Tao Te Ching Ch 17

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna Chor Kok Lam 

Chapter 17

The highest rulers, people do not know their presence.

The next, people love them and praise them.

The next, people fear them.

The next, people disdain them.

If the rulers are lacking integrity, people will not trust them.

Leisurely, the highest rulers value their words.

When their task accomplished, people all say, “We did it naturally.”

Review

“The highest rulers, people do not know their presence.”

 

This Chapter tells us the rulers of different levels. For the rulers of the highest level, people do not realize their presence. They rule their people like the nature subsisting all creatures with good seasons. The sun shines brightly every day giving light and heat. The wind blows gently cooling the earth and fertilizing the soil with seeds.  The cloud covers strong light giving shades on the earth. The rain falls mildly nourishing all creatures. They provide good environments for all creatures while all creatures are not aware that they are being controlled with orders or commands. They have their freedom to live on the earth. This is the way the law of nature acts upon us.

 

The highest rulers depicted by Lao Tzu act the same as the law of nature does. They act “leisurely”. They never do anything unnecessarily to make nuisance to their people. They provide good environment for people to live without unnecessarily controlling them with too many rules and regulations. People have the freedom to develop their life without harming themselves and other people. They do not need to be ordered and commanded. By natural law, people will do goodness for themselves and others. The best and the highest rulers are the one who can help people maintain their pure nature to live in the good environment, while people think that they are naturally living in their way, so does Lao Tzu say about the highest rulers in the end:

 

                                  “Leisurely, the highest rulers value their words.

When their task accomplished, people all say, “We did it naturally.”

 

 What the highest rulers need to do is to value their words. They never babble vain talks and give promises unfulfilled. They talk little. They act little. But they can let people have freedom to develop to fulfill what they want to be under the guidance that they should not harm other people. This is the minimum governance that is the best. Then Lao Tzu tells us the next level of ruling is:

 

“The next, people love them and praise them.”

 

The rulers of this level next to the highest are the ideal for most people in history that they love their people and people also love them and praise them. They do goodness to people obviously and being recognized by people. All the ideal aim of any political system is to enable the maintenance of the best ruling class for people. The good ruling class should always show their concern for their people to improve their livelihood. They show their kindness to people with friendly images to all walks of living. This is what most people think the best ruler should be. But Lao Tzu says it is only the second not the best. The best rulers do goodness to people, but people do not know their presence.

 

“The next, people fear them.”

 

The next level is the ruler who rules the country with harshness and sternness. It is the third level lower than the second one. They stipulate many rules and regulations and severe punishment for people who violate the laws. It is why people fear them. This is the efficient government under the totalitarianism of stern ruling. People do not love the rulers but fear them. As people can live properly without infringement of the laws, they will bear the rulers and are kept controlled.

 

“The next, people disdain them.”

 

What is worse than the third one is the fourth level in which the rulers fail to govern people properly with or without any rules and regulations. They cannot govern their countries in good order but turn them into chaotic situations. In this way, people do not respect their rulers but disdain them. Even they are not afraid of them. People would boldly infringe the laws to satisfy their wants without fear. This is the end of any governance as the situation is going to downgrade into anarchy with chaos. Without any good and efficient leadership, people will destroy each other in the worst sense. This is what we see in most poor countries with severe corruptions and crimes.

 

“If the rulers are lacking integrity, people will not trust them.”

 

Lao Tzu here tells us about the key advice for leadership. A good ruler must have integrity. He should act in accordance with his words and promises. He should not babble vain speech without proper actions to fulfill his plan to people. To let people trust the ruler is the key for the success of any leadership. To be a good trustee is the ideal for any governance. Therefore, Lao Tzu further says how the highest ruler acts with integrity:

 

“Leisurely, the highest rulers value their words.”

 

Nowadays most people do not value their words. They can speak many but seldom fulfill what they have made the promises. This is immoral but there are too many immoral people in our world. Even the ruling class is one of them. Therefore, there is no trust among people. To make any promise unfulfilled is opposite to the Truth which will make people lack integrity. Without integrity, hypocrisy and corruption will come forth bit by bit. This is the main difference between the highest ruler and the lowest ruler which lies on the word, “integrity”.

 

In our human history, the rulers whom people love and praise, are few. More and more are the rulers whom people fear or even disdain. However, how can a ruler rule a country without being known by anyone? Is there any ruler that can be the same as what Lao Tzu says, “the highest ruler”? This Lordship is the Tao, the Truth, Lao Tzu intends to tell. This Lordship is the Law of Nature which can be understood by people. This Lordship is Allah in Islam. The Quran tells us that Allah is the Lord of all the worlds, the sovereign of all creatures, not only limited to human beings. However, people mostly do not know Allah, the God, our Lord. We only know the kings and the governors in our world. Allah is exactly the Highest Ruler people do not know His presence.

 

 Allah is also called Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim in the Arabic Quran. “Rahman” refers to “Generally Merciful” which means the compassion of Allah generally given to all creatures without discrimination or any demand for the return of all creatures. The grace is given to all no matter the creatures are good or bad. “Rahim” in Arabic refers to “Especially Merciful” which means the compassion of Allah is given to those who deserve to have especially because of their good deeds including their speech, thought and action. Although people having the grace bestowed by Allah enjoy a good life with healthy body and mind, they may not be aware of the Highest Lord whom they have got all the blessing from.

 

This is exactly what Lao Tzu says about the highest rulers that people do not know their presence. To realize God is a very hard-earned experience mentioned in ancient scriptures like the Upanishads. People need to strive very hard to attain God-realization to realize the presence of our Lord every moment of their life. The attainment of God-realization is the highest stage of spirituality the same as Lao Tzu tells us to attain in the Tao Te Ching, i.e., to be Oneness with the Truth. This is the deeper meaning of the highest ruler which is not only telling us how to become the best ruler. We all have the highest ruler but only we do not know. Many people deny Allah, the Hidden Lordship; however, all the saints and ancient scriptures have tried hard to disclose to us this treasure of spirituality.

 

In the Quran, Allah, our Lord tells the whole mankind:

 

“Truly, your Lord is God who created the heavens and the earth in six days (periods); then He ascended the Throne, disposing the whole affair. No one may intercede with Him save with His permission. Such is God, your Lord, so worship Him alone. Will you not take heed? To Him you shall all return. God’s promise is true; He originates creation, then He restores it, so that He may reward with justice those who believe and do good works. Those who have denied the Truth shall have boiling water to drink, and a painful punishment, because of their denial.” (Quran 10:3-4)