《南華真經義海纂微》Vol. 38

The Dao of Heaven—the laws by which nature operates—moves in an unceasing cycle without storing anything up, and so all things come into being. The way of the ruler moves in an unceasing cycle and likewise stores nothing up, and so all under Heaven submits. The way of the sage also moves in an unceasing cycle without storing anything up, and so all within the four seas comes to submit.

One who understands the Dao of Heaven, comprehends the way of the sage, can pass freely through the six directions and open up the four quarters—that is, move without obstruction—and also understands the ruler’s De, can act while remaining inwardly whole, free of conscious knowing and any hindrance, and always at peace. The sage is not at peace because he deliberately seeks stillness as a virtuous deed. Nothing among the myriad things can disturb his mind, so he is naturally at peace.

When water is still, it clearly reflects eyebrows and beard. Its level surface can serve as a standard for measurement and imitation. If still water is so clear, how much more so is the spirit of the sage? The sage’s peaceful state of mind is a bright mirror for Heaven and Earth and a mirror for all things.

Emptiness, stillness, calmness, quietude, and Wuwei (non-action) are the balanced state of Heaven and Earth and the highest reach of Dao and De. Rulers and sages therefore dwell in this state. When one settles, the mind becomes empty; when the mind is empty, it can be filled. When it is filled, the patterns of all things become visible. When the mind is empty, it can be still; when still, it can act; and when it acts, it can act with precision. Stillness brings Wuwei; with Wuwei, those entrusted with particular affairs each take responsibility for their own tasks. Wuwei allows one to unfold with ease; when one unfolds with ease, troubles cannot intrude, and life can be long.

Emptiness, stillness, calmness, quietude, and Wuwei are the root of all things. Whoever understands this can rule as well as Yao, facing south, or serve as well as Shun, facing north. To act this way in a position of authority is the De of an emperor and Son of Heaven; to act this way in a lower position is the path of the Profound Sage, whose De is deep, and the Plain King, who has sagehood but no royal title. To withdraw and wander by rivers, lakes, and mountains in this way is the principle followed by recluses. To enter public life and govern by this way is to achieve great merit and renown, and to bring all under Heaven into unity.

Guo Xiang’s commentary: The Dao of Heaven, the way of the ruler, and the way of the sage all accord with the nature of things, without constraint or obstruction. Thus, even when one moves freely through the six directions and opens up the four quarters, the mind’s stillness is unharmed. Stillness is not the deliberate pursuit of virtue, but accord with one’s nature; sometimes acting does not therefore disturb one’s stillness. Nothing among the myriad things can disturb the mind: this is being at ease in oneself. Once the conditions are in place, all things are left to develop on their own, and so everything that comes into view can be understood clearly and completely. All that is unbalanced or incomplete arises from deliberate action and forced interference.

Once settled, one no longer acts rashly. When one acts in accord with the patterns of things, one does not lose the root of action. Through Wuwei, the various talents and all things each take up their own tasks and naturally shoulder their own responsibilities. Thus Shun and Yu possessed all under Heaven without treating it as their private property. To unfold with ease, …

If one grasps this principle, one will understand that the root of all things comes from "non-doing" (wuwei, 無為; Wuwei, non-action). A person who has the Dao (Dao, the Way) is embraced by all under heaven yet holds no noble rank. This is what is called the "uncrowned king" (suwang), one who possesses the De (De, Virtue) of a ruler without holding a ruler's position, whose dignity arises from their own virtue. To go forth and govern the world is the lesser path. Thus, in withdrawal one is like Chaofu and Xu You (ancient hermits), and in office one is like Yi Yin and Lü Shang (worthy ministers who assisted the Shang and Zhou). The substance of Wuwei is vast; what could it fail to accomplish? When the ruler does not take on the duties of the chancellor, men like Yi Yin and Lü Shang can quietly fulfill their own tasks. When the chancellor does not meddle in the concrete affairs of the officials, the officials can quietly manage the business of government. When the officials do not take over the livelihoods of the people, the people can quietly settle into their own occupations. When the people do not try to replace one another's talents, the world is quiet and each finds its proper place. From the Son of Heaven to the common people, the more one practices Wuwei, the more honored one becomes.

