A Closer Look at Humility and the Third Treasure
Yesterday I had a brief confrontation via tweets . I’ll repost the exchange here first, then expound on my views.
Me: Humility is not always the best course of action. Sometimes we need to be inspired by greatness.
Them: Humility is one of the three treasures! How can you preach against it?!
Me: All things have a time when they are valuable. 
Consider this thought from the book 365 Tao: http://bit.ly/3PPdWm
Me: Taoism is not a static code providing absolutes but rather a recognition of dualities and an encouragement to move with them.
Them: You are wrong and lost. The very idea of a “spiritual master” who people seek to behold “perfection” is antithetical to Tao.
Them: The link you sent is vulgar and misguided. Comparing one shining forth to moon at midday indeed, how dare you counsel others.
Them: Chuang Tzu wrote about this very thing, glowing like moon – you cannot avoid calamity. Empty your boat and cast off your mask.
Me: I didn’t write the book friend. Take what is right for you, leave behind what is not.
First let me say that although I consider myself a Daoist, I don’t claim to be an established authority on the subject. I’ve read many books, I’ve learned from others and I have made my own observations as I’ve meandered along the way. The only “counsel” I give is that which one friend would give another and carries the same guarantee as any equal opinion.
That being said, let’s look closer at the three treasures, specifically “humility”.
慈
In Pinyin this is pronounced ci and represents benevolence, kindness and compassion. It’s the first of the Daoist treasures and some say the most important. I personally see this as a universal treasure, not just a tenet of any particular philosophy or religion.
儉
This is called jiǎn and represents moderation, frugality, restraint. The second treasure of Daoism is pretty clear as well: Live simple, live conservative, take only what you need and nothing more, those sorts of things.
不敢為天下先
Yes, the third treasure is not a single character but rather six characters. The phrase in Pinyin, Bugan wei tianxia xian, means “to not be first in the world, in front of others”. It’s a little more complex than simply “humility”. In fact it’s been translated many different ways.
Now let’s take a moment and consider how we understand humility. In Buddhist thought, humility is letting go of suffering caused by clinging to things that are not real. Basically, renouncing the ego is an important step towards enlightenment.
In Christian views, humility is often considered a cardinal virtue (probably ever since Pride was made a deadly sin, which was not always the case, but I digress). Humility is self deprecation, accepting you are lowly in comparison to the divine.
The problem is a cultural one. Western humility is loaded with preconceptions. I believe the third treasure is more along the lines of “know when your work is done and go home”. I don’t believe it means to never take credit for an achievement or accept recognition for accomplishments.
My point was that it’s ok to be proud sometimes, especially if the recognition you receive inspires others to do equally good things. Many doctors and scientists were inspired by childhood heroes, some fictional and some real. Accomplishment encourages others towards similar achievements. When we hear about someone doing something extraordinary, for example, to help the needy and brighten their lives, some of us want to do the same. Great actions can restore faith in dark times. Which is why we honor certain people and why I believe that a society of absolute and constant “humility” in a Western sense would stagnate.
The third treasure means to do what needs to be done and then move on. There is no need to be first for the sake of being first (except perhaps with comment posts, haha). There is no need to linger once you have finished just to be seen.
Our actions shouldn’t be based on the need for glory, but we need not renounce glory that’s based on our actions.
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