs,
Calm their wills,
Brace their bones
And so to clarify their thoughts and cleanse their needs
That no cunning meddler could touch them:
Without being forced, without strain or constraint,
Good government comes of itself
It may become more evident that these words seem to be wisdom for an individual or group of individuals to represent or lead. That notion does not come across as strongly in the first translation.
Here is a translation that I bought a few years ago, that I very much enjoy. It’s by Brian Browne Walker:
When praise if lavished upon the famous,
the people contend and compete with one another.
When exotic goods are traded and treasured,
the compulsion to steal is felt.
When desires are constantly stimulated,
people become disturbed and confused.
Therefore, the wise person sets an example by
emptying her mind,
opening her heart,
relaxing her ambitions,
relinquishing her desires,
cultivating her character.
Having conquered her own cunning and cravings,
she can’t be manipulated by anyone.
Do by not-doing
Act with non-action.
Allow order to arise of itself.
This particular translation really spoke to me a few days ago.
Don’t force things.
I have forced things before. I have done so without even realizing it.
In Taoism, this is called Wu Wei. It means effortless action, essentially. The first time I was introduced to this idea, was when I was twenty years old living in Visalia, California. I bought a book called “The Tao of Pooh.” It mixes Taoism with Winnie the Pooh. It’s brilliant and I highly recommend it, because it helps to illustrate many of these core concepts to Taoism as a philosophy, Wu Wei being one of them.
I want to leave you with this thought. It is relevant to me.
I make music. I write songs and I am a storyteller. I perform music.
How do people listen? They don’t do it when forced. People only listen when they want to listen. It is deeply deeply nuanced.
The pursuit of making a career of it—it is unlike anything else that exists on this planet. This third verse really spoke to me in the Walker translation. It was this bit here:
Therefore, the wise person sets an example by
emptying her mind,
opening her heart,
relaxing her ambitions,
relinquishing her desires,
cultivating her character.
Having conquered her own cunning and cravings,
she can’t be manipulated by anyone.
As busy as I have been lately, I felt compelled to discuss this Verse today because I am especially working on the cultivation of these attributes in my pursuit of music as a career.
Why do I do it?
Because above all else, I love to create and the creations allow me to connect with people. We connect with people deeply and spiritually through truth. Our truth. Sharing our truth. We share truth many ways, but we do it most often through stories and art.
There is no mistaking an audience who resonates with art. It elevates.
It take a great deal of patience as an artist, to achieve connection with others, and that connection is never forced.
Artists are often poor. So, we do what we do, from love. It is easy to start confusing love with ambition. However, artists course correct on this notion as they are forced to renegotiate their relationship with music, in poverty, as we continue to age.
Is living in poverty what I want from life? Not exactly.
Am I learning to be comfortable with it? Yes. It is part of the tempering process.
Wealth is many things to many people. My desire is to sustain myself in the cultivation of leaving this world a little better than how I found it, through the act of creation. That takes tempering. It takes practice. It takes hard work, however, is it so hard to do something that one loves? I am learning all of this as I live.
Thank you for reading.
Please, feel free to talk to me. You can comment and say hi. You may also remain silent and just read. There is no wrong way to the way. There is just the way.
WHO IS MIKE VITALE?
I am a storyteller, songwriter, singer, music producer, traveling musician, Jungian dream analyst, all-around curious fellow (Spiritual, Mathematical Historical, Scientific), Taoist, and much much more, based out of Los Angeles, California. I’m constantly releasing new music, in all sorts of different genres. You can listen to me below, on Spotify:
