附英文稿

The Sage Does Not Hoard or Strive: Tao Te Ching and the Culture of Harmony
By Liu Huaiyuan

Abstract: Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching is abundant in ideas on the Culture of Harmony, and insights into philosophy, politics and ways of dealing with social affairs and people. Lao Tzu had profound and lofty ideas on self-interest, fame and fortune, pleasure, material desire, inaction and its opposite, and non-striving. His wise ideas on harmony may rid people of their worries, make them see the essence of life, free them from the obsession with fame and fortune, and bring them into keen awareness of their true selves that are previously eclipsed. The paper discusses Lao Tzu’s teachings on self-improvement, returning good for evil, and the Sage’s not hoarding or striving, teachings that are meant for one to perfect his character and achieve harmony between himself and the others.

Key words: self-improvement, self-control, acting without striving, harmonious relations with others

Brief introduction to the author:

Liu Huaiyuan: male; born in 1945; Deputy Chief of China Taoist Association; Chief of Taoist Association of Shandong Province; Chief of Taoist Association of Qingdao City

Self-improvement aimed at being subtle, good, mysterious and penetrating

Lao Tzu said, ‘Of old those that were the best officers of Court had inner natures subtle, abstruse, mysterious, penetrating, and too deep to be understood. And because such men could not be understood, I can but tell of them as they appeared to the world: circumspect they seemed, like one who in winter crosses a stream; watchful, as one who fears his neighbors; ceremonious, as one who pays a visit, yet yielding, as ice when it begins to melt; blank as a piece of uncarved wood, yet receptive as a hollow in the hills; murky, as a troubled stream.’ (Chapter 15). 

Here Lao Tzu expressed his insightful opinion on what a shi (a man whose social status was between senior officials and the common people in ancient China) should be like. He said that such a man should be ‘subtle, abstruse, mysterious and penetrating’. ‘Subtle’ means that he should be able to handle small matters. ‘Deal with the hard while it is still easy, and with the great while it is still small. In the governance of empire everything difficult must be dealt with while it is still easy, and everything great must be dealt with while it is still small.’ (Chapter 63) Lao

Tzu made a philosophical summary that everything proceeds from being easy to being difficult, or from being small to being great, and that emphasis should be put on the process in addition to the result. ‘Abstruse’ means that he should be morally upright and beyond reproach. ‘Mysterious’ means that he should have profound thoughts which are hard to understand. ‘Penetrating’ means that he should be well versed in cultivating good personal relations, being able to mingle with all sorts of people. Being ‘too deep to be understood’, he will hide from people his perfection in character and moral integrity.

‘Circumspect they seemed, like one who in winter crosses a stream’: before dealing with a matter, he should get fully ready and foresee possible dangers, as if he were going to cross a stream in winter. He should make a careful assessment and investigation of the situation, and refrain from acting rashly, which might cause losses or damages.

‘Watchful, as one who fears his neighbors’: he should attend carefully to trivial matters in everyday life. He should abide by etiquettes, and see to it that his behavior does not cause aversion or controversy. He should be careful to avoid misunderstandings caused by the difference in moral standards in different social sectors. In daily life he should try to cultivate friendship while avoiding animosity. He should have high moral standards, which will prevent him from transgressing the limits of good behavior. He should pay attention to his neighbor’s opinions of him.

That Lao Tzu was aware of this indicates his deep understanding of society.

‘Ceremonious, as one who pays a visit’: he should be respectful and courteous, as if he were a guest talking in an appropriate manner to the host. If he is not welcome because of different opinions, he should speak in a polite manner, trying to avoid any hard feelings.

‘Yielding, as ice when it begins to melt’: he should be at ease, and behave gently towards others, like the spring breeze that thaws the ice. In this way he will endear himself to others, facilitating communication.

‘Blank as a piece of uncarved wood’: it is a virtue to be simple and unadorned. A shi should have a lofty character that resists temptation. Simplicity does not mean shallowness or ignorance; it is a temperament gained through cultivation and purification.

‘Receptive as a hollow in the hills’: he should be broad-minded and tolerant, trying always to expand his horizon and enhance his taste. He should be considerate and tolerate others’ weaknesses. His mind should be profound and receptive.

