DIVISION 17 (第十七)

The best of all rulers is but a shadowy presence to his subjects.
Next comes the ruler they love and praise.
Next comes one they fear;
And then ones they despise.
If you don't stand sincere by your words
How sincere can the people be?
Hesitant, he does not utter words lightly.
When his task is accomplished and his work done,
The people all say, “It happened to us naturally.”

COMMENTARY by Koeng S. Wan:
The best indicator of a ruler's effectiveness is that his administration is the least noticed (and credited) by those ruled given the conditions of the day.  As a shèng rén (sage), an effective ruler uses words sparingly as they can be a source of misunderstanding (Division 2), but when he does, he uses them to gain the trust of those ruled (Division 8) and to promote social harmony.

Order is best achieved when contention is minimized among those ruled (Division 8). Division 3 specifies essential conditions for such a rule in that the people tend to be well-fed, physically strong, and are so satisfied that their ambitions don't stir social disruption. Both Divisions 3 and 13 warn rulers that their own ambitions can be a source of contention, with the latter division emphasizing that the ruler selflessly rules as a shèng rén out of love for those he governs, honoring and benefiting those ruled as they were himself.

DIVISION 15 (第十五)

Of old he who was well versed in the Dào
Were subtle, mysterious, dark, penetrating.
They were deep beyond knowing,
So deep beyond knowing,
We can only describe their appearance:
Hesitant was he! Like someone crossing a river in winter.
And perfectly watchful, as if neighbors threatened.
Reverent, like being guests.
Dissolving, like ice beginning to melt.
Perfectly simple, as if uncarved wood.
Vacant, like a valley.
Murky, like muddy water.
Who can make the muddy water clear?
Who can be at rest and yet, stirring, come to life?
Those who keep this Dào,
Do not want to be filled to the full.
Because they are not full,
That they can be worn and yet newly made.

COMMENTARY by Koeng S. Wan:
The shèng rén (sage) appears to be hesitant, perfectly watchful, reverent, dissolving, perfectly simple, vacant, and murky. The shèng rén understands the usefulness of emptiness within things (Division 11), but the Lǎo Zǐ admonishes him to not want to be "filled to the full" so as to not lose the ability to transform himself, i.e. focus qì into softness to become a newborn again (Division 10).

“Were subtle, mysterious, dark, penetrating” is the appearance of someone who believes nothing can be completely known (Division 1), distrusts words (Division 2), practices the teaching that uses no words (Division 2), refrains from making judgments (Division 7), and believes knowledge promotes social conflict (Division 3).

“Deep beyond knowing” is the depth that is the quality of mind (Division 8), and the understanding of Xuán (Division 1).

“Hesitant... Like someone crossing a river in winter” is appearing prudently cautious as one confronts a natural, known, and dangerous natural impediment on a journey. The image nearly matches the Judgment for hexagram 64 of the Yi Jīng (or I Ching) (易經), The Book of Changes, which is Wèi Jì (未濟 ), variously translated as “not yet complete” or “not yet forded"^[1], in which a young fox attempts to cross a half-frozen stream^[2]. The Yi Jīng describes the young fox as, “Thinking on with his feet, he tests the ice before he commits his weight, keeping three points on the known and one for new knowledge.”^[3]

“And perfectly watchful, as if neighbors threatened” is appearing vigilant and wary of people, associations, nations and states. This is the demeanor of the young fox described in the Wèi Jì hexagram of the Yi Jīng.

“Reverent, like being guests” is appearing humble when in the presence of others (Division 8).

“Dissolving, like ice beginning to melt” is appearing to become more and more selfless (Division 7). However, water in transforming from solid to liquid, reduces the ice and disperses drops of water to the earth. The shèng rén, like ice, a form of water which symbolizes the greatest good (Division 8), gives of himself to benefit others even though it may reduce himself in some manner as Division 42 says, “Thus, a thing is sometimes added to by being diminished and diminished by being added to.”

“Perfectly simple, as if uncarved wood” is appearing plain and unadorned (Division 19), small (Division 32), and desireless (Division 37).

“Vacant like a valley” is appearing receptive to the One, which can fill a valley (Division 39).

