《道德真經廣聖義》Vol. 18

The Guangsheng Commentary on the True Scripture of the Dao and De, Volume 17 (Yang, Part Six)

Composed by Du Guangting, Master Guangcheng of the Tang dynasty

Chapter Eighteen: When the Great Dao Is Abandoned

Commentary: The previous chapter explained that people’s conduct and the conditions of the age differ: when the Dao is still present, the people’s customs are simple and genuine. This chapter explains how customs decline: once the Dao is lost, people bring out benevolence and righteousness to put into practice. It is like putting on a wig after going bald, or seeking a doctor only after falling ill. Though one hopes to recover, the effort is like measuring out rice grain by grain before cooking, or laboriously combing out each hair: the more one fusses, the more one harms one’s nature. The text therefore states these eight lines directly, to point out the accumulated ills and express the hope of returning swiftly to ancient simplicity.

Meaning: The previous chapter began with simplicity gradually dispersing and shallow ways taking its place. The root of these shallow ways lies in the clear manifestation that “the Dao and De have been abandoned.” Those who proceed steadily are content with the teaching of the royal Dao; those who hurry chase the achievements of emperors and kings. As the ways of the age tilt toward decline, benevolence and righteousness are set up. Using benevolence and righteousness to embellish one’s nature, and establishing punishments and rewards to instruct the people, is like putting on a wig after going bald, or seeking a doctor when ill while expecting an immediate cure. The Huainanzi says: “Measuring rice grain by grain and combing each hair separately, fussing without discernment, is excessive action.” How is this any different from scratching one’s back with one’s knee or loosening a knot with one’s heel? Only by seeing what is wrong with all four can one hope to return to simplicity. A “wig” means a false hairpiece. “Decline” means deterioration; “tilt” means to lean or veer. To “comb” means to arrange the hair with a comb.

Scripture: When the Great Dao is abandoned, benevolence and righteousness arise.

注: As genuine simplicity dissipates and the Great Dao is no longer put into practice, small achievements in benevolence and righteousness appear. It is like fish in a drying pond breathing moisture onto one another to survive; decline begins with purposeful action. Yet the Sage’s fundamental intention to save the world has never differed. It is only that the way to act in times of ease cannot remain unchanged in times of danger.

Commentary: “The Great Dao is abandoned” refers to an age in which customs have become shallow and people’s hearts are restless and competitive. The profound and distant way has vanished, and the harmonious, pure transformation no longer exists. The original intention of the utmost Dao, which is Wuwei (non-action), has been lost; hence the word “abandoned.” The Book of Rites: Liyun says, “When the Great Dao was hidden, the world became a family possession.” This is what it means. “Shallow” means lacking depth. “Dissipated” means that water seeps into the earth. The substance of ancient simplicity disperses like water seeping into the ground and cannot be gathered back; hence the phrase “shallow and dissipated.”

Meaning: “Abandoned” means fallen into decline and no longer put into practice. The royal Dao and the ways of emperors have long since deteriorated. Kings rise to claim dominion, scheming and deceit contend with one another, and as the age shifts into corruption, people value only restless competition. The profound, tranquil way grows ever more faint, while harmonious, pure transformation gradually fades. The Great Dao is no longer put into practice: this is what “abandoned” means. The Book of Rites: Liyun says, “When the Great Dao was hidden, the world became a family possession.” This is the same idea. “Shallow” means lacking depth; “dissipated” means water entering the earth. The substance of ancient simplicity disperses like water poured onto the ground and cannot be gathered back; hence it is called “shallow and dissipated.”

When ritual and music fell into disuse, people began to force themselves to practice “universal love,” called benevolence, and to posture as though they were “judging what is wrong,” called righteousness. In the midst of this, people became constrained and affected.

The commentary explains: “Stumbling” describes the cramped manner of the benevolent person who forces himself to love everyone; “straining” describes the contrived air of the righteous person who feigns a commitment to judging what is wrong. Both are constrained by outward forms and forced appearances, not expressions of an open heart. The farther people move from the Dao (the Way), the more conspicuous the traces of the sages become. Benevolence and righteousness are no longer genuine, and ritual and music depart from their nature, leaving only an affected outward form. None of this comes from a sincere heart that is natural and wholly integrated.

The commentary continues: This is why Zhuangzi says, “The Dao is obscured by partial achievements.” “Partial achievements” refers to benevolence, righteousness, and other doctrines, each setting itself up as a complete system without attaining broad understanding; hence the name “partial achievement.”

