《道德真经取善集(李霖)》Vol. 4

Ji Fu said, "All things under heaven have an origin, which we may regard as the mother of all things under heaven." This is what the Daodejing means by "Nameless, it is the beginning of heaven and earth; named, it is the mother of the ten thousand things." The Dao (the Way) has no fixed name, and people provisionally call it "Dao." Why, then, is the Dao said to be "always nameless" and yet the mother of all things? Because the Dao as "named" is only the mother of the ten thousand things and is not enough to show that it is their root. The nameless Dao is the beginning of heaven and earth. Everything that comes into being under heaven arises from the nameless Dao. That is why all things are said to have an origin, and why that origin is called the mother of all things.

"Origin" (shi) refers to the Dao, the mother of all things under heaven. "Origin" and "mother" both speak of the Dao. Viewed from the beginning of the transformation of qi (vital energy), it is called "origin"; viewed from its ceaseless generation of the ten thousand things, it is called "mother." Only with an origin can the ten thousand things be continually transformed and born.

"Having attained the mother, one thereby knows her children" means that once one has recognized the root of the myriad things, one can thereby know the myriad things.

The Imperial Commentary says that the Dao transforms and gives birth to the myriad things and names them, so that the myriad things are like the Dao's children. One who has penetrated the Dao can connect the relations among the myriad things. Therefore, once one knows their root, one can also know the things themselves.

Wang Yuanze says that the myriad things arise from the Dao, which is their mother, and the myriad things are the children of the Dao. Once one knows the Dao, one also understands the principles of the myriad things, and can comprehend them without distinguishing each one.

"Having known its children, one should return to and keep its mother." Heshang Gong explains that once one has understood the principles of the myriad things under heaven, one should return to and hold fast to the Dao, maintaining wuwei (non-action).

"To the end of one's life, there is no peril." Wang Yuanze explains that once one understands affairs, if one merely pursues them without returning to the root, one will act recklessly, invite danger, and drift farther from the Dao. Therefore, even after understanding the myriad things, one must still hold to the root and return to wuwei in order to remain at peace and avoid peril. Here "to the end of one's life" means one's whole lifetime.

"Block the openings, shut the doors, and one will not toil all one's life" means: block the orifices through which sensory desires flow, close the doors through which external disturbances enter, and one will not be troubled by such affairs for a lifetime. "Openings" (dui) refers to the orifices of the senses. What is meant here is restraining the senses and reducing the agitation of external things so as to keep the inner mind settled.

Heshang Gong says that "dui" (the opening) refers to the eyes, so one should keep the eyes from looking carelessly, and that "men" (the gate) refers to the mouth, so one should keep the mouth from speaking carelessly.

Lü Jifu says that this is the meaning of guarding the root. When a thought arises in the heart and is allowed to develop, this is "opening the dui." When the mind moves outward and engages external things, the shen (spirit) is drawn away. Blocking the channels of the senses, such as the eyes and ears, keeps thought from flowing outward, and the shen then no longer runs outward. When external things appear before you and you let them enter the heart, this is "opening the men." Once they enter, they disturb the inner mind. If this gate is closed and external things are not allowed to stir the shen, they cannot enter. When the inner mind does not run outward and external things do not enter the heart, then even though the myriad things appear before the eyes in changing profusion, each returns to its own root and the heart remains undisturbed. What toil could there be in this?

"Opening the dui, aiding its affairs, one cannot be saved for life" means that indulging the desires of the senses and following external things to accomplish various affairs will trap a person in toil for their whole life, with no possibility of release.

Shuwang (the Prince of Shu) says that "mo" (disappearing) is the opposite of "cun" (persisting), and "zhong" (end) is the opposite of "shi" (beginning). If we regard all affairs as coming in through the "men," then closing the gate keeps affairs from entering, which is plainly evident. That one is busy accomplishing various affairs shows that the gate has not been closed.

Pei Chu'en says that opening the entrances of the five desires and responding to the six dust (the objects that stir the senses and the mind: form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma) wearies the heart. The ears and eyes, burdened by the external world, grow tired, and one's whole life is spent in exhaustion.

"Seeing the minute is called clarity" means that one who can perceive subtle things is said to be truly discerning.

The Zuanwei (Compilation of Subtleties) says that this speaks of guarding against calamity before it appears and governing order before disorder arises. To know how to block the channels of the senses and close the gate of the mind is to be able to perceive subtle signs. One who sees the minute will not easily be deceived by affairs, and this is called clarity. One who guards the root can often detect the subtle stirring of a thought just as it arises. The subtlety of the Dao can only be known through one's own direct experience, and one who can perceive the subtlety of the Dao will naturally find nothing obscure.

"Guarding softness is called strength" means that only by holding to softness does one become truly strong.

Zhang Junxiang says that according with the Dao and not opposing it is called softness, and remaining unharmed from beginning to end is called strength.

Lü Jifu says that by guarding the formless and most yielding Dao, nothing among the myriad things can overcome it.

"Using its light, return again to its clarity" means using one's own inner light to return to the clear nature within.

The Imperial Commentary (Yuzhu) says that "ming" (brightness) is the substance of light, and "guang" (light) is the function of brightness. When the sage responds to the world, he proceeds from substance and makes his radiance spread outward. When he gathers the function back into substance, his wisdom penetrates thoroughly and his inner clarity is complete. The sage reveals his De (Virtue) yet keeps its function stored within, like the sun and moon shining on the myriad things without diminishing their brightness. What is called "shen ming qi de" (divine brightness in its virtue) refers to exactly this condition.

Heshang Gong says that after brightness is applied outwardly, one should still let the light shine back upon the interior, so that the spirit does not dissipate.

Not bringing calamity upon oneself is called "xi chang," meaning secretly according with the constant Dao.

The Imperial Commentary says that the transformations of the myriad things have no fixed constancy. Only one who returns to his original nature can set aside external things and transcend the mundane, returning to inner clarity without changing along with the myriad things. Therefore he can rest in constancy without calamity. This differs from displaying luster in response to changing form.

Gu Huan says that if one opens the senses and lets the mind chase after affairs, calamity will arrive. Such calamity does not come from outside but is brought upon oneself.

Recovering the outward-radiating light, turning it back to illuminate the heart, contemplating inwardly and preserving the spirit so that it does not scatter, one will never invite calamity throughout life. This is called secretly uniting with the constant and enduring Dao. This chapter speaks of holding fast to the principle of "mu" (the mother). Dao is the mother of the myriad things, and the myriad things are Dao's children. Blocking the gates of the senses, restraining desires, observing subtle details, and maintaining softness and weakness, as well as letting brightness shine back within after it has been applied to external things, are all ways of holding to the mother. By holding to it, Dao endures, and one can thus avoid calamity for a long time. This is the secret application of the true and constant Dao.

Chapter 53: "Shi wo jie ran"

If I had even a little knowledge, I would walk upon the great Dao, and the only thing I would fear is taking a deviant path.

Lu Dian says that guarding the Dao depends on being without desire, and practicing the Dao depends on not being bound by cleverness. Therefore it is said: "If I had even a little knowledge, I would walk upon the great Dao, and the only thing I would fear is taking a deviant path." This speaks of the true and constant Dao.

Chapter 53: "Shi wo jie ran"

If I had even a little knowledge, I would walk upon the great Dao, and the only thing I would fear is taking a deviant path.

Lu Dian said: One should guard the Dao (the Way) through non-desire, and practice it through a cognition free of clinging. Therefore the scripture says: "Suppose I had but a slight, self-assured understanding and walked the Great Dao; what I would most fear is acting rashly." Those who possess understanding inevitably become self-regarding within, and in their outward conduct they tend to accommodate others, so in every action they are constrained by scruples.

"Jie" (jie) means small and slightly differentiated. One who has a modest grasp of things, yet tries to rely on that little knowledge to walk the Great Dao, will on the contrary fear to act. How much more so those who regard their own insight as lofty! The Dao of the Perfected Person (zhiren) does not let minor branches harm the root. When outward activity is excessive, the inner root becomes empty. Therefore one who walks the Great Dao does not allow even subtle deliberation to arise. All kinds of attachments are set down, and one does not cling to a small measure of understanding. In the Zhuangzi, Nie Que asked Wang Ni four questions, and Wang Ni answered "I do not know" each time. This precisely shows that one does not force the Dao through limited understanding.

"The Great Dao is level and broad, yet people are fond of narrow paths."

Lu Dian said: To abandon the proper way and take a shortcut to go faster is called "jing" (path, shortcut).

"Yi" (yi) means level and easy; "jing" means slanted and not upright. The lost abandon the Great Dao and favor crooked byways, seeking shortcuts and quick visible results. They seek the Dao through cleverness and knowledge, and end up even farther from it. They do not realize that the Dao is attained by not clinging to knowledge, and that is exactly why it is the most level and easy path. Common people insist on pursuing the Dao through deliberate knowledge. This is precisely a fondness for small paths, without knowing where they will end. Tantai Mieming did not take shortcuts, and that is precisely how he walked the Great Dao. The harms of crooked paths will be discussed below.

"The court's governance is extremely splendid."

Gu Huan said: "Chu" (chu) means to repair and govern. Those fond of shortcuts regard only the adornment of the court and the building of palaces as good government.

King Zhou of Shang built palaces and terraces, King Ling of Chu built the Zhanghua Terrace, and the First Emperor of Qin built the Epang Palace. These are all such examples.

"Yet the fields are left overgrown."

Heshang Gong said: The more terraces, pavilions, and palaces are built, the more agriculture is abandoned. The people have no time to plow and tend the fields, and so they miss the planting seasons.

Gu Huan said: "When grass grows thick and luxuriant, it is called wu (wu), and wu means to fall into neglect. When palaces are lofty and walls are adorned with elaborate carvings, and extravagance reaches its extreme, human strength is exhausted and the fields are left to waste. When people chase only fame and covet profit, giving up a little in pursuit of more and failing to cultivate the Dao, then the Dantian (dan tian, the place in the body where vital essence gathers, in Daoist practice) also falls into neglect."

The fields lying waste is the reason the Book of Songs (Shijing, shi jing) satirizes King You of Zhou (Zhou You Wang, Zhou You Wang).

(The original text repeats here:) When palaces are lofty and walls are adorned with elaborate carvings, and extravagance reaches its extreme, human strength is exhausted and the fields are left to waste. When people chase only fame and covet profit, giving up a little in pursuit of more and failing to cultivate the Dao, then the Dantian also falls into neglect.

The fields lying waste is the reason the Book of Songs satirizes King You of Zhou.

"The granaries are extremely empty."

Prince Shu (Shu Wang, shu wang) said: "In the phrase 'chao shen chu' (chao shen chu, "the court is most orderly"), the word chu (chu) means to put in order and to adorn. The court is put in perfect order, yet the fields lie waste and the granaries stand empty. The granaries are the foundation of the state. Now the fields are waste and the granaries empty because people have abandoned the Great Way (da dao) and turned onto crooked, deviant side paths."

Wang Yuanze (Wang Yuanze, wang yuan ze) said: "Fields that are well tilled and granaries that are full are the foundation of the state. Now people care only for adorning the court to win a moment's glory, while ignoring that the foundation has already run dry. How is this a lasting way? Whenever one attends only to appearances and harms the foundation, this is the situation."

"Wearing magnificent clothing."

Heshang Gong (He Shang Gong, he shang gong) said: "He delights in empty display and values the splendor of outward appearance."

Blue, red, and other colors are called wen (wen, "patterns"), and colored silk fabrics are called cai (cai, "colors").

"Wearing a sharp precious sword at the waist."

Cheng Xuanying (Cheng Xuan Ying, cheng xuan ying) said: "Wearing ceremonial robes embroidered with splendid patterns, relying on the legendary swords Ganjiang (Gan Jiang) and Moye (Mo Ye) for protection."

"Surfeited with food and drink, with wealth to spare."

Han Feizi (Han Fei Zi, han fei zi) said: "When you enter a state, you can see how well its government and moral teaching are carried out. If you see that the court palaces are magnificently finished and that the palace walls and halls are carved and towering, you know that the ruler loves great building projects and also delights in pleasure and luxury. Next, look at whether the harvest of the fields, the grain, and the goods are abundant..."

Han Feizi said: When you enter a state and observe its governance and its moral instruction, you can understand the condition of the realm. If the palaces and gates are magnificently decorated, and the halls are tall and finely carved, you know the ruler is fond of large construction projects and pleasure. If the fields lie waste and no one attends to cultivation, you know the ruler likes to conscript labor and has taken from the people the time they need for farming. If the granaries are empty and many farmers have died of hunger, you know the ruler is devoted to commerce and other secondary occupations (mo ye) and has neglected agriculture, the foundation. If clothing is richly patterned and people abandon plainness for luxury, you know the ruler loves extravagant ornament, which wastes the labor of women at the loom. If people wear only sharp swords, esteem ferocity, and compete in displays of courage, you know the ruler loves military force, which brings disaster to the state. If meals are always so abundant that people grow weary of rich food and drink, and fat meat and fresh animals are constantly cooked and slaughtered, you know the ruler indulges in drinking and feasting and has forgotten the livelihood of the common people. If goods are always in surplus and the ruler sends agents to gather rare and exotic treasures, you know the ruler loves to extract and hoard, leaving the people's wealth depleted.

Confucius said: "If the common people are not yet prosperous, how could the ruler alone be rich?" This describes exactly such a situation.

Emperor Ming of Tang (Tang Mingdi) said: "Cooking fat meat and slaughtering fresh animals is a pursuit of savor. Eating and drinking until one is weary and sated is excessive indulgence. Gathering goods and storing up family property is for hoarding precious and rare objects."

Wang Yuanze said: "Lavish waste outside the palace, pursued only for momentary pleasure while forgetting the fundamental enterprise, is what it means to indulge in enjoyment and harm the root. Some editions write 'the fundamental enterprise' as 'goods and wealth' (huocai)."

King Zhou of Shang filled Lutai with treasures and stocked grain in the Juqiao granary.

This is called "daokua" (plunder and boasting). To seize what does not belong to oneself is called "dao" (plunder), and to take pride in one's own capability and boast of it is called "kua" (boasting). When abundant wealth is obtained by squeezing the common people, it is like plunder; and if one then takes pride in it, it becomes boasting.

The one who is skilled at establishing will not have what they have established uprooted. The Imperial Commentary says: to establish oneself by the Way of centrality and correctness is to attend to both above and below and every direction, and so one's foundation cannot be shaken.

The Jiejie commentary (Jiejie) explains that if Daoist practitioners and gentlemen cultivate their bodies and minds through De (Virtue/Power) without deliberately displaying their virtue or leaving traces of boasting about their merit, their foundation will be deep and firm, and will not be moved by right and wrong, desire, or aversion. If one establishes virtue only in pursuit of fame, the display of achievement, or the reward of return, then once good deeds are revealed, the inner merit will not have been solidly accumulated, and in the end it will be destroyed by impermanent change and karmic obstacles (yezhang). The Huainanzi says that every concrete thing in the world may be damaged: diamond may be melted by fire, fire may be extinguished by water, water may be blocked by earth, and even hard wood may be felled by an axe. Only a foundation built on "establishing nothing," one that does not cling to external fame and merit, cannot be uprooted.

The one who is skilled at holding fast will not lose what they hold. The Zuanwei commentary says that by embracing the original Qi (Qi) with the Dao and guarding the One (a term in Daoist cultivation for concentrating on and guarding the spirit with single-mindedness), the spirit can remain whole and not scatter. The Prince of Shu says that "embracing" means holding fast to the One; by keeping to the One and not departing from it, one will not lose it.

Descendants will also not lose what they hold.

Those skilled at establishing themselves through the Way (Dao), embracing the Origin and guarding the One (holding fast to what is genuine and undivided), keep their spirit (shen) whole and do not let it scatter.

Prince Shu said: "Embracing" (bao) means guarding the One. To embrace and guard the One with single-minded constancy, never departing from it, keeps the spirit from scattering.

Sacrifices to descendants and later generations will not be cut off.

The Imperial Commentary says: Take centrality and rectitude as the root and do not depart from the Dao. Embrace and guard the One, not departing from jing (essence) and qi (vital energy). Someone like this, how could his influence be limited to a single state or a single era? His influence will extend throughout the world and reach later generations, passing on for a long time.

Emperor Minghuang of Tang said: This refers to a ruler who is skilled at establishing himself through De (virtue) and carrying on the lineage of the Dao. He bestows merit on later generations, and people cherish the grace he leaves behind. How much more so his descendants? A ruler who sacrifices to ancestors of merit is said to honor them as "zu" (ancestor), and one who sacrifices to ancestors of virtue honors them as "zong" (lineage founder). Thus the Zhou dynasty rose beginning with Houji (Lord Millet) and was accomplished by King Wen and King Wu. In Zhou ritual, Houji was honored with sacrifice in the suburbs and King Wen in the ancestral temple. Although the Zhou divined its fortune, projecting thirty generations and seven hundred years of rule, later some ancestral tablets were removed from the temple, yet the suburban sacrifice to Houji and the temple sacrifice to King Wen were never interrupted.

Cultivating oneself makes De genuine and true;

Du Bi said: To understand that cultivation begins with oneself is to establish oneself and deal with the world, moving from near to far. Practicing according to the Dao, not favoring mere skill and not letting the practice scatter, is like binding fast the roots and planting deep the foundations. When one cultivates oneself in this way, genuine De belongs to oneself.

Cultivating the Dao within the family makes De abundant;

Heshang Gong said: Cultivating the Dao in the household means that the father is loving, the children are filial, the elder brother is friendly, the younger brother is respectful, the husband is trustworthy, and the wife is steadfast. When De reaches this state, it becomes abundant and more than sufficient.

Wang Bi said: This extends self-cultivation to others. When one cultivates oneself, De is genuine; when one cultivates the family, De is abundant. If the practice is never abandoned, the transforming influence it brings will keep expanding. Father loving, son filial, elder brother friendly, younger brother deferential, husband trustworthy, wife chaste: when De is like this, it overflows.

Cultivating the Dao in the village makes De grow; cultivating it in the state makes De flourish; cultivating it and spreading it throughout the world makes De reach all people universally.

The Imperial Commentary (Yùzhù) says: cultivating oneself through the Dao makes De genuine, which is governing oneself by the "truth of the Dao." Cultivating the family through the Dao makes De abundant, cultivating the village makes De grow, and these are all extensions of what one has gained in self-cultivation to others. Cultivating the state through the Dao makes De full, and governing all under Heaven through the Dao makes De pervade the whole world. This is governing the state and the world by the Dao of uprightness. The farther the cultivation reaches, the wider De extends. True root De lies in the self, and what is practiced outwardly is only the branch. Thus, the abundance in the family and the fullness in the state, which spread outward, are both outward extensions when viewed from the root of the Dao.

The Zuǎnwēi Commentary notes that these five levels move from cultivating the near self outward to governing the distant world.

Therefore, one should observe oneself by the method of observing oneself, and observe the family by the method of observing the family.

The Dàochōng Commentary adds that by examining the gains and losses, the rightness and wrongness, of one's own conduct, one can understand others. By examining whether a family is orderly or disordered, prosperous or declining, one can understand other families.

One should also observe the village by the method of observing the village, observe the state by the method of observing the state, and observe the world by the method of observing the world.

The Imperial Commentary states: "The principles of all things are complete within my person." To reflect on oneself and attain sincerity brings no joy greater than this. Therefore, first observe oneself so that the self is ordered, and then extend this principle outward. The world has constant laws, and by observing the world according to these laws, the world too can be ordered.

The Zuǎnwēi Commentary explains that "guān" (observe) means clear discernment. One should use the methods the ancient sages used to cultivate themselves to reflect on one's own body and mind. If body and mind can embody the Dao, De becomes genuine. One should use the sages' methods of governing the family to reflect on one's household. If family members love and live in harmony, De becomes abundant. One should use the sages' methods for the village to reflect on the village. If neighbors and friends keep their word, De grows. One should use the methods of governing the state to reflect on the common people. If they live in peace, work contentedly, and their lives go smoothly, De becomes full. Finally, one should use the sages' methods of governing the world to reflect on all the people under Heaven. If they have few private desires and are not deluded, De pervades everywhere.

By what do I know the conditions of things in the world? First look at the sage’s method of governing the state, then observe the people of one’s own state: if the people can settle their lives and grow smoothly, their De will become full. Then, using the sage’s method of governing the world, observe the people: if the people can be clear and still, without desires, and not be obscured, their De can appear universally.

By what do I know the conditions of things in the world? It is on the basis of these principles.

Heshang Gong says: Laozi is saying that those who cultivate the Dao will flourish, while those who turn away from the Dao will decline. By observing through the five matters above, one can know the conditions of the world.

Wang Bi says: This continues the preceding passage. Laozi says, by what does one understand the world? By observing oneself one can understand; there is no need to seek outwardly. This is what is meant by “without going out the door, one can know the world.”

Wang Yuanze says: What the sage holds fast to is only the one Dao, with no other doctrine; therefore when they know things and judge affairs, they rely on this Dao.

The beginning of this chapter says that only by being good at establishing and maintaining the root can one understand the world; this is because the root of the world lies in oneself. To be good at establishing and maintaining the root is what is called cultivating oneself. Extending this to the world, one may say that one understands the root of governance.

Chapter Fifty-Five: Deeply Containing De (Virtue/Power)

One whose De is deep is like a newborn infant.

The Imperial Commentary says: The lives of the common people are originally pure and substantial, but they change in accordance with external things. If one can make one’s own cultivation deep and then extend it from oneself to the world, one can understand the root of governance.

Chapter Fifty-Five: Deeply Containing De (Virtue/Power)

One whose De is deep is like a newborn infant.

The Imperial Commentary says: The lives of the common people are originally pure and substantial, but they shift and change in accordance with external things. One whose De is deep is not pulled about by external things; therefore the breath is unified and the resolve is firm. Mencius said: “The great person does not lose the heart of a newborn child.”

Emperor Ming of Tang says: The true perfected person stores deep and substantial De within the heart, and acts like a newborn infant.

Lü Jifu says: When people are newly born, their De is at its most pure and substantial. After they grow up, the ears and eyes are affected by the external world, and the mind continually takes in various kinds of knowledge; desires for seeking a livelihood also increase day by day. Thus the originally deep De gradually becomes thin. Those who cultivate the Dao must subtract these things that cause desires to grow, cultivate their nature and restore their De, bringing De to the state of returning to the condition of newborn life. Therefore it says: “One whose De is deep is like a newborn infant.”

“Harboring” means to embrace and maintain. The infant’s innate nature is pure and simple, not yet dispersed; its breath is calm and unhurried. One who harbors De (Virtue/Power)—one who inwardly holds fast to deep virtue—has a generous and sincere nature and does not turn shallow, and so the infant is used as a metaphor. A person of deep De not only resembles an infant in outward appearance but also possesses an infant’s pure heart.

Poisonous creatures do not sting him, fierce beasts do not seize him, and birds of prey do not harm him.

Zhang Junxiang says: poisonous creatures such as bees, scorpions, and snakes harm people with poison—this is called “stinging”; fierce beasts such as tigers and rhinoceroses trample people with their feet—this is called “seizing”; birds of prey such as eagles and ospreys harm people with their talons—this is called “striking.” The infant has no mind to harm the myriad things, and so these animals do not harm him either.

From the perspective of self-cultivation, poisonous creatures symbolize anger, fierce beasts symbolize delusion, and birds of prey symbolize greed. The infant does not have these three evil thoughts, and therefore is not harmed by the “three poisons” (greed, anger, and delusion). One who harbors De cultivates compassion and patience over time, so that no anger arises in the mind; hence it is said that poisonous creatures do not sting. The mind of joyful giving has already been cultivated, and craving has already been exhausted; hence the image of birds of prey not striking. Clear wisdom is constantly present, forever cutting off delusion and confusion; hence it is said that fierce beasts do not seize.

The infant merely receives the harmonious Qi of Yin-Yang, and because there is no thought of harming the myriad things in its mind, the myriad things cannot harm it. How much more is this true of one who can fill and guard the pure harmonious Qi? The myriad things are all transformed and generated by the Dao; if a person becomes one with the harmonious Qi of the myriad things, what could harm him? Zhuangzi says: “If a person can dwell with an empty heart and wander at ease in the world, who could harm him?”

The infant’s bones are weak and its sinews soft, yet its clenched fist is firm.

Heshang Gong says: the infant’s bones and sinews are soft and weak, yet it grips tightly, because its intention is unified and does not waver.

The infant is single-minded, with no distracting thoughts in its mind, and its hands have nothing they deliberately try to do; thus it naturally grips firmly.

It does not yet know the union of male and female, yet it becomes erect; this is a sign that Jing and Qi are abundant.

A person whose De (Virtue/Power) conduct is pure and complete can also keep the body intact; thus, although the bones are weak and the sinews soft, the hand can grip tightly. In one whose body is whole, Shen (spirit) is also whole; thus, though he does not yet know the union of man and woman, his genital organ nevertheless becomes erect. When Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) are pure and dense to the utmost, one can communicate with Shenming (spiritual illumination). Zhuangzi said, “The sage values Jing and Qi.”

Lin Lingsu said: “‘Little child’ refers to the penis; ‘arise’ means to become erect. The sexual union of man and woman is the movement and meeting of Yin-Yang. An infant does not yet understand the principle of union, yet its body naturally becomes erect; this is because Jing-Qi is full and has not been dissipated. One who preserves De, although he understands all manner of principles and his inner mind is empty and still, does not therefore cease to act; he can respond to external things without deliberate mind, and his actions accord with De and with what is timely. This shows that the body’s action is quiet and appropriate.”

Wang Yuanze said: “If action does not arise from coveting external things but follows the natural operation of the Qi mechanism and is not driven by selfish intent, then it is like this. If one only rushes and busies oneself externally while inwardly indulging and scattering, Jing-Qi will be depleted, ultimately leading to death; how then can one endure long? Among the calamities of people in the world, none is more serious than this; this is what students of cultivation should most guard against.”

Crying and wailing all day without the throat becoming hoarse is the expression of harmonious Qi reaching its utmost.

The Imperial Commentary says: “Oneness is Jing; when Jing is sufficient, De is complete, and Jing and Shen are not impaired. Yin-Yang blend harmoniously to form harmonious Qi; when harmonious Qi is full, the breath is abundant and the throat does not become hoarse. In human life, Jing-Qi is received from Heaven-One (Tianyi) and is the root of wisdom; harmonious Qi is obtained from Heaven-Five (Tianwu) and is the root of sincerity. When it reaches the utmost, one can communicate with Shenming and return to the original source. If one loses the pure heart of an infant, Jing-Qi becomes agitated and cannot be retained, and the breath becomes violent and impure; body and innate nature are drawn along by external things and drowned among the myriad things—is this not lamentable?”

Crying until the voice is hoarse and no sound can be emitted is called sha (hoarseness). An infant cries and wails from morning to night, yet its voice does not change, because its inner mind is undisturbed and its Qi is harmonious. If an infant had sorrow and resentment in its heart, its Qi would become perverse and not...

When a child cries for so long that the voice becomes completely hoarse, this is called hoarseness. An infant cries and wails from morning to night, yet its voice does not change, because its heart-mind has not been disturbed and its breath is calm and harmonious. If worry or resentment arises in an infant’s heart-mind, its breath will become perverse and no longer harmonious; how then could it preserve its original voice? Those whose cultivation is deep and who embody De (Virtue/Power) expound profound principles without growing weary and transmit the voice of Dao (the Way) teaching without running dry, precisely because they harbor within them the Qi (vital energy) of emptiness, stillness, and harmony.

To know harmonious Qi is to accord with the Constant Dao.

Shu Wang says: When harmonious Qi functions, it can be constant and unchanging; therefore it is said, “To know harmonious Qi is to accord with the Constant Dao.”

If people understand the principle of the softness and weakness of harmonious Qi, they can grasp their own life and are not easily changed by external things; thus they can remain constant and unchanging. Therefore, when one reaches the utmost of Dao, one returns to the source of life; returning to the source is called “the Constant.” When the cultivation of De is deep, one can know harmonious Qi; knowing harmonious Qi is also called “the Constant.” Although Dao and De are distinguished, when reduced to this point of “the Constant,” the two are one.

