《道德真經廣聖義》Vol. 16

This chapter explains that those who preserve clarity and stillness will ultimately return to the root and recover their original nature; “Fuming” (returning to destiny) is the key to knowing the constant Dao, while “shou jing” (guarding stillness) is the path to the realm of emptiness. The previous chapter described how those who cultivate the Dao hold to the great Dao without self-satisfaction; this chapter continues by showing that even when one occupies a position of fairness and integrity, one must still take heaven as model and embody the great Dao. Only by aligning with the great Dao can one endure long without danger.

“Attain utmost emptiness; guard stillness with depth and firmness.”

“Xuji” (utmost emptiness) refers to the subtle original source. At birth everyone receives this subtle source as their nature. Once there is a physical form and contact with external things, however, that source disperses. To fill the body with this source again, one must cut off attachment and entanglement with worldly conditions and guard softness and stillness with depth and firmness. Then the way of xuji will naturally return to oneself.

People are born bearing the great Dao; their nature is originally pure and upright, without defilement. After birth, habit-energy and worldly affairs gradually stain the nature; people become absorbed in secular realms, the correct path is lost, and the influence of delusion grows deeper. Therefore those who cultivate the Dao should cease various desires and entanglements, turn toward deep clarity and stillness, and only then reach the way of xuji. “Du” means deep, firm, and unwavering.

After birth, the six roots (the six capacities—eye, ear, mind, nose, tongue, and body—that contact the outside world and give rise to cognition and feeling) are gradually stained; chasing the five desires (pursuit of sensory pleasure and worldly craving), the original upright nature scatters and the subtle original source is lost. Among the six roots, the eye sees various appearances, the ear hears various sounds, the mind clings to external objects, the nose distinguishes fragrant from foul, the tongue knows various flavors, and the body gives rise to all kinds of affliction.

A Plain-Language Interpretation

When thoughts arise and give birth to what is deviant, this is said to be a loss of the Dao. To let the wondrous Dao return to the body, one should maintain the receptive and yielding conduct of the feminine, remain steadfast and still, and cultivate a sincere, calm, and harmonious nature to restrain one’s emotions. Emotion is secondary; nature is fundamental. When emotions arise from one’s nature, they follow circumstances and turn into desires. When one’s nature is nourished through one’s emotions, thoughts subside and one returns to the source. Returning to the source, the five desires do not arise and the six senses remain unmoved. One does not resent one’s Qi or constrict one’s heart, and the Dao of the wondrous source will naturally return to the body. This is what the thirty-fourth chapter of the Dao De Jing means by “Do not narrow the place where it dwells; do not weary of what gives it life.” The Jing of the Western Ascension also says: “When the heart is empty, harmonious Qi returns to the body.”

“Bring forth” means to let the wondrous Dao arrive of its own accord, as in the sense of “challenging the enemy to battle” in the Spring and Autumn Annals.

Explanation: “Water flows toward the damp; fire turns toward the dry” comes from the line for the fifth nine in the Qian hexagram of the Book of Changes. Water and fire are things without feelings, yet they respond to one another through form and Qi: water flows downward and gathers first in damp places; fire consumes things and first turns toward what is dry. If even things without awareness or feeling respond in this way, how could the Dao fail to arrive when the mind is empty and thought is still? Thus, one need not force the matter; the Dao will come of itself.

The phrase “challenging the enemy to battle” appears in the Spring and Autumn Annals. In the twelfth year of Duke Xuan’s reign, King Zhuang of Chu besieged Zheng for seven days. The people of Zheng consulted the diviners about seeking peace, but received an unfavorable response, and the whole country wept. The King of Chu then withdrew his troops, and Zheng was saved.

