Mair - 1:2

[Shidifen]

Mair - 1:2

Yao wished to abdicate his rulership of all under heaven to Hsŭ Yu, saying, "If one did not extinguish a candle when the sun and moon come out, wouldn't it be hard to discern its light? If one continues to irrigate the fields when the seasonal rains fall, wouldn't it have little effect upon the amount of moisture in them? Once you are established on the throne, master, all under heaven will be well ordered. Yet I am still the ruler and consider myself inadequate to the task. Allow me to hand over the empire to you."

"You are governing all under heaven; ' said Hsu Yu, "and the empire is already well ordered. If I were to replace you, would I be doing it for the name? A name is but an attribute of reality. Would I be doing it for the sake of attribution? The wren nests in the deep forest, occupying but a single branch. The mole drinks from the river, merely filling its little belly. Return, oh lord, and forget this business. I have no need for all under heaven! Even supposing that the cook were not attending to his kitchen, the impersonator of the dead would not leap over the pots and pans to take his place."

[Marblehead]

This is the beginning of my thoughts on "Knowing when you have enough".

[Daeluin]

Perhaps this is but a natural continuation of the implications I came to at the end of 1:1:

 

 

There are further implications here - we all rest upon these primal forces already. Perhaps there are some limitations given through nature that grant us the scope we are born with. Yet are there not ways we have shaped and limited our scope artificially, in our minds? Why?

 

When we accept our role, are we not closer to being merged with all between heaven and earth? Why should we contrive to do this or that based on what we wish was rather than flowing with what already is? Is not much of this realm of humans governing humans created precisely to prevent humans from exploiting other humans based on not knowing when we have enough? Ironic, how our greed is the very thing that comes to limit our scope.

[dawei]

Yao feels the weight of his rule... and wants to pass off that burden...

 

Yet, Hsu Yu has tasks at hand which seem more an undertaking than ruling... 

[Taoist Texts]

Mair - 1:2

 Once you are established on the throne, master, all under heaven will be well ordered. Yet I am still the ruler a......, the impersonator of the dead would not leap over the pots and pans to take his place."

 

而我犹尸之

..i am like the impersonator of the dead..

[Shidifen]

Heres' Mair's notes for this section -

8. Yao. A sage-king of high antiquity.

9. all under heaven. A traditional expression referring to the Chinese empire (literally "heavenlsky-below") that occurs hundreds of times in the Chuang Tzu. In this translation, when considered collectively as "the world" or "the empire," it is grammatically treated as a singular noun phrase (as though it might be written "all-under-heaven"). When considered as the constituent elements, things, or men that go to make up the world or the empire, it is grammatically treated as a plural noun phrase.

10. Hsii Yu. A legendary hermit. His name might be interpreted as meaning "Promise Allow."

11. impersonator of the dead. See chapter 14, note 25. (Usually rendered as "sacrificial officiant, " the two graphs literally mean "corpse invoker.")

[Rara]

Yao feels the weight of his rule... and wants to pass off that burden...

 

Yet, Hsu Yu has tasks at hand which seem more an undertaking than ruling...

Lol...sounds like my mate who owns a pizza place. Constantly trying to pass things on to other people and drafting in temps so he can avoid going in.