“Murky, like muddy water” is appearing unsure or equivocating and, consequently, not smart (Division 20). The shèng rén, of course, understands why he is murky, and so can make the muddy water clear.

"...be at rest and yet, stirring, come to life" is the appearance of someone who is always seeking fulfillment and carefully plans the steps he takes in life in order to achieve fulfillment as the young fox trying to cross the frozen stream in the Wèi Jì hexagram of the Yi Jīng.

FOOTNOTES
[1] Hatcher, Bradford, The Zhouyi and the First Four Wings of the Yijing In Simple, Literal Translation With the Rogue River Commentaries and Miscellaneous Notes, accessed April 27, 2009.

Hexagram 64:
Wèi Jì (未濟), Not Yet Complete

Fulfillment
The little fox (is) almost across the (half-frozen) stream
To soak that tail
Is not the direction of merit.

Nearly half way across the half-frozen stream, the wary, young fox is dauntless but careful. He is also not done growing older and wiser, and knows this. He continues to follow his plan. His plan, however, has already crossed, and now relaxes on that far shore in the sun. Such a plan may drown itself many times over, yet come back as lively as ever. The tangible fox is unable to do this and so he wants to keep all of his trouble in theory, and to keep his loose ends together. Thus far from safety, with just as far forward as back, he cannot afford to even dampen his tail. His nearest home or resting place may be all the way at the end. Nothing is granted but givens, as he can find and claim them. The sequences are uncertain, the problems are unknown. And yet he wants certain, not probably, outcomes. Thankfully, only three out of four feet really need to be sure. Thinking on with his feet, he tests the ice before he commits his weight, keeping three points on the known and one for new knowledge. Almost all the tension and stresses increase his chance for success. Thoughts of ice cold water, thoughts of the warm sunny shore: a tension pulls on to the other.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

DIVISION 13 (第十三)

Favor and disgrace would seem equally to be feared.
High rank is, like one's body, a source of great trouble.
What is meant by speaking thus of fear and disgrace?
Favor is inferior.
If you get it – be alarmed!
If you lose it – be alarmed!
Honor always dwindles away, so earning it fills us
with fear, and losing it fills us with fear.
This is what is meant by saying, "Favor and disgrace would seem to be equally feared."
What is meant by “high rank is, like one's body, a source of great trouble”?
The reason why I have great trouble is that I have a body.
When I no longer have a body, what trouble have I?
Therefore, he who would administer the Kingdom, honoring it as he honors his own person, may be employed to govern it.
And he who would administer it with the love which he bears his own person may be entrusted with it.

COMMENTARY by Koeng S. Wan:
The shèng rén (sage) is admonished to fear the receipt of honors as equally as to be disgraced. The consequence of this for the shèng rén who rules is that he administers the government with the care and respect that he would treat himself, and that he must love the governed as he would his own person.

In Division 2, the Lǎo Zǐ tells the shèng rén to not seek rewards. Division 13 goes further in warning him that receiving honors should be feared because honors are eventually lost.

Here, as a continuation of Division 3, the Lǎo Zǐ warns that administering the government is difficult, as it is “a great source of trouble” like one's own body. Since the shèng rén is not to take high rank in the government for its rewards like honors or favors, he must take the position to benefit the people (Division 8) with peace and order (Division 3), helping them to become physically strong (Division 3), long-lived (Division 7), and enlightened (Division 3 and 27).

DIVISION 8 (第八)

The highest good is like water.
The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things
And yet never strives.
It dwells in places the masses of people detest.
Therefore, it is close to the Dào.
In a home, it is the site that matters.
In quality of mind, it is depth that matters.
In giving, the good thing (is being like) Heaven.
In speech, it is good faith that matters.
In governing, the good thing is order.
In affairs, the good thing is ability.
In activity, the good thing is timeliness.
It is because it does not contend that it is never at fault.

COMMENTARY by Koeng S. Wan:
Water, which descends from Heaven and ends up in an abyss that covers the Earth, symbolizes the Dào's greatest goodness. Water symbolizes the selflessness (Division 7) and impartiality (Division 5) of the Dào in that it nourishes all life and, thus, benefits all things no matter what people think of it. Water also symbolizes humbleness in that it always seeks the lowest of places (Division 39). By inference, water underlies every idea of being beneficial. Finally, water acts effortlessly and without conflict, the very essence of wú wèi.

