《道德真經廣聖義》Vol. 44

Those who cultivate the Dao should practice wuwei (non-action): in daily affairs aim for “no entanglement,” and in encountering flavors aim for “no fixation on taste.” Here wuwei does not mean doing nothing at all; it means not letting the heart be dragged by artificial striving and desire. The cultivator, through zuowang (sitting in stillness and forgetting stray thoughts and cravings), keeps the heart from clinging to the need to “make something happen.” “No entanglement” is to act without getting stuck on what one has done; “no fixation on taste” is to meet flavors without sinking into them. When heart, body, and mouth are all purified in this way, the dust of the senses that the mind touches naturally subsides.

From birth a person carries what are called the three karmas—the deeds enacted through heart, body, and mouth. Heart karma arises from thoughts; though invisible, it can drive a person’s conduct. When one has cultivated wuwei, heart karma becomes pure. Body karma arises from bodily activity; it has form and trace. When one achieves “no entanglement” in action, body karma becomes pure. Mouth karma includes speech and attachment to flavors; by “forgetting words” and not clinging to tastes, mouth karma becomes pure. When the three karmas are stilled, worldly toil and affliction are purified as well, and the cultivator can align with the true Dao.

Governing a state can follow the same wuwei: do not insist on forced, contrived measures, and do not levy labor on the people during busy farming seasons, so that commoners everywhere are not worn down by disturbance. When the ruler sits at ease and accords with the Great Dao, governance can be carried out with composure. “No entanglement” here means not repeatedly conscripting corvée labor and not single-mindedly chasing military glory; it means not raising splendid jade halls and chambers, nor constructing magnificent palaces on the scale of the Afang or Huqi palaces of old. Keep palace buildings plain, and the people’s strength can be preserved.

The General Meaning of the Scripture

On “Taste” and “Forgetting Words”

Those who truly understand “taste” do not become absorbed in fine wine or crave delicacies. They let birds and beasts live as they should, and aquatic creatures follow their own course of life, while they themselves are content with plain food. “Forgetting words” means guiding the people by setting an example of upright conduct, keeping commands simple and free of needless complication, and remaining calm and free of desire. The people are naturally transformed in this way, in accord with the Dao of Wuwei (non-action).

“Difficult and easy, great and small; repay resentment with De”

Note: When people indulge their feelings and desires, everything becomes difficult and every matter seems great. To plan for what is difficult and accomplish what is great, one should act before one’s nature has become scattered and before one has overstepped one’s proper bounds—that is, by attending to what is easy and small.

Commentary: “Plan” means to consider and measure; “act” means to strive and make things happen. Feelings and desires harm one’s nature gradually: everything begins with what is easy and ends in difficulty, starts small and later grows great. If one waits until disorder has already arisen before planning for difficulty or acting on what is great, then scheming and indulgence are of no help with troubles that have already taken hold.

Meaning: A ruler who does not act and treats affairs as if there were nothing to do remains calm and at ease, roaming alone with the Dao. The people below have no grievances to voice, and there are no weapons at the borders. Even those who rebel will surely become gentle of their own accord. This is like Shun transforming Youmiao by dancing with shield and feathered banners: it is “repaying resentment with De.” For those who cultivate themselves, when the three forms of action are purified and no evils arise, external things cannot disturb them. What resentment or anger could there be? With resentment and anger gone, they hold fast to clarity and emptiness. This, too, is “repaying resentment with De.”

“Plan for difficulty while it is easy; act on what is great while it is small”

Note: For those who indulge their feelings and desires, nothing they do is easy and no undertaking is small. To consider what is difficult and bring about what is great, one should act before one’s nature becomes scattered and before one exceeds one’s proper bounds—that is, while things are still easy and small.

Commentary: Feelings and desires harm one’s nature gradually. Everything begins with what is easy and ends in difficulty, starts small and later grows great. If one waits until difficulty has taken hold before planning for it, or until something great has arisen before acting on it, then disorder has already begun. Indulgent schemes cannot help with troubles that have already started.

