Water can give life, conform to any container, flow around any obstacle, erode mountains,

水可以賦予生命，符合任何容器，流過任何障礙物，侵蝕山脈。

destroy cities, cleanse, heal, travel to the lowest and highest spots, move effortlessly

摧毀城市，清潔，治療，前往最低和最高的地方，毫不費力地移動

and efficiently, and transform into ice, water, or vapour depending on the circumstances.

和高效，並根據情況轉化為冰、水或蒸汽。

And in one translation of the Tao Te Ching, in Chapter 8, Lao Tzu says, “the best of

在《道德經》的一個譯本中，老子在第八章中說，"至善至美"。

men is like water.”

人就像水一樣"。

In Taoism, this “best man” is referred to as a Sage, and by taking on the qualities

在道教中，這個 "最好的人 "被稱為聖人，並通過具有以下品質

of water, the Sage comes close to the Tao.

水，聖人接近於道。

I said that water could be described in many ways, but I think it has one, chief characteristic:

我說過，水可以用很多方式來描述，但我認為它有一個主要特徵。

it's formless.

它是無形的。

And because it's formless, water is adaptable.

而且因為它是無形的，所以水是可以適應的。

It can become whatever it needs to suit the situation, in cold turning to ice, in heat

它可以變成任何它需要的東西以適應情況，在寒冷中變成冰，在炎熱中

to vapour.

到蒸氣。

So the water-like sage must be formless too, but what does it mean to be formless?

所以水一樣的聖人也必須是無形的，但無形是什麼意思呢？

A formless mind is capable of endless, expansive growth.

一顆無形的心能夠進行無盡的、廣闊的成長。

A child is a great example of formlessness.

一個孩子是無形的一個很好的例子。

Its mind is still fresh, unjaded, and unconditioned by the world.

它的頭腦仍然是新鮮的，未受影響的，未被世界所制約的。

Nothing but potential lies in front of it, and it does nothing but learn all day.

擺在它面前的只有潛力，而它除了整天學習之外什麼都不做。

But as many children grow older, their minds tend to calcify, they become more rigid, and

但是，隨著許多兒童年齡的增長，他們的思想趨於鈣化，他們變得更加僵化，而且

they stop learning.

他們停止學習。

But the water-like sage retains a mind that is formless, unbounded, and constantly learning,

但水一樣的聖人保留了一個無形的、無界的、不斷學習的心。

lacking rigidity and capable of responding to any situation.

缺乏剛性，能夠對任何情況作出反應。

So what causes rigidity in the mind?

那麼，是什麼導致了思想的僵化？

Rigidity occurs when the mind creates a barrier that prevents it from receiving new information.

當頭腦中產生一種障礙，阻止它接受新的資訊時，就會出現僵化。

Imagine a water-filled glass placed upside down on a table.

想象一下，一個裝滿水的杯子倒置在桌子上。

Next to the glass is a bottle of poison.

杯子旁邊是一瓶毒藥。

The water represents the mind, the glass represents the delusion, and the poison represents conflict.

水代表心，杯子代表妄想，毒藥代表衝突。

The mind wants so badly to protect itself from conflict that it constructs a delusion

心靈非常希望保護自己不受衝突的影響，所以它構建了一個錯覺

around itself by telling itself lies.

圍繞著自己，對自己撒謊。

The delusion is a self-isolating barrier.

妄想是一種自我隔離的障礙。

Although the poison can't enter the glass, no more water can either.

雖然毒藥不能進入杯子，但也沒有更多的水可以進入。

In other words, no more knowledge can enter the mind.

換句話說，沒有更多的知識可以進入頭腦。

For example, a man, because he's awkward, has a few bad interactions with others.

例如，一個人因為笨拙，與別人有一些不好的互動。

But if the man acknowledges his awkwardness, he knows he would be conflicted, so he protects

但如果這個人承認自己的尷尬，他知道自己會有矛盾，所以他保護了

himself from the conflict by constructing a delusion.

通過構建一個妄想，使自己脫離衝突。

He tells himself that society is full of losers not worth talking to.

他告訴自己，社會上充滿了不值得交談的失敗者。

He protects himself from conflict, but he also cuts himself off from all knowledge that

他保護自己不受衝突影響，但他也切斷了自己與所有知識的聯繫。

would have helped him overcome his awkwardness.

會幫助他克服自己的尷尬。

And as he seeks to avoid conflict, he tells himself more lies, his delusions cut him off

當他尋求避免衝突時，他告訴自己更多的謊言，他的妄想將他切斷了

from more and more knowledge, and as a result, his mind becomes completely fixed and rigid.

