《道德真经衍义手抄(王守正)》Vol. 5

Mencius said, “If a ruler practices benevolent government toward the people, lightens punishments, reduces taxes, and lets them plow deeply, sow carefully, and weed promptly; then, if he also has able-bodied adults study filial devotion, fraternal respect, loyalty, and trustworthiness in their spare time from farm work, so that at home they serve their fathers and elder brothers, and outside they show respect to elders and superiors, then even if they were given only wooden staves, they would be enough to defeat the strong armor and sharp weapons of Qin and Chu.”

The Classic of Changes (Yijing), in its “Appended Statements” (Xici), says, “In ancient times, people used knotted cords to keep records and govern affairs. Later, sages replaced these with writing and tally contracts, helping officials manage government and enabling the people to understand matters. This practice took its model from the Guai hexagram.” Guai means to decide firmly. Five Yang lines jointly remove one Yin line, expressing the meaning of decisive action.

The people found their food delicious, their clothes comfortable, their homes secure, and their customs pleasing. Neighboring states could see one another, and hear the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs, yet the people grew old and died without needing to visit one another.

Even coarse rice and soup made from pigweed tasted delicious to them. The Analects, in “Shu Er,” says, “With coarse food to eat, water to drink, and a bent arm for a pillow, joy is still found within. Wealth and honor gained through unrighteous means are to me like floating clouds.” The Zhuangzi, in “Rang Wang,” also says that when Confucius was caught between Chen and Cai, he went seven days without a cooked meal. He ate pigweed soup and looked utterly exhausted, yet still played the zither and sang indoors. This was not simply a matter of finding food delicious; it expressed contentment with the Way and joy in the Way.

Even coarse hemp clothes or a deerskin robe seemed fine to them.

The Tianrui chapter of the Liezi records that when Confucius was traveling on Mount Tai, he met Rong Qiqi in the countryside near Cheng. Rong wore a deerskin garment tied at the waist with a cord, and played the zither as he sang. Confucius asked, “Sir, what makes you so happy?” Rong Qiqi replied, “I have many reasons to be happy. Among all the things Heaven brings into being, humans are the most honored. I was fortunate to be born human; that is the first reason. Men and women are distinct, with men esteemed and women held inferior. I was fortunate to be born a man; that is the second. In life, some people die before seeing the sun and moon, still in swaddling clothes. I, by contrast, have lived to the age of ninety; that is the third. Poverty is an ordinary condition of human life, and death is its final destination. If I am at ease with ordinary circumstances and can follow my life to its final destination, what is there to worry about?” Confucius said, “Well said! You truly know how to console yourself.” This story is cited here to show that although Rong Qiqi wore a deerskin garment, he was content and joyful.

The Yanyi says, “Although his dwelling is humble, his heart can always remain at ease.” The phrase “thatched roof and bramble door” refers to a house roofed with thatch and a doorway made of bramble. The commentary cites the Zhuangzi, “Letting the King Be,” which says that Yuan Xian lived in the state of Lu in a house measuring only one zhang square. Its roof was covered with wild grass, and the bramble door was incomplete. A mulberry branch served as the door pivot, a broken jar as a window, and coarse cloth stopped up holes in the walls. Though rain leaked through the roof and the ground was damp, he sat upright and played the zither. This story shows that one can live at ease even in a humble dwelling.

The Yanyi also says, “Whether in the scorching heat of the south or the bitter cold of the north, one can be content wherever one finds oneself.” Here, “hu” is pronounced “hù” and means cold that has frozen solid.

In the distant borderlands of the south, Yang energy is pure and abundant, and the climate is extremely hot; therefore, there are fire mountains. In these mountains lives a kind of mouse whose fur people weave into cloth, called “fire-washed cloth.” In the distant borderlands of the north, Yin energy is pure and abundant, and the climate is extremely cold; therefore, there are ice mountains. There lives a kind of silkworm called the “ice silkworm.” The climates in both places are extreme, either very hot or very cold, and cannot be considered agreeable. Yet the local customs and the creatures that arise there each dwell in their own place and follow their nature. In this, they are alike. These examples are given to show that being content in one’s own home is much the same. The Commentary on Extended Meanings says: In customs formed naturally in this way, there are no premature deaths or injuries, and the land is free of epidemics.

