Government of Non-interference

十四

老子

~What is Lao Tzu’s understanding of the state? What is the state for?

~What does Lao Tzu mean by government by non-interference? Would this still be government? Would it effectively meet the goals that the state was constituted to accomplish?

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If a land is ruled by a person of the Tao, then everyone and everything will be live in peace and harmony. The people will live their lives and go on their daily chores without even realising that someone, whose presence is not easily noticed but whose figure is very important is there and he is the one responsible for bringing forth such peacefulness in the land. A Taoist ruler does not command the people to do things his way. He does not interfere with the work of the people and he does not tell them what to do for his trust in them is as strong as the water within him. In turn, the people trusts him too. Because there is faith between him and them, work is done and it is done well. This they do so by following nature. Follow nature, that is, they do not take control of it because it can never be contained. 

A Taoist ruler is not one who acts lavishly nor is he one who does not lift a finger. He procures what is needed without loss nor without excess and so the people are satisfied because nothing is ever short and nothing ever goes to waste. He does not use force because he knows that there is no need for such and because he knows that force would only invite harm. He knows that if he uses force, everything will be destroyed in return. He uses weakness and gentleness to lead and by doing this he succeeds. 

The deeds of the Taoist ruler are well received by the people. Through him they become like him: a person of the Tao. By his non-action the people are inspired to follow him and so they do everything in moderation. His distaste for desire is obtained by the people and so they are simple in their ways and their words. Through his virtues the people are transformed and they too, like him, become one with nature and in harmony with each other. His virtues are his weapons for they are strong but they can never hurt someone. The virtues of a Taoist ruler can serve all and his virtues are that which aids him in being able to overcome diversities. 

Chapter 29 of the Tao Te Ching says that, “When one desires to take over the empire and act on it, I see that he will not succeed.” Why is this so? The very fact that taking over the empire is a desire, it already goes to show that this should not be. Anything that has to do with desires and gratification of the senses is shunned by Taoists and for Lao Tzu, this method will not work. Following, the Taoist philosophy is all about non-action and “taking over the empire” would mean action- it would mean that one would want to take over the empire by force. The following chapter gives us an explanation: He who assists the ruler with Tao does not dominate the world with force. The use of force usually brings requital… because whatever is contrary to Tao will soon perish. 

The use of force can also be expressed in many ways. If a ruler instills fear to the people to gain their respect and their obedience, then this is contrary to the Tao. The Taoist ruler is one who lets the people be. He does not install fear nor does he oppress them. He does not, most important, threaten them by any means. Threatening or taking lives as a form of punishment is not the way to govern a land and the people. Life is not ours and so it is not ours to take: let Heaven do its job. To rule as if you are above all is contrary to nature and contrary to Tao. It can lead to the absence of natural harmony. 

Tao Te Ching, 57

The more taboos and prohibitions there are in the world,

The poorer the people will be.

The more sharp weapons people have.

The more troubled the state will be.

The more cunning and skill man possesses,

The more vicious things will appear.

The more laws and orders are made prominent,

The more thieves and robbers there will be. 

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Knowing the Way as Unlearning

Knowing the Way as Unlearning

老子

十一

~What does Lao Tzu mean by unlearning? How can this be knowing? How can unlearning take place?

~What is the importance of unlearning in the development toward sageliness? 

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Tao Te Ching, 20

Abandon all learning and there will be no sorrow.

People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge (Tao Te Ching, 65) and so it follows that we should empty our cup so that it should be filled: what we know and what we have learned, we should unlearn. The Tao requires us to decrease so as we could increase and the way to knowing the Tao is by unlearning. It is because we know too much, it is because our heads are filled with things of these and that that we become blinded with the illusion that it is necessary for us to have them. We see a lot of things in others that we don’t have and we are then filled with the desire that we want those things for us to possess. The Tao teaches us that any kind of desire, tangible and/or intangible, is not good for us. These desires, because of the very fact that they are desires, are hard to come by and so the harder that we strive to attain them, the more we bring ourselves closer to harm’s way. Therefore our desire to fill our heads with facts, numbers, and information are that which that makes us contrary to what we truly are. Knowledge only clouds the mind. It teaches us how to discriminate and become prejudiced. Knowledge is a disease that rots the mind. The sage know of this and so, he only seeks for what is needed for life and anything beyond it, the sage rejects. Because of this, the sage rests at the heart of the Tao.

