《道德真經廣聖義》Vol. 48

The Broad Commentary on the True Scripture of the Dao and De, Scroll 47: Commentary on Chapter 73, “Courage in Daring” (Modern Interpretation)

Origin of the Chapter

The previous chapter discussed the affliction of delusion and what makes it fearsome. This chapter explains that misplaced courage can bring death. It first points out the difference in consequences between daring and not daring, then uses the humility and gentleness of the Dao of Heaven to counsel people against flaunting their courage. Finally, it laments that Heaven’s net lets nothing escape, urging people of virtue to cultivate themselves. The previous chapter spoke of casting aside outward display and embracing inner knowledge and love. Here the advice continues: be courageous in retreat and guard your life; beware of courage that presses forward, for it harms your De. The text illustrates the consequences, returns to humility and gentleness, and develops the virtues of prevailing well and responding well. It promotes the principle of “not speaking and not contending,” and uses Heaven’s net to instruct people and encourage them to cultivate themselves. It invokes the fear of death to make people dread the offense of the Master of Death.

Scripture and Commentary

The courage to dare leads to death; the courage not to dare leads to life.

Note: “Dare” means to act decisively. If someone acts boldly and decisively, refusing to be humble, gentle, and yielding, they will bring harm upon themselves; hence “leads to death.” “Not daring” allows one to keep oneself safe.

Commentary: Firm resolve is courage; acting decisively is daring. Arrogant people have no fear or restraint and lack humility and gentleness. They act boldly and decisively, offend those above them, and stir up disorder; this is the way to bring death upon themselves. Hence, “The courage to dare leads to death.” If people remain calm and cautious in their affairs, keep themselves in check, and know when to retreat, they resolve not to act arrogantly and recklessly or invite trouble; this is the way to preserve their lives. Hence, “The courage not to dare leads to life.”

Interpretation: The arrogant press forward with fierce determination and bring disaster upon themselves. The humble and cautious withdraw and protect themselves, and are sure to preserve their peace and true nature. The two paths—death and life—are plain to see and verify. The Analects, “Xue’er,” says: “There has never been anyone who, while disliking the idea of offending those above them, has also enjoyed causing disorder.” The arrogant offend those in authority; those who are filial and respectful are sure to be deferential, and few of them wish to defy their superiors.

Know these two paths, and recognize that one brings benefit while the other brings harm.

Commentary: “These two” refers to daring and not daring. People should understand that courage expressed as daring leads to death and brings harm, while not daring leads to life and brings benefit. Therefore, one should have the courage not to dare.

The commentary in this section of the scroll ends here. If later passages include lines such as “Heaven’s net is vast,” they are generally found in other scrolls covering the same chapter and can be read alongside the full text of Chapter 73 of the Dao De Jing.

Although these two are alike in their “courage,” they have different effects. That is why the text says, “Sometimes there is benefit; sometimes there is harm.”

Resolute strength of will can both be called “courage.” But courage that is overbearing and rash brings calamity, while courage that can yield humbly and act gently brings benefit. Benefit leads to life; harm brings death. Life and death arise from the heart, while fortune and misfortune, benefit and harm, shift with deluded desires. The essential practice of the Dao is to have the courage to yield, preserve oneself, and restrain oneself through humility and harmony. Fortune and misfortune, benefit and harm, often arise from deluded desires, but they are not fixed; that is why the text uses the word “sometimes.”

“What Heaven detests—who knows why?”

“Those two” refer to daring and not daring, or to being able and unable. Anyone who understands that not daring brings benefit while daring brings harm should have the courage not to dare. The person who acts with this kind of courage will meet disaster at every turn. What Heaven detests—who can understand the reason?

“Who” means who; “reason” means the underlying cause. In people who act forcefully and seek to impose their will, what appears as “courage” brings harm as soon as they act. This is what the Dao of Heaven detests. How can ordinary people understand Heaven’s intent?

The Dao of Heaven detests killing and cherishes life; it detests evil and cherishes goodness. Rashly pressing forward invites calamity and certain destruction, while courageously holding back and keeping to one’s ground brings benefit and the chance to live. It all happens naturally—who can know why? This passage warns people to have the courage to yield humbly and preserve their lives. King Wen of Zhou became angry and assembled his troops: that was the courage of King Wen, used to bring peace to the realm. The Lost Book says that King Wu declared, “Now that I am in the realm, how could I dare go beyond my purpose?” He, too, used courage to bring peace to the realm. But when an ordinary man shows off his courage, injuring others and losing his own life, what is there to admire?