To know the Constant Dao is clarity.

Songling Xian says: Harmony is the central and correct state that is neither partial nor dualistic. The essence of Dao is without form or appearance and is unmoved by birth, death, and change; therefore it is called “the Constant.” To be able to understand this principle of constancy, one’s wisdom becomes daily more clear.

Shu Wang says: If the mind is not clear, it is insufficient to know the Constant Dao.

To excessively augment life is an ill omen.

Shu Wang says: Life originally does not need artificial augmentation, yet people always want to add something to life; this invites ill omen.

Sun Deng says: When one excessively seeks the flourishing of life, one’s actions will provoke abnormal portents.

Once a person receives a physical form, the proper allotment of life is already complete.

The Yisheng (On Benefiting Life) says: To excessively augment life is an ill omen.

Shu Wang says: Life originally does not need artificial augmentation, yet people always want to add something to life; this invites ill omen.

Sun Deng says: When one excessively seeks the flourishing of life, one’s actions will provoke abnormal portents.

Once a person has a physical form, the innate allotment bestowed by Heaven is fixed; what life requires is originally sufficient, neither lacking nor excessive. Nurturing it in accordance with one’s nature is enough. If one keeps adding more, it becomes only a superfluous burden; not only is it without benefit, it brings harm instead—this is what is called an ill omen.

To drive the Qi with the mind is called forcing strength.

The Imperial Commentary says: When body and mind are in accord, and mind and Qi are in accord, the Qi will be harmonious and not agitated. Stumbling and rushing about are all manifestations of Qi being driven; the mind is in fact driving it—this is forcing strength. Such conduct is meant to compete with external things and gain victory, but it is not the way to make oneself truly strong.

Prince Shu says: Qi (vital energy) should originally be gathered and not scattered, attaining softness and harmony; but when it is instead driven by the mind and cannot remain concentrated within the body, it becomes aggressive. Thus the scripture says: “To drive Qi with the mind is called forcing strength.” The Book of Documents says: “Do good, and all kinds of auspiciousness will descend.” The preceding chapter says: “Guarding softness and weakness is called strength.” The “auspiciousness” here is not the good fortune that comes from doing good, but a calamitous portent; and the “strength” here is not the strength shown in guarding softness, but overbearing bravado.

Wang Yuanze says: When the mind deliberately drives Qi, Qi in turn stirs the mind. When mind and Qi drive each other, they damage natural harmony and deplete one’s original truth. The fundamental life endowment that people receive should not be arbitrarily increased or decreased; adding to life and depleting Qi both violate natural principle. Mencius used the story of pulling up seedlings to help them grow as a warning against reckless action, and Laozi too warns people not to deliberately seek increase or drive Qi; both aim to preserve the naturally pure and substantial original Qi. The “strength” spoken of here is not the strength of self-restraint and self-overcoming, but aggressive forcing.

Alas, worldly people who are fond of busy activity and doing much cannot be like an infant, without intentional mind or desire; instead they indulge boundless desires and deplete the most precious Jing (essence) and Qi. Some use medicines to supplement, some perform minor techniques, wishing to increase the true origin, but instead bring illness upon themselves. Therefore Laozi warns people not to deliberately seek to benefit life. If people cannot be like an infant, with calm and harmonious Qi, they will intentionally visualize and command the mind and spirit to circulate Qi, wanting the Qi to flourish and the body to be full; instead they fatigue the spirit and deplete the Qi. This is why Laozi discusses the problem of “using the mind to drive Qi.”

When things become excessively strong, they move toward decline and old age; this is called being contrary to the Dao (the Way). What is contrary to the Dao soon perishes.

Su Ziyou says: Deliberately adding to life and driving Qi, unable to let things be natural, one becomes more rigid and forceful day by day; aging follows upon this, and this is no longer the innocent, natural nature of an infant.

Those who clearly comprehend matters and principles do not speak much. Heshang Gong holds that those who truly understand the Dao value practice and do not prize words. Cheng Xuanying holds that those who attain the Dao understand subtle principles; because principles cannot be exhausted in words, they do not speak much. Gu Huan, for his part, says that those who understand the Dao forget words; by clinging to words, one instead loses the Dao. The Dao can be apprehended by the mind, but it cannot be conveyed by oral explanation alone, just as the Zhuangzi says: “The Dao cannot be asked about; if it is asked about, it cannot be answered.”

Those who are always fond of discussing it may not truly understand the Dao. The Zuanwei explains that those who understand the Dao rely on inner realization rather than argumentation, and therefore value practice and do not value speech; those who talk about the Dao depend on eloquence but do not realize it with the mind, and as a result they lose the Dao while leaving behind empty talk.

The Dao cannot be put into words; once it is spoken, it is no longer the Dao itself. Those who truly understand the Dao do not talk much—so Confucius wished to remain silent, and how could Mencius have enjoyed disputation? Some people, simply by rectifying their bearing, enable others to grasp the truth; some, merely by meeting another’s gaze, already convey the principle. One person, when asked four times, said he did not know; another, when asked three times, gave no answer—both because they deeply knew that the principle cannot be expressed in words. Those who understand music cannot transmit all of music through words, and a wheelwright cannot fully explain his craft. Even people of great skill are like this; how much more so the Dao, which is profound, distant, and subtle—how could it be fully explained? Speaking too much only leads to repeated obstruction and to drifting ever farther from the Dao.

Block the apertures of the senses and close the gates that open to the outside.

The Imperial Commentary says: Block the crevices in the apertures of the senses, gather yourself in, and withdraw into deep concealment.

The Zuanwei says: This passage is identical in wording to chapter fifty-two, but its main point is different. Chapter fifty-two discusses upholding the Dao of purity and quietude and blocking the sources of craving and delight; here it discusses taking the Dao as the root and wordlessness as essential, and so it brings up the idea of diminishing hearing and discarding clear-sightedness. The Dao has no form; the eyes do not see it, and words cannot convey it. The perfected person blocks the apertures of the senses and closes the outer gates, is good at withdrawing his gaze and concentrating his hearing, and also keeps silent—hence the saying, “Block the apertures of the senses and close the gates that open to the outside.”

Lu Dian says: “Dui” is what is used to take delight in external things; “gate” is what is used to communicate with external things. Block the pathways that give rise to delight and close the gates that communicate with external things; only then can one blunt the sharp edges.

Blunt the sharp edges and untie the entanglements; conceal your brilliance and make yourself one with the dust.

Pei Chu’en says: “Concealing one’s brilliance” means making one’s light not dazzling; “mixing with the dust” means dwelling amid the dust without being defiled.

Blunt the sharp edges so that they are not displayed within, untie the entanglements so that external things do not intrude; conceal your brilliance so that it is not dazzling, and mix with the dust without being defiled. This is how one who truly understands the Dao conducts himself in the world and cultivates himself.

This is called “Xuantong” (mysterious unity)—being in accord with the profound and mysterious Dao.

Su Ziyou (Su Zhe) said: “The Dao (the Way) cannot be fully exhausted in words, yet it is not apart from words. However, one who truly understands the Dao may not speak of it, and one skilled in speech may not truly understand it. Only by blocking the portals of the senses so that external disturbances do not intrude, blunting sharpness and resolving disputes, concealing radiance and merging with the dust of the world—by cultivating and ordering the inner mind in these ways—can one be free from attachment to speech and thereby unite with the Dao.”

Following the mysterious principle step by step and entering the Dao, if one still remains at the level of the mysterious, one will be confined to petty distinctions and contend with external things. Only by blocking the portals of the senses, blunting sharpness, resolving disputes, merging with the dust of the world, and being quiet without attachment to speech can one unite with the Dao.

Following the mysterious principle step by step and entering the Dao, if one still remains at the level of the mysterious, one will be confined to petty distinctions and contend with external things. Only by blocking the portals of the senses, blunting sharpness, resolving disputes, merging with the dust of the world, and being quiet without attachment to speech can one unite with the Dao.

Therefore, the Dao cannot make people intimate or distant, cannot bring benefit or cause harm, and cannot be regarded as noble or base; thus it is the most noble under heaven.

The Imperial Commentary says: People clash in love and hate for one another, and so distinctions of intimacy and distance arise; true feeling and falsehood intertwine, and so views of benefit and harm emerge; taking and discarding are weighed against each other, and so distinctions of noble and base arise. These relations change back and forth without end; how could they suffice to be called the most noble under heaven? One who understands the Dao does not cling to speech; not clinging to speech, one can eliminate likes and dislikes, forget the entanglements of true and false feelings, and no longer be ruled by taking and discarding. In the mysterious realm where the ten thousand things return to a single nature, inner treasure is already sufficient, and all conflicts under heaven are forgotten; only then can one be called the most noble under heaven.

Lü Jifu says: If one can view things in this way, the ten thousand things are as if stored in a single treasury, and there is no essential difference between life and death. One is not especially close to anything, nor especially distant from anything; therefore nothing can be called close or distant. One does not single-mindedly pursue benefit, nor deliberately avoid harm; therefore nothing can be called benefit or harm. One does not consider prominence a glory, nor consider hardship a shame; therefore nothing can be called noble or base.

If a person still makes distinctions among close and distant, benefit and harm, noble and base, then he will pursue benefit and avoid harm. In this way external things can control him and make him subject to benefit and harm, noble and base. By contrast, if one is not moved by these distinctions, honor lies within oneself, and external things cannot make one base. Is it not fitting that such a person becomes an object of respect for the world?

What is meant by not being swayed by close and distant relations can be illustrated by Lie Yukou: he lived in a garden in the state of Zheng, and no one recognized him. What is meant by not being swayed by benefit and harm is that Liezi declined the grain sent by Zheng Ziyang. What is meant by not being swayed by noble and base is that Zengzi, while living in the state of Wei, was poor but did not mind.

The essential point of this chapter is to forget distinctions made in words and personally realize the great Dao. What is discussed below is entirely the principle of naturally accomplishing things without relying on speech. How, then, could such a person be swayed by close and distant, benefit and harm, noble and base? True honor exists within oneself, and external things cannot make it base; therefore such a person is the one honored by the world.

Chapter 57: Governing the State by Uprightness

Govern the state by the upright Dao,

Lü Jifu says: To realize and follow the constant, unchanging principle of the great Dao is called “uprightness.” Uprightness is undivided and unchanging; this is the constant way of the great Dao. In governing the state, one should value the constant upright Dao. Mencius said: “If only the ruler is first rectified, the state will be stable.”

Employ troops by extraordinary stratagems,

Gu Huan says: “Qi” refers to change and strategy. When encountering danger, one must be able to adapt to circumstances; in employing troops, deception is not excluded. The extraordinary strategies spoken of in the Three Strategies, along with the various tactics for attacking and winning victory, all belong to this category. These are the military achievements used by great generals and strategists when quelling chaos and driving out invaders.

Liu Zhongping said: Being mixed and impure is a mindset common to the people of the world; drifting with the waves without restraint is a condition common to the people of the world. The way of governance by the orthodox (zheng) is different from these conditions. Therefore, single-mindedness without mixture is the root of the orthodox; stopping without drifting with the waves is the function of the orthodox. Single-mindedness without mixture can serve as a standard to which those of impure mind may return; stopping without drifting can serve as a guide for those who indulge their conduct. Thus, in governing a state one need not seek another method; one need only hold fast to the orthodox.

The use of troops is not like this. Bearing inauspicious weapons and facing urgent warfare, with many troops on both sides, victory and defeat are decided in an instant; so long as one can subdue the enemy, one should seize the moment, respond flexibly, and adopt whatever measures the circumstances require. Therefore, the use of troops differs from the ordinary way of governing a state: one employs strategies of the extraordinary and adaptable, and does not rigidly adhere to the conventional orthodox way.

“Taking the world by no-activity” means governing the world by not acting arbitrarily and not meddling in many affairs.

The Imperial Commentary says: “The orthodox” is the constant condition of the Dao; “the extraordinary” is the change of the Dao; “no-activity” is the true essence of the Dao. In governing a state one uses the orthodox way; in winning with troops one uses the extraordinary and adaptable. The true essence of the Dao is not mixed with private intention. Comply with the natural condition of the myriad things, and the world will be settled.

The Zashuo says: “The orthodox” suffices to govern a state; “the extraordinary” suffices for weapons and armies; only by not acting arbitrarily can one obtain the world. Therefore it is said that obtaining the world always depends on Wuwei. If one multiplies affairs and acts recklessly, one is not sufficient to obtain the world.

Someone asked: “Tang of Shang exiled Jie of Xia, and King Wu of Zhou attacked Zhou of Shang—can these also count as ‘having no affairs’?” The answer is: Yes. Tang and Wu complied with Heaven’s will and responded to the people’s hearts. Their exiling and attacking of tyrants was like dealing with an ordinary wicked man; they did not create trouble out of private intention.

“By what do I know that the world is so? It is from the principles below that I know it.”

The commentary of Tang Minghuang says: The text following “by this” explains whence this is known.

The more prohibitions and taboos there are in the world, the poorer the common people become.

The Zuanwei says: “Taboos” refers to the various prohibitions. When the ruler cannot practice Wuwei and instead governs the state with dense governmental orders and moral instruction, the net of prohibitions becomes ever tighter, and the common people then worry about violating prohibitions and being punished.

The commentary of Tang Minghuang says: The text following “by this” explains whence this is known.

The more prohibitions there are in the world, the poorer the people become.

The Zuanwei says: “Taboos” refers to various kinds of prohibitions. When rulers fail to follow nature and govern through Wuwei (non-action), and instead govern the state with dense administrative orders and moral instruction, prohibitions are woven into a tight net. The people worry about violating prohibitions; in everything they are constrained, concerned only with avoiding taboos and not daring to act. Day by day they lose their livelihoods, and so they grow poorer day by day.

Wang Yuanze says: If prohibitions are set on every matter, the people will be disturbed and lose their livelihoods; hence their poverty. This is precisely the beginning of calamity and disorder.

The more sharp weapons the people possess, the more disordered the state becomes.

Wang Bi says: “Sharp weapons” are instruments sufficient to enable people to seek private profit. When the people’s power is strong, the state will be weak.

