Favor and disgrace seem alarming;
high status greatly afflicts your person.
What are favor and disgrace?
Favor is the lower:
get it and you’re surprised,
lose it and you’re startled.
This means favor and disgrace are alarming.
Why does high status greatly affect your person?
The reason we have a lot of trouble
is that we have selves.
If we had no selves,
what troubles would we have?
Therefore those who embody nobility
to act for the sake of the world
seem to be able to draw the world to them,
while those who embody love
to act for the sake of the world
seem to be worthy of the trust of the world.

– Thomas Cleary

 

Favor and disgrace come with a warning
honor and disaster come with a body
why do favor and disgrace come with a warning
favor turns into disfavor
gaining it comes with a warning
losing it comes with a warning
thus do favor and disgrace come with a warning
and why do honor and disaster come with a body
the reason we have disaster
is because we have a body
if we didn’t have a body
we wouldn’t have disaster
thus those who honor their body more than the world
can be entrusted with the world
those who cherish their body more than the world
can be encharged with the world

– Red Pine

 

“At favor (as disgrace) take fright:
Honors to the self bring woe.”
“Explain ‘At favor (as disgrace) take fright.’”
“What could be more dire than favor?
Its gain—or lost—betokens danger.
Such is the meaning.”
“Explain ‘Honors to the self bring woe.’”
“Our selves are why we suffer harm;
Without them what harm would there be?
So to the one
Who honors self above the world
Confide its care;
To the one
Who holds the self more dear than it
Entrust its care.”

– Moss Roberts