“That is why even the sage finds it difficult.”

Even the sage regards forceful, showy courage as difficult and is unwilling to practice it lightly.

The sage is held up to encourage ordinary people. If someone as perceptive and wise as the sage finds “courage” difficult and fears the harm it may bring, how could an ordinary person show off his courage without being harmed?

The sage does not act with forceful, domineering courage. The sage’s way is used to warn and guide the world: if even the sage fears the harm and refrains from such overbearing courage, how much more should ordinary people? This is the utmost expression of care for others, and the warning could hardly be stronger.

“The Way of Heaven does not contend, yet excels at prevailing.”

What follows describes the humility of the Way of Heaven, warning people against showing off their courage in human affairs.

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

Scripture

It does not contend with the myriad things. The four seasons wax and wane, and the myriad things do not oppose it. Thus it excels at overcoming.

Commentary

Following the previous passage, “What Heaven abhors,” the next four lines explain Heaven’s Dao as humble, warning people against acting with a spirit of daring and aggression. People seek to prevail through courage, and so they contend. Heaven’s Dao distributes evenly and favors only the good. Nothing among the myriad things opposes it; hence the text says that it excels at overcoming.

Exposition

Heaven’s Dao entrusts things to their own nature and therefore has no winners or losers. The four seasons alternate without being commanded; the Six Qi shift and circulate without speaking, yet remain trustworthy. When things do not oppose Heaven, this is what it means to excel at overcoming.

“Heaven favors only the good”: Chapter Forty-Three of this scripture says, “Heaven’s Dao has no favorites; it is always with the good.”

“Heaven distributes evenly”: The Book of Changes, in the “Qian” hexagram commentary, says, “The noble person reduces what is abundant and adds to what is scarce, measuring things and distributing evenly.” This is the same idea.

Meaning

Heaven’s Dao entrusts things to their own nature and therefore has no winners or losers. The four seasons alternate without being commanded; the Six Qi shift and circulate without speaking, yet remain trustworthy. When things do not oppose Heaven, this is what it means to excel at overcoming.

“Heaven favors only the good”: Chapter Forty-Three of this scripture says, “Heaven’s Dao has no favorites; it is always with the good.”

“Heaven distributes evenly”: The Book of Changes, in the “Qian” hexagram commentary, says, “The noble person reduces what is abundant and adds to what is scarce, measuring things and distributing evenly.”

It Responds Well Without Speaking

Commentary: What does Heaven say? It rewards the good and brings calamity upon the licentious, never making the slightest error. Hence it is said to respond well.

Exposition: What does Heaven say? It simply rewards the good and brings calamity upon the licentious; good and ill fortune answer people’s actions. Hence it is said to respond well without speaking.

Meaning: Heaven speaks no words, yet the four seasons proceed; Earth speaks no words, yet the myriad things come to life. Things flourish when the time is right and respond when moved by other things: this is the natural order. The Scripture of the Western Ascent says, “When one does good, good Qi arrives; when one does evil, evil Qi arrives.” In the natural course of things, cause and effect match without the slightest discrepancy.

The phrase “it rewards the good and brings calamity upon the licentious” comes from the Book of Documents, “Announcement of Tang,” which says, “It rewards the good and brings calamity upon the licentious.” This means that in a state’s governance and teachings, and in the conduct people cultivate, there is good and evil: Heaven blesses the good and brings calamity upon the evil. Heaven sends warnings to admonish people and displays omens to alert them; if they do not awaken, calamity then befalls them. This is how good and ill fortune answer people’s actions: people bring these outcomes upon themselves.

It Comes of Its Own Accord Without Being Summoned

Commentary: Heaven’s Dao does not summon things and make them follow it. Things cannot oppose it; they come of their own accord and follow Heaven.

Exposition: Whatever comes to pass is brought about by a summons of fate. Yet Heaven does not summon things or make them follow it; the myriad things come of their own accord and follow it. Thus they bear Yin and embrace Yang, and spring brings forth life while summer nourishes growth: none of this happens because it was summoned.

