《道德真經廣聖義》Vol. 23

Chapter 26: The Heavy Is the Root of the Light

Commentary on the chapter: The previous chapter discussed the realms of the middle, the great, the end, and the beginning. This chapter explains that heaviness and stillness should guide a ruler, warning against treating the world lightly. The opening two lines state the central principle; the next two clarify it through an analogy. Four further lines lament rulers who have lost the Dao, and the final two warn against lightness and agitation.

Explanation: Previously, the ruler was presented as the embodiment of order, with the Dao as the model for Heaven. Here, the teaching on heaviness and stillness cautions against lightness and agitation. It will show the benefits of heaviness and stillness, first by analogy and then by explaining the harm caused by lightness and agitation. Those who attain the Dao and sage rulers who wear the ceremonial crown must put caution first and take calmness as their foundation. When a state is governed through heaviness and stillness, its customs are harmonious and its transformations take hold. When a person preserves themselves through heaviness and stillness, the Dao opens through them and their spirit is at peace. But if one treats one’s responsibilities lightly and conducts oneself in agitation, a ruler’s lightness and agitation leave the people with no model to follow; a mind that is light and agitated cannot safeguard the spirit. When the spirit disperses, the body perishes; when the people fall apart, the state is endangered. This is a profound warning.

Scripture: The heavy is the root of the light; the still is the ruler of the agitated.

Commentary: The heavy can restrain the light, so it is its root. The still can steady the agitated, so it is their ruler.

Explanation: The roots and stems of plants are heavy, while their flowers and leaves are light. The flowers and leaves receive life from the roots and stems, which are therefore their foundation. Hence the saying, “The heavy is the root of the light.” Heaviness brings stillness, while lightness brings agitation. Since the heavy is the root of the light, stillness is the ruler of agitation. We can see that heaviness has the power to restrain lightness, and stillness the strength to steady agitation. Thus, when authority is weighty, even a thread holding up the nose can lift it; when the mind is still, cravings that make the jaw hang open in eager greed subside of themselves.

Interpretation: Heaviness means calmness and accord with the Dao; agitation means frivolity and the loss of one’s true nature. The analogy makes flowers and leaves light, and roots and stems heavy: the light flowers and leaves are easily damaged, while the heavy roots and stems are hard to harm. This illustrates the practice of cultivation. When a state is governed with heaviness and stillness, the people are at peace; when a person maintains heaviness and stillness, their spirit is tranquil. So when government is about to fall into disorder, accumulate De (Virtue/Power) to stabilize it; when the mind is about to become agitated, cultivate harmony to restrain it. This is the way to restrain lightness and steady agitation, without drawing the reproach of greedy craving.

Lord Zhou Bo was entrusted with the empire because he was grave and steady, while Lord Zhuang of Zhu, rash and hasty, entrusted his state to a blazing furnace.

Zhou Bo, a founding minister of the Western Han, was entrusted by the dying Emperor Gaozu with the affairs of state because he was grave and steady. Lord Zhuang, ruler of Zhu during the Spring and Autumn period, rashly and carelessly entrusted his country to the wrong hands and ultimately brought about his own ruin, like someone cast into a blazing furnace. This is a clear warning to rulers and ministers alike.

“Gaping jaws” comes from the text of the first nine line of the Yi (Book of Changes) hexagram “Jaws.”

“Gaping jaws” comes from the first nine line of the Jing (classic) Zhouyi (Book of Changes), in the hexagram “Jaws.” When people speak or chew food, they move their jaws. A noble person observes the symbolism of the “Jaws” hexagram and so speaks with care and eats in moderation. Early Confucian scholars said that calamity comes out of the mouth and illness enters through it. One must therefore take special care with the jaws—with what one says and what one eats.

The first nine line speaks of “gaping jaws”: a yang line occupies the lowest position and governs movement. At the outset, rather than letting others nourish him, a person actively seeks nourishment for himself. This is rashly pressing ahead in pursuit of gain, and it harms him instead, bringing danger. “Jaws” means nourishment. The jaws are also the hinge of the mouth; as the saying goes, once the hinge moves, honor or disgrace is set in motion. How could one fail to be on guard?

Thus the noble person travels all day without leaving the baggage train.