Wang Yuanze says: When people possess sharp instruments, they easily develop cunning and calculating minds. Once such thoughts grow, the ruler finds it difficult to understand the people’s true circumstances, and the state becomes disordered.

The more the people pursue skills and clever arts, the more rare and strange goods appear.

The Imperial Commentary says: When skills and clever arts develop excessively, the people will chase after secondary pursuits, and strange clothing and implements will appear along with them, disrupting customs.

Wang Bi says: When the people are too clever and ingenious, hypocrisy will breed. When hypocrisy increases, depraved and deviant affairs will also arise.

The Zuanwei says: “Skillful arts” refers to refined craft techniques.

The more numerous and stringent the laws and decrees, the more thieves and robbers there are.

Emperor Minghuang of Tang says: After losing the principle of governing through Wuwei, laws become ever stricter. People then exploit loopholes in the law and do evil in secret, and in the end all become thieves and robbers. Is this not an increase of thieves and robbers?

Prince Shu says: Laws were originally meant to prohibit the faults of all under Heaven; but precisely because prohibitions are continually established, they instead breed hypocrisy. As soon as laws emerge, treachery arises with them; as soon as orders are issued, deception follows. Therefore it is said: “The more numerous and stringent the laws and decrees, the more thieves and robbers there are.”

Therefore the sage says:

“I practice Wuwei, and the people naturally become transformed.”

Here “Wuwei” means following nature and not forcibly intervening with dense administrative orders. The Imperial Commentary says: Heaven does not act arbitrarily, and therefore is clear and pure; Earth does not act arbitrarily, and therefore is tranquil. When the Wuwei of Heaven and Earth come together, the myriad things naturally transform and arise. The sage models himself on Heaven and Earth; therefore the people daily advance toward goodness, yet do not know that this is the result of the sage’s deliberate action.

Yao and Shun dwelt deep in their palaces, quiet and practicing Wuwei (non-action); they merely folded their hands and observed, and the people grew more prosperous day by day. Kings Wen and Wu did not deliberately arrange things but followed what was natural; when rulers let their robes hang down and folded their hands, all under heaven could be well governed. This shows that when rulers do not act recklessly, the people are naturally transformed. Zhuangzi said: “If one does not act recklessly, the myriad things will naturally change.”

“I do not disturb the people, and the people naturally become prosperous.”

Heshang Gong explained: “I do not initiate corvée labor, nor do I arbitrarily conscript the people; the people settle peacefully in their own occupations, and so they naturally become prosperous.” The Leijie says that when the ruler’s mind does not act recklessly and his actions do not disturb the people, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants can all live in peace and enjoy their work, and the people’s lives are prosperous. This echoes the earlier statement that “the more prohibitions there are in the world, the poorer the people become.” When the ruler does not disturb the people, he will not start labor services or delay the farming seasons, and the people will naturally become prosperous.

“I love clarity and quietude, and the people naturally become upright.”

Wang Yuanze explained that when the ruler loves clarity and quietude, he can return to his original nature; when those above return to their original nature, the people also return to theirs, and therefore they naturally become upright. This responds to the earlier statement about bandits and thieves. Yang Hu said: “If I act recklessly, the people will go astray; if I am clear and quiet, the people will become upright.” This echoes the earlier statement that “the more sharp tools the people possess, the more confused and disorderly the state becomes.”

“I have no greed, and the people naturally become simple and honest.”

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang said: When the ruler practices Wuwei (non-action) and clarity-stillness, the people transform of themselves; when government affairs are kept simple and the people are not troubled, the people become prosperous of themselves; when the ruler loves clarity and stillness, the people can preserve their original nature and their conduct becomes upright of themselves; when the ruler has no greed, the people can preserve harmonious Qi and return to plainness. In this way, the world can be governed without multiplying affairs. What is called “plainness” is the completeness of one’s natural disposition. If the ruler preserves his original nature and is without greed, the people too will be without greed and will naturally return to plainness. This further explains the influence of the “extraordinary things” mentioned earlier—things abnormal and rare. The main point of this chapter is to govern the world by not meddling in affairs: “When the world has many taboos… thieves and bandits are numerous” speaks of the faults caused by complicated, harsh decrees and interference in everything; “I practice Wuwei and the people transform themselves… I have no desires and the people become plain of themselves” is the proof of governing the world by not meddling in affairs.

The Chapter on Broad and Simple Government Orders (Chapter 58)

When government orders are broad, simple, and restrained, the people become honest and plain.

Heshang Gong said: When government orders are broad and simple, appearing as though not sufficiently clear-sighted, the people are therefore honest, well-off, and live close and harmonious with one another.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang said: When government orders are broad and simple and do not recklessly impose action, the people accordingly become honest and plain.

Lü Jifu said: “Chunchun” means that the people are not carved and polished but preserve their plainness.

When government orders are tight, detailed, and harshly scrutinizing, the people become depleted and distressed.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang said: When government orders are harsh and urgent and there are many undertakings, the people are affected by them and become exhausted and decline.

Prince Shu said: “Menmen” means not deliberately making distinctions or scrutinizing harshly. Precisely because one does not distinguish everything, the people have few cunning thoughts and desires, and so they are honest and plain. “Chacha,” by contrast, means making distinctions everywhere and scrutinizing severely; in this way, the people inevitably develop cunning thoughts and desires and often fall into scarcity and distress.

Lü Jifu said: “Queque” means that the people are unable to preserve their plain original nature.

Disaster hides blessing within it, and blessing lurks disaster within it.

Heshang Gong said: “Yi” means reliance. Disaster may arise from blessing; after people encounter disaster, if they can repent, reproach themselves, cultivate goodness, and practice the Dao, disaster will depart and blessing will arrive.

Heshang Gong holds that misfortune is often hidden within good fortune. If people become arrogant and self-indulgent after obtaining good fortune, good fortune may turn into misfortune; if, after encountering misfortune, they can repent, reflect on themselves, correct their faults, and do good, misfortune may recede and good fortune may follow.

“As for good fortune—misfortune is precisely hidden within it.” Heshang Gong explains again: if people become arrogant and complacent after gaining good fortune, good fortune will depart and misfortune will arrive.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang explains: “Leaning” means relying on or arising from; “hidden” means concealed. The preceding passage says that when governance is lenient and plain, although people may seem to lack the regulations of governance, the common people can instead preserve their honesty and simplicity; this is misfortune taking good fortune as its support. If governance is strict and harshly scrutinizing, although people may seem to be well governed, the common people may become impoverished and weakened; this is good fortune hiding misfortune.

Misfortune and good fortune depend on each other and transform into each other. How should people conduct themselves when placed in a situation where good and bad fortune intersect? When misfortune comes, one need not panic; rather, one should reflect on oneself and examine one’s faults in order to avoid misfortune. In this way one stands between misfortune and good fortune: misfortune is no longer invited, and good fortune need not be deliberately sought. When one clings to neither misfortune nor good fortune, disasters are reduced. Zhuangzi says: “Be at ease within misfortune and good fortune.”

“Who can know their ultimate?” Heshang Gong says that misfortune and good fortune occur in turn, and who can know when they will end? Sun Deng explains: “Who” means who, and “ultimate” means end. Misfortune and good fortune depend on each other, and their concealment and transformation have no fixed rule: misfortune may come from good fortune, and good fortune may arrive through misfortune; who can know when these changes will be exhausted?

“Can it be that they have no fixed standard?” Wang Yuanze says that the general trend constantly changes, and present circumstances are hard to keep unchanged for long. If one wants to use this to determine what is the eternal upright Way, yet does not know that what is called “upright” cannot be permanently fixed, can this be considered wise? But if one says there is no upright Way in the world, that is also to take “no upright Way” as a kind of upright Way. The particle xie marks a question, meaning that whether the upright Way is fixed is also not something that can be easily determined.

The upright may turn into the aberrant, and the good may turn into the monstrous; the people are lost and unable to understand, and this has long been so.

All things under heaven are engendered by the transformation of one and the same Qi (vital energy). What is considered correct today may have been regarded as wrong yesterday; what initially conflicted with one another may later come into harmony. The wondrous and the decayed transform into each other and cycle endlessly; the upright and the strange, the good and the ominous, also change into one another. All of this is the result of the spontaneous operation of the one Qi.

The human world has endured for a long time: small confusion makes people change direction, while great confusion changes their original nature. When selfish tendencies prevail, people know only the right and wrong immediately before them, but do not understand that misfortune and blessing depend on each other. Yet there are also those who scrutinize minutely and use all kinds of methods to govern the people—how, then, can the people return to their original truth?

Lu Dian says: The so-called “no upright” does not mean establishing another kind of upright, but rather not being bound to any fixed “upright.” Only by not clinging to the distinction between upright and crooked can one transcend the auspicious and the inauspicious, avoid being constrained by misfortune and blessing, and thereby understand the limits of the changes of things. If one cannot yet do this and remains trapped within the realm of the auspicious and the inauspicious, then misfortune and blessing will alternate and revolve like a wheel, and in the end one will only become lost. Therefore it is said that the upright turns into the strange, and the good turns into the ominous; the people have been immersed in confusion for a long time.

Therefore, the sage is square and upright but does not injure others.

The Imperial Commentary (Yuzhu) says: “Square” means being upright in handling affairs and discerning the great principles of things; yet one does not expose sharp edges, nor deviate from the right way, and leaves no trace of deliberate discrimination or cutting things apart.

Gu Huan says: Rectify oneself, and the strange, the evil, and the crooked will naturally be kept apart from one; do not use one’s own uprightness to harm others, but rather make others willing to follow one.

The sage is pure and incorruptible but does not injure others.

Here “pure” refers to maintaining one’s own purity; “great peace without discontent” means having a broad and generous mind, not being dissatisfied because one considers oneself pure and lofty. Being pure and clean yet able to encompass all things, one does not adopt harsh and restrictive practices.

Wang Bi says: “Pure” is being clean, upright, and gentle; “wounding” means to pierce or hurt. The sage enables the people to remove evil and defilement, but does not injure others by relying on his own purity and loftiness.

The sage is upright but not unrestrained.

Heshang Gong says: “Si” means to stretch out or reveal. Although the sage is upright by nature, he nevertheless restrains himself and yields to others, not deliberately making himself known.

Wang Bi says: The sage guides people by the principle of uprightness, causing them to correct their deviations, yet he does not use uprightness to collide with or provoke others. This is “the greatest uprightness appears bent.”

Wang Yuanze says: If uprightness is recklessly exposed, an appearance of self-reliance on uprightness will show. True great uprightness accords with principle and always maintains the right way, yet it can act tactfully and comply with the nature of things.

The Shangshu says: “Upright and gentle.” Being gentle, one is not fierce within; acting uprightly outwardly, one does not use uprightness to oppress others. This is not recklessly exposing oneself.

The Analects says: “Simple and upright, and fond of righteousness.”

“Shining but not dazzling.”

The Imperial Commentary says: To be upright and recklessly expose it will oppress others and breed pretense; when radiance is excessive and deliberately displayed, it invites the misfortune of drawing attention to one’s traces. To be inwardly upright yet outwardly tactful, to use brightness yet return it to reserve—perhaps only the sage can do this.

The people’s confusion has lasted long: some hold that stubbornly keeping to squareness is right, like Zimo’s clinging to one doctrine, which in the end falls into contention between two extremes; some hold that stubbornly keeping to purity is right, like Chen Zhongzi’s integrity. They know only how to stretch out, not how to withdraw; only how to be manifest, not how to conceal. By displaying this to the world and following the corrupt customs of a declining age, they instead lose the sage’s complete principle. How then can they rectify the world? The principle by which the sage rectifies the world is no more than this.

Wang Yuanze says: To illuminate the ten thousand things with a light that stings the eye is called “dazzling.” To temper the light so that it returns to an inner brightness—how could this mean piercing the ten thousand things with harsh light?

This chapter says that misfortune and blessing, uprightness and the strange, good and evil omen mutually transform, and are hard to foresee. The people’s confusion about this has indeed been long-standing. If one further governs with harshly meticulous and sharply observant decrees, how can the people preserve their simplicity? Therefore, although the sage establishes himself through squareness, purity, uprightness, and brightness, he does not deliberately display them for others to see; he chooses wholeness and reserve and rejects harsh scrutiny, and thus calmly faces misfortune and blessing.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Governing People and Serving Heaven

Governing the people and serving Heaven…

In governing the people and serving the Dao (the Way) of Nature, there is no better method than cherishing the spirit.

The Imperial Commentary says: Preserving the spirit, not allowing it to dissipate outward or injure the inner, is called “sparing” (se)—cherishing and economizing. When the spirit penetrates and flows, there is nowhere it does not reach: above it connects with Heaven, below it spreads throughout Earth, and it transforms and nurtures the myriad things; therefore it is said to be one with the Lord on High. The reason human life is human and Heaven is Heaven lies entirely in the spirit. Only after cherishing and nurturing the spirit can one govern the people below and serve the Dao of Heaven above. Therefore it is said that in governing the people and serving the Dao of Heaven, there is no better method than cherishing the spirit.

Only by knowing how to cherish the spirit can one return early to one’s original nature.

Lü Jifu says: By cherishing the spirit and not recklessly consuming it, one can return early. If one does not know moderation and consumes the spirit at will until spirit and Qi (vital energy) are exhausted and vitality worn out, then even if one wishes to restore one’s original nature, there will be no way to begin. Is it not too late to think of returning only then? Therefore it is said that only by cherishing the spirit can one return early.

Wang Yuanze says: If one acts to the utmost and only then turns to stillness, restoring one’s nature will be too late. Only by cherishing the spirit and not letting it be excessively consumed does one avoid departing too far from the root; thus one can return to clarity and stillness relatively early.

Returning early is called continuously accumulating De (Virtue/Power).

Lü Jifu says: People originally possess sufficient De. If one can cherish the spirit and return early, De will become fuller day by day. Therefore it is said that returning early is continuously accumulating De.

Wang Yuanze says: If De is not dissipated outward, it gathers within and can be continually nourished; thus such accumulation is built up layer upon layer.

Continuously accumulating De, there is nothing one cannot undertake.

