Tao Te Ching #71: “To presume to know what you don’t is sick”

To know unconsciously is best.
To presume to know what you don’t
is sick.
Only by recognizing the sickness
of sickness
is it possible not to be sick.
To sages’ freedom from ills
was from recognizing the sickness of sickness,
so they didn’t suffer from sickness.

– Thomas Cleary

 

To understand yet not understand
is transcendence
not to understand yet understand
is affliction
the reason sages aren’t afflicted
is because they treat affliction as affliction
hence they aren’t afflicted

– Red Pine

 

To recognize ignorance comes first;
Not to know to know this will cause harm:
Harm that the wise are spared
Because they recognize it.
Only by recognizing the harm
Can one be spared.

– Moss Roberts