忠經 Zhong Jing #12
廣至理章 Expansive Very Logical Chapter
(PD) Mt Seoraksan Republic of Korea
Skies, earth, footprint...
(Photo clarity, angle, and wording by Larry Neal Gowdy)
Copyright ©2019 November 03, 2019
The twelfth chapter of 忠經 (Zhong Jing) is titled 廣至理章, which is loosely interpreted to be Expansive Very Logical Chapter. The following quotes are lightly edited draft translations of portions of the sentences within 廣至理章.
'Ancient person-ist sage person use heaven under(Nature) it
Ear eye serve-as-create inspect listen-hear-obey
Need-expenses-apply heaven under(Nature) it inspect listen-hear-obey
Then-standard nothing not see-exposed-to hear-smell {also}
Heaven under(Nature) it heart-mind create heart-mind
Yes, to use one's own eyes and ears to observe and to inspect what is seen and heard... the act is given the phrase 'firsthand experience'. Goodness is found within what is correct relative to Nature's way... evil is found within what is not correct relative to Nature's way. The Source created Nature... Nature exists within the Source's laws... Nature created man... man exists within Nature's laws... good agrees with the laws of Source and Nature... evil disagrees with the laws of Source and Nature. Discernment of what is good and what is evil, begins with the use of one's own eyes, one's own ears, and one's own self-thinking mind.
The heart and mind of man, were made possible by the laws of Source and Nature... one's own emotions and thoughts, are all made possible by Source and Nature... all emotions and thoughts vary by how man, by choice, harmonizes or disharmonizes with Source and Nature. The difference between man's harmony and disharmony with Source and Nature, is devotion to what is correct.
Man's man-made philosophies do not supersede the laws of Source and Nature, nor are man's philosophies capable of a valid judgment of what is good and evil, which, thus, precludes man's philosophies from being capable of logical discernment.
Man cannot know the Source, nor know how Nature was created, and so man can never be fully correct within any judgment, but man is able to find what is as right as what man is able to see, hear, smell, feel, and taste... all senses, all, always, are of Nature.
Following-same-time-meanwhile matter-thing it feeling-emotion
Not trust-rely-on oneself desire
End-beginning-extreme fringes and-yet oneself change-transform
Home-residence capable-finish-complete and-yet not have
Whereas-while-this able-to logical-meaning cause-send-deliver rational-logic also stop-discontinue {carry}
Silent-quiet change-transform head-first move-transport
Its rational-logic according-to-similar this
Beautiful-pure-jade person-ist deliberate-think-consider when-regard-to arrive-extreme rational-logic
His distant depends-similar-from-to {begin-?}
Rational logic derived from deliberation, a very rare topic... perhaps even taboo in today's cultures. Today, governments mandate that all children attend schools that mandate that memorization is the sole goal, while rational logic is forbidden... ideologies do similar. Any culture, formed upon memorization, sans rational logic, must and will have a peculiar people who fuss, fight, are violent, are rude, and do illogically bad things like march in protests. The cultures' illogical laws are a cause of the cultures' own ills.
Way-dao not-have distant near
Enlarge-expand it then right-correct-be
Nothing serve-as-create and-yet heaven under oneself-certainly clear-distinct-quiet
Have-exist matter-thing then vexed-troublesome
Not doubt-question and-yet heaven under(Nature) oneself-certainly trust-true
Not doubt-question when-regard-to matter-thing
Matter-thing merely-again-likewise trust-true-believe why-how
Not personal-secret-selfish and-yet heaven under(Nature) oneself-certainly public
Not personal-secret-selfish when-regard-to matter-thing
Matter-thing merely-just-also-again public why-how-it
Cheap-inexpensive precious then people leave greedy
Greedy reason-cause-because-of have precious-valuable
Precious-valuable leave, greedy rest-stop-end-cease
Thorough-penetrating luxurious-wasteful-extravagant then people follow-pursue frugal-economical
Frugal-economical vanish when-regard-to luxurious-wasteful-extravagant
Luxurious-wasteful-extravagant remove-eliminate frugal-economical unprocessed-crude-unripe-birth
Expenses-outlay solid-true-real then people not false-fake
See-opinion solid-true know false-fake it evil-badness
'See true, know false it evil'... all people, of healthy minds, can see what is true within Nature... can feel what is true within themselves... can then know what is false. Ideologies claim that love is selfish lust, habit, and jealously... healthy minds can see, hear, feel, and know that the ideologies are false. See Nature, know that the laws of Nature do not change... everything else, that does not agree with Nature's way, is false.
Esteem-honor allow-permit then people not dispute
See-opinion humble-modest know dispute it lose-mistake-fail
Therefore obtain people heart harmonious flat-level
Heaven below(Nature) genuine-honest-pure-simple substance
Change-transform behavior heart simple-amiable-easy
Together clothes its honest-pure-genuine
Cheerful its unprocessed-raw-birth
Protect its longevity-life-age
Qi-Ki obtain heaven harmonious
Together nothing heaven broken-tenth-break
(You Zi) Superior-excellent walk-roam sage virtue
Use create oneself correct it most-extreme-arrive {also}
Sage virtue nothing bank-shore-edge-border
Give-take-part heaven earth rank-grade-equal
Poem say: "Not knowledge not know
All-right-same-time supreme-principle-ruler-god-emperor him-it then-standard"
Even-if-though lost-confused supreme-principle-ruler-god-emperor virtue
Not disobey-go-against its standard
It is unknown if the author intended the use of 帝 (di) to imply supreme ruler, emperor, sovereign, god, monarch, generative principle, spirit of principle, ruler of gods, or something similar. It appears to be most reasonable to assume that di was not used to imply an emperor or other living person, else, one's standards would be reduced down to being of no greater value than the person's worst attributes. Within other contexts, di infers the highest of gods who rules over other gods, but the present context does not appear to make use of the idea. The more likely use, therefore, is that the present wording suggests an underlying principle-spirit of Nature ('spirit' as in 'spirit of the lake' or 'spirit of gravity', not a physical ghost spirit). Perhaps, regardless of how an individual wishes to interpret the word, the general underlying idea will likely remain similar... di is as the Source principle of Nature.
Not go against Nature's standard... creativity is through harmony... harmony is root of virtue... di is as the qi-ki of virtue... virtue is as the spirit of the standard.
A known system of faith speaks of mankind's world having become controlled by a devil... the idea may not be worded idyllically, but the idea is close enough. Mankind, disobeys, and knowingly goes against, the standard of Source and Nature... if not correct according to the standard of Nature, then evil.
Nature-based logic, and Nature-based walk... rational.