Introduction

I think onomatopoeias are amazing, and this verse has one! Woohoo! 

This verse also bends our innate desire to make something concrete out of statements of principle. Doing so would violate the spirit of self-inquiry and self-knowledge at the base of Weaving the Way. There can be no prescribed and simple rules to follow in something as complex and dynamic as life. Even the most seemingly clear-cut situations are only shades of grey, and to abdicate our capacity to make hard choices based on careful deliberation is to abandon the gift of reason that adorns human consciousness. 

The good news is that delightful onomatopeia reveals a very practical tool for separating the silt that muddies the waters. This tool allows us to see what’s what, rebalance our system, and make good choices.

Translation

The Wise frequent Yin-mind,
  and the ordinary mind is Yang-mind.

Supporting those who deserve it,
  and also those who don’t,
That’s integral support. 

Trusting those who are trustworthy,
  and also those who aren’t
That’s integral trust.

The Wise, while in the world,
  “Hee-hee-hoo” makes the world and mind mix.
Ordinary minds pay attention to their senses,
  Sages pay attention to “the baby.” 

Commentary

The Wise frequent Yin-mind,
  and the ordinary mind is Yang-mind. 

There’s an ongoing need to check in with the Yin-mind regularly because our regular functions of the mind are Yang. With enough time and practice, we can remain aware of the Yin in the context of the Yang. But speaking as someone who has been doing this my whole life, the periods of arrogantly thinking, “I got this,” are usually quickly followed by a disaster. Pride comes before the fall isn’t an empty saying! 

It is worth a moment to describe the key terms involved: yin-mind, yang-mind, and mind. 

First, the term mind, which is better translated as something like heart-mind or body-heart-mind matrix, but those are awkward. Mind does not equal thoughts and emotions. Mind is the capacity to have perceptions, emotions, and thoughts. Mind is the aspect of our consciousness that lives in the liminal space between being and becoming, the translator and transformer of these two states. 

Yin-mind is the being side of the mind that is fundamentally still, receptive, pregnant with possibilities, and intuitive. It is the unknowable that is the embryo of all that is. 

Yang-mind is the becoming side of the mind, always having experiences, slicing and dicing them with names, and exploring the frontiers of life. 

By nature, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” All those loud things in our sense experience dominate the consciousness while the ever-present, ever-new, blissful silent stillness within which they arise goes unnoticed. Unless we take time to pay attention to that side of our being, that is.