Tao Te Ching, Ch 61

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

 Chapter 61

A large state is the lower reaches of a river,

where all the streams of the world converge.

It is also the female of the world.

The female always overcomes the male with serenity.

Being serene, she takes the lower position.

Hence the large state, by taking the lower position, 

annexes the small state.

The small state, by taking the lower position, 

affiliates itself to the large state.

Thus the one, by taking the lower position, annexes.

The other, by taking the lower position, is annexed.

All that the large state wants is to take the other under its wings.

All that the small state wants is to have its services accepted by the other.

If each of the two wants to obtain what it wishes,

the large should take the lower position.

Review

    The Tao Te Ching tells us the Truth. The Truth is the most mysterious but most practical and beneficial to all beings in all aspects. The Truth is not only for the monks and nuns who have renounced from the world and concentrate their life on spirituality. No doubt that the Truth can benefit them greatly, but it can also highly benefit people of different classes and places from the ruling class to ordinary people, from the largest countries to the smallest countries. The Truth can be applied in all aspects of our life individually, socially, economically, politically and diplomatically. So what is the Truth applied in our world? Here Lao Tzu tells us the Truth we should understand and practice in the international level, how different countries deal with each other diplomatically. Here Lao Tzu tells us:

 

“A large state is the lower reaches of a river,

 where all the streams of the world converge.”

 

For most people’s understanding, a large state is powerful in its resources and manpower. The large state can dominate the world in any way it acts. Lao Tzu tells us that the ideal for the large state is to be “the lower reaches of a river”. For Lao Tzu, the Truth is always in the lowest position, like a hollow valley where all the water of different streams can flow into the lowest and vast part of the world. The large state is like the destination for all the waters of different streams flowing and finally converging together in the main source. This is the natural phenomenon we can see in our world, how the streams as the branches converge in the main river. It is natural for the streams flowing into the main river. The streams are the small countries while the river is the large country. The relationship between the small countries and the large country is the same here.

 

 Then Lao Tzu tells us more about the role of a large state:

 

“It is also the female of the world.

The female always overcomes the male with serenity.”

 

Since a large state is more powerful and influential than a small state, the large state should act with the Truth in order to lead the whole world to follow the Truth. The Truth is humility and serenity. To be humble, a large state is like the lower reaches of the river. It can contain all waters by humility, not by arrogance and dictatorship. To be serene, the large state resembles the nature of female. Throughout the whole Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu tells us that serenity is the long-lasting power and stage for the sage to hold on. On the contrary, to be aggressive, fierce and violent, no one can last long in this stage. To be gentle, mild and serene is the most enduring force, while to be fierce and violent is heading for destruction, therefore, Lao Tzu explains how the large state should be humble and serene like a cow, a female animal which takes the lower position:

 

“Being serene, she takes the lower position.”

 

Then Lao Tzu further explains that both the large state and the small state should follow the Truth to be humble and peaceful to each other. To be serene means to maintain peace and harmony with each other as their common concern. Lao Tzu further says:

 

“Hence the large state, by taking the lower position, annexes the small state.

The small state, by taking the lower position, affiliates itself to the large state.”

 

A large state is the leader to lead the world. To annex the small states by means of peace and harmony is the ideal way for Lao Tzu, not by warfare and exploitation. The small states should keep good relationship with the large state by affiliation. The Truth acts for mutual benefit. It is not a zero-sum game, to take something away from one and add something to another one without any returns, thus Lao Tzu says:

 

“Thus, the one, by taking the lower position, annexes.

The other, by taking the lower position, is annexed.

All that the large state wants is to take the other under its wings.

All that the small state wants is to have its services accepted by the other.”

 

For Lao Tzu, to annex and to be annexed means both the large state and the small state try to keep good relationship with each other by mutual benefit. It does not mean for the large state to conquer the small states and exploit them. The Truth must be beneficial to all; however, our world is not acting with the Truth as said by Lao Tzu. Our world is full of conflicts among different countries, how the large states have exploited the small states, how the natural resources from the developing countries have been exploited by the western powers. There have been warfare, exploitation and slavery harming our world as the result of imperialism and colonization by the western powers since the past few centuries. The weak states have become the targets for exploitation and oppression. People do not know the Truth that we all should seek for mutual benefit in order to keep peace and harmony in the world.

 

Being the poor and the weak, the small state does not have the ability to be aggressive to conquer other countries, therefore, the responsibility to uphold the Truth should be laid heavily on the large state. If the large state can uphold the Truth to keep righteousness among different countries, our world can be peaceful and harmonious internationally. It is the reason why Lao Tzu advises the large state should take the responsibility first to be humble and serene to annex the small states under its wings, thus Lao Tzu says:

 

“If each of the two wants to obtain what it wishes,

the large should take the lower position.”