The Heart of the self-controlled man
is always in the Inner Kingdom. He draws the hearts of all men into his Heart.
If a man is good, he blesses him;
If a man is not good, still he blesses him with the Blessing of Te.[172]If a man is faithful, he is faithful to him;
If a man is not faithful, still he is faithful to him with the Faithfulness of Te.
The self-controlled man dwells in the world. Patiently and persistently
He brings the whole world into active community of Heart.
All men turn their ears and their eyes towards him. They are all the children of the self-controlled man. . . .
57
To govern a kingdom, use righteousness.
To conduct a war, use strategy.
To be a true world-ruler, be occupied with Inner Life.
How do I know that this is so?
By this:—
The more restrictive the laws,
the poorer the people. The more machinery used,
the more trouble in a kingdom. The more clever and skillful the people,
the more do they make artificial things. The more the laws are in evidence,
the more do thieves and robbers abound.
That is why the self-controlled man says:— If I act from Inner Life
the people will become transformed in themselves. If I love stillness
the people will become righteous in themselves.
If I am occupied with Inner Life
the people will become enriched in themselves. If I love the Inner Life
the people will become pure in themselves.
58
If the government is from the heart the people will be richer and richer.
If the government is full of restrictions the people will be poorer and poorer.
Miserable! you rely upon coming happiness.
Happy! you crouch under dread of coming misery.
You may know the end from the beginning.
If a ruler is in line with Inner Life his strategy will come right, his bad luck will become good, and the people will be astonished. Things have been so for a long time.
That is why the self-controlled man is just and hurts no one, is disinterested and does no wrong, is true and takes no licence; he shines, and offends not by his brightness. . . .
60
Govern a great State
As you would cook a small fish (do it gently).
When the Way is manifest in the world Evil spirits have no power.
When evil spirits have no power They cannot hurt men.
Evil spirits cannot hurt men. The self-controlled man does not hurt men. The Master also does not hurt men. Therefore they unite in manifesting Te. . . .
A great kingdom, lowly like running water, is the Meeting-place of the world.
It is the feminine quality of the world.
The feminine quality always overcomes the masculine by stillness.
In order to be still, we must become lowly.
Therefore, if a great kingdom is lowly towards a little kingdom it will take possession of the little kingdom.
If a little kingdom is lowly towards a great kingdom it will take possession of the great kingdom.
So the one becomes lowly in order to conquer,
The other is lowly and yet it conquers.
If a great kingdom only desires to unify and nourish men,
If a small kingdom only desires to enter in and serve men,
Then the Master, in each case, shall obtain his desire.
He who is great ought to be lowly. . . .
62
He who has the Way is the refuge of all beings.
He is the treasure of the good man,
He is the support of the man who is not good.
Beautiful words through the Way gain power, Man by following it gains steadfastness in action, But, by the evil man, its possession is ignored.
The Son of Heaven sits enthroned, His three Ministers are appointed. One carries in his hand a tablet of jade; Another is followed by a mounted retinue. But the one who is most valued
sits quietly, and offers as his gift the Way.
How was the Way prized by men of Old? Daily they sought for it. They found it, hid within the Self. It gives a way of escape to the guilty. Therefore it is prized by all men. . . .
65
Of Old, he who was active in the Way
did not use it to make people enlightened, but to make them more kind.
If people are difficult to govern
it is because they have too much knowledge.
Therefore if you govern a kingdom by knowledge, you will be an oppressor of the kingdom.
But if you govern a kingdom by wisdom, you will give happiness to the kingdom.
If you know and do these things you will be a pattern for men.
Knowledge of how to be always a pattern for men is called profound Te.
Profound Te is in the very source of life, it pervades the utmost limits of life, it returns and dwells in every being.
When fully manifested,
it unites all beings in a great harmony.
66
The Rivers and the Seas (because they seek a lowly place) are Lords of a hundred valleys.
Let your love flow, seek a lowly place, you will be Lord of a hundred valleys.
That is why
if the self-controlled man desires to exalt the people, in his speech he must take a lowly place; if he desires to put the people first, he must put himself after them.
Thus, though he dwells above them, the people are not burdened by him.
Though he is placed before them,
the people are not obstructed by him,
Therefore men serve him gladly,
they do not tire in serving him. Because he does not strive,
no one in the world can strive against him. . . .
If the people do not fear death,
How then can you frighten them by death?
But if you cause the people continually to fear death, And if one of them becomes a great criminal, Can you take hold of him and slay him?
Would you dare to do this?
There is always one, the Executioner, who kills men.
But, on the contrary, if you kill as if you were Executioner, It would be as if you tried to do the work of a Master Carpenter.
In attempting to do the work of a Master Carpenter, Few there be who do not wound their own hands.
The people are hungry.
Because they who are over the food tax it heavily That is why the people are hungry.
The people are difficult to govern.
Because the rulers trust in possessions and activities,
That is why the people are difficult to govern.
The people make light of death.
Because they work hard in order to save their life,
That is why they make light of death.
A Master indeed is he whose life-activities are from within. He excels all men in his appreciation of Life. . . .
79
To harmonise great enemies
We must possess that which far surpasses enmity.
We must be able to be at peace In order to be active in Love.
That is why the self-controlled man
holds the left-hand portion of the contract,
but does not insist upon the other man producing his portion.
He who is virtuous may rule by a contract, He whose virtue is within may rule by destroying it.
Akin to the Way is Inner Life. A constant giver is the man who loves.
80
Take a small kingdom and few people,
Cause ten or a hundred of them to carry weapons,
But not to use them.
Cause the people to fear death,
Do not let them travel far,
Though they may have boats and carriages,
Let them use them only within the kingdom.
Though they may have soldiers in uniform,
Let them parade only within the kingdom.
Cause the people again to have knotted cords,
And to use them (instead of the written character).
Their food would be sweet,
Their clothing would be beautiful in their own eyes, Their dwellings would be resting-places, They would love simple ways.
If another kingdom were so near That they could hear the sounds of dogs and fowls, They would not come into mutual contact Until they all grew old and died. . . .
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1. How does paradox function in the Tao Te Ching? What is the rhetorical effect of presenting concepts as integrally connected to their opposites? What overall philosophy does this support?