The Imperial Commentary says: “Ke” means being able to undertake. To be able to master the myriad things and command all things that move, and to be victorious wherever one goes—this belongs only to De.

Lü Jifu says: When De is continuously accumulated, De reaches the highest realm. One who possesses perfect De is not burned by fire, not drowned by water, not harmed by cold or heat, not injured by birds or beasts, and can be at ease and unimpeded wherever one is. Therefore it is said that continuously accumulating De, there is nothing one cannot undertake.

When there is nothing one cannot undertake, no one can know its limit.

When the cultivation of De (Virtue/Power) reaches the point where there is nothing that cannot be overcome, one can respond broadly to all kinds of affairs without exhaustion—who can know where its limit lies?

Lü Jifu says: If there is nothing that cannot be overcome, then no one knows its limit.

The Imperial Commentary says: When the cultivation of De reaches the point where there is nothing it cannot overcome, one can respond to the myriad affairs without drying up—who can know its limit?

Lü Jifu says: If there were still things that could not be overcome, the Dao would have a point at which it reaches its limit; if there is nothing that cannot be overcome, who again can know its limit? Therefore it says, “If there is nothing that cannot be overcome, then no one knows its limit.”

Not knowing its limit, one can govern the state.

The Imperial Commentary says: If one embodies and penetrates the inexhaustible Dao and uses it to govern the world, one will have ample ease—how much more so in governing a single state?

Lü Jifu says: One who possesses territory bears a grave responsibility. One who bears grave responsibility cannot be enslaved by external things; only when not governed by external things can one properly treat the myriad things. The realm of Dao is without limit; this is to be not governed by external things and yet able to properly treat the myriad things. Even if one possesses a state, one will not be entangled because of it. Therefore it says, “Not knowing its limit, one can govern the state.”

The root of being able to govern the state lies in not being enslaved by external things; only when not governed by external things can one properly treat the myriad things. The realm of Dao is without limit, so one can be free from the rule of external things and properly handle the myriad things. Even if one possesses a state, one will not be entangled because of it. Therefore it says, “Not knowing its limit, one can govern the state.”

Mastering the root of governing the state, the state can endure long.

The Imperial Commentary says: Dao is the root of the myriad things. One who follows Dao will not decline even through successive generations.

Prince Shu says: States all arise from Dao, and so Dao is the root of the state. Acting thus, one will never fall into danger throughout life. Therefore it says, “The state can endure long.”

This is what is called deep roots and a firm foundation.

Wang Yuanze says: Human nature is like the root of a tree; all else is branches and leaves. Those who lose their nature excessively grow branches and leaves, and instead injure the root. Once the root is damaged, Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) weaken, the foundation is not firm, and therefore one is prone to early death. Only one who understands restraint and moderation will not let external things damage the root; when the root is deep, the foundation is firm, and the bond between the physical body and life becomes more enduring.

Lu Dian says: When the myriad things cannot fathom it, this is called “deep”; when the myriad things cannot overturn it, this is called “firm.”

This is the principle of “long life and enduring vision” (long survival and preservation of life).

The imperial commentary holds that the Dao is the mother of the ten thousand things, and the ten thousand things are the children born of the Dao. Inner nature is the root of the physical form, while the physical form is like the stem growing from the root. After coming to know the ten thousand things, one must also guard their root—the Dao—so that throughout life one will not encounter danger and can therefore endure. When the root is set deep, the stem becomes firm; when inner nature returns to its original truth, the physical form can be preserved. It endures as long as heaven and earth, and so one can attain long life; it coexists with light like the sun and moon, and so one can attain enduring vision. The ten thousand things perish as they change; only the Dao endures forever—this is the Dao.

Lu Dian says: “Deep” means that no thing can probe it to the bottom; “firm” means that no thing can overturn it.

Lü Jifu holds that conserving and drawing in the spirit is the way of deepening the root and firming the stem, of long life and enduring vision. The spirit is the root of life; when one knows how to gather in and conceal-nourish the spirit, the root becomes deep and life can be long. The way of long life is also like the root and stem of vision, which must be guarded and preserved; only when root and stem are firm can one attain long life and lasting eyesight.

This chapter begins by saying that in governing the people and serving Heaven and Earth, the most important thing is to know how to cherish and gather in. It ends by discussing long life and enduring vision because the way of enduring lies in maintaining the spirit. The spirit is the root, the physical form is the stem; when the root is deep and the stem firm, life can be long and eyesight can last. In former times, when the Yellow Emperor asked Guangchengzi about the way of enduring, Guangchengzi told him: Guard the spirit and make the inner mind quiet, and the physical form will naturally become upright; do not agitate the spirit, and only then can one attain long life.

The Inner Canon (Neijing), a classic of Chinese medicine, says that the method by which a Perfected Person (zhenren) cultivates the Way is to regulate the breath, absorb Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), stand alone, and concentrate on guarding the Shen (spirit). In this way such a person can share the lifespan of Heaven and Earth and never come to an end. Speaking of the Utmost Person (zhiren), the text emphasizes accumulating Jing and preserving Shen. Speaking of the Sage (shengren), it emphasizes keeping the Shen from scattering. Looking over the sages and worthies from antiquity to the present, none failed to treasure the Shen and nourish the Jing, and it is by doing so that each attained the state of Perfected Person.

People today, however, indulge their desires, exhaust their Jing and Qi, and scatter their true primal energy (zhenyuan). They do not know how to keep what is sufficient, nor do they understand how to regulate the Shen in due time. As a result, their Jing and Qi are depleted, their spiritual nature is injured, and their bodies decline, so they die before their time. How can this be in accordance with the Great Dao? Therefore it is said: "The Dao is followed by the sage and abandoned by the foolish."

End of Fascicle Nine of the Daode Zhenjing Qushan Ji (Collected Good Selections on the True Scripture of the Dao and De)

Chapter Sixty: Governing a Great State

Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish.

The Imperial Commentary says: When cooking a small fish, if you turn it over constantly, it will fall apart. When governing a great state, if you repeatedly change the laws, the common people will not know what to do. Therefore, the Way of governing a state lies in stillness and purity, and the people will naturally be at peace.

Wang Bi says: This means not disturbing the people. Hastiness and busyness bring many calamities, and only stillness and purity can preserve one's genuine nature. The larger the state, the more the ruler should remain still, so that he can broadly respond to the hearts of the people.

Liu Zhongping says: Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish. The key lies in not disturbing it frequently. Why? Because the point is to take the meaning of not being troubled.

Small fish are easily broken apart, and when the common people are weak, they too are easily thrown into disorder by complicated policies. To cook a small fish, one lets it cook on its own. To govern a state, one lets the people be able to govern themselves. The scripture says: "When I take no action (wuwei), the people transform themselves naturally; when I prefer stillness, the people become upright of their own accord."

When the land is governed by the Dao, ghosts and spirits cannot manifest to work harm;

Lu Dian said: When ghosts and spirits have no settled dwelling and no place to rest, they will come forth and cause harm. The ancients governed the world by the Dao (the Way), so that birds, beasts, fish, and turtles each found their proper place, and mountains, rivers, ghosts, and spirits were all at peace. For this reason they did not manifest uncanny efficacy.

Wang Yuanze said: When the people are not troubled by turmoil, they can fully realize their natural dispositions. When the people each fully realize their nature, the Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth becomes harmonious and in accord, and all things grow smoothly. Therefore, when ghosts also dwell in their proper places, they do not display the marvelous powers that cause harm. Humans and ghosts follow different paths, yet they often affect one another. This happens because the Yin-Yang qi has become perverse and out of harmony, confused and disordered, and so anomalous things find an opening.

Governing the realm, however vast its scope, rests fundamentally on the Dao. The Dao is often non-action (Wuwei), following what is natural and spontaneous. To govern a large state is like cooking a small fish: one should not turn it over too often or stir it about. This is what it means to govern the world by the Dao. When the Yin-Yang qi is not perverse, humans and ghosts each keep to their own place, and so ghosts do not display the uncanny powers that harm.

"It is not that ghosts lack marvelous powers, but that their marvelous powers do not harm the people."

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang said: The preceding passage states that "ghosts do not display marvelous powers." This does not mean that ghosts have vanished or lack spiritual nature. Rather, it means that although ghosts possess spiritual nature, they do not manifest strange phenomena to injure people.

"It is not that marvelous powers do not harm the people, but that the sage also does not harm the people."

Liu Jinxi said: "Shen (spirit)" refers to that which is efficacious and effective. Ghosts are not without efficacy; it is only that when the ruler acts in accordance with the Dao, ghosts bestow blessings upon people and do not harm the myriad beings.

To govern a large state is like cooking a small fish: this precisely expresses that the sage does not disturb the people. When the sage does not harm the people, Heaven and Earth become harmonious and in accord, humans and ghosts each attain their proper place, and they do not harm one another.

Because the two sides do not harm each other, their De (Virtue) returns to each other in mutual exchange.

Chapter 61: "The Great State Lies Downstream"

Commentary by the Imperial Author states: To govern the realm by the Dao (the Way), one refrains from deliberate forcing and lets the myriad things always follow their natural course. Then there are no calamities of warfare and no punishments of killing, and this is called not harming the common people. In that age, spirits and the people did not harm one another, and their virtue (De) gathered together in mutual benefit. Spirits had no need to display their numinous responses; they simply bestowed abundant blessings. Therefore it is said that spirits do not harm the people, and the people have no need to exert their cleverness. They simply eat and live from day to day, so how could anyone be harmed?

This chapter says that the ruler should govern the realm by the Dao and not act deliberately, letting the myriad things accord with nature. In this way the hidden realm and the human world each keep their proper place, humans and spirits do not mix or disturb one another, and virtue gathers in mutual benefit. In the time of Emperor Yao, the passages between heaven and earth were cut off, and spirits no longer descended to the human world. In the Xia dynasty, the mountains, rivers, and ghosts and spirits were all at peace. These are examples of rulers who, by not acting rashly, brought order to the realm.

Chapter 61: "A Great State Is Like a Lower Stream"

"A great state should be like a river's lower reaches, lying low."

Heshang Gong says: In governing a great state, one should be like the rivers and seas that occupy low ground, and not reject even the smallest things.

Wang Bi says: Rivers and seas are vast yet lie low, so all the hundred streams flow to them. A great state is exalted in position yet can dwell in a lower place, so all under heaven turn toward it. Therefore it is said that a great state should be like the low place where waters converge.

Lü Jifu says: One who understands how to govern a state by the Dao will certainly not harm his own people. But if he does not understand how to deal with all under heaven, then even if he does not harm his own people, he may still bring harm to others. "A great state is the lower stream" speaks of the place where all under heaven meet and gather. The meeting place of all under heaven should be as yielding and still as the feminine. The feminine often overcomes the masculine through stillness, and by lying low in stillness it accomplishes the way of connecting with all under heaven and preserving the people.

"The meeting place of all under heaven."

Wang Bi says: This is the place where all under heaven come to submit and gather.

Emperor Ming of Tang says: "Lower stream" refers to the virtue of humility. A great state should be humble, open its gates wide, and be inclusive and accepting, and then all under heaven will come to deal with it.

"The meeting place of all under heaven should be as still and yielding as the feminine."

Wang Bi says: Remain still and do not actively seek external things, and external things will return of their own accord.

Wang Yuanze says: One should embrace the myriad things with the yielding stillness of the feminine.

The intercourse of the world is like the female overcoming the male through stillness. Heshang Gong (Heshang Gong) says that if a state can dwell in the lower reaches, embracing all quarters, the people of the world will flock to it. Wang Bi (Wang Bi) holds that by remaining still and not seeking to advance, the myriad things will naturally return to it. Wang Yuanze (Wang Yuanze) says that one should receive things as the female does, in quiet acceptance.

The female often overcomes the male through stillness, and this rests on remaining still and dwelling below. Wang Bi explains that because the female is still, she can overcome the restless male; and because she willingly takes the lower position, the myriad things return to her. Shuwang (Shu Wang) says that one who dwells in the place that others do not wish to occupy will have the myriad things turn toward them of their own accord. Therefore, the intercourse of the world all returns to pin (the female, a symbol of softness, stillness, and humility), because the pin overcomes the mu (the male) through stillness and prevails through humility. Lü Jifu (Lü Jifu) also says that the reason the pin can overcome the mu is precisely that it is still and dwells below.

Thus, if a large state can humbly place itself below a small state, it can cause the small state to submit to it. Wang Bi explains that this means a large state, by virtue of its greatness, places itself beneath a small state, and the small state will then attach itself to it. Gu Huan (Gu Huan) says that when a large state is humble and tolerant, the small states will submit wholeheartedly; and when the small states submit, the large state has won their allegiance.

If a small state can humbly place itself below a large state, it can cause the large state to accept it. Heshang Gong says that whether a state is large or small, so long as it treats others with humility and tolerance, it will be free of fault. Wang Bi says that the large state will accept the small one. Lu Yu (Lu Yu) says that the small state thereby obtains the acceptance of the large one.

Emperor Ming of Tang (Tang Minghuang) said: "When a great state treats a small state with humility, it does so in order to make the small state submit to it. When a small state treats a great state with humility, it does so in order to gain the great state's support."

Thus, some states are humble in order to win the other's submission, and some are humble in order to win the other's support.

Emperor Ming of Tang explained: "'yi' refers to the great state taking the submission of the small state, and 'er' refers to the small state gaining the support of the great state."

Lü Jifu said: "When a great state treats a small state with humility, it wins the small state's submission. This is what is meant by 'some are humble in order to gain submission.' The great state need not have been humble, yet it still acts with humility so that the small state will submit. When a small state treats a great state with humility, it gains the great state's support. This is what is meant by 'some are humble in order to gain support.' Facing a great state, a small state has no choice but to be humble in order to seek its support."

Qi Xuanwang of Qi asked Mengzi, "Are there principles for dealing with neighboring states?" Mengzi replied, "Yes. Only a person of benevolence (ren) can serve a small state from the position of a great state, which is why Shang Tang once served the state of Ge, and King Wen of Zhou once served the Kunyi. Only a person of wisdom can serve a great state from the position of a small state, which is why Grand Duke Tai (Taiwang) once served the Xunyu, and King Goujian of Yue once served the state of Wu. When a great state serves a small state, it accords with Heavenly Principle (Tianli) and rejoices in it. When a small state serves a great state, it reveres Heavenly Principle and fears it. Those who rejoice in Heaven can bring peace to the realm, and those who revere Heaven and fear it can preserve their own states."