The General Meaning of the Text (The Battle Narrative in the Zuo Tradition and Commentary on Chapter 16 of the Daodejing)

I. Events Before the Battle of Bi in the Zuo Tradition (An Example Cited in the Commentary)

Someone—meaning the Chu army—built siege works and surrounded a city. Three months later, they captured it. The ruler of Zheng, the Earl of Zheng, bared his upper body, led a sheep, and went to welcome the Chu army, signaling his surrender. King Zhuang of Chu then agreed to make peace: Pan Yao entered Zheng to swear an alliance, while Ziliang was sent to Chu as a hostage.

In the sixth month of summer that same year, the state of Jin sent troops to relieve Zheng. The two armies met near Ao and Gao. King Zhuang of Chu again sought peace with Jin, and the two sides agreed on a date to make an alliance. On the Chu side, Xu Bo drove the chariot, while Le Bo and She Shu rode as the chariot’s right-hand warriors. They planned to advance alone in a single chariot to challenge the enemy. Their apparent show of unwillingness to make peace was really intended to provoke the Jin army into coming out to fight.

Xu Bo said, “I have heard that when issuing a formal challenge, the charioteer should lower the banner, roll up its streamers, and then withdraw.” Le Bo said, “I have heard that when issuing a formal challenge, the warrior on the left should shoot at something, use a mat in place of the charioteer to hold the reins, and have the charioteer dismount to loosen the yokes on both pairs of horses. After setting the harness in order, they should withdraw.” She Shu said, “I have heard that when issuing a formal challenge, the warrior on the right should charge into the enemy’s camp, cut off the left ears of the enemy dead, kill a prisoner, and then withdraw.” The three men each carried out what he had heard, then retreated. The Jin army pursued them. Le Bo shot at a horse to his left and a man to his right, but the Jin army could not catch them. At the time, Wei Qi and Zhao Zhan had personal grievances against others in Jin. They asked to serve as envoys to Chu, each hoping that Jin would be defeated. Zhi Zi, meanwhile, made no defensive preparations. The armies therefore fought at Bi, and Jin suffered a major defeat. The commentators cite this story to explain that provoking an enemy by means of a formal challenge makes the two sides true opponents. Likewise, stillness can call forth the Dao, and the Dao can surely be sought through stillness.

II. The Meaning of “All Things Arise Together; I Observe Their Return”

Commentary by the Old Master (Laozi):

How can we know that by holding fast to this “feminine” quality and this stillness, one can reach the utmost emptiness? Simply observe the many movements and creations of all things, and how they finally return. When one can constantly see them arrive at stillness, one understands.

Explanatory Commentary:

This explains that holding firmly to stillness must lead to the utmost emptiness. All things have different forms and move in different ways, yet when we observe their return, we see that they continually return to their own roots.

Interpretation:

Though all things undergo countless changes and movements, in the end they must return to their root. If a person can empty the mind and keep the Dao in mind, the Dao will surely gather in that empty mind. Therefore, people are admonished to empty their minds and keep the Dao in mind.

Explanatory Commentary (citing the Yi Jing):

The Yi Jing says, “Thunder within the earth: Return.” “Return” means going back to the root. In stillness, things return; in movement, they lose their root.

Interpretation (explaining the Return hexagram):

The Image for the Return hexagram in the Yi Jing says, “Thunder within the earth.” Thunder belongs to movement, yet the Return hexagram centers on the cessation of movement, which is why it says thunder is within the earth. The ancient kings closed the passes on the winter solstice, stopped merchants and travelers from going about, and did not inspect the regions of their domain. These acts all embodied the cessation of movement, so that things could return to their root. The scripture’s phrase “All things arise together” refers to movement; “I observe their return” refers to rest. To move when one should rest, or to rest when one should move, is to lose one’s root.

Background note:

A formal challenge, or zhishi, was a ritualized chariot-warfare practice in the Spring and Autumn period. It is associated with the Battle of Bi (597 BCE), in which Jin was defeated by Chu. The commentator links “movement” on the battlefield with Laozi’s ideas of “observing return,” “holding fast to stillness,” and “reaching the utmost emptiness.” The point is that unless one can see all the myriad movements returning to their root, one cannot understand why one should hold to the feminine and to stillness.

