Benevolence is intimate but needs to be made universal.
Rituals are restricted but need to be extended.
Virtue is central but needs to be raised higher.
The Tao is perpetually One but needs to be modified.
Heaven is spiritual but also practical.
So the sages contemplate Heaven but do not assist it.
They are concerned to perfect their Virtue but do not allow it to encumber them.
They set forth according to the Tao but do not make plans.
They work with benevolence but put no reliance upon it.
They draw extensively upon righteousness but do not try to build it up.
They observe the rituals but do not set great store by them.
They do what they have to and never shirk their responsibilities.
They try to make their laws applicable but do not believe them effective.
They value the people and do not take them for granted.
They make use of things and do not dismiss them lightly.
True, things are worthless but they must be used.
Those who do not see Heaven clearly will not be pure in Virtue.
Those who fail to follow the Tao cannot follow any other path.
What a disaster for those who cannot follow the Tao!
What is this Tao?
There is the Tao of Heaven;
there is the Tao of humanity.
Non-action brings respect: this is Heaven’s Tao.
To be active is the Tao of humanity.
It is Heaven’s Tao that is the ruler;
the Tao of humanity is the servant.
The Tao of Heaven and the Tao of humanity are poles apart.
Do not fail to reflect upon this.
CHAPTER 12
Heaven and Earth
Heaven and Earth are vast,
and their diversity comes from one source.
Although there are ten thousand forms of life,
they are one in their order.
Human beings are multitudinous,
but they are governed by one ruler.
The ruler is rooted in Virtue and perfected by Heaven.
It is said that long ago
the rulers of everything below Heaven
ruled through actionless action,
through Heavenly Virtue and nothing else.
If we look at words in the light of the Tao, then the title ‘Ruler of the World’ makes sense. If we look at the distinctions between rulers and others in the light of the Tao, then the separation of rulers and ministers is relevant and clear. If we look at their abilities in the same light of the Tao, then we see that the officials are in the right places. Look at anything in the light of the Tao and you will see that the response of all life is fulfilling. Pervading all Heaven and Earth there is Virtue; stirring all life is the Tao. The ruling classes govern those below them: this is hierarchy. Where ability is trained, this is called skill. Such skill is absorbed into administration and administration is righteousness. Righteousness is of Virtue; Virtue is of the Tao; the Tao is of Heaven. It is said that in olden times those who ruled everything under Heaven wanted nothing and the world was fulfilled; they practised non-action and the whole of life was transformed; they were immensely deep in their stillness and the many families of the world were calm. The Records say, ‘Remain true to the One and all manner of tasks will be completed. Be without emotion and the very ghosts and spirits will submit.’
The great Master said, ‘The Tao supports and sustains all life, so immense, so immense is its vastness! The nobleman should most definitely not have it on his heart.
‘The action of non-action is called Heaven.
The words of non-action are called Virtue.
To love all humanity and to bring success to them is called benevolence.
To unite that which is not united is called greatness.
To go beyond barriers and boundaries is called open-handedness.
To have a vast multitude of diverse things is called wealth.
To have and to hold Virtue is called guidance.
To grow in maturity in Virtue is called stability
To be aligned with the Tao is called completion.
To refuse to allow anything external which distracts you is called perfection.
‘The nobleman who clearly perceives these ten things will be also magnanimous in his ventures and his actions will benefit all life.
‘Such a man will leave the gold in the mountain
and the pearls to lie in the deep.
He does not view money and goods as true profit,
nor is he attracted by fame and fortune,
nor by enjoyment of long life,
nor sadness at an early death;
he does not value wealth as a blessing,
nor is he ashamed by poverty.
He will not lust for the wealth of a generation to have as his own;
he has no wish to rule the whole world as his private domain.
His honour is clarity of understanding that all life are part of one treasury
and that death and birth are united.’
The Sage Master said,
‘The Tao, how deep and quiet it lies;
how pure is its clarity!
Without it neither gold nor stone would resonate.
The gold and stones have sounds within them
but if they are not struck, then no sound comes forth.
All the multitudinous creatures have dimensions beyond calculation!
‘The man of regal Virtue moves without complexity and is ashamed to be found concerned with the affairs of state. His knowledge is firmly rooted in the origin of self, and encompasses even the spirits. His Virtue embraces widely. His heart goes out to what is beyond him. Were there no Tao, then his body would have no life, and without Virtue, his body has no brightness. One who preserves his body and lives out his full life, who establishes Virtue and clarifies the Tao, is he not imbued with regal Virtue? He suddenly surges forth, wide and unlimited. He moves unexpectedly and all life comes after him! This is what is meant by the man of regal Virtue.
‘He can see in darkest darkness,
hears where there is no sound.
In the midst of darkest darkness,
he alone sees clearly;
in the midst of no sound,
he alone hears the harmony.
Where depth plunges into depth,
he can discern things;
in world upon world of the spirits
he can discern the core of all.
So in his dealings with the multitude of beings
he can fulfil all their wants from perfect nothingness.
Always in pursuit
he returns for the night’s rest.
Great and small, long and short,