What a great state seeks is nothing more than to annex the small states, to accept them, and to nurture them.

Heshang Gong explained: "If a great state does not lose its humility, it can annex the small states and manage them as one would tend livestock."

Cheng Xuanying explained: "When a great state adopts humility, it has no other intention. It simply wishes to love the small states equally and to nurture them."

What a small state seeks is nothing more than to be absorbed into the great state and to serve it.

Liu Jinxi explained: "When a small state adopts a yielding attitude, it has no other designs. It simply hopes to enter the great state, to admire its virtue, and to associate with it and serve it."

Tang Minghuang said: When a great state humbles itself before a small one, its aim is nothing more than to annex and absorb the small state and make it a subject. When a small state presents gifts and tribute and serves the great state with deference, its aim is nothing more than to win the great state's support. Since both states obtain what they want, the great state should lower itself before the small one.

Liu Qihui said: A great state, relying on its strength, easily becomes arrogant, so Laozi gives special warning against this.

Prince Shu said: For a small state to serve a great one is something people find easy to do. For a great state to turn around and lower itself before a small one is very hard. Because this is so difficult for people, Laozi says that the great state should be humble.

Lü Jifu said: If the great state lowers itself and the small state also humbly serves the great one, then each obtains what it wants, and who would not accept this? Here "obtaining" means winning the other's heart and so not losing it. If this is so, both great and small states would seem to need humility, so why does the text speak only of the great state being humble? A small state that cannot serve the great one humbly will not only fail to gain the great state's acceptance but may also bring calamity upon itself, so there is no need to stress humility for the small state as well. Therefore the text says only: "The great state should lower itself."

A great state possesses vast territory and rules over the four quarters. Its position is lofty and its power weighty. Once it becomes proud and self-satisfied, it has all the more need for humility and yielding. Liu Zi said: "The Way of Heaven moves downward and thereby shines brightly; rivers and seas excel at lying low, and therefore they can gather the hundred streams and become the king of all waters." A mountain within the earth is the hexagram of Modesty in the Yijing. Kings who call themselves "orphan" and "solitary" also diminish their nobility through self-effacement. This chapter concerns the principle for dealing with neighboring states: humility as the foundation, whether the state is large or small. Above all, since a great state easily relies on its power and grows arrogant, Laozi особенно warns great states to be humble.

The Dao is the inmost sanctum of the myriad things (their lord and the place where they find refuge).

"Ao" refers to the deep and hidden, and "jiao" refers to the boundary or edge. When speaking of the subtle, profound side of the Dao (the Way), one may use "ao" as a metaphor. When speaking of the Dao's manifest, coarse side, one may use "jiao." To speak of subtlety is to know that the boundary is the shallower aspect. To speak of the boundary is to understand that the depths themselves embody the subtlety of the Dao.

The good people (shanren) treat the Dao as a treasure. Tang Minghuang explains that good people know that guarding the Dao brings flourishing, so they constantly cherish it and take it as the basis of their conduct. Wang Yuanze holds that the Dao the good people treasure has already been personally embodied by the sages. Nothing in the world is more precious than the Dao, and one who understands its preciousness is a good person. As a treasure, the Dao is manifested in Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit), the fundamental vital elements in traditional cultivation thought. Jing is the root of the body. When it is preserved and not dissipated, the physical form remains whole. When Qi is concentrated and not allowed to become agitated, the body is full. When Shen is guarded and not allowed to scatter, the original truth of life is preserved. When Jing, Qi, and Shen are unified, the Dao becomes the treasure of the good people.

People who are not good (bushan ren) treat the Dao as something to rely on. Tang Minghuang explains that "bao" carries the sense of depending on or leaning upon. Ordinarily, those who are not good do not learn to value the supreme Dao. Only when they meet hardship do they seek to rely on it to protect themselves and win release. But the Dao does not belong only to the good. The good seek the Dao and so move toward goodness. Those who are not good, when they meet calamity or urgent danger, can also use the Dao to escape blame, provided they repent and lower themselves.

Beautiful words can win respect, and good conduct can become a model for others. If a person has shortcomings, what reason is there to abandon them?

Sun Deng said: Some words, once spoken, can lead listeners to change their views on the value and honor of material goods. Some deeds, once done, can raise a person above the multitude. Yet the Dao (the Way) is bland when spoken. The sage acts in accordance with nature and does not act rashly. He transforms the people without relying on verbal instruction. How would he use ornate words to please the common people, or display deliberately polished conduct to dazzle the world?

Lu Dian said: Words may be as hollow as a passing wind-driven wave, and deeds may only waste one's energy. Even ornate words can win respect, and conduct can raise a person above the crowd. How much more so when the Dao is the profound root hidden within all things? The ancients relied on this Dao to enlighten the people. If even one person awakens through it, the treasures that fill the Dharma realm (the entire cosmos), if all were used, would not equal this merit. Therefore it is said that ornate words can win respect, and conduct can raise a person above the multitude. For those who are not good, what reason is there to abandon them?

Therefore, the Son of Heaven is established, and the Three Dukes are installed. (The Three Dukes were the highest officials who assisted the Son of Heaven.)

Gu Huan said: The establishing of a ruler and assisting ministers is meant to discuss the Way of governing and to manage the state, thereby guiding all under heaven to follow the proper Way and to transform those who are not good.

Du Guangting said: The four seas are vast and the myriad things are numerous. When humankind first began to multiply, there could not be no one to take charge, so the Son of Heaven was established to govern the people. The Son of Heaven serves the Supreme Deity as a son serves his father, and he honors Heaven and Earth, which is why he is called "Son of Heaven." One person cannot govern all under heaven broadly, so chiefs were appointed at each level of officialdom, and among them were the Three Dukes. The Book of Documents says: "The Three Dukes deliberate on the Way of governing and manage the state." The Three Dukes refer to the Grand Preceptor, the Grand Mentor, and the Grand Guardian.

Sima Guang said: The ruler is established to administer and nurture the people, and assisting ministers are installed to instruct and aid the ruler. The Three Dukes are the Grand Preceptor, the Grand Mentor, and the Grand Guardian. The Book of Documents says: "The Three Dukes deliberate on the Way of governing and manage the state."

Even if a man were to carry a great jade disc that takes two arms to encircle, and present it on a chariot drawn by four horses running ahead, it would not compare with sitting quietly and presenting this Dao.

Imperial annotation says: If the gentleman holds fast to the Dao and cultivates himself, the realm will be at peace. Even if the Son of Heaven and the Three Dukes offer jade discs and drive four-horse chariots to invite worthy men, if they do not devote themselves to advancing the Dao and cultivating their own persons, they are abandoning themselves to demand things of others, and they have lost the principle of governing themselves. It is better to sit still and advance in this Dao, which is to seek the answer within oneself. The sage honors the Dao, so the common people follow him as naturally and in as great numbers as people who return home or go to market.

Prince Shu says: To establish the Son of Heaven and arrange the Three Dukes, even to offer a jade disc as large as an embrace and prepare a chariot drawn by four horses to welcome worthy men, is still not as good as sitting still and advancing in this Dao.

Wang Yuanze says: The Son of Heaven and the Three Dukes take the transformation of the common people as their own responsibility. When someone with the Dao governs the realm, the realm will naturally submit to him. The jade discs and chariots are used to summon worthy men and are important measures for governing the state. Yet even if worthy men are summoned, if the ruler does not advance in the Dao himself, the common people will still not obey. Therefore, not seeking worthy talent outside but advancing in the Dao within oneself is the more important course.

These three commentators all explain "discs and horses" as gifts used to summon worthy men.

Lü Jifu says: To establish the Son of Heaven and arrange the Three Dukes, even to hold the jade disc in one's hands and have four horses draw the chariot in front, these are all ways of engaging worthy men through solemn ceremony and precious goods. Yet sitting still and advancing in this Dao is more important, because the Dao is the most precious thing under heaven. Even merely sitting still to cultivate the Dao has greater value than reverent ceremony and rich gifts. What the Son of Heaven and the Three Dukes mean by "sitting to discuss the Dao" ultimately comes down to this.

Here it is saying that the discs and horses are used to engage worthy men.

Why did the ancients value this Dao so highly?

Gu Huan says: Why did the ancients honor and treasure this Dao? This asks after the reason for it.

Is it not because, by seeking it, one obtains it, and by it, offenses can be pardoned? For this reason the Dao is regarded as precious under heaven.

Whatever is sought can be obtained because what is sought lies within oneself. The ancients looked for it in the transformations of yin-yang (Yin-Yang) and in the systems for calculating the calendar, and did not find it, because they placed their aim outside themselves. Evil people who correct their faults and turn toward goodness, and the foolish who become wise, are thereby freed from guilt, even those who have sinned. The Dao (the Way) is skilled at rescuing people, and for this reason all under heaven revere it. The Commentary says: "Nothing under heaven is more worthy of reverence than the Dao."

Lü Jifu says: "Whatever is sought can be obtained" is the treasure of the good. That the sinner is freed from guilt through the Dao is the refuge of those who are not good. Because the Dao is able to be this way, it has become what all under heaven revere, and so, since antiquity, people have had no choice but to revere it.

This chapter says that all things come forth from the Dao, and that the Dao is the most honorable thing under heaven. Those who benefit from it and walk in accordance with it are the good, so it is said that whatever they seek can be obtained. Those who rely on the Dao as their support are the common multitude, so it is said that even the sinner can be forgiven. The Dao can be applied in every way, and therefore it has become what all under heaven revere.

Chapter Sixty-Three: Wei Wuwei (Acting Through Non-Action)

Act through wuwei (non-action), handle affairs without disturbing people, and savor things with a calm mind free of desire.

The Imperial Annotation says: The essence of the Dao does not contrive, so it is called wuwei (non-action). It has no fixed form, so it is called wushi (non-affairs). It has no desire, so it is called wuwei (tastelessness). The sage responds to the concrete things of the world while taking the emptiness and stillness of the Dao as his root, and these three phrases embody this.

Liu Jinxi says: "Acting through non-action" is the cultivation of the Dao's work. "Treating non-affairs as affairs" is the observation of the Dao's form. "Tasting the tasteless" is the understanding of the Dao's principle.

Non-action is the constant nature of the Dao, non-affairs is its reality, and tastelessness is its plainness. All three embody the Dao.

Whether things are great or small, and whether they are many or few, one should repay resentment with De (Virtue).

Imperial Annotation says: "Great" and "small" describe form, while "many" and "few" describe quantity. The measure of the myriad things is boundless and cannot be fixed by any boundary. Since greatness is not the same as multitude, and smallness is not the same as scarcity, who could clearly distinguish the repayment of resentment from the return of kindness? For this reason the sage regards all things as returning to non-being (wu), and so is able to achieve greatness.

Wang Yuanze says: "Responding to resentment with uprightness" is a method for dealing with worldly affairs, while "responding to resentment with virtue" is the manifestation of De (Virtue). In dealing with affairs, one must share with the common people in facing fortune and misfortune, so none of the various responses can be set aside. As for De, it does not cling to particular things, so where would there be any resentment to recognize? The three matters mentioned earlier are all the conduct of those who have realized and practiced the Dao (the Way). Because they embody the Dao, they act in this way. By singling out the point of "responding to resentment with De," we can see that one who embodies the Dao treats whatever he encounters with De.

Cao Daochong says: When resentment is answered with virtue, enemies will cease; when resentment is answered with resentment, mutual retaliation will have no end.

One should plan for things while they are still easy to manage, and act on them while they are still minute.

The Zuanwei (Collected Commentary) says: This is a further admonition. Difficulty and ease, greatness and smallness, are like the greatness and smallness, the many and the few, discussed above. Right and wrong, beauty and ugliness, resentment and anger, kindness and virtue all arise gradually from subtle changes. Affairs always begin in what is easy and end in what is difficult, and they start from what is small and grow into what is great. If one plans while an affair is just beginning and still easy, one will not fall into difficulty later; if one deals with a problem while it is still minute, it will not grow into a great calamity later. If one waits to plan until an affair has already become difficult, and to act until a problem has already become grave, resentment will deepen and disorder will accumulate. Then, to remove the difficulty and calm the strife, would it not be even harder?

The Dao, the Way.

Calamities often hide in small things and arise in places that ordinary people tend to overlook. Once a calamity has become visible, even the wise find it hard to set things right. For this reason, when resentment first begins to sprout, one should resolve it promptly, while the matter is still easy to handle and the problem still small, so that it does not accumulate into a disaster. The Book of Documents says: "Will resentment ever show itself plainly before people? If you do not perceive it, you should plan for prevention early."

The difficult matters under Heaven must always begin with what is easy; the great matters under Heaven must always arise from what is minute.

The Imperial Annotation says: A thousand-foot embankment may collapse through the burrows of ants and grubs; a hundred-foot house may burn down through a spark escaping from a gap in the chimney. Bai Gui (a man skilled in managing waters), when inspecting the dikes, would plug any burrow the moment he found it, and so he suffered no flood. An old man who was careful about fire would seal every crack, and so he suffered no conflagration. What happens under Heaven often begins in the most minute details, and once it has developed to its end, it becomes impossible to plan for and dispose of each part. Therefore, the sage acts on it at the very beginning.

The Commentary says: "Zuo" means "to arise." These lines follow the preceding passage and explain where calamities and difficulties originate: difficult matters must arise from what is easy, so one should plan for them while they are still easy; great matters must arise from what is minute, so one should eliminate them while the problem is still small. Cases of this kind are numerous and cannot be listed one by one, so the word "Heaven" is used to sum them up.

Du Guangting says: To guard against a calamity before it appears, and to cut it off before the disaster has sprouted, is caution carried to its utmost limit.

Therefore the sage never deliberately sets out to do great things, and yet is able to accomplish great things.

The Imperial Annotation says: By beginning from what is small, one is able to accomplish great things. If one waited until disorder had already taken shape before governing it, would that not be too late?