Lü Huiqing (a Northern Song scholar and one of the commentators of the Yihai zuanwei) comments: The Dao of Heaven moves without ceasing, yet never clings to any single thing; therefore the myriad things come into being, and are not carved out. The way of the sovereign handles ten thousand affairs in a day, yet does not cling to any single thing; therefore the world submits to it, not through pleasing or pursuing. The way of the sage is present everywhere, yet clings to no single thing; therefore the world trusts it, not through being overpowered by force. One who understands the Dao of Heaven and penetrates the way of the sage, and who knows that all things are in motion without stagnating, will be open in all six directions and expansive on every side, and will accord with the De of a sovereign. In motion, there is endless transformation; in non-stagnation, not a single trace of fixation lingers in the mind. Even in my own actions, I almost forget them in a daze, and nothing is not quiet, because although I act, I have never clung to acting. How much more so when everyone attends to their own tasks: could anything then be unquiet? The sage's stillness is not a deliberate pursuit of stillness; it is because the sage is inherently good that the sage is still. If one takes stillness to be good and only then seeks it, that is no longer stillness in its original state. Nothing in the myriad things is enough to disturb the heart; one's nature is naturally still, and is not made still by deliberate effort. Why is this so? The myriad things arise because of me, yet I do not give birth to the myriad things; who then could disturb me? Understanding this, one can watch the myriad things rise together and see each return, and watch them proliferate in profusion and see them go back to their root. To return and go back to the root is natural stillness. Even still water can reflect things clearly; how much more so the Shen (Shen, spirit), which reaches upward to Heaven and downward to Earth, extends everywhere, and yet is stored within the heart of the sage? Such stillness is not merely like still water that can reflect one's beard and eyebrows or be level as a carpenter's line. Heaven and Earth find their reflection here, and the myriad things appear here. This is the function of the sage's heart as a mirror: empty, yet clear.

In this way, one will not be obstructed by external things. When the mind is still, it can remain single-minded and unchanging. When one is calm and undemanding, one can rest within the realm of Wuwei (non-action). Contentment and calm keep one from becoming entangled with external things. Stillness allows one to remain at ease and unmoving. Detachment and freedom from desire allow one’s breath to merge with emptiness and silence. These six states are the foundation of the sage’s Wuwei.

There is no distinction of high and low in the balance of Heaven and Earth; at the utmost of Dao and De, nothing can be added. This is the state in which emperors and sages can settle and rest. Emperors and sages must respond to myriad changes and meet the needs of all things. Without such a state in which to settle body and mind, they would have nowhere to rest; their spirit would be exhausted by a multitude of affairs. How, then, could they preserve emptiness and stillness?

Emptiness means keeping the mind from being filled with affairs, so that those affairs are contained outside it. The things of the world are numerous and varied, yet their underlying principles are not thereby thrown into confusion. Thus, emptiness and stillness not only make room for all affairs; they also allow one to respond to change while remaining still, and to act appropriately. Whoever can abide calmly in emptiness and stillness over time will act with composure, and action will gradually arise from within stillness. When action is taken because circumstances make it necessary, and it happens to be fitting, that is appropriate action.

Once emptiness and stillness are attained, nothing among the myriad things can disturb the inner heart. Through Wuwei, those who bear responsibility can each fulfill their duties, while one remains free from strain. With a mind at ease, one is at peace wherever one may be; there is no need for worry, and life is prolonged. Understand the principle of emptiness and stillness, and you will see that expressions such as “calm and undemanding” and “quiet and detached” mean no more than this; they simply use different words.

The myriad things flourish and grow, all arising through Wuwei; Wuwei is their root. Among the sages of antiquity, some, like Yao, ruled facing south; others, like Shun, occupied the position of a subject. Some held the upper position through the De of an emperor, while others took the lower position through the mysterious Dao of the sage. Some withdrew into seclusion and wandered at leisure; others entered public life and governed worldly affairs. Their understanding of the root of all things was, in truth, the same.