Meaning: The Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals says, “Calamity and good fortune have no gate; people summon them themselves.” Evil summons calamity, and good brings blessings: this is the ordinary course of things. Here, the text says that Heaven’s Dao responds of its own accord without speaking and things come of their own accord without being summoned. It means that the myriad things naturally follow Heaven. “Bear Yin and embrace Yang” is a phrase from Chapter Five of this scripture.

Note: “Reducing what is abundant and adding to what is scarce” means taking from what is plentiful to make up what is lacking. “Displaying an omen” refers to signs in the heavens that warn people. “Awaken” means to come to one’s senses.

Vast and Skillful in Planning

Note: The Dao of Heaven is distant and profound, difficult to fathom, yet broad and generous. It sets forth the celestial patterns and reveals how things change and adapt, so people can take them as models. Hence it is called “skillful in planning.”

Explanation: The Dao of Heaven drives the turning of the four seasons, establishes the calendar and displays the celestial patterns, following the cycles of the solar terms to make them clear to people. The calendar and celestial patterns do not depart from the constant Way, and the seasons never fail to arrive as they should: cold and heat, day and night, all proceed without error. This is what is meant by being broad and skillful in planning. “Vast” means expansive; “planning” means discerning the methods of calendrical reckoning and celestial patterns; and “change” refers to the varying courses of the stars. Heaven displays its measures and patterns through numerical cycles and celestial signs; the sages model their teachings on these signs. Thus the preface to the Book of Rites says: “In ancient times, during the reign of Tang Yao, people observed the sun, moon, and celestial patterns, and carefully instructed the people in the seasons.” This is the meaning.

Heaven’s Net Is Vast; Its Meshes Are Wide, Yet Nothing Slips Through

Note: Though Heaven’s net is vast and loosely woven, it punishes excess and rewards goodness without the slightest error.

Commentary: “Vast” means broad and expansive. This passage further explains the Dao of Heaven: though Heaven’s net is broad and far-reaching, it rewards good and punishes evil without the slightest discrepancy.

Explanation: In ancient times, people knotted cords to make nets for catching birds and beasts. The image of a net conveys the idea of a vast covering. Through responses of fortune and misfortune, the established patterns of Yin-Yang, and the consequences of good and evil, the Dao of Heaven covers all things equally. Nothing within it can hide or escape: good deeds bring good returns, and evil deeds bring recompense for evil. Hence it is called “Heaven’s net.” The Dao of Heaven does not mechanically ensnare and harm living things as a human net does. Is it therefore unlike a human net, which must catch whatever is within it? This comparison only conveys the general idea. Heaven gives Qi to all things; things receive Qi from Heaven and take form from Earth. Heaven and Earth are the source of all things, and good and evil, life and death, all depend on Heaven’s decree. Heaven has no cords or mechanical net with which to restrain things. It is simply vast and far-reaching, encompassing everything: flying creatures and growing things, wind and clouds and celestial phenomena, Yin-Yang, cold and heat, day and night, life and death—all are included within its embrace, with nothing escaping, just as things are enclosed by a net. The responses of Qi and the progress of the seasons are clear in the calendrical cycles, without the slightest error. “Hao” means the finest strand of hair; “fen” means the smallest fraction in a number. Nothing, however minute, is hidden from what Heaven’s net encompasses.

The People Constantly Do Not Fear Death (Chapter 74)

Commentary: The preceding chapter discussed meanings such as “being bold in action.”

Plain-language interpretation of the scripture

This chapter explains that reckless conduct and disregard for life can bring fatal disaster and incur punishment from the “Overseer of Killing.” The first five sentences warn against the use of punishment; the next identifies the Overseer of Killing; the final four discuss the guilt of taking life in another’s place.

The meaning is this: reward goodness through De (Virtue/Power), and punish evil through penalties, just as cold and heat act impartially and Yin-Yang respond as they must. This is the Way of Heaven. When a ruler governs through Wuwei (non-action), the people will encourage themselves. Those who cultivate themselves in accord with the Dao (the Way) receive long life from Heaven; each person who keeps to their proper place may enjoy a full lifespan. Those who remain mindful of reverence and wary of disaster do not fall into traps or suffer the calamity brought by the Overseer of Killing. In governing the state, be lenient in applying penalties and judge cases with compassion. Do not wield the power to kill in another’s place, and there will be no wrong of harming harmony or resentment at its injury. Then discard burdensome exactions and meddlesome policies, and follow the precept of not contending and withdrawing in good time, carrying forward the message to rulers from the preceding and following chapters.