Tang Minghuang says: The preceding passage explains that ordinary people often undertake difficult and weighty tasks, and therefore one must plan early and eliminate problems at their root. This passage explains that the sage does not force himself to undertake difficult and weighty tasks, and therefore is able to accomplish lofty and great undertakings.

One who lightly makes promises to others is often rarely trustworthy.

Cheng Xuanying says: This sentence is used to introduce an analogy. "Nuo" means to assent, and "gua" means few. One who carelessly assents to others often lacks sincerity.

Du Guangting said: When a person's nature is still and desires have not yet stirred, guarding it in accordance with that state makes it easy to keep hold of it.

Before events show any sign of emerging, it is also easy to plan for them.

Tang Mingdi said: When a person's nature is upright and the mind is at rest, one should hold fast to one's thoughts and keep them from scattering. Even when a thought has just arisen in the heart, before it has shown any sign or taken shape as a plan, cutting it off so that it does not arise again is easy to do.

Wang Yuanze said: One must take precautions before affairs occur.

Things that are fragile are easily broken, and things that are minute are easily dispersed.

Tang Mingdi said: When a desire has just touched the mind, it is still weak, and if one can cut it off in time, it is like a fragile object being easily broken. When calamity has just begun to sprout and its signs are still faint, if one can guard against it in time, it is like a minute thing being easily dispersed.

Lü Jifu said: Things that are fragile are easily broken, so one should not let them become hard. Signs that are minute are easily dispersed, so one should not let them develop into something conspicuous. All things are like this, and the thoughts of the human mind are especially so. If one applies this principle to governing the mind, then governing the realm and the state will present no difficulty.

Wang Yuanze said: One must remedy affairs at the very moment they arise; this is what is meant by bringing order before disorder has set in.

Deal with things before they have happened, and govern situations before they have fallen into disorder.

Yan Zun said: When a person has not yet fallen ill, the illness is easy to treat; when a state has not yet fallen into crisis, it is easy to plan a response; when calamity has just sprouted, it is easy to handle; when disaster is still small, it is easy to prevent. How can this be demonstrated? Consider a cart that has not yet broken: even a child can drive it. But once the cart overturns and a person falls from a height into a deep ravine, even a thousand people cannot save him. Consider a bird's egg that has not yet hatched: a single finger can touch it. But once it has grown into a great wild goose, spreading its wings straight up into the clouds, even nets and arrows cannot catch it.

A great tree that takes two arms to embrace grows from a tiny shoot; a nine-story terrace is first built from basketfuls of earth; a thousand-li journey begins with the first step taken at one's feet.

The Imperial Commentary says: Whatever has form must, if large, have been built up gradually from the small; if high, must rest upon what is low; and if far, must begin from what is near. Affairs at their outset are often simple, but by the time they are about to be completed they inevitably have become vast. The sage, on seeing the first hint, considers where it will develop; before any clear sign has appeared, he can foresee the outcome. Therefore he does not rush ahead to chase after good fortune, nor does he take the lead in provoking misfortune. He begins his undertakings with caution, and for this reason he is often able to succeed.

Emperor Ming of Tang said: Things begin very small and only gradually become conspicuous. A tree so large that it takes two arms to encircle it first grows as a seedling as fine as a hair, which shows that things sprout from their own inherent nature. A nine-story terrace is built starting from a single basketful of earth, which shows that accumulated habits gradually produce their results. A journey of a thousand li begins at one's own feet, which shows that even a long trek must start from what is near. The affairs of the world do indeed arise from what is subtle and minute, yet people often overlook this and in the end let it become the root of calamity. Therefore, Laozi offers these three analogies to illustrate the principle set out above.

Du Guangting said: When people do not guard against a calamity while it is still sprouting, and the state does not take care with subtle signs, they rush to remove disaster only after it has appeared and hurry to govern only after turmoil has formed, and all of these measures come too late. The seedling as fine as a hair growing into a tree that two arms cannot encircle is a change from small to large. Earth piled layer by layer into a terrace is a change from low to high. A thousand-li journey that begins with the first step is a change from near to far. People see only the fully grown tree, the towering terrace, and the distant road, and only then do they want to take axes to the tree, gather tools to tear down the terrace, and bustle about in pursuit. Even when they exhaust themselves completely, the calamity is already beyond rescue. It is like leaning against the gate of the market and whistling loudly, which in the end threw the Jin dynasty into chaos, or like the portent of sprouting at Shalu, which nearly overturned the house of Han. One should quietly observe, foresee early, and attend carefully to these subtle signs.

"Whoever acts on purpose will fail; whoever clings will lose."

Emperor Ming of Tang said: "Acting" refers to deliberately managing affairs and forcing action; "clinging" refers to holding fast with attachment. If a person does not guard against a matter before it occurs, and does not govern turmoil before it has formed, but instead oversteps their proper station to act deliberately and clings to the circumstances of the mundane world, then failure and loss are bound to follow.

Lü Jifu said: To deal with a matter before it has taken shape looks like doing nothing; to govern a situation before it has fallen into disorder looks like governing nothing. When people wait until a matter has already happened to address it, they often intend to bring it to success but instead bring it to failure, and may even invite calamity and lose everything.

Lü Jifu also said: Acting before a matter has arisen looks like doing nothing; governing before a situation has become disordered looks like governing nothing. When people wait until a matter has happened to act, they intend to make it succeed but end up spoiling it; when they wait until a situation is already in chaos and then try to hold it firmly, they end up losing it.

Therefore the sage follows what is natural and does not act recklessly, so he does not fail; he does not cling and grasp, so he does not lose.

The Imperial Commentary says: The sage does not expend his mental energy on countless affairs, so he does not fail; he does not rely on fixed opinions and old methods to hold on, so he does not lose. Those who think they have victory in hand, who scheme repeatedly and grip things tightly, drift further and further from the Dao (the Way). How could they avoid failure and loss?

Lü Jifu said: The sage deals with matters before they arise, which means following what is natural and not acting recklessly, and so he does not fail; he governs before a situation becomes disordered, which means not clinging and grasping, and so he does not lose.

The common people, in their undertakings, often fail just as success is near.

The Imperial Commentary says: Abandoning a task halfway, or beginning with energy and then growing lax, are common human tendencies. For this reason, matters often seem about to succeed and yet end in failure.

Lü Jifu said: The common people often begin to act only after a matter has already appeared, so they frequently fail just as success approaches, because they do not understand the root of the matter.

Ordinary people who fail at the point of near success do so because they are not careful enough to persevere to the end. The Book of Documents says: "Heaping up a mountain nine ren high, one may fall short for want of a single basketful of earth." The ren was an ancient unit of length, and "nine ren" describes a very high mountain.

Being equally careful from beginning to end keeps one from ruining affairs.

The Imperial Commentary says: Those who undertake things mostly have good beginnings, but few are able to see them through. Whether a matter is completed well from start to finish or ends in failure depends on whether the conclusion is handled with care. The Book of Documents says: "Heaping up a mountain nine ren high, one may fall short for want of a single basketful of earth."

Being equally careful from beginning to end keeps one from ruining affairs.

The Imperial Commentary says: Affairs often have good beginnings, yet few people persevere to the end. If one remains constant, one will improve day by day. Applying this principle to one's undertakings, what could fail to succeed?

Emperor Ming of Tang said: To be as careful with the ending of a matter as one was with the good intention at its start is certain to avoid calamity and failure.

Lü Jifu said: If one understands that great things arise from small beginnings, that what is high begins from what is low, and that what is far begins from what is near, and if one is as careful at the end as at the beginning, then how could anything be spoiled?

Therefore, the sage pursues what ordinary people do not pursue and does not value goods that are hard to obtain. The sage learns what ordinary people do not learn and returns to the nature from which the multitude have strayed.

The Imperial Commentary says: Those who covet profit harm themselves for the sake of external things, and those who are devoted to broad learning easily have their minds ensnared by knowledge. How could such people attain the state of wuwei (non-action)? The sage does not let profit burden body and mind; what he seeks is freedom from being governed by desire. Whether in his own life or in the lives of others, he stops once there is sufficiency, and therefore he does not value rare goods. The sage does not harm natural nature through artificial contrivance, and what he learns is non-attachment to knowledge. He need only continually discern clearly and manifest the inner light, and so he is able to lead the multitude back to the nature they had strayed from. When the Way (Dao) is not clear, even the worthy stray, let alone ordinary people. To cause people to correct their deviations and return to their nature is precisely why "ceasing learning" (transcending attachment to learning) allows people to be free of worry and at ease.

Lu Dian said: To leave gold in the mountains and cast pearls into the abyss, to abandon the most precious treasures and cut off the means of exhausting skill, this is what is called "desiring not to desire" (not pursuing what ordinary people desire). To forget the benevolence and righteousness that humans hold up, to discard ritual and music, to cast away outdated dregs, and to throw away rotten clay figurines, this is what is called "learning not to learn" (not clinging to the learning that ordinary people pursue).

Wang Yuanze said: "Pursuing 'non-desire' does not mean having no desires at all. Rather, one directs one's pursuit toward 'non-desire,' and so one does not prize rare goods. When the common people have enough to eat and warm clothes to wear, this is what human nature requires, and seeking only these is not greed. To depart from one's nature and then prize rare goods is the mark of ignorance and delusion, of being far from the root. Therefore, the sage pursues non-greed in order to dispel people's delusions and return them to their nature.

Pursuing 'non-learning' likewise does not mean not learning at all. Rather, one directs one's learning toward 'non-learning,' in order to correct the faults of the multitude, who have strayed from their nature. The multitude chase after branches and twigs and busy themselves with many pointless affairs. The sage corrects these deviations through 'non-learning' and leads people back to the Dao (the Way)."

"To use the Dao (the Way) to assist the myriad things in following their own natural course of growth, while not daring to act upon them."

Lu Yu said: "'Assist' means to help. Human beings are born originally tranquil and pure; this is the nature of all things. By means of non-desire and non-learning, one assists the myriad things in following their natural course, so that each fully develops its own nature without forcibly interfering."

Du Guangting said: "As worldly learning expands without end, it becomes difficult for people to return to wuwei (non-action). When desires proliferate in confusion, people inevitably lose their correct nature. The sage teaches people to learn 'non-learning,' so that they become sincere and plain; he pursues 'non-desire,' so that they become content and at peace. In this way, people gradually come to see the light of the correct Dao (the Way), and with it they assist their natural nature: they do not covet rare goods, nor do they seek talents beyond their proper station. If a person who has fallen into corruption can turn back, he can be as cautious at the end as at the beginning. Noticing subtle signs and preventing calamity before it arises, one can return to the easily upheld state of stability. When the state thereby becomes peaceful and the individual becomes firm and upright, only then can it be said that the ancients were skilled at practicing the Dao (the Way)."

Lu Dian said: To seek nothing in seeking is to reach non-desire in the end, and to learn nothing in learning is to reach non-learning. Only then can one use one's own spirit (shen) to assist the spirit that nourishes all things, and so accord with and support the workings of Heaven and Earth. Therefore it is said that one assists the myriad things in following their own course and does not dare to act presumptuously. What is called "assisting the spirit" means using one's own spirit to aid the spirit of the myriad things, and what is called "assisting Heaven" means using one's own nature to aid the natures of the myriad things, each in its own way.

Birds and beasts naturally gather in flocks, and plants and trees naturally grow upright. The myriad things grow and change of their own accord, each with its own form and color. Since the myriad things already follow their natural course, what the sage does among them is only to assist. How could this be presumptuous action? He does not disturb the constant patterns of things, nor does he go against their natures. Following their life, he supports it so that life is preserved; following their forms, he supports them so that their bodies remain whole. Yu Shun appointed officials to manage affairs high and low, and this included plants, trees, birds, and beasts. The rulers of the Xia governed through De (Virtue), and birds, beasts, fish, and turtles were all content in their places. All of these are cases of following the myriad things and assisting them, not of acting rashly.

This chapter says that the sage plans for difficult matters while they are still easy to handle, and remains cautious in times of peace and stability. This is what it means to "act before things have arisen." He restrains things while they are still fragile and subtle, which is what it means to "govern before disorder has taken form." The scripture cites three examples to show that one should plan early and properly to prevent later hardship. Through wuwei (non-action), nothing is ruined; without grasping, nothing is lost. If one remains cautious to the end, how could affairs fail? The sage does not covet, takes stillness and purity as his foundation, and without clinging to learning he has no worries. He helps the myriad things keep their natural condition, and in this way embodies the Dao (the Way) of wuwei. This allows a state of stability that was easy to hold to continue, so that it does not fall into situations that are hard to manage.

Chapter 65 of the Dao De Jing, "The Ancient Masters of the Way"

The ancient masters of the Dao did not use it to make the people clever, but to keep them simple.

Translation

The ancient masters who practiced the Dao (the Way) let the common people live in accordance with the natural Dao and did not use cleverness and contrivance to govern them. Tranquil non-action (tiandan wuwei) means being quiet and free of desire and not forcing things through deliberate action. After the Three Dynasties, people abandoned this way of life and turned instead to elaborate ornamentation and refinement. They used ritual and music (li yue) to regulate the conduct of all under heaven, and used benevolence and righteousness (ren yi) to comfort their hearts, believing that this was how to instruct the people and bring order to the realm. In truth, nothing disturbs the human heart more than this.

Wang Bi (Wang Bi) said that "to make the people clear" (ming min) means to let the people see more of deception and cunning, which scatters their simple and genuine nature. "Foolishness" (yu), on the other hand, means to give people less of the knowledge of cunning, so that they keep to their original nature and follow what is natural. Sima Guang (Sima Guang) held that one should discard empty display and seek substance, returning to simplicity. Cao Daochong (Cao Daochong) argued that when the people's minds are full of cunning, they easily give rise to treachery; only by remaining plain and unadorned can they return to their original nature.

The "making the people clear" discussed here refers to using the rulers' cleverness to instruct and control the people, not to truly enabling the people to understand the principles of the Dao. The so-called "making the people foolish" sets "foolishness" against "wisdom" and advocates that the people abandon cunning and return to simplicity, diminishing the distinctions between right and wrong, good and bad, so that they remain in a state free of knowledge and desire. The difficulty in governing the people arises because their minds are full of cleverness and calculation.