“Baggage” refers to the supporting carts and the supplies carried on them. This is a metaphor: a ruler should remain grounded and still, like a traveler who does not leave the caravan and its loaded carts. If travelers lose their baggage, they have no provisions and will inevitably suffer hunger and cold. If a ruler delights in frivolous restlessness, his ministers will disperse and disorder will arise. Hence the saying: the noble person goes about his affairs all day without leaving the baggage train.

The commentary says: When a ruler remains grounded and still, affairs are simple and proceed in good order; needs are few and supplies sufficient. He need not impose benevolent policies, for benevolence arises of itself; he need not speak at length, for trust arises of itself. He obtains without seeking and accomplishes without striving. Embracing what is natural and holding fast to what is unadorned, he brings peace to the world. When a person maintains grounded stillness in his own body, harmonious Qi (vital energy) gathers within, and the mind remains calm. Sight and hearing are not confused by external things, nor are desires stirred up within. Life is thereby prolonged.

Though there are splendid sights, dwell at ease and remain detached.

The annotation says: A ruler remains grounded and still. So even if he has magnificent palaces and gardens, he should dwell at ease and remain detached, paying no heed to such empty splendor.

The subcommentary says: When a ruler values grounded stillness, the people are spared needless toil. If he builds lofty terraces and deep pools, and has bells struck and dancers perform as displays of splendor, the people’s strength will be exhausted, and disorder and ruin will follow. Hence the warning: though there are splendid sights, one must still dwell peacefully at ease.

(This passage follows Chapter 26 of the Daodejing: “Heaviness is the root of lightness; stillness is the master of restlessness.” Grounded stillness is the foundation; one should not become frivolous and restless on account of splendid displays.)

Transcendence and distance, taking no notice—This refers to setting one’s aspirations high, distancing oneself from worldly splendor, and paying no heed to things that are showy but without substance.

Explanation: “Splendid displays” refers to grand and lavish pageantry. If a ruler merely flaunts such displays within sight and hearing, exhausts the people’s strength on extravagance, and lets feminine beauty and adornment unsettle his mind, the fall of the state and his own disgrace may follow in the blink of an eye. Even when surrounded by magnificent terraces and splendid displays, one should remain detached and unmoved. “Ease” means comfort; “transcendence” means rising above and going beyond. Even if such displays are present, are they truly worth taking pleasure in?

High terraces and deep pools—In the winter of the twentieth year of Duke Zhao, in the tenth month, Duke Jing of Qi developed scabies that turned into malaria and did not recover when expected. Many of the feudal lords who came to inquire after his health remained at Liangqiu. The two ministers Ju and Yikuan told Duke Jing: “We have served the spirits more generously than our former rulers did. Now your illness has made the feudal lords anxious. This is the fault of the prayer and record officials. The lords may think we have been irreverent. Why not execute Zhu Gu and Shi Xiao to give the guests an explanation?” Duke Jing was pleased and told Yan Zi.

Yan Zi said: “At the Covenant of Song, Qu Jian asked Zhao Wu about Fan Hui’s virtue. Zhao Wu replied: ‘He governed his household well and served the state of Jin with wholehearted impartiality. His prayer and record officials made their offerings and reports truthfully, with nothing to trouble their consciences. There was no suspicion in household affairs, and the prayer and record officials did not make false requests for blessings.’ Jian told King Kang, who said: ‘When neither spirits nor people have grievances, that is why the Master assisted five rulers and became leader among the feudal lords.’” (The five rulers were Wen, Xiang, Ling, Cheng, and Jing.)

Duke Jing said: “Ju and Kuan said I serve the spirits well, and so I wanted to kill the prayer and record officials. Why did you cite that story?” Yan Zi replied: “When a virtuous ruler is diligent in public and private affairs, bears no resentment toward those above or below him, and acts without transgression, his prayer and record officials make their offerings and reports truthfully, with clear consciences. The spirits accept them, the state receives blessings, and the officials share in those blessings. Thus blessings endure and life is long: this is because a trustworthy ruler directs them. Their words to the spirits are faithful.