The commentary explains: Once the Great Dao was hidden, the highest De (Virtue/Power) also declined. The benevolent person clung to benevolence, and the righteous person clung to righteousness. They could no longer merge into a unified whole, but each established a separate name. Compared with De, this was already diminished; how much more so when compared with the Great Dao? In Zhuangzi’s “Discussion on Making All Things Equal,” Nanguo Ziqi says to Ziyou, “The Dao is obscured by partial achievements; speech is obscured by embellishment.” “Partial achievements” means the doctrines of benevolence and righteousness; “embellishment” means words that alter and ornament the text. Clinging to words and becoming stuck in doctrines is what it means for them to be “obscured.” Thus the Confucians and Mohists each insisted that their own views were right and the other’s wrong, creating confusion that could not be fairly resolved. This is how disorder began.

Scripture: When wisdom appears, great deceit arises.

The note explains: When people put wisdom to work, they establish laws. As soon as laws appear, wrongdoing follows, and great deceit arises. Even tally tokens and seals are stolen and misused; surely this is no mere claim.

The commentary says: “When wisdom appears” refers to people of later generations using their intelligence to establish laws, regulate customs, set down codes, and expose wrongdoing. Fearing that people would not believe them, they made tally tokens and seals to establish trust; fearing unfairness, they made measures such as the dou and hu. Yet unscrupulous people stole and misused the tally tokens, seals, and measures alike. Thus the laws established through the use of wisdom only magnified deceit, which is why the text says, “great deceit arises.”

The commentary explains: “Wisdom” is the mind’s capacity for discernment; “insight” is its capacity for understanding. To regulate is to impose constraints; to interrogate is to call someone to account. A tally token is a proof of trust; a seal is a stamp. Once the Dao and De were hidden, benevolence and righteousness took their place; once benevolence and righteousness flourished, wisdom was used to make laws. The laws were as dense as autumn brambles, and the nets as fine as congealed fat.

The more people become confused and restless, the more this happens. The more clever devices there are—bows and crossbows, bird snares, tethered arrows, and ingenious mechanisms—the more birds fly about in panic and cannot settle. The more clever devices there are—hooks and bait, nets, drag nets, and other fishing gear—the more fish dart about in the water. The more clever devices there are—cutting traps, snares, and nets for catching beasts—the more animals run about in the marshes. The more there are of schemes, deceit, gradual poisoning, cunning evasions, arguments over the hard and white, analyses of obscure terms, and disputes over sameness and difference—all doctrines by which the debaters of the time toyed with names and sophistry—the more ordinary people are misled by verbal disputes. Thus the world is constantly thrown into disorder. The fault lies in people’s fondness for clever devices.

“Law” means rules: regulations are established to restrain people. “Statutes” are standing laws used to deal with deceit. What happens when standing laws are made to expose and punish deceit?

A tally is a token inscribed with writing and split into two matching halves, so its authenticity can be verified. Examples include the gold tiger tally and the bamboo envoy tally, both used as military credentials. The token used by the Son of Heaven was called a seal; the one used by the feudal lords was called a stamp. Their names differed according to rank, and both served as credentials. Measures of capacity were established as follows: sixty-four millet grains made one gui; ten gui made one chao; ten chao made one cuo; ten cuo made one shao; ten shao made one ge; ten ge made one sheng; ten sheng made one dou; and five dou plus four sheng made one hu. These were used to measure goods. The intelligent devised systems of tallies, seals, and measures such as the dou and hu, intending to set limits and restrain people, and to detect thieves. How could they have known that these systems would instead become tools for great thieves to amass their hoards?

Tian Chang, a powerful minister of Qi, feigned benevolence and righteousness there, then one day murdered his ruler and usurped the state. His line continued for twelve generations. Tian Chang took possession of Qi’s tallies and seals, its measures, and its laws of sagacity and intelligence. This shows that laws devised through cleverness give rise to great deceit. Later usurpers often followed the Tian family’s example: Wang Mang usurped the Han, Sima Xuanwang (Sima Yi) usurped the Wei, Emperor Wu of Liang usurped Qi, and Emperor Wen of Sui usurped Zhou. Rather than proceed this way, it would be better to burn the tallies and contracts and smash the seals, so that the people might become simple; to break the measuring vessels, so that they might not contend; and to destroy all these “sagely laws” throughout the world. Only then could the people follow the Dao and live together naturally.