Prince Shu said: Sagely wisdom is an important instrument for governing a state. The point is that the ancients who were good at practicing the Dao (Dao) did not display their cleverness and talents to the common people. They wanted the people to have fewer clever schemes and less greed, so that they would remain simple and unadorned.

Therefore Zhuangzi said: "If a ruler truly loves cleverness and does not follow the Dao, the whole world will fall into great disorder." Why is this so? Because the more bows, crossbows, nets, and various contrivances used to catch birds there are, the more easily the flocks of birds are thrown into turmoil. The more fishhooks, bait, and nets used to catch fish there are, the less peace the fish in the water will have. The more traps and devices used to intercept and capture wild beasts there are, the less peace the herds in the marshes will have.

In the same way, when deceitful schemes, tactics of mutual deception, and endless variations of debating names and distinguishing similarities and differences multiply, ordinary people will be confused by persuasive argument. The world has repeatedly fallen into great chaos, and the root of the trouble lies in people's blind worship of cleverness.

People of simple, unpolished minds think simply, while people of clever minds are readily given to deception. Once the common people as a whole become clever and crafty, hypocrisy and artful pretense will keep multiplying, and so the state becomes hard to govern.

Thus, governing a state through cleverness is a calamity for the state.

Lu Yu said: When one abandons the Dao and relies on cleverness, great falsehood is bound to arise. Falsehood grows from below, and cleverness issues from above. When those above and below deceive one another, the harm is great.

Emperor Ming of Tang said: "Yi" means to use, and "zei" means calamity. When a ruler employs ministers who are overly clever to govern the state, they tend to keep devising laws. When laws multiply, treachery arises; once the decrees are issued, deception rises along with them, and the state grows ever more confused and becomes a calamity. Cao Shen kept to the old institutions, and so the Han dynasty was stable; Shang Yang changed the laws, and so the state of Qin declined. This is just what the Daodejing says in its first part: "When wisdom appears, great falsehood arises."

Su Ziyou said: If I use cleverness to control others, others will also respond to me with cleverness, and so those above and below will harm one another.

Not governing the state through cleverness is the state's blessing.

Emperor Ming of Tang said: If one does not employ ministers skilled in cunning contrivance, but appoints people of sincere and genuine virtue, lets them settle in the feudal domains and govern the Wei region, and resolves difficulties with unhurried, composed methods, then the wind of cunning and deception will naturally decline, and the atmosphere of simplicity and honesty will gradually rise. When the people live in harmony and the harvests are abundant, this is the good fortune of the state.

Liu Zhongping said: Governing a state without relying on cleverness and scheming accords with the Way of Heaven (tiandao). Governing through cleverness and scheming is deliberate contrivance. One who accords with the Way of Heaven follows what is natural and does not interfere recklessly in affairs, so the state is well ordered even without severe decrees. Deliberate contrivance is like carving at things: it scrutinizes too closely and intervenes everywhere, so the people no longer keep their simplicity and their livelihood is harmed. Therefore it is said that governing by cunning is the calamity of the state, and not governing by cunning is its good fortune. The New Explanation holds that the wisdom of Yao and Shun lay in not viewing the myriad things through a narrow lens, and the wisdom of Yu lay in following what is natural and not interfering recklessly. One who does not examine all things one by one will not regard every matter as excessively clear. One who does not carve things artificially, and does not intervene excessively in pursuit of gain, truly knows how to use wisdom. As for Laozi's words "do not govern the state by cunning," they refer to preserving this natural, unadorned condition, so that the people gain a hundredfold.

To understand these two modes of governance is to grasp the standard.

Heshang Gong said: "The two" refers to acting with cunning and acting without it. One who constantly understands that using clever scheming becomes a calamity, and that not acting through cunning brings good fortune, has the principle for cultivating the self and governing the state.

Emperor Ming of Tang said: Relying on deceit harms the people; relying on sincere virtue brings good fortune to the state. A ruler who understands both and appoints ministers of sincere virtue has grasped the standard of rulership.

Lü Jifu said: Understanding these two modes applies not only to governing the state but should also be taken as the standard for cultivating oneself, never to be violated.

To constantly understand and follow this standard is called xuan de (profound De), a virtue that is deep, far-reaching, and subtle.

Heshang Gong said: "Xuan" means Heaven. To understand the principle of cultivating oneself and governing the state is to share the De of Heaven.

Emperor Ming of Tang said: "Xuan" means deep and subtle. When a ruler constantly understands what kind of person should be employed, this is called the supreme virtue, one that is profound and subtle.

Profound De is deep and subtle, and runs contrary to the ordinary sentiments of the worldly myriad things, ……

Daode Zhenjing Qushan Ji (Anthology of Good Selections from the Scripture of the Way and Its De), Scroll Ten, complete

Daode Zhenjing Qushan Ji, Scroll Eleven

Compiled by Li Lin, Layman of Raoyang, of the Song dynasty

Chapter 66: How Rivers and Seas Become Kings of the Hundred Valleys

Imperial annotation: "Xuan" (dark, mysterious) is the color of Heaven. One who constantly understands the patterns of the Dao (the Way) and does not forcibly act through cleverness and wisdom accords with the De (Virtue) of Heaven. Its depth cannot be measured and its breadth cannot be exhausted. It stands apart from all things, and nothing can rival it. Therefore it is said to be opposite to the myriad things.

Liu Renhui says: Xuan De is impossible to fathom, so it is called "deep" (shen). Wherever it goes it is complete, so it is called "far" (yuan). By abandoning cunning schemes and keeping to simplicity, it appears different from ordinary people, and so it is said to be "opposite to things."

Xuan De ascends into a realm of subtle depth and penetrates even the smallest details. It is distinguished from the myriad things, and so it is said to be opposite to them. In this way one attains the greatest compliance.

Imperial annotation: "Shun" (compliance) is the pattern of the Dao. To reach "great compliance" is to set aside cleverness and artifice and follow only the pattern of the Dao. Zhuangzi says: "To merge with Heaven and Earth into one body, merging so completely that no trace remains, seeming dull and benighted: this is called Xuan De, and it is identical with the smooth order of the Great Dao." Precisely because it appears dull and benighted, one can put down cunning schemes.

Gu Huan says: From the worldly viewpoint, this seems to go against common sense. From the standpoint of the Dao, however, it is exactly compliance with the Great Dao. This chapter speaks of secretly employing the Dao so that the common people live in accordance with it without knowing it, and of refusing clever, deceptive schemes in order to return to a plain and genuine nature. To understand this and take it as one's standard is the profound and mysterious De: abandoning cleverness and following the pattern of Heaven.

Rivers and seas can become the destination of the hundred streams because they are good at lying in low places.

Gu Huan says: Rivers and seas lie in low places, so the hundred streams converge on them. If a ruler humbly takes a lower position, the myriad things will come to submit to him.

Therefore rivers and seas can become the kings of the hundred streams.

Tang Ming Huang said: The reason rivers and seas can attract the many streams and become the king of a hundred rivers is that they willingly lie in low places. The Yijing says: "The Dao of Earth alters what is full and makes water flow toward what is humble." This uses the terrain as a metaphor. When the earth keeps itself humble, the hundred streams gather to it; when the sage keeps himself humble, the common people draw near to him as children return home, and never grow weary of him.

As for "because it is low, it can become the king of the hundred valleys," the word "king" here means that the multitudes turn toward it. One who can take a low position will have the people attach themselves to him just as water flows downward.

Therefore, when the sage wishes to stand above the people, he keeps himself humble in his speech; when he wishes to lead the people, he places himself behind them. In this way, though he occupies a high position, the people do not feel burdened, and though he walks at the front, they do not feel harmed.

Heshang Gong said: If one wishes to stand above the people, one must emulate rivers and seas and remain humble; if one wishes to lead the people, one must put others first and place oneself behind. When the sage rises above the common people to become their ruler, he does not rely on noble status to oppress the lower classes, so the people revere and support him without feeling pressed down. When the sage walks before the people, he does not use his own brilliance to obscure those behind him, so the people feel close to him as they would to their parents, and harbor no thought of harming him.

Thus, all under heaven delight in supporting him and never tire of him.

Chapter 67: All Under Heaven Say

Lü Jifu says: In terms of rank, the sage who rules the world is by nature above the multitude. Yet he calls himself "gu" (orphan), "gua" (the lonely one), and "bugu" (the ungrained one), and he takes upon himself the filth and calamities of the state. This is lowering himself through his words. In terms of order, he would naturally want to walk ahead of others, yet he waits until events press upon him, responds only when stirred, and steps forward only when he has no choice. This is placing himself behind others. Because his words are humble, people do not feel he is lofty even when he sits in high position, and when they do not feel he is lofty, they do not regard supporting him as a burden. Because he holds back in action, people do not feel obstructed by him even when he stands at the front, and when they do not feel obstructed, they consider following him beneficial. Since he neither weighs heavily upon people nor hinders them, the people of the world are glad to raise him up and never tire of him.

Because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him.

Luo Shi says: When both mind and body are emptied and still, who could contend with one who is identical with nothing at all?

Lü Jifu says: Humble words and withdrawn conduct are non-contention. The people of the world are glad to raise him up and never reject him, so no one can contend with him. Without a deep realization and practice of xuande (profound, subtle virtue), how could one achieve this? Thus it is said: "Because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him."

This chapter takes humility as its core. Rivers and seas lie in low places, and so they are able to gather the hundred streams. The sage's words are humble and his conduct withdrawn, so the people of the world are glad to raise him up and never turn away from him. Who, then, could contend with one who is humble?

Dao (the Way) is said by all under heaven to be so great that it seems to resemble nothing in particular. Du Bi says: "xiao" means "to resemble." Dao differs from the myriad things of the world, so it is called "bu xiao" (not resembling), meaning that it resembles no single thing.

Because it is vast and boundless, it appears to resemble no particular thing.

Su Zhe said: The Great Dao (Dao, the Way) is vast and boundless, with no fixed form and no fixed name. It fills all things, yet no particular thing resembles it in every respect, and this is why it can be called great. If the Dao resembled some specific thing, it would be only one of the myriad things. How could it then be called great?

If the Dao resembled some thing, it would have long since become narrow.

The Imperial Commentary says: Whatever resembles a particular thing appears narrow; whatever can serve as the basis of the myriad things is great. The Dao covers and sustains all things, and its breadth is boundless. Therefore it seems to resemble nothing, yet it seems able to embody everything. If something truly resembled the Dao, this would mean there were other things beyond the Dao, and how could the Dao then be called great?

Wang Bi said: "It would have long since become narrow" means that it would already be narrow.

The Imperial Commentary says: Whatever resembles a particular thing appears narrow; whatever can serve as the basis of the myriad things is great. The Dao covers and sustains all things, and its breadth is boundless. Therefore it seems to resemble nothing, yet it seems able to embody everything. If something truly resembled the Dao, this would mean there were other things beyond the Dao, and how could the Dao then be called great?

Wang Bi further said: "It would have long since become narrow" is to say "it would already be narrow." Once the Dao resembles some particular thing, it loses the nature of being boundless and great. Therefore it is said: "If it resembled some thing, it would have long since become narrow."

Lü Jifu said: People in the world see only that the Dao is great, and they assume it resembles nothing. They do not understand that it is great precisely because it appears to resemble nothing. Why is this so? The Dao flows everywhere, and its influence reaches to the left and the right. That it is present everywhere is not hard to grasp. People say it seems to resemble nothing, but they do not realize that because it is everywhere, it appears to resemble nothing. This is the reason the Dao is great. Not one of the myriad things is apart from the Dao, so there is nothing outside the Dao, and therefore nothing with which it can be compared. This is why the Dao is great. If something could resemble it, this would show that there were things beyond the Dao. If there were things beyond the Dao, the Dao would be absent from some places, and how could it still be called great?

Wang Yuanze said: Because there is nothing outside the Dao, there is nothing that can resemble it; this is the reason the Dao is great. If something could resemble it, this would show that there were things beyond the Dao. If there were things beyond the Dao, the Dao would be absent from some places, and how could it still be called great?

Wang Yuanze said: "Xiao" (resemblance) means to be like something. The Dao is the ancestor of all things. Therefore, one who embodies the Dao should have all things resemble him; why should he resemble them? To resemble something is to imitate another thing. When one imitates another thing, that thing appears strong while oneself appears small.

"I have three treasures that I hold and guard."

Emperor Ming of Tang said: My Dao is vast, yet nothing can be imitated from it. Still, these three qualities are extremely precious. If one constantly guards, relies on, and holds to them, one can cultivate oneself and also govern the state.

Wang Yuanze said: In the eyes of ordinary people, these three treasures seem to be nothing much. Yet they are the foundation by which those who reach the highest realm accomplish great De (Virtue).

The first is called "ci" (compassion).

Wang Yuanze said: Ci centers on love, and to cherish all things is ren (humaneness). Here the text speaks of ci alone because teaching all things, extending kindness widely, and sheltering the beings below is the grand state that De takes on when it becomes visible outwardly. Laozi is discussing the root here, so he does not say "teaching" but says "ci." Ci is the root of the Fudao (the Way of the Father, that is, nurturing and protecting all things as a father does), and it is the foundation of great virtue.

Tang Si said: Ci is love. The Liji (Book of Rites) says that a father should be loving. Ci is the root of being human. The affection between father and son arises from natural disposition; human kindness and filial piety come from nature and need not be sought outside. Ren takes the love of others as its mind, and when love is extended to everyone, it moves somewhat further from natural disposition. Because Laozi wants to explain the essentials of De, he places ci first as a treasure.

Confucius' Five Constants (ren, yi, li, zhi, xin, meaning humaneness, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness) place ren first. Shakyamuni's Ten Precepts of Buddhism place the prohibition against killing at the front. Although the teachings of these three sages differ, all take compassionate love as their root.

The second is called "jian" (frugality).

Gu Huan said: Cherish the spirit (shen) and guard the primordial qi (yuanqi), and do not indulge in extravagance or waste.

Lü Jifu said: To conduct oneself and one's affairs with composure, without excessive expenditure, and to take thrift as one's standard, is this not jian?