從越來越多的知識中，結果，他的思想變得完全固定和僵化。

So why does he continue to lie to himself?

那麼，為什麼他繼續對自己撒謊呢？

A lie is something that gives the illusion of resolving a conflict.

謊言是給人以解決衝突的假象的東西。

After telling the lie, the liar believes he's resolved the conflict in a quick and easy

說完謊言後，說謊者認為他已經快速而輕鬆地解決了衝突。

manner.

方式。

But obviously, instead of resolving it, he pushed the conflict off into the future, where

但顯然，他沒有解決這個問題，而是把衝突推到了未來，在那裡

it will grow in strength.

它的力量會越來越大。

For example, a mother asks her daughter if she got into college.

例如，一位母親問她的女兒是否考上了大學。

The mother invested a lot of time and effort into the child's education, ensuring that

母親為孩子的教育投入了大量的時間和精力，確保了

she would get in.

她會被錄取。

But the daughter never wanted to go to college, so she never applied.

但女兒從未想過要上大學，所以她從未申請。

The daughter knows the truth will result in conflict between her and the mother, so to

女兒知道真相會導致她和母親之間的衝突，所以要

avoid the conflict, the child lies and says yes.

為了避免衝突，孩子會撒謊說是。

The daughter feels like she's resolved the conflict, but she's actually just pushed

女兒覺得她已經解決了衝突，但實際上她只是推了一下

it off into the future.

它被帶到了未來。

Eventually she will have to admit to her mom that she did not get in.

最終她將不得不向她媽媽承認她沒有被錄取。

But let's say she's really committed to the lie, moves out, and calls her mom weekly,

但是，假設她真的致力於這個謊言，搬出去，每週給她媽媽打電話。

putting up an act that she's at college.

擺出一副她在上大學的樣子。

She indirectly taught herself that lying is an effective and reasonable way to resolve

她間接地教導自己，撒謊是一種有效和合理的解決方式

conflict, so now she'll begin lying to others when she senses conflict.

衝突，所以現在她感覺到衝突時就會開始對別人撒謊。

So not only will her lies continue to multiply and get out of hand, but she'll never learn

是以，她的謊言不僅會繼續增加，而且會失控，但她永遠不會學會

how to actually resolve conflict.

如何真正解決衝突。

But how does the sage handle conflict?

但聖人是如何處理衝突的？

The sage's mind uses its formlessness to grow to the size of an ocean.

聖人的心用它的無形性增長到海洋的大小。

Now if you drop poison—which represents conflict—into the ocean, what happens?

現在，如果你把代表衝突的毒藥丟進大海，會發生什麼？

It's diluted.

它被稀釋了。

Only an oceanic mind truly resolves a conflict, because it can take all conflicts into itself

只有海洋般的心靈才能真正解決衝突，因為它能把所有的衝突都納入自己。

and dilute them.

並將其稀釋。

It cannot be touched by conflict.

它不能被衝突所觸動。

Even if a strong poison was dropped into the sage's mind, as their mind grows and expands,

即使有強烈的毒藥被投放到聖人的頭腦中，隨著他們頭腦的成長和擴展。

all poisons, pollutions, and conflicts are eventually diluted.

所有的毒藥、汙染和衝突最終都會被稀釋。

An oceanic mind is virtuous, not because it chooses to be, but because no matter what

一個海洋般的心靈是良性的，不是因為它選擇了良性，而是因為無論如何

it comes into contact with, it retains its purity, its life-giving quality.

它接觸到的任何東西，都能保持它的純潔，它的生命品質。

The liar's mind, on the other hand, constructs delusions to protect itself from conflict,

另一方面，說謊者的心態是構建妄想來保護自己不受衝突影響。

and by doing so, becomes rigid.

並通過這樣做，變得僵硬。

Delusion cuts the mind off from knowledge and deprives it of its own expansion, so it

妄想切斷了心靈與知識的聯繫，剝奪了它自身的擴展，所以它

remains the size of a glass.

仍然是一個玻璃杯的大小。

And so when the liar's mind comes into contact with the poison, it's easily contaminated,

是以，當說謊者的頭腦接觸到毒藥時，很容易被汙染。

losing its life-giving quality.

失去其生命力的品質。

As always, this is just my opinion and understanding of the Tao Te Ching, not advice.

一如既往，這只是我對《道德經》的看法和理解，而不是建議。

Feel free to use this information however you like, and if you have a different take

請隨意使用這些資訊，如果你有不同的看法

on the theme of water in Taoism, I'd love to

關於道教中的水的主題，我很願意

hear your

聽到你的

perspective in the comments.

評論中的觀點。