“The people are always unafraid of death. How, then, can they be frightened by the threat of death?”

The note says: People indulge their desires and habitually drive themselves toward death, until they no longer fear it. A ruler should transform the people through stillness. Why, then, establish separate penal laws and frighten them with execution?

The commentary says: People cannot keep to the Dao and remain still; instead, they indulge their desires and drive themselves toward death, until this becomes their habit and they fear nothing. A ruler should guide and teach through stillness. Why use penal laws and executions to frighten them?

The meaning is this: A ruler may display the signs of Heaven, follow its patterns, establish laws, and govern from the throne; the ruler may bring things to completion and teach people through the Dao. Yet if the people flout the laws, disrupt the proper order, defy prohibitions, and fail to take care of themselves, they should be brought to understanding so that they change their thoughts, cleanse their hearts, abandon evil, and follow goodness. They should be given the chance to repent and begin anew. The ruler should not hastily resort to the Five Punishments or close all three sides of the net—a metaphor for allowing escape—for that would risk losing compassion and mercy. If the people were always afraid of death, yet some still acted with unusual deceit, then I could seize and execute them. Who would dare do wrong?

The note says: If all under Heaven were transformed through stillness, did not sink into indulgence or give free rein to desire, and remained constantly afraid of death, yet some individuals still acted with unusual deceit, then suppose I, the ruler…

The original’s final sentence, beginning with the word “power,” seems incomplete. Here the line of thought has been supplied in keeping with common interpretations of the Dao De Jing: it stresses the relationship between transformation through stillness and the selective use of punishment.

Note: The original’s final phrase, “If the people all followed the transformation of stillness… suppose I had the power,” may be incomplete in the transmitted text. The phrase “the people” may instead have read something like “the people should all be made to…,” so a reliable edition should be consulted. Following the style of the Guangshengyi commentary, the interpretation above links the discussion of punishment, the Overseer of Killing, and transformation through stillness into a single argument: when the people are unafraid of death, the threat of execution alone is ineffective. The real foundation is instruction through stillness. Only when someone persists in evil without repentance does the question of seizing and executing them arise—and even then, one must beware the guilt of killing in Heaven’s place.

General Meaning of the Scripture

Since those who practice strange and deceitful arts may lawfully be executed, who would dare to kill them at once? That is why the passage goes on to say…

Commentary (Clarifying the Meaning of the Scripture)

This passage explains that a ruler transforms the people through Wuwei (non-action). The people become less selfish and desire less, each preserving their own life, and ordinarily they all fear death. Only a few still engage in strange, deceitful, and wrongful conduct. Although the ruler has the authority to arrest and execute them, who would dare to kill them lightly and at once? They are not killed in haste because the “Heavenly Net” itself governs life and death, and Heaven carries out the killing. The passage therefore continues…

Exposition of the Principle

When a ruler teaches the people with compassion and generosity, they understand the teaching, conduct themselves carefully, respect the law, keep their actions pure, and cultivate life. They try as much as possible to cast off selfish desires, and they all fear death. Yet some may still indulge their desires and break the criminal law. The ruler should use precepts to help them reform, guiding them to repent. If they remain obstinate and refuse to turn back, there is no need to arrest and execute them at once. Instead, one should await Heaven, which presides over killing. This is what is meant by skillful guidance.

“There is always one who presides over killing, and it is they who kill.”

Annotation

People who engage in such strange and deceitful conduct cannot escape the Heavenly Net, which is wide-meshed yet lets nothing through. This is precisely because “there is always a heavenly authority presiding over killing” that kills them.

Commentary

“Presiding” means directing and overseeing. Heaven’s vision is bright and misses nothing. Those who practice strange and deceitful ways often meet an untimely end; this is what it means for “a heavenly authority presiding over killing” to kill them.