Plain-language explanation

The commentary further explains that we know all things return to their roots and renew their lives, remaining in a constant state of stillness, because all things flourish with abundant blossoms and leaves, yet by their nature return to their source. Here, “arising” and “so forth” refer to movement and action. The meaning is that all things flourish and move, but ultimately return to their source and come to life again.

The subcommentary further clarifies “observing return”: the root is the source from which things receive Qi (vital energy) and grow. When we observe the myriad things, their blossoms and leaves flourish, yet by their nature they return to the root and grow again.

The explanatory note says: “abundant” describes a flourishing state. The grasses and trees grow lushly; after withering and falling, each returns to its root and flourishes again. “Arising” means movement, while “returning to the root” means coming to rest. This is the natural order of things. Human beings receive the Dao (the Way) and are born with a clear and still source. Once they enter the world, however, they become entangled in profit and desire. Beauty and ugliness, prosperity and decline, wealth and poverty, fame and power—all sorts of concerns exhaust the spirit and wear down one’s nature. Some gain extraordinary influence and turn the course of events; some establish great achievements and win a rare reputation; some display strength enough to lift a cauldron or move a mountain, or to bend hooks and draw out iron; some ride in light carriages with fine horses beneath grand canopies and red-wheeled chariots. Their power may rival that of the great families Xu, Shi, Jin, and Zhang, and their glory surpass that of the Five Marquises and Seven Nobles. Such flourishing is beyond comparison with that of plants and trees. Yet when their fortunes reach an extreme, their power shifts, and in the blink of an eye they become burial mounds. This is to return to the root and become still. If one can renounce honors and emoluments, see through worldly splendor, keep an empty heart like a valley, and quietly reflect on the Dao, can one not attain the Dao?

The subcommentary also says: the wondrous source of utmost emptiness is what human beings receive at birth. When we observe desires surging and flourishing, if we can maintain stillness and attain emptiness, our true nature can return to the source of life and endure. In the original text, the phrase rendered “so forth” is explained in this way by the commentary.

The explanatory note says: “surging and flourishing” describes a state of ease, pleasure, and abundance. Human desires surge and flourish like blossoms and leaves. What flourishes cannot last forever; it withers and falls. In the same way, surging desires inevitably harm life. We should therefore let go of desire and close off the passions, returning to the Dao. “So forth” can also mean “numerous.”

“Returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is called returning to life”: Blossoms and leaves belong to the nature of living things; when they return to the root, they become still. When a person can return to the root and reach stillness, they may be said to have returned to the nature and life bestowed upon them.

Subcommentary: When things return to the root, they become still; when people maintain stillness, they attain emptiness. The Qi received by a tree… [The passage continues the preceding line of thought: it follows the same principle of maintaining stillness and returning to the root.]

A more concise, continuous version for easier reading

This passage explains the meaning of the Dao De Jing phrases “All things flourish abundantly, each returning to its root” and “Returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is called returning to life.”

The commentary says that all things flourish with blossoms and leaves, yet by their nature return to their source. Here, “arising” and “so forth” both refer to movement. All things flourish and change, but ultimately return to the root and grow again.

The subcommentary explains “observing return”: the root is the source from which things receive Qi and grow. If we look at grasses and trees, they flourish, wither and fall, then return to their roots and grow again.

The explanatory note develops the idea more broadly. “Abundant” means flourishing. Plants flourish, then wither and return to their roots; human beings follow the same pattern. We are born from the Dao with a clear and still source, but in the world we become caught up in profit and desire—in beauty and ugliness, wealth and poverty, fame and power. Some gain extraordinary influence or rare renown; some show immense strength, while others display their status through grand carriages and fine horses. They may wield power for a time, but when their fortunes peak, decline follows, and soon they become burial mounds. This is what it means to return to the root and become still. If we can see through worldly splendor, keep an empty and still heart, and reflect on the Dao, we can attain it.