“But when a disorderly ruler acts perversely in public and private affairs, suffers resentment from those above and below him, behaves contrary to what is right, indulges his desires and serves his own interests, builds high terraces and deep pools, sounds bells and keeps dancing women, cuts down the people’s strength and extracts wealth to satisfy his private desires, gives no thought to those who come after him, acts with brutality and unrestrained excess, and neither considers the people’s criticism nor fears the spirits—then, though the spirits are angry and the people suffer, he has no wish to change. In such circumstances, when his prayer and record officials make offerings and reports, they are praising his crimes. If they hide his faults and falsely praise him, they are deceiving and falsifying the truth. Their words and actions have no sound basis.”

(Note: In ancient times, prayer and record officials were responsible for sacrifices and record-keeping. Liangqiu was a place in Qi. Yan Zi, also known as Yan Ying, was a prominent minister of Qi.)

A Discussion in Plain Language

(Yan Zi Remonstrates with Duke Jing: The Ritual Officers and the Curses)

When a ruler’s words are empty and showy, and he does nothing but flatter, the spirits will not protect his state; instead, they will bring calamity upon it. The ritual officers, who conduct sacrifices and pray to the spirits, take part in this as well. That is why there are so many people who die young, lose their senses, are orphaned, or become disabled: a tyrant has driven the officers to act in this way. Such words are presumptuous and disrespectful toward the spirits.

Duke Jing asked, “Then what should be done?” Yan Zi replied, “It must not be done that way. The trees in the mountains and forests are watched over by the Henglu, minor officials in charge of woodland; the reeds in the marshes are watched over by the Zhoujiao; the firewood in the wetlands is watched over by the Yuhou; and the saltworks by the sea are watched over by the Qiwang. The people of the counties and outlying districts obey the government’s orders, yet the officials at the Fugaizhi passes levy private taxes by force. Hereditary ministers seize bribes through coercion. In the marketplaces, taxes are imposed without regard for proper rules, and the people are plundered without limit. The palaces are enlarged day after day, and extravagant amusements never cease. Favored concubines in the inner court seize goods at the markets as they please; favored ministers outside the court issue false orders in the countryside. The ruler’s private desires and demands are supplied and indulged, and when they are not, people are forced to make do. The people are sick at heart, and husbands and wives alike utter curses. If curses have power, then prayers, too, can do harm. Let us, for the moment, confine the power of these curses to the west of Guyou in the east. He has harmed so many people that even the most skilled prayers of the ritual officers cannot outweigh the curses of millions upon millions. If the ruler wishes to punish the ritual officers, he must first put his government in order and cultivate De.”

Duke Jing was pleased. He ordered the responsible officials to ease the people’s burdens: the passes and restrictions were abolished, taxes were reduced, and old debts were forgiven. In the twelfth month, Duke Jing went hunting at Pei.

The passage means that Yan Zi explained what would benefit the ruler. Duke Jing listened to his remonstrance and cultivated De; his illness soon improved, and he hurried off to hunt.

How Can the Ruler of Ten Thousand Chariots Treat His Own Person Lightly and the Realm as Worthless?

Commentary: “How can it be?” expresses grief and regret. “The realm” means the supreme treasure: the highest position of authority. The question is how a ruler could indulge his personal desires and use his own person recklessly, to the point of losing that supreme position.

Explanatory note: The Son of Heaven’s directly administered domain extended across a million ti; it yielded 640,000 units of tax revenue and supplied a million warhorses and ten thousand chariots. Hence he was called the ruler of ten thousand chariots. “How can it be?” expresses sorrow and lamentation; “the realm” means the supreme treasure. The ruler of ten thousand chariots should unite the whole world under his rule and ensure that his descendants number in the thousands of millions, with the main and collateral branches of his family flourishing for a hundred generations. If he establishes things well, transformation comes through Wuwei; if he holds firmly to the Dao, the whole world will return to benevolence. Yet, entrusted with this weighty power, he gives himself over to pleasure, indulges his desires, and falls into ruin along with those around him. To treat the supreme position as worthless for the sake of personal desire is deeply lamentable; hence the words, “How can it be?”

