忠經 Zhong Jing #11
廣為章 Expansive Create 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 eleventh chapter of 忠經 (Zhong Jing) is titled 廣為章, which is loosely interpreted to be Expansive Create Chapter.
Similar to the other chapter titles within Zhong Jing, the 廣為章 title is best interpreted by how the words' ideas are used within the chapter's text. English words tend to be very flat and motionless, while the Chinese words might infer a sphere of movement, which makes it difficult to choose just one English word to be the synonym of the Chinese word. 廣 presents an idea of like a room that is open towards twenty crop fields, as contrasted to the Chinese word 國 which infers 'nation', and is closed within borders. Depending upon the reader's own firsthand experiences of developing, creating, and expanding one's own lands, 廣 might parallel the idea of a continuing expansion of lands and people that has no set borders. Therefore, 廣 may imply a sphere of development that is actively expanding.
為 has many different dictionary definitions in English, including 'act as, be, become, build, create, do, make, serve as' and numerous others. 為 implies a pointing to a thing that is within an active motion of doing something. If an individual were looking out across their land of twenty fields, seeing that the quantity of fields and people were in the process of increasing, which English word would best fit? Building? Creating? Becoming? All of the English words might be adequate, but which best fits the reasons and histories behind why the lands are increasing? Is the purpose merely to build lands? Is the purpose to create a community or nation? Is the purpose to become a great community or nation? The ideals behind the reason for increasing one's lands will influence and help choose which English word best fits. The wording within 廣為章 appears to most focus on a beginning that has little or no desired qualities being present, but the ideal is to nascent a quality community that can expand into a quality nation. The verb-action of a nascent that continues into the future to produce the ideal, is, therefore, perhaps most favored in English to be worded as 'create'.
Within English, as well as most all languages of today, most words are learned before an individual has firsthand experienced what the words symbolize. Within the ancient Chinese language, it appears that first the people thought their own thoughts, did their own thinking, lived their own lives, formed their own mental concepts, learned through their own firsthand experiences, and then created the symbols to represent what was real in life. The differences are wide between 'English means first memorize words and word definitions without knowing what the words mean' and 'Chinese means first understand the topic before defining a word'. The Chinese language can be very beautiful, but also be very difficult to reduce into tiny flat motionless English words.
The following quotes are lightly edited draft translations of portions of the sentences within 廣為章.
Bright-understanding master him create nation {also}
Trust-rely when-regard correct
Leave-remove when-regard evil
Trust-rely correct then-follow noble child(junzi) way-dao longways-long
Leave-remove evil then tiny person way-dao vanish
Evil then not devotion
Devotion then certainly-will correct
Devotion then not evil
Correct then certainly-will devotion
Have correct-positive right-but-however behind-future its capable-ability
A recurring theme is of the idea that one's present choices change and transform one's future. It seems as though too many ideologies speak of an 'instant' enlightenment-achievement that holds no potential of further personal improvement. According to the ideologies, there is but one goal, and only one possible state of self. Zhong Jing, however, is correct in pointing to the reality that the self never stops changing... the only boundary of self-creation, is one's lifespan.
Capable and-yet nothing correct then evil
Correct and-yet have capable-ability then devotion
Right-correct therefore teacher-master protect-guard way-dao virtue
Thighs forearms virtuous good
Yes yes, 'nothing correct, then evil'. Within all known writings of all known ideologies and all known systems of belief, none spoke of similar... evil is as the action of doing what is not correct, and, correct is itself judged relative to Nature's way. It is such a simple thing to describe the nature of 'evil', but, almost always the idea of 'evil' is given a philosophical anthropomorphic definition that can and does change from one culture to another, as well as change from one generation to another, and, more unfortunately, often changes from one moment to the next within governments' laws and people's minds. The common person believes that he alone has say over what is right and what is wrong... the common person sincerely does believe that he alone is the sole judge of what is good and what is evil... the common person sincerely does behave as though they are supernatural gods that rule over all things including Nature itself. The moment that an individual leaves a Nature-based way, the individual then behaves as though he is not bound by Nature's laws, and, the individual has become evil. Nature rules man, man does not rule Nature.
A video is available that shows numerous leaders of their own systems of belief... a man of the biology-science faith sat upon his cheap throne on a stage as numerous masters of other beliefs accepted subservience to the biologist... the topic of discussion was to define evil... none, not a single individual present was able to describe what evil is. A different chapter within Zhong Jing devotes additional attention towards the act of an individual being capable of logical discernment and of descriptions... all modern systems of belief fail all five principles of logic, which, of course, leads to the inability and failure to define what evil is.
It is unknown precisely what the cultural significance may have implied about thighs and forearms, but it appears to possibly infer a metaphor of standing strength and mobility plus the utility of reach and control. Within the topic of body language, the symmetry of the movements of the thighs and forearms would exhibit one's own inner harmony, but, the book does not appear to speak of body language.
Thoughtful serve-as-create protect-guard
Summon serve-as-create teacher-master
First serve-as-create thighs
Victory serve-as-create forearms
Inside friendly-peaceful use culture
Outside prestige-power use military
Teach-instruct no-one similar-like-regards culture
Prestige-power nothing similar-like military
Blanket-cover clothes social-custom cheerful
Dike-embankment defend-protect politics punish-fair
Social custom cheerful virtue it
Not able-to disobey-separate-violate bow-body-stoop
Politics punish-fair-justice
Social-customs it restrict
Not able-to break-destroy-ruin evil-wicked-evil-idea
Therefore obtain large change-transform interest-eagerness behavior
Barbarians smooth-safe-Yi proportion-command clothes-submit-serve-take
Change-transform behavior culture completely
Smooth-safe-Yi clothes military cease-lay-down-stop
People-person minister harmonious-together happy-pleased
Country-state nation flat-level-peaceful peaceful-happy
Social-custom cheerful-happy good and-yet politics punish-justice clear-distinct-completely {also}
This-these-now noble capable trust-to-rely minister
Lower devotion upper trust-true it place cause-send-reach {also}
Minister involved-in devotion when-regard-to noble
Noble involved-in appoint-send-commission when-regard-to minister
Poem say: "Multiple multiple many-numerous scholar
Culture-script beautiful-pure-jade use peaceful-tranquil"
Capable-finish mansion
Wrong one-alone tree it talent-ability
Serve-as-build nation
Resource numerous minister it power-influence-capability-strength
One tree is insufficient enough to build a mansion... one noble individual is insufficient enough to build a noble nation... one shared quality virtue is sufficient enough to create all people in harmony.