Division 8 is a logical continuation of both Divisions 3 and 4, in which the former discusses what an ideal society should be like and the latter refers to the Dào as a watery abyss. Division 8 is also a continuation of both Divisions 5 and 7, in which the former characterizes the Dào as impartial and the latter characterizes the Dào as selfless. In seeking the lowest places, water symbolizes humbleness (Division 39).

The goodness of a home is not the house, but in its situation on Earth where the environment enables people to grow food and become physically strong (Division 3), and presumably, build and maintain a good house that appears to thrive like a tree rooted in the watered ground.

The goodness of mind is depth beyond knowing like a watery abyss (Divisions 4 and 15), which is enlightenment (Division 16).

The goodness of giving is being generous as water falls from Heaven^[1].

In relations with others, i.e., speech, goodness is good faith and trust that promotes social harmony and minimizes conflict like water, which doesn't contend.

The goodness of government is in that it benefits the people ruled at large with peace and order, which is symbolized by water's inability to contend. The government of the shèng rén is described in Division 3.

In an endeavor the goodness is the skill and competence in which it is done; and in deciding to act the goodness is in the timing at which it is done. Skill, competence, and timing are necessary for acting by wú wèi, which again, is like water.

FOOTNOTES
[1] This line is translated by Henricks from the Mǎ Wáng Duī Text B. The comparable line from the Wáng Bì commentary is about good associates or allies being rén (Confucian benevolence; see the commentary in Division 3 on rén). The Wáng Bì version was rejected on two grounds. First, by holding rén to be good, it strongly contradicts other divisions within the Lǎo Zǐ, particularly Division 18. Second, the Mǎ Wáng Duī text is about four centuries older than the Wáng Bì commentary's text. While this doesn't mean the Mǎ Wáng Duī version is actually that much older than the Wáng Bì commentary's text, I speculate that rén was inserted by some Han dynasty official who wanted the Lǎo Zǐ to portray Confucianism in a more positive light or fell victim to the Han synthesis. By Wáng Bì's time, the Han dynasty had just collapsed, and with it the Confucianism formed the basis for Han governance.^[2]

[2] Hooker, Richard, “The Chinese Empire: The Former Han”, World Civilizations: An Internet Classroom and Anthology, Washington State University, Richard Hooker and Paul Brians (principal editors), 1996 (June 6, 1999 update).

DIVISION 4 (第四)

The Dào is empty,
Use it; it never needs filling.
Like an abyss! It seems to be ancestor to the ten thousand things.
It blunts the sharp,
Unties the tangles,
Softens the glare,
And settles the dust.
Submerged! It seems perhaps to exist.
I do not know whose son it is.
It is an image of what precedes God.

COMMENTARY by Koeng S. Wan:
The Dào is an ancient, limitless void that is the ancestor of all creation. Though it is empty but somehow like water, the Dào can be used to help bring peaceful relations between people and bring peace of mind.

The sharp, tangled, glared, and dusty are all extreme states, and the Dào moderates them by dulling, untying, softening, and settling them, respectively. As both abyss (yuān 淵) and submerged (zhàn 湛) have etymologies related to water^[1], the Lǎo Zǐ compares the effects of the Dào to the effects of water. (Division 8 says water is close to the Dào, and Division 34 compares the Dào to a flood.) Sharpened metal implements become dull as they oxidize and react with other compounds in water. A tangled or knotted cord loosens when it shrinks after water expands it or as water facilitates rotting. Clouds and fog block light. Rain removes the dust from the air.

The physical transformational effects of water are metaphors for the transformational effects of the Dào on people. As opposed to glare and dust which occur naturally, the sharpened and the knotted result from the efforts of people, though we can have glare from one's attire (see Division 3).

As for sharp, the Lǎo Zǐ uses it to describe the violent capacity of weapons (see Divisions 36 and 53). The dulling effect of the Dào on weapons is peace. So the dào is to blunt the sharp (see Division 56), a general call for pacifism.

As for tangles, contention among people is brought about by entangled human relationships rooted in ambitions and desires (Division 3). Contention is reduced when the roots of conflict, personal ambitions and desires, are extinguished (see Divisions 19 and 57). So the dào is to loosen tangles (see Division 56).