When the six family relationships are not harmonious, filial piety and parental kindness appear.

Note: Father and son, husband and wife, and brothers together make up the six family relationships. When closeness and distance lose their proper order and people no longer live in harmony, these relationships are said to be discordant. It is only when each person is attached to their own kin and children that terms such as filial piety and parental kindness arise. These partial distinctions come about because the Dao has been lost.

Commentary: The six relationships refer to father and son, brothers, and husband and wife. In an age of great unity, there was no selfish distinction between those close and those distant. Only when those above and below fell into discord, and grievance and favor arose together, did acts such as warming a pillow with one’s body or keeping a mat warm come to be praised as filial or kind. Such notions appeared because the Dao had been lost.

A Plain-Language Interpretation of the Broadly Expounded Meaning of the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue

Interpretation: In the age when the Great Dao prevailed, all under Heaven belonged to everyone. People did not need to make a point of favoring their own family over others. It was only when social customs grew lax and ritual and law declined that the six virtues had to be distinguished and discussed. Filial devotion and compassion then became especially prominent: compassion was prized because some people lacked it, and filial devotion was strongly promoted because some people were not filial. To say that all under Heaven belonged to everyone means that people shared the customs of a common society.

“Grievance” means suffering injustice; “kindness” means a feeling of compassion. Historical records tell of Liu Bao, a man of the Liu-Song dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, whose courtesy name was Xiaochang. His father died when he was three. His uncles Liu Quan and others held high office and great power, yet whenever Liu Bao saw them, he wept. His mother, Lady Chen, thought he was afraid of these powerful men and became angry. Liu Bao said, “I grieve because I was too young to know my father. Now, when I see how much my uncles look like him, I feel heartbroken.” Mother and son wept together. Liu Bao served his mother by fanning her pillow and mat to cool them in summer and warming her bedding in winter. This is a model of filial conduct.

Filial devotion is the honored name for serving one’s parents. The Book of Rites: The Meaning of Sacrifice says that filial devotion means “nourishing”—storing it within oneself. The Explanation of Names says it means “loving”—showing respect, affection, and willing care. The rules for posthumous titles say, “One who is perfectly compliant is called filial.” Taken together, this means that the way of serving one’s parents should be kept constantly in mind: one should fulfill the duties of caring for them, gladden their hearts, and follow their wishes without defying them. The Erya also says that serving one’s parents well is filial devotion.

Further explanation: “Turning back to attend to someone and caring for them repeatedly is called compassion.” Some people claim the names of filial devotion and compassion while wearing an air of self-satisfaction, but they fail to understand that in the age of the Great Dao, although people spoke of all under Heaven as one family, those above and below naturally deferred to one another and each fulfilled their proper place. If people regarded others as they regarded themselves, and did not reserve their love only for their own parents, then everyone under Heaven could receive filial care. If others regarded you as they regarded themselves, and did not reserve their affection only for their own children, then all the young could receive loving care. Why, then, would anyone need to hang on to labels like “filial devotion” and “compassion”?

Interpretation, quoting the “Liyun” chapter of the Book of Rites: Confucius held office in the state of Lu and took part in the guest rites at the La sacrifice. After the ceremony, he climbed the observatory on the walls of Lu. Seeing that the rites were incomplete, he read an old text kept there and sighed with feeling. His disciple Yan Yan asked him why. Confucius replied: “I, Kong Qiu, did not live to see the age when the Great Dao was practiced, nor the worthy rulers of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, but my heart longs for them. When the Great Dao prevailed under Heaven, all under Heaven belonged to everyone. The worthy were chosen for office, and the capable were appointed; people kept faith and cultivated harmony. They were filial not only to their own parents and loving not only to their own children. The elderly could enjoy their later years; adults could put their abilities to use; children could grow up. Widowers, widows, orphans, the childless, and people with disabilities who had no support were all cared for. Men had their proper roles, and women had homes to which they belonged. People disliked seeing goods left to waste, but did not need to keep them for themselves. They disliked having their strength go unused, but did not need to exert it solely for private gain. Thus schemes and plotting were stifled and did not arise; theft, rebellion, and violence did not take hold. As a result, people could leave their outer gates unlocked.”

“Not closing oneself off—this is called great unity.”