Meaning: To have no affairs and no action is to avoid treating anything as “difficult” or “great.” One acts when things are just beginning to stir in the mind and the conditions for action are just emerging, rather than waiting to restrain them once they have become great difficulties. Matters are settled while they are still small and easy: the mind remains empty and still, and when principle brings things into order, all is secure and true.

In the Commentary, this passage explains the meaning of the preceding section: one should prepare in advance and make plans early.

In the Explication, “arise” means “come into being.” The text continues by explaining where troubles come from: difficult things often emerge from what “seems easy,” so one should find a way to address them while they are still easy; great things often begin in what is “small,” so one should deal with them while they are still minute. Such cases are too many to list one by one, so the text uses “under Heaven” to refer to them collectively.

In the Meaning, preventing disaster before there are any signs of it, and cutting off trouble before it has begun to take root, is the height of caution. Illness often grows out of the slightest neglect, and calamity often begins in the tiniest detail. If one takes precautions early, how could there be any great and intractable trouble? The broad phrase “under Heaven” is meant to remind people to guard against small problems before they grow, in every action and in every undertaking, whether in movement or stillness.

Therefore, the sage never makes a show of greatness, and so is able to accomplish what is truly great.

The Commentary explains that, since the preceding passage says “great things must begin in the small,” this passage clarifies that the sage achieves greatness precisely by not treating difficult things as occasions to display prowess, or great things as occasions to show off. In this way, the sage attains a position of honor and greatness.

The Explication says that the preceding passage has already shown how ordinary people are always eager to show off their ability to handle difficulty and greatness. As a result, they make many changes, fail often, and encounter many difficulties. The sage, by contrast, never makes a show of handling difficulty or greatness, and so attains an honored and eminent position.

In the Meaning, loyalty and trustworthiness come first in how one conducts oneself. If one “is as careful at the end as at the beginning,” trouble will find it hard to intrude. Make promises lightly or take shortcuts in carrying out tasks, and one will be entangled in future troubles: the principle is indeed clear. That is why the old books praise Xie Yang for “not changing his command” and Zhong You for “never putting off a promise”; both have been admired throughout the ages.

A promise made lightly is seldom kept; treating too many things as easy leads to many difficulties.

The Commentary says that this is a concluding analogy. To promise without thinking it through is to promise lightly, and such promises are seldom kept faithfully. To act without “planning carefully at the outset and being cautious to the end,” treating one’s undertakings too casually, will bring trouble later.

In the Meaning, therefore, the sage still treats “difficulty” seriously—making no promises lightly and taking no shortcuts—and so in the end faces no great difficulty or trouble.

The Commentary explains that the sage also takes precautions against promising lightly and treating things too casually, and therefore ultimately faces no great difficulty.

The Explication says that the sage is a ruler who possesses the Dao. Still, the sage remains cautious about making promises lightly and treating things too casually, and therefore ultimately faces no great difficulty or trouble.

The meaning is this: A ruler who has the Dao and a person who cultivates the self do not make promises lightly. They remain composed and follow what is constant; they do not entertain the thought that everything is easy. Calm and harmonious, they respond to things as they come. Thus, in governing a state, they win the people’s trust through sincerity; in cultivating themselves, they put an end to faults and excesses, cut off flaws that are difficult to remedy, and accord with the Dao of Wuwei (non-action).

Chapter 64: What Is at Rest Is Easy to Hold

Commentary: The previous chapter clarified Wuwei and mysterious stillness, showing how to bring things to rest. This chapter explains how to anticipate trouble and prevent it, setting out the practice of cutting off attachments and abandoning desires. The first six lines repeatedly clarify how trouble develops and can be prevented. The next six lines use examples to show how trouble arises. Two further lines discuss the delusion of acting through fixation. Another six lines explain the conduct that sets the sage apart from ordinary people. The final seven lines develop the meaning of the sage’s having no desires and no learning, and consider the ordinary person’s wish to hold and plan for things while they are still easy.

The meaning is this: The previous chapter warned that acting in two ways leads to difficulty and trouble; this one clarifies the practice of the “Four Easies.” It urges thorough cultivation, caution even about the slightest beginnings, and the letting go of attachment to action. It then sets out the sage’s conduct as a way to put an end to the failings of the masses. Finally, it explains the removal of both desire and learning, and the refusal to be stained by esteem or affection, in keeping with the next chapter’s teaching on “being good at the Dao.”

