Dao De Jing chapter 13 (Marina presents, AZF, 15secSI)

Symptom-free (of potentially contagious disease) people with the capacity to listen considerately to diverse viewpoints are invited to attend after successfully RSVPing.

We begin the meeting at 7:30 pm sharp in the mezzanine of the Graduate Hotel. Feel free to come up to 30 minutes early and hang out with us beforehand. After you come down the stairs we may be in either the main room on your left or in the conference room around the corner on your right.

From the front Hotel entrance go to the right around the corner to enter through the north valet entrance. If the valet questions you just say you're here for the philosophy group. Go straight to the main lobby and turn right behind the large bookshelves before the elevators. Go up the stairs to your left and through the first door you encounter to enter our meeting room.

Translation by Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang (2018):
(1) Favor and humiliation are both frightening.
(2) Pay attention to risk as you would your own body.

(3) Why do we say “favor and humiliation are both frightening”?
(4) Favor makes you inferior.
(5) You fear getting it and fear losing it.
(6) This is the meaning of “favor and humiliation are both frightening”.

(7) Why do we say “pay attention to risk as you would to your own body”?
(8) I suffer because I have a body.
(9) If I have no body, how can I suffer?

(10) If you can treat the world like your own body, take it.
(11) If you can love the world like your own body, rule it.

Translation by Gia-Fu Feng (1972):
(1) Accept disgrace willingly.
(2) Accept misfortune as the human condition.

(3) What do you mean by “Accept disgrace willingly”?
(4) Accept being unimportant.
(5) Do not be concerned with loss or gain.
(6) This is called “accepting disgrace willingly.”

(7) What do you mean by “Accept misfortune as the human condition”?
(8) Misfortune comes from having a body.
(9) Without a body, how could there be misfortune?

(10) Surrender yourself humbly; then you can be trusted to care for all things.
(11) Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.

*Interpretation* by Ursula K. LeGuin (2005)
(1) To be in favor or disgrace is to live in fear.
(2) To take the body seriously is to admit one can suffer.

(3) What does that mean, to be in favor or disgrace is to live in fear?
(4) Favor debases:
(5) we fear to lose it, fear to win it.
(6) So to be in favor or disgrace is to live in fear.

(7) What does that mean, to take the body seriously is to admit one can suffer?
(8) I suffer because I’m a body;
(9) if I weren’t a body, how could I suffer?

(10) So people who set their bodily good before the public good could be entrusted with the commonwealth,
(11) and people who treated the body politic as gently as their own body would be worthy to govern the commonwealth.

AMAZON FORMAT (AZF):
At the beginning of the meeting we will take turns reading lines from the above texts aloud.

15-second Silent Interludes (15secSI):
Prior to each Timed Direction period we will pause for 15 seconds of silence to relax and calm our minds.

OPENING ROUNDTABLE FORMAT (ORF):

1. The topic presenter begins the discussion by explaining why they are interested in the topic and some introductory thoughts on it.
2. Each participant in turn going clockwise from the presenter describes their general thoughts on the topic.
3. If one is not ready to speak they can just say “pass” and the next person speaks.
4. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to comment.
5. Once everyone has given opening remarks or passed twice, Opening Roundtable is completed and the meeting shifts into its main format.

TIMED DIRECTION FORMAT (TDRF>5):
If there are more than 5 people present we will use the format below.

1. We will divide up the timed direction discussion time by the number of participants plus one (for a buffer). A timer will be set for this amount of time.
2. Each participant in turn will become a Discussion Director and lead the group discussion.
3. If one is not ready to direct they dimply say “pass” and the next person becomes the Discussion Director.
4. Anyone who arrives after step 1 (above), may participate but will not get a turn as Discussion Director.
5. The Discussion Director can make statements or ask questions, or interrupt or redirect the discussion at their discretion.
6. The discussion participants can state their own opinions only when asked by the Discussion Director, not Interrupt others and accede to the Discussion Director’s interruptions or redirections.
7. When the timer goes off the person speaking finishes their thought and then the next participant clockwise becomes the next Discussion Director.
8. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to direct.

At the end of the meeting, participants will have an opportunity to vote on the topic and format for the following meeting.