tiānrén-héyī --- Humanity's union with Dao

#tiānrén-héyī #yijing #IChing

tiānrén-héyī -- Humanity's Union with Dào

Pleco's definitions for tiānrén-héyī include:

• Heaven and humans are identical
• Humans are an integral part of Nature
• Oneness of Heaven and Humanity
• the theory that humans are an integral part of Nature

First off, we need to grapple with the concept of "tiān." Ames and Hall declare the “tiān” in tiānrén-héyī is poorly translated as “Heaven” since that word in English is so heavily connotated with Western civilization’s definitions, which have little to do with Chinese philosophy and Daoism in particular. For starters, A&H explain they leave tiān untranslated in their translations in part because the word is often used as shorthand for “Heaven and Earth” (tiāndì) since the two concepts are so closely related. The Dào is everything, and Heaven and Earth are interrelated manifestations of Dào, the former as energy that initiates ongoing change, the latter as the response through “substance” or matter to that on-going initiating energy, which is perpetuated by the interplay of yángyìn, the dynamics that ensure ongoing novel change in the cosmos we inhabit. 

Here’s the rub, however: Tiān is not anthropomorphic, which creates a conundrum since rén refers to humanity–a conundrum since rén and tiān influence and help shape each other in the realm we are part of. That means we are not only participants but also players, helping shape Heaven and Earth. 

That’s why I now translate the first four lines in the Dàodéjĭng’s Chapter 42 Daoist creation story this way:

    “One (Wuji?) begets one (Dào),
      One begets two (Tàijí)
      Two begets three (tiān, dì, and rén),
      Three begets everything happening in the cosmos (wànwù)...”

That feels like a staggering amount of responsibility for rén. Yet, Daoist texts make it clear that, yes, rén is a player. How could this be so? What does this mean?

To get a better handle on these concepts, I’m adjusting the terms and language of my translation of Ch. 42's creation story as follows:
“Tài Yĭ  (Wuji) gives life to one (Dào, The Way),
  One gives life to two (Tàijí)
  Two gives life to three (tiān, dì, and rén),
  Three gives life to everything happening in the cosmos (wànwù)...”

I've made the above changes in my translation, first, because the Chinese character for the word “sheng,” which can translate as “begets,” is a metaphor in this case, and the word can also mean “life,” “lives,” or even “gives life.” My other translation change is using the older name for Dào, “Tài Yĭ,” from the Fourth Century BCE Guodian text predating the Daodejing and called “The Great One Brings Forth the Waters.” (By the way, "brings forth" could also be a viable translation for "sheng.") That Guodian text author expresses a preference for using Tài Yĭ  as a way to describe the earliest state of Dào prior to the event of Tàijí. That would be Wuji.

These semantic distinctions help clarify to me a more plausible intent in Chapter 42. This interpretation seems to make more sense for what I’m trying to figure out about the role for Humanity in tiānrén-héyī.

Zhuang Zhou's Zhuangzi, Ch 2, "The Adjustments of Controversy," Section 13, confirms my translation for line three:
    "Heaven, Earth and I came into existence together, and all things in the cosmos and I are one."
     

And here's the subsequent final two lines that complete the creation story presented in the Dàodéjĭng:

    " Everything that is happening in the cosmos carries yin and embraces yang,
       using the flooding force of vital breath to facilitate harmony."

The rendering of the creation story I propose also allows smooth transition into the concepts that inform Yijing, where the first hexagram (or guà) is Qián (Heaven), the Initiating yang energy for wànwù, while the second framing hexagram is Kūn, the Responding yin energy in wànwù, through an interrelational yángyìn dynamics that plays out in the cycles and situations portrayed in the sequential arrangement of all the Later Heaven 64 guà-- and all of which serve as a means to cultivate the proper (i.e., "virtuous") participation of Human Way-Making in order "to facilitate harmony." 

Hence, the pivotal role of Yijing for Daoism.  But as a result, the divination potential seems useful but secondary to Yijing's value as a way to teach and promote understanding about Humanity's role in the larger scheme.

That brings us back to tiānrén-héyī, which is not simply a species-centric privilege but instead an ethical responsibility–to each other, to our co-creations (i.e., Nature) in wànwù, and to Dào.

The hyphenated suffix "-héyī" means "to unite." The goal, of course, is to unite with Dào.

The methodology, per Daoism, is to cultivate zìrán and the Wu-forms as well as to practice Tàijĭquàn, Qìgōng, and meditation in order to be more attuned to the "Will of Heaven," which then facilitates our preparation to unite with Dào, the ultimate goal of Way-Making.

The fnal entry in this ten-part series describes specific things to do for Way-Making as a way to make life significant for you.