The commentary adds that the wondrous source of utmost emptiness is the root of human life. When desires surge and flourish, maintaining stillness and attaining emptiness allows our true nature to return to the source of life and endure.

“Returning to the root is called stillness”: plants become still when they return to their roots. When people return to the root and maintain stillness, they return to the nature and life they were given. “Stillness is called returning to life” expresses the same idea: things become still at their roots, and people return to life’s source through emptiness and stillness, in accord with the Dao.

[The Root of Life; Returning to the Root, One Returns to One’s Mandate]

All things have a root from which they grow. Only by returning to the root can they return to their mandate. Human beings receive the wondrous source of life; if they can remain still and attain the utmost emptiness, they return to the nature and life with which they were endowed.

Explanation: For things, flourishing is movement, while withering is a return to the root. For people, pursuing desires is movement; quieting thoughts and becoming still accords with the Dao. When feelings shift, one drifts away; when one accords with the Dao, one returns to the source. Thus, becoming still and attaining the Dao means returning to the nature and life bestowed by the wondrous source.

[Returning to One’s Mandate Is Called Constancy]

Commentary: By remaining still in the receptive mode and steadfastly cultivating depth, one can reach the utmost emptiness. When the wondrous source reaches emptiness, one returns to one’s mandate. This can be called attaining constancy.

Explanation: Let go of feelings and desires, and preserve untroubled harmony. By returning to the teaching at the beginning of the chapter, “attain emptiness and preserve stillness,” one attains constancy.

[Knowing Constancy Is Called Clarity]

Note: Preserving stillness and returning to one’s mandate may be called constancy. Those who know how to preserve constancy become even clearer in understanding.

[Not Knowing Constancy, One Acts Recklessly and Meets Misfortune]

Note: One who does not sustain one’s Virtue may incur disgrace. Losing constancy and acting recklessly inevitably leads to utter misfortune.

Commentary: Knowing how to preserve constancy is called clarity. Losing constancy and acting recklessly may be called having no steadfastness; one who does not sustain one’s Virtue will inevitably meet utter misfortune. The note “One who does not sustain one’s Virtue may incur disgrace” comes from the text of the Hexagram Heng, “Constancy,” in the Yi Jing.

Explanation: Constancy means enduring without change. Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, attain constancy and so remain clear and tranquil, shining for a long time. A ruler who governs the state with constancy remains upright and correct, practicing Wuwei (non-action). Those who preserve constancy do not change from beginning to end. Constancy is therefore the guiding principle of the Dao and Virtue. Letting go of desire, preserving stillness, and returning to one’s mandate to attain constancy may be called clear and penetrating understanding. To turn away from this is to act recklessly and against the Dao, thereby bringing calamity and misfortune. “One who does not sustain one’s Virtue” is from the third yang line of the Hexagram Heng in the Yi Jing: “One who does not sustain one’s Virtue may incur disgrace.” Heng means constancy. One who is not centered in one’s position, and whose advance and retreat are unsettled, may be within the hexagram of Constancy while still violating its nature. This is truly shameful and reprehensible, hence the phrase “may incur disgrace.” The hexagram’s Judgment says: “One who does not sustain one’s Virtue has nowhere to be accepted.”

[Knowing Constancy, One Is All-Embracing]

Note: One who knows how to preserve the true constancy has a mind and surroundings that are empty and still, like an open valley, embracing all things without exception.

Commentary: Knowing constancy is called clarity. With clarity, one observes things; when things arrive, one responds. Nothing is excluded from one’s embrace. Hence, “knowing constancy, one is all-embracing.”

Explanation: To sustain one’s Virtue in constancy is to be all-embracing. This accords in reverse with the Judgment of the preceding hexagram.

Broadly Embracing All Things, Ruling with Impartiality

The text’s general meaning: One who understands how to uphold the constant Dao can use the mysterious mirror of insight to observe all things without overlooking anything. By responding to all things while holding to the constant Dao, one embodies what is meant by “embracing, flourishing, radiant, and great”—that is, being vast and inclusive.