Not shutting yourself away or becoming closed off is called “great unity.” In such a state, acts of filial piety like fanning a pillow to cool it, warming the bedding, looking back when leaving home, and checking again upon entering would no longer be needed. Everyone would be close to one another; why would anyone need to single out those who were especially filial? To boast of or rely on such distinctions would only seem narrow-minded.

“When the state is in disorder, there are loyal ministers.”

Commentary: In times of peace, those above and below live in stability. Why single out “loyal ministers”? Only in troubled times do people risk their lives in the face of danger, and so the name “loyal minister” comes into being.

Explanatory note: Loyalty is simply a minister’s proper duty, so why say that there “are loyal ministers”? Because the ruler has lost control and the way of the minister has declined. Flatterers gain power and keep the ruler in darkness, bringing calamity and disorder. Then some risk their lives, give themselves up to danger, and uphold the state; only then do they earn the name “loyal ministers.”

Interpretation: To speak frankly and courageously is called “loyalty.” The Spring and Autumn Annals says that loyalty means securing the state. A minister’s service to the ruler rests on loyalty; one who is filial to their parents will also be loyal in serving the ruler. Flattering and fawning are called “sycophancy”; failing to understand what is right is called “darkness”; disorder between those above and below is called “chaos.” When sycophantic ministers surround the ruler and the ruler cannot discern clearly or dismiss them in favor of worthy people, the state falls into darkness and chaos. Once disorder takes hold, conflict follows: enemies threaten from outside, while troubles within the palace walls—internal strife—arise from within. Then worthy ministers give their lives, overcome hardship, and rescue the state from danger. Some achieve fame in their lifetime; others uphold their integrity in death. In this way, the name “loyal minister” is established. But if Tang Yao were ruler and Yu Shun his minister, with the ruler governing as he should and the minister fulfilling the duty of assisting and harmonizing, how could the special praise of “loyal minister” ever become prominent?

Explanatory note: If the transformation brought by the Dao prevailed everywhere, with Wuwei (non-action) and stillness above and below, then the many worthy ministers would all be like Kui and Long, the renowned ministers of Shun, and the proper order of norms would be maintained; all would govern well.

Interpretation: When the Dao’s teachings prevail, the ruler practices Wuwei, and those below naturally become still and peaceful. The Book of Songs says, “So many worthy men—through them King Wen found peace.” “Worthy men” means the assembled ministers. Kui and Long assisted Shun. The Book of Documents records that Kui directed music and brought the eight tones into harmony, while Long served as the minister who received and issued the ruler’s commands. “Norms” means standards; “order” means rank; “whereby” means what is so established; “maintained” means arranged in proper sequence; and “govern” means to bring order. The Book of Documents says, “The proper order of norms was maintained,” meaning that Shun had worthy ministers and the established laws were kept on the right course.

Explanatory note: Then the names “loyal” and “filial” would gradually fall away, and the way of simplicity and naturalness would flourish again. Why would anyone need to proclaim “loyal ministers”? These four things—partial distinctions, pride in them, loyal ministers, and political disorder—mark the height of decline. How could we fail to return to the root and restore the original?

Note: This passage begins with “not closing oneself off, great unity,” arguing that the reputation for filial piety can disappear. It then turns to the ironic claim that “when the state is in disorder, there are loyal ministers”: the name of the loyal minister often arises because flatterers advance and the ruler falls into darkness. It next invokes the age of Yao and Shun, along with Kui and Long and the proper order of norms, to show that when the Dao prevails, the names “loyal” and “filial” naturally fade and simplicity and naturalness flourish. The passage thus urges a return to natural simplicity rather than a struggle for reputation.

On Returning to Simplicity

Meaning: “Decline” means deterioration and corruption; “decay” means change and deterioration. “These four” refers to benevolence and righteousness, wisdom, filial devotion and parental care, and loyal ministers. Only when the Great Dao has fallen into disuse and cleverness has multiplied, when households contend and the affairs of the state are in turmoil, do these four labels come to the fore. They were named because corruption had reached its extreme. When great simplicity is destroyed, the pure customs of earlier times become distorted, and De declines as the Dao is lost—can all this be put into words? Thus, once the Great Dao has disappeared from view, inferior De relies on deliberate action; once benevolence and righteousness are put into practice, cleverness and cunning arise; once small acts of kindness are established, great deceit follows; the title of loyal minister becomes prominent in times of darkness and disorder; and filial devotion and parental care are praised in households riven by discord. When decay is extreme and customs have deteriorated, one must return to simplicity. What does it mean to return to simplicity? The next chapter explains this in detail.

