Indian stream·Tao Te Ching·Chapter 28 — Knowing the Male, Keeping the Female
Knowing white, keeping black
Know the masculine, hold to the feminine — become the world's valley. Know the bright, hold to the dark — become the world's pattern. Return to the uncarved block (pǔ).
Source context
- Theme
- return to the undifferentiated ground through knowing the masculine yet keeping to the feminine, the white yet keeping to the black, the honoured yet keeping to the lowly — reunion with the primordial, uncarved state (pu)
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Vedanta (Advaita)The chapter's polarity-transcendence — knowing distinction yet abiding in non-distinction — shows cross-tradition congruence with the Advaitic movement from vyavaharika (conventional differentiation) back to the paramarthika ground of undivided Brahman.
- Kabbalah (Ein Sof / Tzimtzum)The image of the 'uncarved block' (pu) as the source from which differentiated forms are cut shows cross-tradition congruence with the Kabbalistic Ein Sof before tzimtzum, the infinite prior to any contraction into distinct vessels.
- Christian mysticism (Meister Eckhart)Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit — detachment that returns the soul to the undifferentiated Godhead beyond all names — shows cross-tradition congruence with the Taoist sage who keeps to the valley-spirit and thereby becomes the vessel of the eternal.
Chapter 28
Who knows his manhood's strength, Yet still his female feebleness maintains; As to one channel flow the many drains, All come to him, yea, all beneath the sky. Thus he the constant excellence retains; The simple child again, free from all stains.
Who knows how white attracts, Yet always keeps himself within black's shade, The pattern of humility displayed, Displayed in view of all beneath the sky; He in the unchanging excellence arrayed, Endless return to man's first state has made.
Who knows how glory shines, Yet loves disgrace, nor e'er for it is pale; Behold his presence in a spacious vale, To which men come from all beneath the sky. The unchanging excellence completes its tale; The simple infant man in him we hail.
The unwrought material, when divided and distributed, forms vessels. The sage, when employed, becomes the Head of all the Officers (of government); and in his greatest regulations he employs no violent measures.