Commentary: To embrace and respond to all things, one must meet them with a mind free of distracting thoughts. Since there is no selfishness or crooked intent, this is what it means to be “public”—that is, impartial.

Further commentary: All things will rally to someone who is impartial and selfless.

Explanation: Someone who embraces and responds to all things, and remains impartial and selfless, will draw the world’s allegiance. Such a person may be called a “king.”

Interpretation: Knowing the constant and following the Dao makes one impartial and fit to rule. A person of the Dao need not speak: all things are transformed naturally. There is no need to summon them: all things come of their own accord and rally to him. That is why the world turns toward him. A king’s authority is grounded in the allegiance of all things.

The King’s De Matches Heaven; Heaven Follows the Dao

The text’s general meaning: When all things willingly uphold him, he is like Heaven covering all things, and so his De accords with Heaven’s.

Further commentary: Only when a king’s De is like Heaven’s can he follow the Dao.

Explanation: “Heaven alone is great; the king takes it as his model.” Heaven alone is supreme, and the king takes Heaven as his standard. The king’s De is like Heaven’s, covering everything without exception; hence it is said, “The king is Heaven.” The king’s De is like Heaven’s: through Wuwei, order is maintained, and the Dao’s transformation takes effect naturally; hence it is said, “Heaven follows the Dao.”

Interpretation: Only with the allegiance of all things can one rightfully occupy the throne of the Son of Heaven, nurture the many regions, and offer sacrifices to the Supreme Emperor. The king models himself on Heaven, which broadly covers all things, and on Earth, which governs through Wuwei. The king models himself on Heaven, and Heaven models itself on the Dao.

Following the Dao Endures; One Is Safe Throughout Life

The text’s general meaning: When the Dao is practiced throughout the world, one can enjoy good fortune for a long time.

Further commentary: One who follows the Dao alongside Heaven will face no danger throughout life.

Explanation: By maintaining stillness and attaining emptiness, then returning to the root and restoring one’s life, one cultivates the De needed to become a king. The king’s De must accord with Heaven before he can follow the Dao. When the Dao is practiced, good fortune endures. The people draw near to him as they look up to the sun, uphold him as they look up to the sky, receive his kindness as they are bathed by rain, and long for him as they long for spring. So what danger could he face throughout his life? Hence the saying, “To the end of life, no danger.”

Interpretation: This teaches rulers how to build up their De. Even if a ruler inherits a peaceful realm, holds the reins of government, and governs the people, how can his rule endure if he acts against the Dao and De? He must first empty his mind, then maintain stillness. Through emptiness and stillness he reaches the Dao, returns to the constant Dao, and becomes impartial and selfless, so that people rally to him. In accord with Heaven and the Dao, he follows the Dao and transforms the people. When the Dao’s transformation flourishes throughout the realm, the people gladly uphold him. His fortune and reign therefore endure, without danger or peril, like the sun shining upon them, Heaven nurturing them, and rain nourishing them.

The Core Sequence of Ideas

This passage sets out a step-by-step path of cultivation:

Emptiness and stillness → knowing the constant → impartiality → kingship → accord with Heaven → following the Dao → enduring fortune

In simple terms, only an empty and still mind can know the constant; only by knowing the constant can one be impartial and selfless. When one is impartial and selfless, all things rally to one, making kingship possible. The king’s De accords with Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and following the Dao brings lasting fortune and safety throughout life. This is Du Guangting’s development of ideas from the Daodejing, such as “Knowing the constant is called clarity.” It focuses on how a ruler can govern through De and cultivate himself through the Dao.

The Virtue of the sage nourishes all things, gentle as spring. Even after the sage has passed away, this great Virtue does not fade. People today praise Yao and Shun, beating drums and dancing in gratitude for Fuxi and Shennong. They revere them as they revere Heaven and honor them as they honor the blazing sun. Such was the Virtue of Yao.