It is only by truly unlearning that we are filled, that we can accumulate the things that which are genuinely essential to us and to our being. This knowledge that we seek only but blinds us from the way of the Tao. They dizzy our head with worldly contents and concerns that we forget how who we truly are and so it is only by depleting that we can come home again. We should decrease day by day until we are nothing, until we are empty. Therefore the sage strives to achieve a mental clarity will make nature profound in him and through this nothingness within his mind, he sees the path to the Tao.  

More often than not, our senses trigger desires and our knowledge about the object of our desires only heightens our need for them. So Lao Tzu warns us: Close the mouth. Shut the doors (Tao Te Ching, 52). If we truly know ourselves then it is easier for us to guard our senses and our mind. If we know who we truly are and if we are close to the Tao then there will be wards around us, wards that keeps away the things that are contrary to nature and the things that can pull us away from the Tao. Being aware of what is truly essential to us helps us retrain worldly desires and keeps us on the right path. If we know who we truly are then we know that we do not know. The sage who knows does not pretend. He is humble in his words and in his deeds and because he keeps the value of humility he is weak. He flows in the river of the Tao, freely, away from necessary desires. The sage is empty but he is full. 

Tao Te Ching, 56

Become one with the dusty world.

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The Chun-tzu as Philosopher-King

二十二

~What is a philosopher-king (or sage-emperor)?

~What role does the ruler play in a state?

~Why does Confucius argue that the ruler must be a chun-tzu? What is the difference between the ruler who is a chun-tzu and one who is not?

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Fung, 1947

“The man who has become really and truly a jen man is the sage, and the same is one body with Heaven and Earth and all things…”

The highest position that one can achieve in the society, according to Fung Yu-Lan (1947), is that of a political leader. What’s even more higher than that is other than being a statesman, he is also a sage— a person, as the parent of the people, who rules with the virtue and wisdom of a sage and who has the power and will of a king: …for in the Confucian system, the sage should be a ruler and the ruler should be a sage (Chan, 1963, p. 45).  He is one who gives his all to secure the land and its inhabitants while at the same time maintaining peace throughout the society. He does not neglect their needs and does well in educating them while keeping himself in check knowing that he is the role model of the people. 

Analects 16:8

“Confucius said, ‘The superior man stands in awe of three things. He stands in awe of the Mandate of Heaven; he stands in awe of great men; and he stands in awe of the words of the sages. The inferior man is ignorant of the Mandate of Heaven and does not stand in awe of it. He is disrespectful to great men and is contemptuous toward the words of the sages.’”

Analects 16:8 does not only describe the qualities of a sage-king but also defines him by comparing him to the inferior man who does not clearly have the qualifications of a superior man and a ruler. The principle of “sageliness within and kingliness without” is deeply tied in the Confucian teachings when one talks about the exemplary man. This principle is the very essence, however entered entirely on the chun-tzu, of a perfect government with a perfect ruler, a sage yet an emperor, and the perfect people who are loyal and respectful: …in his inner sageliness, he accomplishes spiritual cultivation; in his kingliness without, he functions in society. It is not necessary that the sage should be the actual head of the government… The [principle] means only that he who has the noblest spirit should, theoretically, be a king. As to whether he actually has or has not the chance of being king, that is immaterial (Fung, 1948, p. 8). Since the ruler is the model of the people, it is very important that he should have the virtues and the characteristics of a superior man. He adheres to the Tao and maintains the Confucian virtue of righteousness, filial piety, benevolence, etc. Such virtuous ruler would automatically win the hearts of the people and they will also be inspired to follow his way. 

If man can be perfected, then the state, by man’s desire, can also be perfected. A strong-willed ruler who sets his mind on the Way and embodies the Confucian virtue would be an ideal parent of the state. A cultivated ruler would cause a domino effect, influencing and inspiring the people with his goodness and in return he receives the blessings of Heaven. 

Chan, 1963

(The Mystical Way of Chuang Tzu)

"In tranquility he becomes a sage, and in activity he becomes a king."

“The admirable, amiable prince [Shun] displayed conspicuously his excellent virtue. He put his people and his officers in concord. And he received his emolument from Heaven. It protected him, assisted him, and appointed him king. And Heaven’s blessing came again and again.”

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