‘Murky as a troubled stream’: man is a social being, and no one can live in isolation. One’s mind should not be excessively and stubbornly pure. One should tolerate all kinds of people, being neither snobbish nor indiscriminate in his choice of friends. One should be easy-going towards others and strict with himself.

Returning Good for Evil and Being Good at Helping Men

Lao Tzu is for ‘returning good for evil’. He said, ‘to be good to those who are good and to those who are not good.’ (Chapter 49) ‘The good man is the teacher of the bad man, and the bad man is the asset of the good man. He who does respect his teacher, or he who does not take care of his asset, much learning though he may possess, is far astray.’ (Chapter 27) A good can teach a bad man how to be good, while a bad man can be a mirror for a good man to see his weaknesses. ‘The Sage is good at helping men, so he never turns his back on men; he is good at helping creatures, so he never turns his back on creatures.’ (Chapter 27)

A man of high moral standards knows how to bring every man’s talent into full play. In his eyes there are no useless persons, for both the good and the bad have their strong points, and what they need is understanding and guidance. As Lao Tzu said, ‘the ways of men are conditioned by those of the earth’. The earth supports high mountains, embraces rivers, lakes and oceans, and nurtures all kinds of living beings; men should follow suit, trying to tolerate each other. There should not be opposition and hostility between good and evil. Mankind has been making unremitting efforts to turn evil into good. Returning good for evil is a good way to dissolve hatred. As the wisest of all creatures, man should not be obsessed with personal grudges.
Every living being has its use. Even poisonous grass can be curative. Similarly, everyone has his own special strong points. If you are broad-minded enough and good at observing people, you can learn from everyone.

The major difference between humans and animals are that the former are social beings. One should understand this, and treat others with tolerance and kindness, dissolving hatred with love. As Lao Tzu said, a morally perfect man should be upright and incorruptible, firm but not cutting, pointed but not piercing, straight but not rigid, bright but not blinding (Chapter 58). He should blend with other people and be on good terms with them, yet maintaining a firm hold on his moral principles. ‘He does not show himself, therefore he is seen everywhere. He does not define himself, therefore he is distinct. He does not boast of what he will do, therefore he succeeds. He is not proud of his work, and therefore it endures.’ (Chapter 22)
‘He does not show himself, therefore he is seen everywhere’: one should see things from different angles, rather than stubbornly stick to one opinion. That is easy to understand, but to put it into practice requires certain courage. If you look at your own weaknesses in the face, you will have a better understanding of yourself, be more courageous and self-confident, keeping yourself cool-headed and enterprising.
‘He does not define himself, therefore he is distinct’: one should not be conceited. One should think carefully about the differences between his opinions and reality, and those between his opinions and those of others; he should learn from reality and others’ viewpoints. Differences in experiences, capabilities, tastes and social status may lead to different outlooks on life and standards of right and wrong. Everyone is entitled to his opinions, yet no one should impose his opinions upon others. Acceptance of one’s ideas can only be achieved through communication. To be opinionated will ruin good plans; worse still, it will incur misunderstanding and troubles. Only those who are excessively self-confident can distinguish themselves.
‘He does not boast of what he will do, therefore he succeeds’: boasting indicates self-importance, which is likely to lead to enmity. Even those who have indeed achieved a great deal, such as successful businessmen, renowned scholars and celebrities, should be careful not to win support with braggadocio. It is all the more necessary for common people to be down-to-earth in pursuing their careers.

‘He is not proud of his work, and therefore it endures’: pride is very harmful, for it is bound to impede one’s progress in moral cultivation. Sometimes it may stimulate one to forge ahead, but its power does not last long, and it causes great harm. Only those who are not proud of their work can succeed in their careers.

The Sage Does Not Hoard or Strive

To survive, man as a social being has to protect and defend himself and compete with others for anything conducive to survival. Competition is a natural quality that does not require learning; it is an instinct possessed by any living being. In modern society competition is advocated as a stimulus of human and social progress.

Lao Tzu, however, taught us not to compete. Admittedly, competition is an important part of life, for it is directly or indirectly linked with the survival of individuals, their success or failure in their careers, and the prosperity or decline of a country. In fact, by ‘not to compete’, Lao Tzu meant a wiser way to compete, that is, to compete in a down-to-earth way and to go beyond the common ways of competition. His philosophy would have no practical value if his opinion on competition was harmful in real life.

