Those who are victorious in war Should follow the rites of funerals.

31: Victory Is Cause for Grief


31

Weapons are ominous tools.
They are abhorred by all creatures.
Anyone who follows the Way shuns them.
In peaceful times, the noble ruler honors the left side.
At war, he honors the right side.

Weapons are ominous tools.
They are not the noble ruler's tools.
He only uses them when he can't avoid it.
Peace and quiet are preferred.
Victory should not be praised.

Those who praise victory relish manslaughter.
Those who relish manslaughter
Cannot reach their goals in the world.

At times of joy, the left side is honored.
At times of grief, the right side is honored.
At battle, the second in command stands to the left,

And the commander in chief to the right.
This means they stand as in funerals.
When many people are killed
They should be mourned and lamented.
Those who are victorious in war
Should follow the rites of funerals.


Lao Tzu


http://taoistical.blogspot.com/2011/02/31-victory-is-cause-for-grief.html

after his body was prepared by Muslim men in accordance with Muslim beliefs.

We don't, however, need to give him a funeral.

of the passage.

basically it says killing is always a cause for mourning.

Their praise and unbounded happiness over victory shows that they relished manslaughter.

it was in response to Japan's surrender.

It's confusing, I know.

Too bad it sails over heads............

but Lao Tzu offers worthy food for thought and a moment for introspection.

nt

All these oughts, oughtnots and beatitudes - don't they just get in the way of being a truly spontaneous person. If you are truely overjoyed this morning then why not get with it? Far better than denying ones true nature.

Of all Lao Tsu wrote this is some of the most Confucian - what stuff!!!

31

Even the finest arms are an instrument of evil,
A spread of plague,
And the way for a vital man to go is not the way of a soldier.
But in time of war men civilized in peace
Turn from their higher to their lower nature.
Arms are an instrument of evil,
No measure for thoughtful men
Until there fail all other choice
But sad acceptance of it.
Triumph is not beautiful.
He who thinks triumph beautiful
Is one with a will to kill,
And one with a will to kill
Shall never prevail upon the world.
It is a good sign when man's higher nature comes forward,
A bad sign when his lower nature comes forward,
When retainers take charge
And the master stays back
As in the conduct of a funeral.
The death of a multitude is cause for mourning:
Conduct your triumph as a funeral.

This one is much better - IF you know the basic underlying philosophy. If not this one reads like a bunch of vaguely amorphous mumbo jumbo and the first like concrete language. BUT THE FIRST ONE IS ALL WRONG, and leads one to believe something very different than the "wu wei" (so to speak ;-)

I tell you what, explaining (and even understanding) this stuff is really tricky. How does one employ his mind in order to stop using his mind?