What Is at Rest Is Easy to Hold

Commentary: “At rest” means still and quiet; “to hold” means to maintain. People say that when a person is born, their original nature is pure and still, but once stirred by things, they pursue desires without end. Here the text explains that when the mind of desire has not yet stirred and one is still and quiet, it is easy to guard this state and keep it from scattering. Hence it says, “What is at rest is easy to hold.”

The meaning is this: When one’s original nature is still and quiet, and appetites and desires have not yet arisen, it is easy to guard and maintain it. This is like cutting through solid ice when frost first forms: by reason, it is no difficult matter. It is also like setting a wheel in motion before it is fitted to a great carriage: its unworked simplicity can still be seen. Let this be the basis of cultivation, which holds within it what is true and constant. The stirring that comes from encountering things is the principle described in the Book of Rites, in the chapter “Record of Music.”

What Has Not Yet Shown Signs Is Easy to Plan For

Note: When a person’s original nature is still and quiet, one can hold it and keep it from scattering. Next, when desire is about to arise but the mind has not yet taken visible shape, it is very easy to consider how to cut it off and prevent it from arising.

Commentary: “Signs” means the first stirrings; “plan” means to assess and devise a course. When feelings and desires are about to arise but have not yet begun to stir, it is also very easy to assess the situation and cut them off. Hence it says, “What has not yet shown signs is easy to plan for.”

When desire has just begun to arise, before it has taken visible form, one should consider how to put an end to it. At this point, it is easiest to do so. True wisdom lies in perceiving the faintest signs; true ability lies in stopping desire before it takes shape. Nothing is a greater good than perceiving subtle signs and curbing desire.

“What is soft is easy to break.”

Commentary: Desire has stirred in the heart, but is still weak and fragile, not yet firmly established. At this point, it is easy to eliminate.

Explanation: The signs of desire have appeared, but it has not yet become an obstinate fixation. Breaking what is soft by striking at what is fragile is not difficult in principle. The key is whether one can decisively cut it off, with a sincere and clear mind, and restore one’s original, pure nature.

“What is minute is easy to disperse.”

Note: When desire first takes hold, the heart is still fragile and unsettled. Whoever can cut it off will find that what is fragile is easy to break. When calamity first arises, its signs are still minute. If one guards against it at the sprout, what is minute is easy to disperse.

Commentary: “Minute” means subtle. When calamity is still slight and has not grown large, guarding against it at the outset can make it dissolve and subside. This, too, is very easy.

Explanation: Desire has become firmly established, yet the matter is still at a subtle stage. Restraining emotion to dissolve it, curbing desire to set it in order, and cleansing thought and purifying the heart bring one close to the Dao. The four lines above explain how to guard against trouble while it is still slight. In governing the state and cultivating oneself, one should first guard against calamity and anticipate danger. Once calamity has taken shape, trying to rescue the situation, or attacking a danger after it has formed, demands ever greater effort, while the trouble remains difficult to remove completely.

“Act before anything exists.”

Note: This continues the preceding phrases “easy to hold” and “easy to plan.” It is easy because one makes preparations before any matter has shown signs of taking shape.

Commentary: “Act” means to cultivate and to cut off. This line explains the earlier phrases “easy to hold” and “easy to plan”: cultivate the practice of cutting off desire before it arises, and harmful desires will not be born. Hence it says, “Act before anything exists.”

Explanation: “Act” means to prepare in advance. Guard against trouble before it arises. Though this restates the meaning of “easy to hold,” it also touches on the principle of preventing trouble before it takes shape. A poem in the Wenxuan says, “The noble person guards against what has yet to occur.” This is what is meant by preventing trouble and avoiding suspicion.

“Set things in order before disorder begins.”

Note: This continues the phrases “easy to break” and “easy to disperse.” It is easy because one brings things under control before calamity and disorder take shape.