The “Yellow Emperor” chapter of the Liezi records: Mount Lieguye lies among the isles in the rivers and seas, as described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Spirit beings live on the mountain. They breathe the wind and drink the dew, and eat no grains. Their minds are deep and clear, and their appearance is like that of young women. They form no intimate attachments and favor nothing. Immortals and sages alike obey them. They feel neither fear nor anger, and people willingly submit to their direction. They bestow no kindness, yet all things naturally thrive. They store up and accumulate nothing, yet they themselves lack nothing. Yin and Yang are always in harmony, the sun and moon always shine brightly, the seasons follow their course in peace, and wind and rain are well balanced. The crops yield abundantly year after year. The land suffers no damage, people face no natural disasters, all things are free from illness, and ghosts and spirits never appear to cause trouble.

The Commentary on Extended Meanings says: This is like fish moving freely among the rivers and lakes, each forgetting the others within the Dao and its arts.

This passage is quoted from the “Great Ancestor” chapter of the Zhuangzi: When a spring dries up, the fish are stranded together on dry land. They breathe on one another and moisten one another with dampness, or wet one another with their spittle. But instead of this, would it not be better to move freely among the rivers and lakes, with no need to keep one another in mind?

The Commentary on Extended Meanings says: There was a village whose people all belonged to the Zhu and Chen families, who had intermarried for generations. Bai Juyi praised this in a poem.

Chapter Eighty, “Trustworthy Words Are Not Beautiful,” says: Words that are true and trustworthy are often not elegant; words that are elegant and pleasing are often not trustworthy. Those who are skilled in following the Dao do not rely on clever argument, and those skilled in clever argument do not necessarily accord with the Dao. Those who are truly wise do not boast of extensive knowledge, and those with extensive knowledge are not necessarily truly wise.

The Book of Songs says: “People like thieves speak with great sweetness”—their words have a pleasing “flavor.” “Their flowery speech is as pleasing to the ear as the pipes of a sheng”—their voices sound lovely.

The “Clever Words” ode in the Minor Odes of the Book of Songs says: “When a gentleman repeatedly makes sworn covenants with others, disorder grows worse as a result; when a gentleman trusts people like thieves, disorder spreads as a result. People like thieves speak sweetly, and disorder then flourishes. Such people are neither steady nor respectful; they bring calamity upon the ruler. Even soft trees need tending. Rumors passed from person to person must also be carefully examined. Boastful words pour from the mouth; flowery speech sounds as pleasing as the pipes of a sheng, yet the speaker has no shame.”

Confucius said, “It is enough for words to express one’s meaning clearly.” So there is no need to pursue eloquence and ornate language for their own sake.

The Analects, in “Duke Ling of Wei,” records Confucius as saying, “It is enough for words to express one’s meaning clearly.” One should choose words simply to convey one’s meaning, rather than treating elegant phrasing as a skill.

“My Dao runs through everything by one principle” means: My Dao can be understood through a single fundamental principle. Confucius said to Zengzi, whose personal name was Shen, “Zeng Shen, my Dao is threaded through by one principle.”

Zhuangzi says: Ornament obscures simplicity, while extensive knowledge unsettles the heart. So a learned person does not necessarily truly understand the Dao.

The “Cultivating Nature” chapter of the Zhuangzi says: Later, people began adding ornament to things and continually accumulating knowledge and learning. Ornament obscured simplicity, and broad learning unsettled the heart. The people then became confused and disordered, unable to return to their nature and recover their original state. The general point is that people become absorbed in learning that seeks to make things happen: they use showy writing to obscure the simple essence and broad experience to unsettle the unadorned heart. In this way, they lose the natural Dao of Wuwei (non-action). Thus the scripture says: “Those who truly understand the Dao do not boast of extensive learning; those who consider themselves learned may, in fact, fail to understand the Dao.”

The sage does not hoard for himself. Having given what he owns to others, he becomes more abundant; having given to others, he becomes richer still.

The Extended Explanation says: Lord Fan Wenzheng sent his son Yaofu on an errand. This matter is described in detail in the Notes on the Meaning, so it will not be copied out again here.

This concludes Volume Twenty of the Handwritten Notes on the Extended Explanation of the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue.