Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 5: 16 "Disorder is founded on order; fear, on courage; weakness, on strength."

To unpack the meaning from today's verse, I first read a couple of interpretations from the 11 great commentators. Without mentioning it, they drove me back to chapter 1, almost instantly. I'll share the reason in a moment. But first...

Let's talk about study for a minute. I claim, with little humility, to be the best student of any teacher I select and whose work I commit to taking in. Once dedicated, there is just about no limit as to what I'll do to crack the code of their teaching.

For Master Sun's teaching, we are blessed with many centuries worth of previous such study in what is called the cannon of 11 standard commentators. It is a significant step for any student when you go beyond the text itself to enter into that world.

The other method of study required, and the most important, is to approach the text anew, every time you pick the book up. In Zen, this is called "beginner's mind." Essentially, there is always more you don't know than what you do. Thus, you're always a beginner.

Part of the way this works is demonstrated by today's verse. In reading it, and following my commentator's guidance, I realized that there were two verses from chapter 1 that today's verse ties to. It requires them for its own understanding but reframes them as well.

Those two verses are #SunTzu 1:1 and #SunTzu 1: 15. Allow me to recommend that you grab your book and re-read those verses right now. And if you haven't purchased Minford's translation yet, now would be a perfect moment. Here's the link: amazon.com/Art-War-Pengui…

I'll return in a few hours, and then we'll complete today's work together. I simply can't emphasize too strongly how important for your studies it is that you learn to bounce forward and backward in a text such as Master Sun's. So I urge, please, do a good job!

Hello again. So tell me, did you do your homework, and if so, how well did you do? Can you feel the power of verses 1:1 and 1:15? And by "tell me," I actually me, tell me please, as in right here, in replies. I am a huge believer in classroom participation. Please, report in!

While I did turn to some business work, I was also able to study those verses again in the meantime, and I ever reviewed my own commentary on them. Not too much though, as I'm going to comment on them again, right now, in context of today's verse.

Today's verse includes the concepts of:
* Order
* Disorder
* Fear
* Courage
* Weakness, and
* Strength, and hold the context...

IN COMBAT.

Today's verse is a battlefield story.

What does this assume? It assumes a war. That's why we need to review verse 1: 1. Master Sun starts us out exactly as any Greek geometer would demand. A principle we cannot and will not prove. War exists. Combat exists. The more we fight this, and we do, the more time we waste.

I don't know if Master Sun cared very much about what my people, Italians with a renaissance ethos obsess over so much, honor. Being me, though, I have to add it here. War is real, and its execution is an honorable art. Finding oneself in combat is an honorable condition.

We'll take more from verse 1: 15 in a moment, but we need its first statement right now. Here it is, and you surely know it well:

"The Way of War is a Way of Deception."

So, am I saying it honorable to lie in war, in combat? Damn tooting straight I am! You honor rides on it.

Follow today's story out with that in mind, please. There you are and you face a well-order brigade. If you don't cause them to lose their formation, or to break their line you lose, you fail, you die. You must cause them to falter, and fall from order into disorder? But how?

What today's verse indicates is that you must measure your own formation, the strength of your line, your well-ordered capability of maneuver, your options. And, when assessing, you MUST be able to establish, rightly, that your order is stronger than your enemy's.

Imagine you're going to pretend to be disordered and tempt your enemy to strike with too much confidence, they've worked so hard to establish their own order, it'll be irresistible. Your men - under command to - start acting a bit crazy, break line and beckon fights.

To the beat of their drums, and with perfect lock step, the enemy advances all together toward the center of your line where your crazy guys are dancing war dances with no regard to shape or structure. Enemy about to strike, a new gong sounds. You line breaks into two formations.

With flawless, perfectly disciplined execution, your hardened warriors reform instantly, and instantly attack the flanks on both sides of your enemy where his formation is most vulnerable. Within moments all his order is gone, while your order is crushing him in between.

You feigned disorder in order to break his order, but your apparent disorder was founded upon your own order, far superior to your enemy's. And thereby, you caused true disorder and crushed him like a millstone cast at an egg.

We can employ fear and courage to tell similar stories. Do you recall those amazing warriors of old we described, previously, as those of the "forlorn hope?" How much fear must they have had, first up the ladder into the falling, boiling oil? How much courage required to do so?

When, as we besiege the great wall, the fallen bodies of our brothers mount up into a rising ramp of corpses, which we climb until we crest top, how much fear have we poured down upon our enemies on the other side? Their fear is founded on our courage.

Weakness founded on strength? We throw our warriors against the strongest part of the wall, with great din of trumpets, smashing pots with fire inside, missiles hurled and wheeled, armored towers. Meanwhile, our engineers (tappers) are undermining the wall at its weakest spot.

With but a few warriors, and not our best ones, we await the tappers coming explosion. Mining is loud. Battle is louder. Mine complete, we send in a herd of pigs, tails lit on fire, explosives planted, and it is the pigs that upon exploding collapse the weak portion of the wall.

Disorder within, a small core of not particularly mighty warriors makes its way to the gate, and the destruction of our enemy's fortress is completed in a couple of hours. Raging, we burn the entire thing. It was a mistake; we should have taken it intact. Next time we will.

The bell for the end of class has sounded, and we still went over. We'll return to the challenging topic of honor, and verses 1: 1 & 15 again, another time. But as a wonderful assignment, I must pass out a list now, from verse 15. Please meditate upon it and report back at will.

Master Sun's Tactical List (1 - 7 of 14)

1) When able, feign inability.
2) When deploying the troops, appear not to be.
3) When near, appear far.
4) When far, appear near.
5) Lure with bait.
6) Strike with chaos.
7) If the enemy is full, be prepared.

List Completed (8 - 14)

8) If strong, avoid him.
9) If he is angry, disconcert him.
10) If he is weak, stir him with pride.
11) If he is relaxed, harry him.
12) If his men are harmonious, split them.
13) Attack where he is unprepared.
14) Appear where you are unexpected.