The Door of all Wonders:
The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching
by Nirguna Chor Kok Lam
Chapter 20
Between respectful response and scornful response,
how much is the difference? *
Between
beauty and ugliness, how much is the difference?
What
people fear, one cannot be unafraid.
So
desolate! How limitless is the Truth!
The
multitudes are joyous, as if enjoying a great feast,
as
if going up to a terrace in spring.
I
alone am quiet and reveal no signs,
as
innocent as an infant not yet smiling,
so
idle, as if without motives.
The
multitudes all have more than enough, while I alone seem lacking.
My
heart is that of a fool!
Ordinary people are bright.
I
alone am drowsy.
Ordinary
people are alert.
I
alone am muddled.
My heart is calm like the sea, like high
wind never ceases.
The
multitudes all have goals with confidence.
I alone am foolish and uncouth.
I alone am different from others, and value being fed by the mother.
Review
In this Chapter, Lao Tzu tells us the
difference between a spiritual person and a worldly person. The spiritual
person seeks the Truth internally, and abides in the Truth, while the worldly
person seeks the world externally, fond of enjoyments and achievements. In this
Chapter, Lao Tzu begins with asking two questions:
“Between
respectful response and scornful response, how much is the difference?
Between
beauty and ugliness, how much is the difference?”
Most people like respectful response and
dislike scornful response. They like the beauty and dislike the ugliness. It is
very understandable. Who likes to be disrespected? Who likes the ugliness
instead of the beauty? However, for people who strive hard to abide in the
Truth, their life is the embodiment of the Truth and the Virtues. Their mind is
always in tranquility. They will not show love and hatred to the outside world
for long and deep. Silently, gently and mildly they will slip off their
attention to the outside world which is full of the pairs of opposites happening
around us like respectful and scornful, beauty and ugliness, happiness and
sorrow, honors and dishonors, so on and so on.
People who abide in the Truth always
remain the same with tranquility and balance when facing whatever situations. Our
outside world can never be perfect. Sometimes you will be honored. Sometimes
you will be humiliated even though you are perfectly alright and have done
nothing wrong. This is always happening. It is why Lao Tzu tells us not to care
for both good and bad in the outside world. They are always changing without
any stability. The nature of this world is full of delusion because people’s
mind is full of delusion without seeing the Truth. The sages who are fond of
the Truth should not be moved and swayed by the outside situations whether they
are favourable or not.
As their attention is on the Truth, they withdraw themselves from pampering or attacking people. They should not be elated when being respected and praised. At the same time, they also should not be gloomed and collapsed by any scornful response from the delusive mind of the people who do not know the Truth. It is the same for them. They will not be elated by the outside beauty of people and environment. They also should not be toppled down when facing ugly people and situations. They should remain calm and do the right things without being disturbed or motivated to act wrongly.
Lao
Tzu tells us not to care about respectful and scornful responses from people,
not to care about the outward appearance of the beauty and the ugliness. Treat
beautiful and ugly people fairly with good reasons. Beautiful people can also
do harm to other as the same as the ugly people. Finally, we will find they
have no difference apart from the outward decoration. The main difference lies
on whether they live with the Truth or not.
What the sages should do is to behave
properly, never offend the external rules and regulations set up by the
society. They are not emotionally jumping up and down with the outward
situations whether favourable or unfavourable to them. This balance with tranquility
enables them to be more careful not to offend other people and not to violate
the social norms. They are peaceful and harmonious when getting along with
others, thus Lao Tzu says:
“What
people fear, one cannot be unafraid.”
This is the rule Lao Tzu advises us when
dealing with people. Never show off any goodness to people. Never make trouble
or induce challenge and attack from the outside world. Beware of the people and
the environment. Act carefully. Behave properly.
How can people attain the balance with
tranquility facing the respectful and scornful situations as the same? What is
the great marvel of the Truth which can transcend people higher than the
dualities of good and bad? How can the sages do so? It is because they have
lost interest in this outside world. They do not care much for the external
world. They see the invisible spiritual world where the Truth is prevailing. Hence,
their manners are very different from ordinary people. How do they behave? It
is astonishing that Lao Tzu tells us the following:
“So
desolate! How limitless is the Truth!
The
multitudes are joyous, as if enjoying a great feast,
as
if going up to a terrace in spring.
I
alone am quiet and reveal no signs, as innocent as an infant not yet smiling,
so
idle, as if without motives.”
All the verses are depicting the outward
differences between the ordinary ideal people and the sages who abide in the
Truth. The sages become desolate from the popularity. Many people like to be
joyous, with laughter and fun. They enjoy social gatherings with big feasts and
leisure. They enjoy their pleasure so much. They are so smart and attractive.
This is the outward sharpness that Lao Tzu throughout the whole Tao Te Ching
always warns us not to take care too much. People who strive hard to abide in
the Truth are not interested in the outward sharpness and leisure. They spend
time being alone to contemplate on the Truth, which is the spiritual
disciplinary life leading us to have the tranquility everlasting. What they are
interested is totally different from the worldly people. They are just
opposite. One goes to the south. The other goes to the north.
Sages are only interested in being Oneness
with the Truth, like a new-born baby resting peacefully and silently. This new-born
baby does not even smile to please anyone. This new-born babe does not know.
This is the mentality of the people fully saturated with the Truth. They are
sleepy when facing the worldly people with mundane affairs but fully awake when
contemplating on the Truth. It is totally opposite to most people. Most people
are sleeping when facing the Truth but fully awake when dealing with worldly
affairs and enjoyments. They try hard to get a successful life with worldly recognitions
and achievements, while the sages in the eyes of Lao Tzu do not care anymore, thus
Lao Tzu says:
“The
multitudes all have more than enough, while I alone seem lacking.
My
heart is that of a fool!
Ordinary
people are bright.
I
alone am drowsy.
Ordinary
people are alert.
I
alone am muddled.”
Sages by the depictions of Lao Tzu do not
like to be smart and sharp. However, are their hearts really “that of a fool”?
They seem to be so by the understanding of the worldly people who have no idea
of the Truth. Inside their heart, it is marvelous,
but people cannot know. How marvelous it is as Lao Tzu says further:
“My heart is calm like the sea, like high
wind never ceases.”
This is their spiritual world inside them
which no one can take it away. It is like the sea with tranquility and high
wind blowing. These two verses response to the former verses:
“So
desolate! How limitless is the Truth!”
Sages with the Truth attain the spiritual
world higher than the ordinary people. As their goal is not in the world, they also
do not need to have confidence backed up by the worldly achievements and
recognitions; hence outwardly they look “foolish and uncouth”. They have no
goal in life. They are “drowsy and muddled”. They are “lacking” while the smart
people are full of success in life. How are they so different from ordinary
people? Lao Tzu in the whole Tao Te Ching comments that they are very rare, so people
do not know them. People do not know how fruitful their life inside them. They
are “fed by the Truth”.
The Truth is the greatest, the most
nourishing and only beneficial to all beings. How can they be lacking? They are
so full, the fullest of the fullest. How can they need any confidence in this
mundane life? They do not need any confidence which the worldly people need so
much in order to ensure their identity in this world full of competitions and
vanity. People who are lacking the Truth do not know their fruitful spiritual
life. The sages are fed by the “mother” which means the Truth as the mother to
nourish her offspring, therefore, Lao Tzu says in the end:
“The
multitudes all have goals with confidence.
I
alone am foolish and uncouth.
I alone am different from others, and value
being fed by the mother.”
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