Tao Te Ching, Ch 73

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam 

Chapter 73

He who is fearless in being bold will meet with his death.

He who is fearless in being timid will stay alive.

Of the two, one leads to good, the other to harm.

The Heaven hates what it hates.

Who knows the reason why?

Therefore, even the sage finds it difficult to understand.

The Truth of Heaven excels in overcoming though it does not contend,

 in responding though it does not speak,

 in attracting though it does not summon,

 in planning though it appears slack.

The net of Heaven is cast wide.

Though it is loose,

yet nothing ever slips through.

 

 

 

Review

 

The Tao Te Ching is the teaching for strong people how to use their power of mildness and gentleness. We human should have strength inward us but this strength should not pose as very strong and powerful outwardly because we would easily tend to be proud and arrogant to the outward situation, hence Lao Tzu says:

 

“He who is fearless in being bold will meet with his death.

He who is fearless in being timid will stay alive.”

 

A brave person should be fearless but Lao Tzu tells us that this fearlessness should not turn into unscrupulous without being controlled. Even the quality of bravery, fearlessness, should be properly controlled to see what we should fear and what we should not fear. In the Quran, Allah tells us that we should not fear anyone and anything except to fear Allah only. We should not commit sins for fear of someone but fear the punishment of Allah only, we should not fear the punishment of any authority which may enforce us to do wrong.

 

According to the Quran, the Arabic word, “Taqwa” means those who have piety, righteousness, fear and love of Allah, and who take great care to avoid His displeasure. It is the ultimate result of all forms of worship. “Taqwa”, the consciousness of Allah, including the fear of Allah, is the only force that can restrain man from evil and wickedness. It is the fear of Allah that keeps a person’s heart awake and enables him to distinguish right from wrong, as Allah says in the Quran:

 

“That is only Satan who frightens (you) of his supporters.

So, fear them not, but fear Me, if you are (indeed) believers.” (Quran 3:17)

 

Here what Lao Tzu tells us to be “fearless in being timid” is well explained in the Quran that we should fear Allah only in order to do the right and avoid doing evil because Allah will recompense everyone in the end. Those who do wrong and evil will have severe punishment ultimately as stated in the Quran:

 

“And let not those who disbelieve ever think that (because) We extend their time (of enjoyment) it is better for them. We only extend it for them so that they may increase in sin, and for them is a humiliating punishment.” (Quran 3:178)

 

What Lao Tzu says “he who is fearless in being bold will meet his death” is also elaborated more in the Bhagavad Gita as the form of desire and anger which ruins a person if he does not control his emotion to do harmful things:

 

“The man thinking of sense objects develops attachment for them; from attachment, the desire for them arises and (if desire is not fulfilled) from desire, disturbance and anger arise.” (Bhagavad Gita, 2:62)

 

“From anger, confusion arises, from confusion, loss of memory, and from loss of memory, destruction of intellect takes place, which in turn destroys the man.”

(Bhagavad Gita, 2:63)

 

A person losing his intellect will fail to do rightful discrimination and judgment. He will act wrongly. Therefore, to keep calm and clear in mind is a must for our benefit which is easy to say but is not easy to act if we are overcome by the desire and anger in the spontaneous situation. Then Lao Tzu tells further:

 

 

“Of the two, one leads to good, the other to harm.

The Heaven hates what it hates.

Who knows the reason why?”

 

Why do some people act rightfully to lead to good while some people will act in the opposite way to harm themselves? What is the reason behind? Lao Tzu elaborates further:

 

“Therefore, even the sage finds it difficult to understand.”

 

We human cannot know everything. What we do not know is far more than what we know. All the sages are human only. They also cannot know everything and understand everything. Only Allah knows the best and has full accounts of all our thoughts, words and deeds as told in the Quran:

 

“Battle has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing, and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing, and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.” (Quran 2:216)

 

“In whatever activity you may be engaged, and whichever part of the Quran you recite, and whatever deed you do, We are witness to it when you are engaged in it. Not the smallest particle on the earth or in heaven is hidden from your Lord; and there is nothing smaller or bigger but is recorded in a clear Book.” (Quran 10:61)

 

Allah, our Creator Lord in Islam is the “Truth of Heaven” in the Tao Te Ching. What Lao Tzu describes the Truth of Heaven is the same as the Quran tells us. Here Lao Tzu says:

 

“The Truth of Heaven excels in overcoming though it does not contend,

 in responding though it does not speak,

 in attracting though it does not summon,

 in planning though it appears slack.”

 

In the Quran, Allah tells us that He is the One only, in Arabic, called “Ahad”. He is ever self-sufficient. He does not contend with anyone while all beings rely on Him for existence. Allah is also called “Al-Mujib”, the Responsive. He responds all our prayers though we do not know. We human need sense organs like eyes and ears to help us see and hear, while Allah does not need any sense organs but can see and hear. Allah is the Inner Controller in every one of us. We human cannot understand Allah while Allah knows everything about us. In the Quran, Allah tells us that He does plan much better than we human do:

 

“And they (i.e., the disbelievers) planned, but Allah planned. And Allah is the best of planners.” (Quran 3:54)

 

How is Allah the best of planners? For Lao Tzu, he explains well in the following:

 

“The net of Heaven is cast wide.

Though it is loose, yet nothing ever slips through.”

 

The act of the Truth of Heaven, i.e. Allah, is like the net cast wide around us. It seems loose because the Truth does not summon like what human do but there is nothing missing in His planning, “nothing ever slip through” the net. No one can escape from Allah’s recompense. This is the mystery.