Exposition of the Principle

Heaven sustains humanity with profound care and loves people completely. The Southern Palace’s cinnabar registers—heavenly documents that record merit, reward the good, and govern longevity—reward goodness and govern life. The Northern Palace’s black register, which records transgressions and punishes wrongdoing, keeps account of faults and governs death. The spirits of Heaven and Earth observe good and evil, using punishment and encouragement to lead people to abandon evil and turn toward goodness. Those who earn merit have their years extended; those who commit offenses have their allotted years reduced. The accounting is exact to the smallest fraction, like the assessments conducted by the officials of the Yang realm.

Heaven has a Controller of Destiny. The four stars of the Four Offices lie between the Xu and Wei lunar lodges, beside the Human Star, and govern people’s fates. The two stars of the Controller of Destiny determine rewards and penalties for people’s merits and faults, and their years of life. The two stars of the Controller of Emoluments govern rank, income, and food and clothing. The two stars of the Controller of Danger govern arrogance, indulgence, and improper conduct. The two stars of the Controller of Wrongdoing govern perversity and excessive selfishness. These four stars are what the Scripture of the Three Origins calls “Heaven’s authority presiding over killing.” They investigate offenses and blessings, so that people in the world know to cultivate goodness and guard against evil.

A ruler teaches people through goodness and holds compassion and forgiveness in their heart. Those who alone persist in wrongdoing should be left to “Heaven’s authority presiding over killing.” This means that Heaven observes with perfect clarity and misses nothing: the Heavenly Net is broad and loosely woven, yet lets nothing escape.

Classic: The Broadly Expounded Meaning of the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue

Scriptural text:

“Not leaking” should be read as “for perhaps,” or taken as carrying forward the meaning of what came before. The general sense is: If one goes against the Dao of Heaven, how could one escape blame? The offense is too great.

“To kill in place of the one who governs killing is called chopping wood in place of the master carpenter.”

Commentary:

A ruler who delights in wielding the power to kill personally will surely go against the principles of Heaven. This is like an inept man trying to chop wood in place of a master carpenter.

Explanation:

The point is that those who do wrong should await the judgment of Heaven—or of the law. If a ruler relies on his authority to wield the power to kill personally and order executions, he is “killing in place of the one who governs killing.” This goes against the principles of Heaven, just as an inept man chopping wood in place of a master carpenter does.

Interpretation:

If someone has done wrong, one should await “those whom Heaven puts to death”—whether by Heaven’s judgment or through due process. If a ruler seizes such a person and kills them, he takes Heaven’s power to punish and kill. Below, compassion is lost; above, the principles of Heaven are violated. This is like an inept man chopping wood in place of a master carpenter: as the text goes on to say, someone who chops wood in place of a master carpenter will rarely avoid injuring his own hand.

Commentary:

An inept man who chops wood in place of a master carpenter not only wastes the material but also injures his own hand. A ruler who abuses punishments and takes the place of the one who should govern executions harms the people and also loses harmony with Heaven (Heavenly Harmony).

Explanation:

The master carpenter’s every movement conforms to the rules of the square and compass. An inept man who takes his place will inevitably go against the line and the ink marker. How could he avoid both damaging the material and injuring his hand? Heaven’s net is vast, and the divine principles are clear. If a ruler imposes punishments and takes the place of the one who governs executions, how could he avoid both harming people and losing Heavenly Harmony? Why rely only on the death penalty to instill fear? This is the meaning of the earlier passage.

Interpretation:

The master carpenter works with such skill that his axe moves like the wind, and every cut is true. An inept man who takes his place damages both the wood and his own hand. So too with a ruler: if he apprehends those who have done wrong and is quick to use punishment and execution, then even if he claims to wield the axe of justice, he risks destroying harmony. The opening passage means that when people do not fear death, they should be guided through good teaching and led by the Dao. How could death itself be used to frighten them? The Book of Documents says, “Rather than kill the innocent, it is better to err occasionally by letting the guilty go.” The virtue of cherishing life can take deep root in the people. That is the meaning here.

Note: This section interprets the Dao De Jing passages “If the people do not fear death, how can they be frightened by death?” and “To kill in place of the one who governs killing.” It explains that rulers must not exceed their authority or kill indiscriminately: they must act in accordance with the principles of Heaven and favor moral instruction. The passage has nothing to do with technical methods of cultivation. Specialized terms such as “Heavenly Harmony,” “the one who governs killing,” and “master carpenter” have been clarified according to the context of the commentaries.