Chapter Nineteen: Eliminate Sages and Abandon Wisdom

Commentary: The preceding chapter explained that benevolence and righteousness, and similar ideals, arise after customs have deteriorated and people have lost the Dao. This chapter goes on to explain that if we eliminate various partial and misguided practices and return to simplicity, thieves and robbers will disappear. The first six lines call first for an end to ostentation and self-serving conduct; the next three indicate how to establish proper teachings; the final four show the aims of the path of practice. Meaning: When the Dao falls into disuse and customs become distorted, partial and misguided ideals are given names. To restore simplicity, these ideals must be set aside. Since the four things described in the preceding chapter are not put into practice, this chapter calls for eliminating three things. Filial devotion and parental care will then return of themselves, and theft will not arise. In this way, the customs of simplicity are honored and the harm of selfish desire removed. How extensive are the benefits to all under Heaven!

Eliminate the sages and abandon wisdom, and the people will benefit a hundredfold.

Note: “Eliminate the traces of sages’ teachings” means that instruction returns to Wuwei (non-action); “abandon the use of ordinary people’s clever schemes” means that people return to simplicity. In simplicity, cunning and deceit do not arise; with Wuwei, ostentation and self-serving conduct do not take hold. People retain the harmony bestowed by Heaven, and things are not cut short in their natural life. This is the hundredfold benefit.

Commentary: “Sage” refers to sages who deliberately devise and create; “wisdom” refers to the ordinary world’s cleverness in seeking recognition and advantage. The devising sage leaves traces, while the cleverness that seeks recognition and advantage is not true wisdom. Losing what is genuine gives rise to cunning and deceit; pursuing traces leads people to lose their roots. Therefore, both must be eliminated and abandoned so that simplicity may be preserved. When the harmony bestowed by Heaven flows freely and the pursuit of recognition and advantage ceases, the people gain a hundredfold benefit.

Meaning: The sage of Wuwei and the inwardly illumined wise person respond fully to things, meeting each moment as it comes. Compared with these, the sage and wisdom spoken of here are obscure and leave no trace. But the “sage who devises and creates” and the “wisdom that seeks recognition and advantage” do leave traces. People follow those traces, yet what the traces preserve is not genuine—

Expanded Meaning of the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue

First Passage

General meaning of the original: To cling rigidly to expedient tactics and apply them wholesale takes one farther from the Great Dao. Why? Sagely wisdom and laws are meant to protect the state. But when a great thief arrives, he steals sagely wisdom and its methods along with the state itself. If he cannot steal those methods, he cannot seize the state. This shows that sagely wisdom was devised to defend the state, yet when cunning and deception reach their height, they become the means by which it is plundered. For this reason, the Old Master cautions us: forget “sageliness” and governance will accord with the Dao; once it takes on outward appearances, disorder arises. If we can forget even the traces of what has traces, and cast aside contrived cleverness, simplicity can return and artifice can subside. People will then live in harmony, without injury or premature death; customs will return to simplicity, without resentment or strife; and all will preserve their lives. This is what is meant by “a hundredfold benefit.”

“Cut off benevolence and discard righteousness; the people will return to filial piety and compassion”

Note: Remove the “benevolence” of universal love and discard the “righteousness” that judges right and wrong, and the people will return to a state of great filial piety and compassion.

Commentary: The previous chapter says that benevolence and righteousness arise only when the Great Dao has been abandoned. This chapter says that if benevolence is cut off and righteousness discarded, the people will return to filial piety and compassion. The point is that in the age of the Great Dao, what is called “mysterious sameness” means that people show no partiality in their affections; all are compassionate and filial. When the principle is fulfilled, its outward traces disappear; when a deed is accomplished, its name falls away.

Interpretation: The names “filial piety” and “compassion” become prominent only when harmony among the six relationships has broken down. When the world is guided by the Dao, the transformation of simplicity takes hold again. Once simplicity prevails, everyone is compassionate and filial; this may be called having no private attachments. In this way, benevolence and righteousness as names and outward traces are cut off, while filial piety and compassion within mysterious sameness are restored. To have no private attachments means not to love only one’s own family.

Commentary, continued: Now that the six bonds have fallen into disuse, the names “filial piety” and “compassion” are loudly proclaimed. But if benevolence as universal love is cut off, and righteousness as the judgment of right and wrong is discarded, there will be no trace of fish in a pond rubbing themselves together to moisten one another. Compassion and filial piety will have a natural foundation, and the people can return to great filial piety and compassion.