Meaning: The Son of Heaven takes Heaven as his father and Earth as his mother. He makes offerings to the High God and inherits the mandate of Vast Heaven. The ruler of ten thousand chariots should ensure that his descendants number in the thousands of millions, with the main and collateral branches of his family flourishing for a hundred generations. If he establishes things well, transformation spreads through Wuwei; if he holds firmly to the Dao, the whole world returns as one to benevolence. Yet, entrusted with this weighty power, he gives himself over to pleasure, indulges his desires, and falls into ruin along with those around him. He treats the supreme position as worthless for the sake of personal desire; therefore the text asks, “How can it be?”

Colloquial Exposition of the Expansive Commentary on the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue

The Son of Heaven—a title of honor for an emperor, meaning “son of Heaven”—is also a ruler who follows Heaven’s example, practices the Dao, and nurtures the people. That is why he is called the Son of Heaven.

“Territory” refers to a realm’s land and its four borders. “Ten thousand well-fields” refers to the well-field system, in which land was divided into square plots shaped like the character for “well.” A square li of land made one “well”: one li in both length and width. A million such wells would make a realm roughly one hundred thousand li in area. It could supply a million horses for war and ten thousand chariots, with one chariot unit usually comprising a chariot and its accompanying troops. Its taxes and wealth would be immense, and it would command all under Heaven. Thus its ruler was called the “lord of ten thousand chariots.”

In the military regulations established by Tian Rangju, Grand Marshal of Qi and a renowned general who reorganized the army, there was a system for assessing chariot levies. Its measurements began with the bu. A step taken with one foot was a kui, three chi long; a stride with both feet was a bu, six chi long. One hundred bu made a mu: a plot six chi wide and one hundred bu long, totaling six hundred chi. The mu was named for its nurturing function, like a mother. One hundred mu made a fu, meaning a farmer. The Rites of the King says that a first-rank farmer was allotted one hundred mu of land for his livelihood. Three fu made a wu. Taken together, this meant a plot one hundred bu long and three hundred bu wide. The term also referred to a household: husband and wife, with their children, formed one family and one wu. Three wu made a well. Each wu was one hundred bu long and one li wide; the land of three wu therefore formed a square li, called a “well.” The irrigation channels between the farmers’ plots ran lengthwise and crosswise, forming the shape of the character for “well.”

Why was it called a well? A mu was six chi wide and one hundred bu long. It was plowed with a si, an agricultural implement five cun wide. Two si working together were called an ou, one chi wide, as in the paired plowing of Chang Ju and Jie Ni. Since the mu was six chi wide, plowing with an ou left a ridge-side channel called a quan to carry water. A farmer’s field had a doubled headland, two chi wide and two chi deep, called a sui. Nine farmers’ plots made one well. The channels between wells were four chi wide and four chi deep, and were called gou. The sui channels connected in a pattern like the character for “well,” which is why the system was called the well-field system.

Ten wells made a tong. Combined, their land was one li long and ten li wide, a total of thirty li in extent, and together they supplied one shi, or soldier, and two tu, or laborers. Ten tongs made a cheng. A territory ten li across was called a cheng; in military levies, it furnished one chariot unit. Each cheng supplied one armored chariot, ten soldiers, and twenty laborers. A state with a thousand chariots had a thousand cheng of land and supplied ten thousand soldiers and twenty thousand laborers. A state with ten thousand chariots had ten thousand cheng of land and supplied ten thousand war chariots, one hundred thousand soldiers, and two hundred thousand laborers. This is the general meaning of the Sima Fa, an ancient account of military levies and land organization.

Plain-Language Interpretation

The Complete Formula

The complete Ma Ge completed the highest pearl of the seal, placed the Taiji mirror at its center, and diligently established the free passage to and from the practice of the Heavenly Dao.

Before and after this, the two masters, Ji Yi and Ji Cheng, presided over the rites, inspected the gateways, and opened the ceremony, bringing the Sixteen Treasures into view. The disciples observed the rules, set out on the Way, and waited calmly for the ceremony to unfold.