Lin Yidu’s commentary: Dao is present everywhere. In Heaven, it appears as the Way of Heaven; in an emperor, as the imperial way; in a sage, as the way of the sage. Heaven follows Dao in bringing about cold and heat and the succession of the seasons, turning the sun and moon without ever stopping or accumulating. Thus the myriad things come into being. The workings of the imperial way and the way of the sage are the same.

“Emperor” refers to the manifestation of the divine way; “sage” refers to the realization of the kingly way. “Emperor and king” refers to position, while “divine and sage” refers to the Dao they practice. Those who understand the Way of Heaven can accomplish things through Wuwei; those who comprehend the Great Dao can face good fortune, calamity, and hardship together with the people. The teachings of those who accomplish things through Wuwei can reach throughout Heaven and Earth and the four directions. As for those who share the people’s hardships…

The sage’s De follows the changes of the four seasons. Though the ancient rulers possessed the ability to understand things and respond to change, they achieved virtue simply by letting things follow their natural course, without forcing them.

The sage’s mind is always in quiet stillness. The sage does not deliberately seek stillness by setting it against activity, as though the two were opposites; this is different from what the world calls “stillness.” The “good” spoken of here refers to the continuation of the Dao. When a thing brings itself to completion, this is called its nature. Nature is the expression of the allotment of life within us, and there is originally no time when it is not still. People cannot reach this state because their minds pursue external things, and so they lose their nature. Only the sage prevents external things from disturbing the mind, and is therefore able to remain still.

The mind is like a ruler, and nature is like a state. When the ruler is upright, the state is at peace; when the ruler is not upright, the state falls into disorder. This is the natural order of things. To fully realize one’s nature, one must first quiet the mind. When water settles, it becomes clear and level. Even a master craftsman takes still water as a measure—how much more should a person do so with the mind?

The mind is where spirit resides. When the mind is still, Jing and Qi become concentrated, and Shen can be preserved. When the mind is disturbed, Jing and Qi are depleted, and Shen grows weary. With Jing and Qi concentrated and Shen complete, the mind becomes perfectly clear and open, like a bright mirror of Heaven and Earth, like a mirror reflecting the myriad things: nothing escapes its view.

Only when the mind first becomes empty can it become still; only when still can it become settled; and only once settled can it attain Wuwei (non-action). Wuwei is the balanced state of Heaven and Earth and the highest expression of Dao and De. It is where sage rulers make their home and find rest. Only through Wuwei can one meet the Dao in emptiness and stillness. “Emptiness” does not mean that nothing is there; it means that the natural principles of all things can manifest within it.

When action arises from Wuwei, what had filled the mind can be transformed into emptiness and stillness. Once the mind is empty and still, acting again will not lead it astray. In this way, people of every kind in the world can each fulfill their duties, take responsibility for their roles, fully realize their proper nature, and find ease in their own way. The sage thereby accords with ultimate principle and forgets the distinction between self and things. Worries cannot entrap the sage, and neither life nor death can bind the sage. Returning to the root and restoring the original allotment of life, the sage becomes one with the transformations of creation. This is the root of all things.

Understanding this principle, whether seated facing south as a ruler or facing north as a minister, each must fulfill the proper Way of the role. This is like what Mencius said: as a ruler, fulfill the Way of a ruler; as a minister, fulfill the Way of a minister—both taking Yao and Shun as their models. A “Mysterious Sage,” such as Shun, came from humble circumstances yet became renowned far and wide for profound virtue. A “Plain King,” such as Confucius, held no royal position yet was honored. Among those who withdrew to live in seclusion were figures such as Chaofu and Xu You; among those who entered public service to govern the affairs of the world were figures such as Yi Yin and the Duke of Zhou. These are different expressions of the sage’s conduct.

Although sages adapt to the times and respond to change in different ways, the Dao (the Way) they follow is always the same.