Interpretation, continued: The six bonds are also called the six relationships: ruler and subject, parent and child, husband and wife. When these six relationships are harmonious, everyone is filial and compassionate. When they are not harmonious, some are filial and some are not; some are compassionate and some are not. Because many are unfilial, the filial stand out by name; because many lack compassion, the compassionate are praised. Benevolence and righteousness come between people and make these names and outward traces conspicuous. If the Great Dao transforms them and the pure customs of antiquity inspire them, then, once benevolence and righteousness as names and outward traces are discarded, the people will return to a state in which all are filial and compassionate. It is like fish on dry land, breathing moisture on one another and wetting one another with their slime: this is a desperate expedient, not their natural condition.

Note: Terms such as “sagely wisdom,” “mysterious sameness,” “the six bonds/six relationships,” and “rubbing together to moisten one another” have been explained briefly in accordance with the original commentary’s approach.

“To moisten one another with their spittle is not as good as forgetting one another amid the rivers and lakes”—what does this mean?

“Moistening each other by spitting on one another” describes mutual affection and an inability to part; “forgetting one another amid the rivers and lakes” means each finds their proper place and lives freely and at ease. Why cling to the petty affections of mutual spittle? Narrowly construed filial devotion and narrowly construed benevolence are both forms of this mutual moistening. The Zhuangzi, in “The Revolution of Heaven,” says that Laozi told Confucius: “If you promote the doctrines of benevolence and righteousness throughout the world, nothing could bring greater disorder. Once benevolence and righteousness are put into practice, they only unsettle people’s hearts. Better to let the people of the world retain their unspoiled simplicity, move with the wind, and stand firm through total De (Virtue/Power). Why hurry about as if carrying a war drum while searching for a lost child? The unadorned black and white need no explanation, and the spectacle of fame need not be spread far and wide. Fish moistening one another with their spittle are not as good as forgetting one another amid the rivers and lakes; people showing benevolence toward one another are not as good as forgetting one another in the arts of the Dao.”

“Cut off cleverness and discard profit, and there will be no thieves or robbers.”

Note: When people boast of ingenious but unorthodox skills, they inevitably develop a desire to compete for gain. So cut off cleverness, and people will not compete; discard profit, and people will be content. Then there will be no thieves or robbers.

Commentary: “Cut off cleverness” means putting an end to petty ingenuity such as carving and embellishment, illegality, and excess. “Discard profit” means abandoning unrighteous gains such as pursuing wealth, seizing others’ property, and embezzling. Thieves and robbers arise from envy, desire, and a sense of lack. Now, if cleverness is cut off, people will not compete; if profit is discarded, people will be content. When each person is content, who would still become a thief or robber? Hence the phrase “there will be none.”

Explanation: What use is craftsmanship in carving, embellishment, or excess if the work is not fit for its purpose? A man of Wei carved a monkey from a thorn, and a man of Song fashioned a leaf from catalpa wood: these things merely please the eye and ultimately unsettle the heart. They should be cut off. Pursuing wealth impedes one’s conduct; seizing others’ property deprives them; embezzling involves deception. If any of these applies, how is it not theft? Reject and discard such things, follow your proper share, and be content. What thieves or robbers could there be? Another interpretation: Those who cultivate the Dao should cut off the ingenuity of inner cravings and desires, the profit of worldly glamour, the keen pursuits of the six emotions, and the attachments of the six faculties. Then the Three Origins will be pure, and the six thieves will naturally disappear.

“These three teachings, taken as prose, are not sufficient, so I have made them point to something.”

Note: These three teachings—cutting off sageliness and discarding wisdom, cutting off benevolence and discarding righteousness, and cutting off cleverness and discarding profit—merely tell people what to cut off and discard. They have yet to explain how to cultivate the Way. Therefore, this prose is insufficient as instruction, and must be made to point toward something: namely, what follows.

Commentary: The three teachings are, first, cutting off sageliness and discarding wisdom; second, cutting off benevolence and discarding righteousness; and third, cutting off cleverness and discarding profit.

A Plain-Language Interpretation of the Scripture

On the Three Phrases “Sever Cleverness and Discard Profit,” and the Like

“Sever cleverness and discard profit” is the third of the three precepts. These precepts merely tell people what to give up; they do not yet describe concrete practices. For that reason, the scripture’s wording is not sufficient to establish them as teachings on their own. They must be connected to what follows and put into practice there, in the phrases “see the plain and embrace the uncarved,” and the like.

