Tao Te Ching Ch 28

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

Chapter 28

Know the masculine, but keep to the feminine, be a creek to the world.

Being the creek to the world, the constant virtue does not depart.

Return to be pure and innocent as an infant.

Know the white, but keep to the black, be a model to the world.

Being the model to the world, the constant virtue does not deviate.

Return to the infinite.

Know the honour, but keep to the disgraced, be a valley to the world.

Being the valley to the world, the constant virtue will be sufficient.

Return to plainness.

When the plainness shatters, it becomes vessels.

The sage makes use of the plainness, and becomes the lord over the officials.

Thus the greatest ideal for ruling the world is

to maintain its plainness as its own nature.

Review

  Humility is the virtue of people having the Truth which is repeatedly explained in the Tao Te Ching in Chapters 8, 15 22 and 24. In this Chapter, Lao Tzu also elaborates this virtue more by telling us that we should be humble with strength not as a weak and poor person. It begins with the verse:

 

“Know the masculine, but keep to the feminine, be a creek to the world.”

 

“Masculine” means our strength and will power that we should bear in mind, but it is not enough. Apart from knowing our strength and will power, we should also be gentle and humble like a female, i.e., what Lao Tzu says, “keep to the feminine”. We should be both strong and gentle at the same time and act like a creek being small and hollow for filling in water. It is a metaphor for our understanding. A creek can hold water and let water flow smoothly while the ground without hollows cannot contain any water in depth. It is why we should be like a creek always as hollow that we can contain the Truth in us in depth.

 

To be like a creek means we should be humble to the Truth and see the Truth as the Supreme only, not anyone including ourselves. To be humble, we will not be arrogant to people and always make our mind clear to see the Truth. Then we will not be blinded by the pride of anyone including ourselves. We can correct ourselves at any time and avoid the defects made by others. Then, the virtue of Tao becomes constant to us that we will not sway here and there without consistency in actions and speech. What is the highest virtue of the Truth? The answer is as follows:

 

“Being the creek to the world, the constant virtue does not depart.

Return to be pure and innocent as an infant.”

 

The ideal of a person abiding in the Truth is to become strong, gentle, pure and innocent in nature just like a newborn baby. This is the purity attained at the starting point of life which is nearest to the Truth. Therefore, humility is beneficial for us to draw close to the Truth. It is the vast space. We must have large capacity in our heart to fill in the Truth. Then Lao Tzu tells us more:

 

“Know the white, but keep to the black, be a model to the world.

Being the model to the world, the constant virtue does not deviate.

Return to the infinite.”

 

“Know the white” means we are right, and people also know that we are rightful. To be righteous is also the virtue of the Truth. However, sometimes we may be misunderstood as bad and wrong by some people. Of course, we must make clear to people but when in vain, Lao Tzu tells us “Keep to the black”. We should have the endurance to bear the temporary suffering if any action done is not helpful anymore.

 

To be forbearing is also the virtue of the Truth. It is also one of the 99 names of Allah, “Al-Halim”, the Forbearing, which shows this virtue is so important that our Almighty Lord also has this virtue. Sooner or later, when the Truth prevails, people will see the Truth more, and they will know the fact. Then we can be the model of other people to bear suffering and do not go astray from the right path. Only sages with the Truth can act as a model for people to follow. They have constant virtue and will never deviate from it though people may think wrongly to them.

 

“Hold the black” means they can forbear and do not deviate. So, they “return to the infinite”. The Truth is infinite without limitations. They return to the Truth and abide in the Truth only. Then Lao Tzu tells us more:

 

“Know the honour, but keep to the disgraced, be a valley to the world.

Being the valley to the world, the constant virtue will be sufficient.

Return to plainness.”

 

We like to have honour to be recognized by people in the form of praise. When the honour is gone, people may disgrace us, looking down upon us as unimportant and not respectable. This world is always changing, nothing can keep long, and so does the appreciation from people. Lao Tzu tells us not to value the honor and disgrace as they will come and go. When we are honored, we must be humble. When we are disgraced, we are also the same with humility in us. Never forget the Truth. Be a valley to the world. We become the world and remember how the valley keeps water in it and becomes beneficial. Then our virtue will be sufficient for us. We need no more else. We keep the plainness inside us. “Plainness” means to be natural and simple. To be pure and honest is our natural quality, while to be cunning and hypocritical is unnatural with fake coverings, i.e., falsehood opposite to the Truth.

 

The plainness is like a raw rock naturally there without carving. Lao Tzu tells us that we all should return to our original stage as a rock newly created without carving. After carving, the rock becomes artificial. It loses its purity. So, we must be simple, honest and straightforward which is the character of sages, without any crookedness. Then Lao Tzu further says:

 

“When the plainness shatters, it becomes vessels.

The sage makes use of the plainness and becomes the lord over the officials.”

 

Our world should be kept plainness, as a rock without crookedness. In the beginning, it is plainness. From plainness, the rock is cut into different pieces, so there are different names and shapes of creatures as different vessels for different purposes. They are the varieties of people. The sage who is abiding in the Truth always keeps the plainness of the Truth for people, thus the sage can be the Ruler, the Lord over his officials.

 

Here Lao Tzu tells us how a government should function well. The head must keep the plainness for his officials to serve the country without crookedness. Although people are divided into different roles and positions, they should be abiding by the plainness of the Truth without cheating or cunningly misbehaving. This is the greatest ideal for ruling the world. Let everyone be simple and honest to do his or her duties in the way the most natural for them to do so, thus Lao Tzu ends with the following:

 

“Thus, the greatest ideal for ruling the world is

to maintain its plainness as its own nature.”