Commentary by Chen Xiangdao: The Dao of Heaven moves without pause, yet stores up nothing. It does not deliberately set out to bring all things to completion, yet all things grow naturally. The Dao of the sovereign—the way rulers govern the world—moves without pause, yet stores up nothing. It does not deliberately set out to make the world submit, yet the world submits of its own accord. The Dao of the sage moves without pause, yet stores up nothing. It does not deliberately set out to make the people within the four seas obey, yet they submit of their own accord.

When sages live in the world, they govern through the Virtue of a sovereign when their aspirations are fulfilled; when they are thwarted, they practice the Dao of the Mysterious Sage, the deep and subtle way of the sage. The ancient books say that Yao spread the transformative power of sovereignly Virtue far and wide, and in the end became ruler of the world. This is an example of the sovereign’s Dao moving and the world submitting. Mencius said that wherever Confucius went—to the east, west, south, or north—there was no one who did not wish to submit to him. This is an example of the sage’s Dao moving and the people within the four seas submitting.

Emptiness, stillness, calm, and detachment describe the state of the heart-mind; silence and solitude describe the state of Qi (vital energy); Wuwei (non-action) describes the state of Shen (spirit). To bring the heart-mind to clarity and emptiness, preserve its stillness, let Qi become calm and silent, and thereby reach Wuwei: this is the balanced Dao of Heaven and Earth, the highest expression of De (Virtue/Power), and the place where sovereigns and sages settle and rest. “Rest” here means their final place of settlement and return.

“Profound” refers to the subtle source; “plain” refers to the unadorned substance of one’s nature. The Mysterious Sage and the Plain King—one who possesses the Virtue of a sage without occupying the position of a ruler—correspond to what the text calls “profound De.” Sovereigns and Son of Heaven, by contrast, correspond to what the text calls “eminent De.”

Commentary by Chen Bixu: Sages do not reveal themselves through words because they understand the Dao of Heaven; they can respond to the transformations of all things because they have penetrated the Dao of the sage. Letting plants and animals grow as they will is natural Wuwei. Being wholly unaware and refraining from interference means that nothing is unable to rest at ease.

A sage’s stillness means meeting external things without being disturbed by them; it does not mean an unchanging, utterly empty stillness. The sage follows all things and rests calmly in himself, and only then brings things to completion. This is not the result of deliberately seeking stillness, but of being skilled at remaining still. External things cannot disturb his heart-mind, so he is still. When water is still, even the smallest things cannot remain hidden; when the heart-mind is still, being and nonbeing become easy to discern. Thus, emptiness and stillness allow good fortune to take root and the wondrous Dao to appear; calm and detachment allow Shen and Qi to flourish and a realm of clarity and emptiness to gather; silence and solitude make the heart’s inner chamber spacious and the True Ruler at peace; Wuwei brings the principle of harmony to completion and prolongs life and nature.

These are not especially strange states. They are the ordinary condition of Heaven and Earth, the proper state of all things, and the place where sages settle and rest. When the heart-mind can rest, affairs cease to be troublesome; when affairs are not troublesome, principles become pure and real; when principles are pure and real, nature and feeling become still; when nature and feeling are still, actions are free of recklessness. Those who practice Wuwei do not take every affair’s responsibility upon themselves. By not shouldering responsibility alone, they become more content and free of worry, and their lives are prolonged. Those who understand these principles are called “the eight qualities of emptiness, stillness, and so on…” (The original text ends here, unfinished.)

The eyes reveal the subtle way the Dao (the Way) works through Wuwei (non-action): because the eyes are positioned above, they can see clearly.

A ruler serving in a subordinate position can become an emperor’s teacher, as did the Zhou dynasty’s Court Archivist, who managed the classics and recorded historical events, and Lu’s Minister of Justice, who oversaw criminal cases. In retirement, living at ease, one might be like Boyi and Shuqi; going out to pacify the affairs of the world, one might be like Chuan Shuo or Lü Wang. When ruler and ministers each remain in their proper place and do not overstep or encroach on one another, the world can be at peace.