Explanation: When people discard sage wisdom, they can enjoy its benefits in peace. When everyone discards humaneness and righteousness, people can recover filial devotion and compassion. When the people discard cleverness and profit, they will not become thieves. Once these three things have been severed and discarded, people must be shown how to cultivate the true and return to antiquity. That is why the text says, “These three are insufficient in the wording”: they must be connected to what follows.

See the Plain and Embrace the Uncarved; Have Few Selfish Desires and Few Wants

Note: See what is truly plain, embrace what is genuinely simple, have few selfish and wrongful thoughts, and few greedy desires.

Commentary: To sever sage wisdom and discard cleverness, one must always keep to what is truly plain.

Explanation: To be one with desirelessness is to be plain and uncarved. When people are plain and uncarved, their nature is preserved. With no knowledge-seeking and no desires, one accords with what is truly plain; when one accords with what is truly plain, the traces of sage wisdom disappear.

Commentary: To sever humaneness and discard righteousness, one must hold fast to simplicity.

Explanation: If one keeps the heart grounded in natural sincerity and simplicity, then humaneness expressed as universal love and righteousness expressed as judging what is wrong will both disappear.

Commentary: To sever cleverness and discard profit, one must have few selfish and wrongful thoughts, and few greedy desires.

Explanation: When selfish and wrongful thoughts do not stain one’s nature, and greed does not arise in the heart, cleverness that leads to excess and profit seized for oneself will both disappear.

Commentary: The three acts of severing are insufficient in the wording, but with the addition of the four practices, they are more than sufficient for cultivating oneself. To keep wrongful thoughts in check within the heart, one must draw on inner practice.

Explanation: The six things—sage wisdom, humaneness, righteousness, cleverness, and profit—can initially be used to help others, but clung to in the end, they obstruct the Great Dao. Deceit and theft arise from them. Severing and discarding them allows one to return to what is truly plain. Once the plain has been restored, inner cultivation can support it further; the four practices are then brought to light at the end of the text, forming the essential subtlety of the true Dao.

When sages establish visible models, cleverness born of pride and deceit arises. Humaneness begins from a lack of humaneness, and righteousness emerges from a lack of righteousness. Filial devotion is praised because it is absent, and compassion is displayed because it is lacking. If one can sever what is visible and contrived, one returns naturally to the highest compassion and filial devotion. When excess and artifice are cast aside, selfishness subsides; when selfish gain subsides, theft does not arise. Then the ruler can set his ceremonial headdress in the realm of simplicity and put an end to thoughts in the domain of selfish desire. The people attain wealth and long life, and the state enjoys enduring prosperity. Such is the effect of a ruler practicing the Dao. As for removing cravings and desires from the heart and washing away the dust and grime from the body, this is to accord with the highest Dao. (If the following text is incomplete, the passage is concluded here in keeping with its original meaning.)

Note: The latter part of the original may be damaged in transmission. This translation connects the visible phrases according to their apparent meaning. Technical expressions such as “set his ceremonial headdress” (maintain a dignified bearing) and “the four practices” have been retained and briefly explained.

Cut away the distracting thoughts of vanity and ambition, and uproot the attachments that keep you bound. Then the six thieves—the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—will no longer stir up trouble.

When the Qi of the upper, middle, and lower Three Origins flows freely and remains balanced, the Four Practices—perhaps four virtues or four methods of cultivation—can also be put into practice. With sustained inner contemplation, what could remain beyond reach? These are the results that may be seen from cultivating according to this method.

The “six thieves” are how Daoist traditions often describe the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind: six faculties that can lead a person away from the right path. Cultivation requires keeping them from being led astray by external things.

The “Three Origins” usually refer to three levels within the body associated with Jing, Qi, and Shen, such as the Muddy Pellet, Yellow Court, and Dantian. The aim is to keep them clear and at peace.

The “Four Practices” may refer here to four virtues to uphold or four principles of cultivation. Commentators differ on their precise meaning; broadly, the idea is to cultivate every aspect of body and mind in accordance with the Dao.

“Long gazing” means sustained inner contemplation or keeping to the One, a familiar expression in Neidan and meditative practice. At an advanced stage, the distinctions between near and far, inner and outer, grow less pronounced—hence the question, “What is far?”