As for glare, people can flaunt “alluring things” to cause others to be confused (Division 3). The softening effect of the Dào is modest attire, that will reduce confusion. So the dào is to soften the glare (Division 56).

See Division 42 on the Dào's role in being the ancestor of all things.

FOOTNOTES
[1] Sears, Richard, Chinese Etymology. Accessed February 28, 2009.

DIVISION 3 (第三)

Do not honor the worthy
So that the people will not contend with one another.
Never prize rare treasures and people will not steal.
Never flaunt alluring things and the people won't be confused.

Therefore, in the government of the shèng rén:
He empties the minds of his people
And fills their bellies;
Weakens their ambition
And strengthens their bones.
He constantly keeps them without knowledge (zhī 知) and without desire,
Then those who know (zhì 智) are those who never presume to act.
Act by wú wèi
Then nothing is not in order.

COMMENTARY by Koeng S. Wan:
Division 3 is a summary prescription of the shèng rén's (sage's) approach to governance, which primarily consists of working to minimize people's ambitions and desires, and ensuring they are well-fed and physically strong. In admonishing the shèng rén that governs to empty people's minds, Lǎo Zǐ obligates him to teach the people how to obtain enlightenment. By doing so, the nation will be orderly.

The nature of people is to compete for honors (also see Division 13), to covet rare things of value, and to react to those putting on alluring displays. Respectively, these behaviors promote disorder by risking disputes, cheating, and strife; theft; and disturbances caused by misunderstanding of motives. Thus, the Lǎo Zǐ's dào is to not bestow any honors, prize rare things, or put on displays that incite desire.

Two central ideas not mentioned in this division are essential for understanding the Lǎo Zǐ's positions on good government. First, the objective of good government is to benefit the people by maintaining order (see Division 8). The second, articulated in Division 65, is that governing is hard because ordinary people are too knowledgeable, presumably, clever in seeking ways to fulfill the ambitions and desires that contribute to social disorder.

Furthermore, by admonishing the shèng rén to "Act by wú wèi" (or maybe more clearly, “Act without acting”), the shèng rén needs to be so skilled at governing that the act of governing is effortless. This would seem to rule out the use of force, as the Lǎo Zǐ articulates in Divisions 30 and 36. Given all these constraints, the Lǎo Zǐ's prescription to the shèng rén is to create and maintain a social order with the features described in this division below.

The shèng rén ensures that his people are well-fed and physically strong. He works to moderate their ambitions, and prevents them from becoming mischievous and desirous.

The shèng rén “empties minds,” which has two meanings that emanate from the use of two different words for knowledge – zhī (知) and zhì (智) that both appear concurrently in this division and Division 33, the latter noted by Chen^[1]. The etymology of zhī (知) is to be wise in speech^[2], i.e. it is the display of wisdom through the use of words. As zhī knowledge depends on words it is inherently distorted and untrustworthy (Divisions 1 and 2). The shèng rén is admonished in Division 2 to practice the teaching that uses no words, and so seeks to instill knowledge through other means. However, the ideograph zhì (智) is zhī (知) with the symbol of the sun (日 rì) under it^[3]. In this division, zhì (智) is the most legitimate form of knowledge recognized in the Lǎo Zǐ, which is the understanding of cháng (常), because when one understands cháng one becomes enlightened (Division 16). In particular, in order to understand cháng (常) one must empty one's mind (Division 16).

Finally, Division 27 says the shèng rén excels at saving people. Achieving enlightenment is the most important aspect of salvation in the Lǎo Zǐ. In saying the shèng rén who governs empties people's minds, the Lǎo Zǐ implicitly directs him to help his people attain enlightenment. Such efforts promote happiness and good social order since the enlightened don't act. The directions also implicitly make the shèng rén who governs an advocate and teacher of the Lǎo Zǐ's Dào.

FOOTNOTES
[1] Chen, Ellen M., The Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary, Paragon House, St. Paul, MN, 1989, p.136.

[2] Sears, Richard, "知 (zhī)", Chinese Etymology. Accessed September 7, 2009.

[3] Sears, Richard, "智 (zhī)", Chinese Etymology. Accessed September 7, 2009.