Lin’s Yanzhai Commentary says: The way of emperors and the way of sages are inherently difficult to distinguish. The text probably calls the Three Sovereigns “emperors” and the Five Emperors “sages.” “Moving without accumulation” means that change and movement continue without stagnation, like “pure and unceasing”—the continuous flow of pure virtue. The central idea of this passage is the word “stillness”: even in the utmost stillness, movement and change continue; this is not the stillness of dead wood and cold ashes. “Free in the six directions and open to the four quarters” means there is no obstruction above, below, or in any of the four directions. This is the sage’s stillness, not a stillness achieved by deliberately seeking it. This line is especially subtle: because things cannot disturb the mind and spirit, stillness comes naturally, without being pursued. Water and a mirror are apt images for this kind of stillness.

The eight words “empty and still, calm and untroubled, solitary and inactive” all explain the single idea of “stillness.” This is the constant principle of Heaven and Earth, and the highest reach of moral cultivation. The minds of emperors and sages abide in this state: when the mind is at ease, it is empty; this is what is meant by “only the Dao gathers in emptiness.” Emptiness then gives rise to fullness. The Chan Buddhist saying “true emptiness, then real existence” expresses the same idea. Within what is real, there is an inherent ethical order, so even within undifferentiated unity, its patterns remain clear. Emptiness brings stillness; stillness brings movement, and movement and stillness take root in each other. When action is always appropriate, this is called “attainment.” When each person handles affairs and fulfills responsibilities as befits them, that is Wuwei, through which nothing remains undone. When worries cannot enter the heart, this is the benevolent person’s freedom from anxiety; a long life, too, is the benevolent person’s longevity. The text repeats these eight words and concludes with “the root of all things,” showing that this principle arises at the beginning of all things. The remaining points are broadly the same as in the preceding explanation.

Chu’s Guanjian says: To speak of Heaven already includes Earth; to speak of the sage already includes the human realm. To speak of the emperor is to include the transformations of Heaven, Earth, and humanity—the Three Powers. Thus the emperor can reach above and below, and in all four directions; virtue is contained within and used to govern the people and transform all things. From above, one may be an August Sovereign; from below, a king. In outward affairs the sage is like this, while inwardly the sage gathers the mind and keeps it within, cultivates the self, and returns upstream to the source. The Great Dao is made manifest yet seems hidden and obscure; therefore the sage is still at all times. Ordinary people must deliberately make themselves calm before they can become still. How could the sage’s stillness be like that…

Human beings are naturally inclined toward stillness; they do not become still through deliberate effort. Rather, external things are not enough to disturb the mind. When water grows still, it becomes clear and level, and skilled artisans take it as their model. These are all natural states: a clear, calm water surface can reflect images and serve as a level. From this we can see that when people bring their spirit to the utmost stillness, it too becomes clear, as though all things under Heaven and Earth were reflected in the mind. The human body and mind are so precious—what could matter more than this?

It is sad that some people are driven by affairs and do not know when to stop. Exhausted, they still do not rest, until their strength is spent and can never be recovered. To nourish the spirit, the way is simply emptiness, stillness, serenity, and Wuwei (non-action). Could the balance of Heaven and Earth and the highest expression of Dao and De (the Way and Virtue/Power) lie anywhere beyond this?

The principles of all things find their proper expression here, and sages find rest and renewal here. Even when all kinds of circumstances stir around them, they are not moved within. Yet amid what is indistinct and beyond words, something real is indeed present, and the utmost truth lies within it. Things cannot remain still forever; when they move, they must move at the right time.

Those entrusted with affairs fulfill their duties, while I refrain from acting recklessly. Troubles then fade, and life is prolonged. This is because one has grasped the root and knows how to hold fast to it. In this way, whether as ruler or minister, one acts in accord with principle; whether advancing or withdrawing, one acts with due measure. This is the effect of sages modeling themselves on the movement of Heaven’s Dao, with nothing obstructing its flow.