That year, the two attendants Ji Yi and Ji Cheng carried the Daochu Elixir and lit incense offered from many places. Everyone believed that their calls and chants moved Heaven and Earth, bringing the rite to completion on the sixth day of the first lunar month. When asked about the Heavenly Questions, virtuous attendants and petitioners who had come from afar arrived at the crucial moment to listen. The chosen disciples discussed a shared date and year, then compiled a new manual. One rule in the manual advised keeping a wooden seal for safety. The Gate Master, deeply troubled, accepted the seal to disperse the crowd, but faced an invading force and was killed. Fearing the same fate, he went to the Eastern Sea and personally stamped the seal before the Shrine of Tan Jun. He then hid in the mountains, waiting until the Seven Stars were visible before burying the Five Seals. Reflecting on the rites of past years, he realized that his own power had waned. He built a relay station on the mountain and waited for the right generation, consulting ancient books to explain his actions.

The Final Transmission

He lived to the age of one hundred, firmly believing in the Three Treasures, and endured many lonely nights without wavering. He kept hidden knowledge in his spiritual heart and prepared ten scriptures from ancient methods. Sitting by the window at night, he wondered how many people in the future would attain awakening. In this way, he established a complete ritual system, ensuring that later generations could not claim ignorance of the 336 great accomplishments or of the foundations of the entire celestial realm. Called the Rites of the Original Dao, the system consisted of eighty-one Heavenly Manuals and encompassed the complete Way of the Heavenly Dao. With these records, people far removed in time could find De (Virtue/Power), and everyone regarded them as essential to understanding the teachings.

Heaven and Earth continued to honor the Mandate of Heaven, signifying a profound transformation of the old teachings for a new age. Thus, the transmission of the teachings arose from a sincere heart intertwined with cosmic truth. The scrolls defined the attendants’ roles: they burned books and passed manuscripts to disciples as guides for practice.

The Way of Magic

Ji Yi formally recognized the authority of practitioners to oversee the rites of the Heavenly Records and accepted the Heavenly Seal. From the first Heavenly Question onward, eleven disciples focused on the visible signs of completion, chanting the Heavenly Commands until the rite reached a peaceful conclusion. Throughout their adventures, the participants lived by the principles of Heavenly Guidance. They now understood that their role was to light the way for future seekers.

After the rite, observers noticed its successful transformation and the emergence of future generations who would embrace these practices, knowing that they had completed the great chain begun by their ancestors. The attendants held firmly to the center and kept their vows as Heavenly light poured down its blessings.

The Writing of the Teachings

Before laying the foundations, Ma Ge discussed the possibility that an entire generation might fail to understand the depth of the Heavenly Questions on which those foundations rested. He made sure that a comprehensive treatise would clearly explain the spiritual path, declaring that understanding the precepts would guide future attendants.

In the years that followed, many of these writings took shape as practices rooted in the community. Firmly grounded in the established principles, the attendants revived teachings that had fallen into decline, rekindling the fire of Heavenly awakening among all who sought enlightenment through devout dedication.

Conclusion

Thus ends the first book of the Heavenly Records on the Heavenly Questions and the rites, traditionally preserved as a pillar of wisdom for all who will follow the glorious path ahead. With its spiritual legacy and writings intact, future generations will surely draw from this source of celestial knowledge.

Plain-language interpretation

Main point of the passage: How can those who have fled into exile or been put to death still serve their ruler? Hence the saying, “Acting rashly and recklessly leads to losing the ruler’s trust.” Here, ministers are being warned once again.

Explanation, line by line:

• Bang and fei: Slandering and insulting the ruler.
• Ganqiu: Improperly seeking office or profit.
• Zhakuang: Deceiving and misleading.
• Cuan: Fleeing or being banished.
• Ji: Putting someone to death.
• Shen: Reiterating and strengthening the warning.

If ministers crave wealth and status, rush recklessly ahead, or treat the affairs of state with contempt, they may be put to death in the worst cases or driven into exile in lesser ones. These are not calamities sent down by Heaven; they have first lost the ruler’s trust through their own actions. How much less can those who cultivate the Great Dao harbor rash and frivolous conduct? How could such behavior accord with an intention of calm harmony and empty stillness? The word “shen” therefore serves as a repeated admonition. Ancient examples include the Three Miao being relocated and Gun, the minister who failed to control the floods, being put to death.

Connection to Daoist cultivation: Drawing on the proper conduct between ruler and minister, this passage shows that “restlessness” invites disaster and loss of position. The same applies to those who cultivate the Dao: they must not bring rashness into their practice. Only by maintaining stillness and emptiness can they accord with the meaning of the classic.