Commentary: This line explains “easy to break” and “easy to disperse”: although harmful desires are present, they are still fragile and slight and have not yet become calamity and disorder, so they are easy to manage.

Explanation: “Order” here means to remedy and regulate. Cravings and desires disturb one’s true nature; when that nature is about to be restored, one must first set things right. When one sees clearly what is proper, disorder subsides of itself.

Although the passage above explains ideas such as “easy to break” and “easy to scatter,” it also contains principles for delivering people from harm and governing well. Applied to self-cultivation, these six lines describe the course from desire gradually arising to restraining and subduing it through practice: cutting off desire and resisting emotional attachments in order to avert calamity. Applied to governing a state, they mean: remember danger in times of peace—“It is easy to hold what is at rest”; remember disorder in times of order—“Set things in order before they are in disarray”; think ahead before trouble appears—“Act before anything has come into being”; be alert to calamity in its earliest, faintest signs—“What is subtle is easy to disperse”; prevent trouble before it takes root—“What has not yet shown signs is easy to plan for”; and encourage small acts of goodness while removing small evils—do not neglect a small good because it seems to bring no benefit, or tolerate a small evil because it seems harmless. These six points, broadly speaking, are the essentials of good governance.

“A tree too broad to be encircled grows from a tiny shoot; a nine-tiered tower rises from baskets of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet.”

Note: These three lines use metaphor to show that failing to plan carefully and in good time can lead to trouble later.

Commentary: This passage says that calamity begins in what is minute and takes shape in what is manifest. A tree broad enough to be encircled begins as no more than a tiny shoot. This illustrates what is originally present within one’s nature: it grows from what is minute. A nine-tiered tower rises from basketful after basketful of earth. This illustrates how repeated habits accumulate over time. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step beneath one’s feet. This illustrates that a long journey depends on continuing without stopping. Everything under Heaven truly begins in what is minute, yet people often overlook it, allowing it to become the root of calamity. The text therefore offers these three metaphors to support the meaning of the passage above.

Meaning: People fail to guard against trouble before it arises, and states fail to exercise care over small matters. By the time calamity has formed and they try to eliminate it, or disorder has taken hold and they try to restore order, they have already fallen far behind. A tiny shoot can grow into a tree broad enough to be encircled: the small becomes great. Baskets of earth can be piled into a tiered tower: the low rises high. A thousand-mile journey begins with a step: the near leads to the far. People see only the tree’s great size, the tower’s height, and the journey’s distance. Only then do they try to take an axe to the tree, gather earth to demolish the tower, or gallop after what lies far away. Their toil is already immense, and the calamity can no longer be remedied. So it was when someone stood by the capital gate and cried out, only for Jin to fall into disorder, and when Sha Lu collapsed—a place said to have shown an uncanny omen near the end of the Jin dynasty—nearly bringing down the Han dynasty. One should quietly take these lessons to heart and look far ahead; they deserve close attention.

“Those who act will fail; those who grasp will lose.”

Note: Ordinary people cannot let things follow their natural course. They overreach and strive to force things to go as they wish; in doing so, they violate reason and invite loss.

Plain-Language Interpretation

The passage’s general meaning

Things often go wrong when people cannot let go of their thoughts and act on restless impulses; once they act, they become attached. When people pursue something with attachment, they often lose it, contrary to what they intended.

Commentary (clarifying the wording)

“Striving” means contriving and acting recklessly; “grasping” means holding on with attachment. The point is that people do not wait until affairs have gone wrong or reason has become confused before pursuing more than their proper share. They also cling tenaciously to worldly things. This inevitably leads to calamity, failure, and loss.

Commentary (explaining the principle)

People in the world fail to understand the Great Dao and act recklessly. Striving in ways that go against the Dao inevitably brings ruin and failure. Some cling to “being” or “nonbeing” as the substance of doctrine, instead of following what is natural and keeping to their proper place. Attachment leads to loss; deliberate action leads to failure. This is a general principle. Thus a ruler who seeks to guide the world does not fail through Wuwei (non-action), while a person cultivating the Dao suffers no loss through being free of attachment.

Passage: This is why the sage practices Wuwei and so does not fail; he does not grasp, and so suffers no loss.

