Tao Te Ching, Ch 72

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

 Chapter 72

When people no longer fear oppression, 

the great disaster will come.

Do not constrict people’s living space.

Do not oppress their livelihood.

If the ruler does not oppress people,

 people will not reject the ruler.

Hence the sage knows himself but does not show off himself.

He loves himself but does not exalt himself.

He discards the way to show off and to exalt himself,

but takes the other to know and to love himself.

Review

   

The Tao Te Ching tells us to practice the Truth, Tao, in all aspects of life. It is not only for the individual spiritual attainment but for the whole world especially in the political aspect, how the ruling class should rule the country by abiding in the Truth. Lao Tzu always reminds the ruling class to rule the country well in accordance with the Truth in many Chapters. Here in this Chapter, Lao Tzu reminds us once again how the ruling class without abiding in the Truth turn into destruction. It is the fact happening again and again in our human history, how the oppression and corruption of the rulers’ act like digging the tombs for people and also for themselves. They both turn to death in the end. Here Lao Tzu begins with the following verse:

“When people no longer fear oppression, the great disaster will come.”

 

In our human history, many rulers tended to oppress people to enslave them for their own advantages to enjoy more in the society. Oppression is opposite to the Truth. The Truth is beneficial to all classes. All people will be benefited by the Truth and can live with satisfaction without being oppressed and exploited. Lao Tzu warns the tyrants that the oppression of people when turning into the extreme will return to the tyrants only. Great disaster will come when people are no longer afraid of any oppression. They are threatened to die at any moment by extreme oppression. In this sense, they will be rebellious to pose against the tyrants by all means; therefore, all the oppressive ruling dynasties could not last long in our history. The tyrants would be overthrown very soon. Then Lao Tzu tells all the rulers how they should rule:

 

“Do not constrict people’s living space.

Do not oppress their livelihood.”

 

It is a must for the ruling class to ensure the good life for people basically with the good living space and livelihood. Let all people live without hardship. It is the duty of the ruling class to do so. If the rulers can do their duty well to ensure the good livelihood for all people, they will never oppress people. In the same way, they will also last long as people will not reject the rulers who can do well for the benefit of all people. Thus, Lao Tzu continues:

 

 “If the ruler does not oppress people, people will not reject the ruler.”

 

With the Truth practicing for ruling that humanity comes first to safeguard the livelihood of all people, there will be no chaos in our society. We can see how the chaotic situations happen when the countries only want to fight and oppress certain class of people. There are a lot of wars in different parts of the world although the two world wars were gone. People should listen to the Truth told in the Tao Te Ching.

 

From the political point of view, after giving warning to the tyrants, Lao Tzu turns to the individual level, how all of us should behave to be close to the Truth, how we can practice the Truth by following the sage:

 

“Hence the sage knows himself but does not show off himself.

He loves himself but does not exalt himself.”

 

Lao Tzu tells us to realize our pure nature inward us, not to hanker for the outward vanity and pride of any kind. All the pomp and shows are harmful for people who forget their true nature, which is the same for everyone, but many people wrongly think that they are more superior. This sense of superiority is harmful and dangerous. How can some people be more superior to oppress other people? How can they get more resources and privileges to lead a very good life while some other people cannot do so? Therefore, we should learn to know more about the sages. The sages know themselves, but they will never show off because they do not want any pride and any recognition from anyone. All the fame and honor are not useful when we know the Truth is higher than all these outward appraisals. Fame, honor, pride and being egoistical are all opposite to the Truth.

 

Here Lao Tzu tells us a very important message that we all should love ourselves but do not exalt ourselves as someone more important or greater than other people. By the Truth, all people belong to the One only. How can some people be more important and deserve more than other people? How can some people exploit other people in order to ensure their luxurious life? Therefore, basically we all should practice the Truth by loving ourselves to make ourselves better in life but do not oppress other people thinking that we are greater than them. All the exploitations in the form of caste system and social classes are evil in nature to enable someone to do harm to other people. Lao Tzu reminds us to learn the Truth that we all should love ourselves, not to expect the love from other people, not to wait for other people to love us and help us. We should act actively to love ourselves, but we should never exalt ourselves. The real confidence of the sage comes from the Truth only, nothing else.

 

It is the subtlety of knowledge, to love ourselves but do not exalt ourselves. Do not think that we are great or greater than other people. Do not have any idea to show that we are well off and better than anyone. Do not have any intention to seek outward recognition from some people. We should learn to act like the sage who is always abiding in the Truth:

 

“He discards the way to show off and to exalt himself,

but takes the other to know and to love himself.”