The existence of competition in life is to some degree justified, but in the Tao Te Ching frequent mention is made of non-competition. For instance, in Chapter 3 you will read ‘If we stop looking for talented and virtuous people to put in power, there will be no more jealousies among the people.’ In the late Spring and Autumn Period, it became a prevailing trend to value talented and virtuous people, as aristocracy gave way to temporary tenure of state power given to the talented and virtuous, which was politically progressive. However, in Lao Tzu’s opinion, though that practice stimulated people’s initiative, it was aimed at quick results and instantaneous gains, and was likely to cause political intrigues and economic frauds. His was a philosophical aversion to competition. He hoped that the competition for fame and fortune would be stopped by abolishing the worship of talented and virtuous people. It was a wish to alleviate conflicts between people, a wish based on respect for the people. The deliberate promotion of talented and virtuous people should be replaced by attention paid to the power of the majority. Society should be based on equality and mutual respect, rather than the domination by a handful of talented and virtuous people.

‘The goodness of water is that it benefits the ten thousand creatures; yet itself does not scramble, but is content with the places that all men disdain. It is this that makes water so near to the Way.’ ‘And if men choose proper places , if they value profound thoughts, if in friendship they value gentleness, in words, truth; in government, good order; in deeds, effectiveness; in action, timeliness—in each case it is because they prefer what does not lead to strife, and therefore does no go amiss.’ (Chapter 8) Lao Tzu analyzed and eulogized the qualities of water, an indispensable substance for every living being. 1) One should choose places where they can best use their talents, like water that relieves drought; 2) One should cultivate a pure, lofty, tolerant mind; 3) One should be on good terms with others and with nature, avoiding conflicts with people and making good use of nature; 4) One should keep his promises, avoiding fickleness; 5) A country should be governed in a just way; 6) One should be good at adapting to different conditions and following natural laws; 7) One should be good at seizing opportunities.

Lao Tzu uses water to illustrate a principle of life, that is, be flexible in self-protection. The conclusion is that one should avoid matters that may lead to strife. He who does not show himself, or define himself, or boast of what he will do, or be proud of his work (Chapter 22) will win respect and be powerful, and none can contend with him.

‘So when the Sage is on top, the people will not be crushed by his weight; when he guides, the people will not be led into harm. Everything under heaven will be glad to be pushed by him and will not find his guidance irksome. This he does by not striving; and because he does not strive, none can contend with him.’ (Chapter 66) Such a person will never be defeated because he wins people’s love and support. ‘The best fighters do not make displays of wrath; the great conqueror wins without striving.’ (Chapter 68) Good fighters win the war by wisdom, by breaking up the enemy’s morale or by converting them. ‘The best user of men acts as though he were their inferior. This is called the power that comes of not contending; it is called the capacity to use men, the secret of being mated to heaven, to what was of old.’ (Chapter 68) The best way to use men is to act as though you were their inferior.

‘The Sage’s way is to act without striving.’ (Chapter 81) He can do this because he ‘has no need to hoard. After he gives to others, he has more than before. For Heaven’s way is to do good instead of harm.’ (Chapter 81) One should not hoard too much wealth. One should think of others. One should help those in poverty, for by giving away you will have more. One should not strive for fame and fortune. To act without striving is a way to harmonize personal relationship and to perfect one’s character. It is the proper way to conduct oneself in society, and an important way to a harmonious society. It requires the quenching of excessive desires and voluntarily helping others without demanding requital or publicity.

Lao Tzu’s idea of acting without striving is conducive to social progress. The Tao Te Ching contains original ideas on philosophy, politics, military affairs, law, education, economy, theology, administration, life, ethics and natural science, ideas that reflect Lao Tzu’s insight into the negative effects of the advance of society and civilization, and his concern for relations among people. His ideas have had tremendous influence on Chinese culture and Chinese people’s life. For a long time, they have been regarded as negative and conservative by those too eager for competition and success. However, a careful pondering will reveal them to contain concepts on harmonious society that are of a profundity unattainable nowadays. Looking at the past and the future, we believe Lao Tzu’s ideas of harmony will shine forever and exist as long as nature and mankind remain.

Note: Phrases from Tao Te Ching quoted in this paper are based on Han-dynasty Annotations to Tao Te Ching by Heshanggong, included in Taoist Canon.