Commentary: The sage practices Wuwei and remains calm, so his nature stays whole and does not fail. Empty and free of attachment, he keeps his true nature and does not lose it.

Commentary (explaining the principle): The sage knows that deliberate action goes against the Dao, so he practices Wuwei and does not fail. He knows that attachment goes against true nature, so he does not grasp and suffers no loss. From this we can understand: quiet the mind into stillness and merge with the Dao. The Dao values emptiness and stillness. Those who cultivate the Dao should embody the sage’s mind: calm and free of desire, with no thought or worry, no striving and no deliberate action. Then “a bright light is born in the empty room”—when the mind is empty and clear, wisdom arises of itself.

Passage: When people undertake things, they often fail just as success is nearly within reach.

Commentary: People often begin doing good, then bring it to ruin themselves when they are close to success.

Commentary (clarifying the wording): “Nearly” means close to. Ordinary people often fail to remain careful to the end when their good work is almost complete; they grow lax and spoil it.

Commentary (explaining the principle): The world is in turmoil, and it is hard to keep one’s true heart steady. Desires entangle people, and the subtle Dao is easily forgotten. People may establish merit at first, then suddenly become confused, wavering between advance and retreat. This, too, happens because of deliberate action and attachment, causing failure when success is nearly within reach.

Passage: If you are as careful at the end as at the beginning, no undertaking will fail.

Commentary: If you are careful at the end, just as you were when you first set out to do good, you will avoid calamity and failure.

Commentary (clarifying the wording): Here Laozi offers another warning: if you are as careful at the end as at the beginning, and remain consistent throughout, your undertaking will not fail. A poem says: “All things have a good beginning, but few can see them through to a good end.”

Commentary (explaining the principle): Those who cultivate the Dao will fail just like ordinary people if they cannot entrust themselves to the Dao and instead pursue things beyond their proper share. Only by being as careful at the end as at the beginning can they follow the way of avoiding failure.

Plain-Language Interpretation

Main Idea of the Scripture

Cling to things and you lose your original nature; act willfully, and you will eventually bring about ruin. Thus, cultivating the Dao should be like beginning anew at every moment. Even after gaining the Dao, one should keep promoting it with whatever strength remains, and so attain the state of deathlessness. The sages repeat this admonition out of compassion for the world: people may be diligent at first, then slacken midway, unable to sustain their sincerity to the end. Few can remain steadfast in goodness as they were at the beginning, so the warning is repeated again and again.

The phrase “Few are those who do not make a good beginning” comes from “Dang” in the Greater Odes of the Book of Songs. It means that people are initially taught to be honest and sincere, but later become corrupted by bad customs; those who do good often fail to carry it through to the end. “Mi” means “none”; “xian” means “few”; “ke” means “able.”

“Therefore, the sage desires what is not desired and does not prize goods that are hard to obtain.”

Commentary: “Goods that are hard to obtain” refers to things beyond one’s proper share, absent from one’s inborn nature. The sage has no desires among the things people desire and does not seek what lies beyond their proper share. In this way, the sage can always preserve what is natural. This is what is meant by “does not prize goods that are hard to obtain.”

Explanatory note: Here the sage’s conduct is used to criticize ordinary people. “Goods that are hard to obtain” refers inwardly to what is absent from one’s inborn nature, and outwardly to pearls, jade, and other treasures. The sage “desires what is not desired”: inwardly, the sage does not seek what lies beyond their proper share; outwardly, the sage does not pursue “treasures” that would diminish De. Hence the saying, “does not prize goods that are hard to obtain.”

Meaning: The conduct of the great sage rises above worldly troubles. Love and desire cannot disturb the sage, nor can prosperity and decline exert pressure. Outwardly, the sage has no hope of enriching the household; inwardly, no wish to exceed what is proper. In this way, the sage urges those who govern to regard worthy people as their treasure, and those cultivating the Way to follow the Dao.

“Pearl”: Some are an inch in diameter and shine brightly enough to illuminate twelve carriages; these were prized by the ancients. “Rhinoceros horn”: Beyond the southern frontier there were oxen weighing over a thousand jin, with a single horn growing from the tip of the nose. The horn could be made into a treasure. When broken, it displayed patterns; when opened through, these formed images. Some were said to repel dust, others water. Ground and taken as medicine, the horn could counteract gu poison. Chickens were startled by it at night, so it was called “chicken-startling rhinoceros horn.” It was prized both in ancient and modern times. “Treasure”: Gold, jade, rare and unusual things, and plants, feathers, and other items widely considered valuable are all called treasures. “Cowrie”: In the Eastern Sea, there are shellfish with patterned shells resembling conches, some a foot long and prized as treasures. In the sea they are called shelled creatures; on land they are called biao, and in water, han (pronounced gan). In ancient times, cowries were used as currency and tortoise shells were treasured. The Zhou used spade money and cowries; the Qin abolished cowries and used coins. The character “bei” is pictographic. Today, many characters related to wealth and goods—including those for money, gifts, rewards, tribute, and presents—contain the “shell” radical.

Key Phrases from the Original (for reference)

Plain-Language Commentary

On “wealth” and ancient coins

Many characters related to wealth are written with the “shell” radical, because shells were used as money in ancient times. An old poem says: “Accumulating wealth becomes a burden; the foolish do not understand.” Too much wealth can, in fact, burden one’s De. In ancient times, currency was divided into three grades: pearls and jade were the highest, gold was the middle grade, and knives and cloth—the metal and textile currencies—were the lowest. Rulers used these to govern the realm.

“Study what is not studied; return to what the multitude has gone too far in”

Commentary: Ordinary people covet rare goods, so they cultivate appearances, pursue, and admire “learning,” trying to make up for what is absent from their innate nature. The sage does not seek learning beyond what is appropriate and always preserves natural nature. The phrase “study what is not studied” means returning to the multitude’s kind of “excessive learning”—that is, ceasing to study what goes beyond one’s proper measure.

Explanation: The sage’s mind accords with the Great Void, and the Dao runs through Heaven and Earth. The sage therefore does not pursue learning beyond what is appropriate. The phrase “study through not studying” warns ordinary people against boasting of or pursuing such things. If practitioners can grasp the sage’s intent and give up this pride and striving, they will avoid overstepping their proper measure and misusing wealth.

“To assist the natural course of the myriad things, and dare not act”

Commentary: The sage does not seek learning beyond what is appropriate. The phrase “study what is not studied” is meant to lead people back from the multitude’s excessive learning, so that they instead assist the inherent nature of the myriad things. Thus they do not dare to pursue conventional learning or indulge in excessive desires.

Commentary: “Assist” means to support; “natural” means the inherent nature of things. Living beings give rise to delusion and lose their original nature. Through compassion, the sage guides and encourages people to learn Wuwei (non-action), thereby assisting the true natural nature of the myriad things. For this reason, the sage does not act recklessly in pursuit of conventional learning or excessive desires.

Explanation: Conventional learning spreads widely, making it hard to return to Wuwei; excessive desires create turmoil and inevitably obscure one’s true nature. The sage has people “study what is not studied” so they can hold fast to simplicity, and “desire what is not desired” so they can live in quiet contentment. Gradually, they glimpse the light of the true Dao and assist natural nature: they do not covet rare goods or strive for abilities beyond what is appropriate. By avoiding self-defeat, they come to fulfillment; by remaining as cautious at the end as at the beginning, they observe subtle signs and prevent harm, returning to what is easy to maintain. They uphold it, bring peace to the state, and make their own person steadfast and secure. Only then can they be compared to the ancients who were skilled in practicing the Dao.

Note: This passage comes from volume 43 of the Guangshengyi on the Daodejing by the Northern Song Daoist priest Du Guangting. It is a commentary on lines in chapter 64 of the Daodejing, including “The people do not fear death,” “Always keep the people free of knowledge and desire,” and “Assist the natural course of the myriad things, and dare not act.” Its central concern is to warn against conventional learning and reduce desire: through “studying what is not studied,” one restores one’s nature and assists the natural course of the myriad things. This teaching belongs to the same line of thought on governing and self-cultivation as “Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish.”