Tao Te Ching, Ch 70

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam 

Chapter 70

My words are very easy to understand and very easy to put into practice,

yet no one in the world can understand them or put them into practice.

Words have an ancestor.

Affairs have a sovereign.

Since people are ignorant, 

they fail to understand me.

Those who understand me are rare.

Those who follow me are precious.

Therefore, the sage, while wearing homespun, 

conceals with  priceless jade.

Review

   

The Truth tells us to return to our natural purity which will make easy for us to live rightfully. What Lao Tzu tells us in the Tao Te Ching is nothing but the Truth, how we should act with the Truth in every aspect of our life politically, economically, socially and individually. Our life will be simple, easy and good if we follow what Lao Tzu tells us in the Tao Te Ching. There is no difficulty and hardship required for us to abide by the Truth. On the contrary, our hardship will end if we know the Truth and act according to the Truth, thus Lao Tzu says:

 

“My words are very easy to understand and very easy to put into practice,”

 

What will be easier for us to lead a simple life with truthfulness? Simplicity and Truthfulness should have been easy for people than being complicated and hypocritical, however, why do people tend to be cunning and dishonest in our society? How come people cannot be satisfied with simple living? How come people want to have endless desires in order to enrich their life to be luxurious and fruitful with a lot of belongings and achievements? Therefore, Lao Tzu says with the second verse:

 

“Yet no one in the world can understand them or put them into practice.”

 

People turn into another way opposite to the Truth. They do not understand the value of simplicity which is the most natural to them. They make a lot of rubbish items to fill in their bellies and their homes with over-production and over-consumption in our society in order to boost up our economy to destruction when our natural environment cannot bear the over-exploitation of our future life.

 

People do not want to say truthful words to other people because no one is trustworthy in our society. Everyone wants to get more interest from other people but fail to understand the feeling of other people in their own situation. People cannot feel a sense of belonging called brotherhood among people even within a family. This feeling of One-ness, i.e., humanity, originally is innate in us but people lose it without knowing. Someone plots to harm another one becomes more normal for people than to do good deeds to others in our society, therefore, our society is full of crimes. Many rules and regulations are resulted in order to make people more sophistical to defend oneself or annex people with skills.

 

How should we speak? How should we act? Lao Tzu tells us in the following:

 

“Words have an ancestor.

Affairs have a sovereign.”

 

Our ancestor is our beginning. Our beginning is the Truth. We should speak only the Truth. We should not intend to tell lies to anyone. Integrity is a must for the society to uphold righteousness. Ancient scriptures in different cultures tell us to speak truthful words only because falsehood will ruin our root of spirituality, like a tree which will die soon if the root is spoilt. Therefore, Lao Tzu tells us to return to our root. We, as a tree, should take care of our root rather than only caring the outward blossom of flowers and leaves. Lao Tzu tells us not to be smart and cunning but simple and truthful in order to safeguard our root.

 

This root is also our “sovereign”. This root is the Truth, our sovereign to govern us well in order to be beneficial to all beings. We should act with the Truth in the way that we regard the Truth as our sovereign for us to follow. As the Truth is our Lord which holds the sovereignty of our life, we should strive hard to know the Truth and act in accordance with the Truth. Do not forget the sovereign of our affairs. We should obey the sovereign.

 

It is the core faith in Islam that Muslims should obey Allah, the Lord of all the worlds, in every aspect of our life. Therefore, there are a lot of teaching, guidance and instructions in the Quran and through the words and deeds of Prophet Muhammad to tell people how to deal with all the affairs in life. Our ancient scriptures in different cultures also tell us a lot how we should live a good life. They all tell the same Truth to uphold humanity, righteousness and compassion among people.

 

Lao Tzu tells us each affair has its own sovereign that we must follow. This sovereignty has been told by ancient scriptures. In the Quran, Allah tells us He is the owner of Sovereignty:

 

“Say, “O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty,

You give sovereignty to whom You will and

You take sovereignty away from whom You will.

You honor whom You will, and You humble whom You will.

In Your hand is all good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.”

(Quran 3:26)

 

Allah is “Tao”, the Truth fully described in the Tao Te Ching, however, people do not like to study ancient scriptures which are their hidden treasures. Even the Quran is not encouraged for people to study apart from Muslims. People like worldly knowledge rather than spiritual knowledge. Why do people not understand what Lao Tzu tells us while it is very easy for us to practice? Lao Tzu gives us the answer:

 

 “Since people are ignorant, they fail to understand me.”

 

Most people are interested in worldly affairs to enjoy their life with materialistic view. They concern what they eat and drink, what they clothe and live, what they are going to entertain. They only see the many without knowing the One which is the origin of the many. People become ignorant. They do not know the Truth, which is the one behind many, while Lao Tzu tells us to embrace the One-ness always:

 

“In holding the soul for embracing One-ness,

can you be steadfast without straying?”

(Chapter 10)

 

How can people understand what Lao Tzu says? What is One-ness? People do not have any concept about it. People can only see things in material level. Who cares to study ancient scriptures to find out the Truth revealed? People only care to study in order to earn more money and get more fame and honor. They study degree, master and doctor in order to gain qualification and recognition from the society. Who will strive hard to study the Truth for its own sake? Who will be eager to find out the hidden treasures in our heart? Who will not be fond of getting better material life? Who will be more interested in spiritual attainment without certificates of approval to show off to gain more money and fame? Who will understand the fame and honor are not worth to pursue but poison only for people to go astray from the Truth? Therefore, Lao Tzu says:

 

“Those who understand me are rare.

Those who follow me are precious.”

 

 

Those who are interested to know the Truth are very rare in our human society. They are very precious like gems and diamond, but people cannot see their real value. They are not sharp and smart in outward appearance. They do not want to impress anyone. Their wisdom is inside themselves not outside themselves. They embrace the One-ness all the time without any time to go astray to seek the outward brilliance of bodily life. Their soul is great while their body is very ordinary without any decoration of luxurious accessories. They look so plain, but they are always pure and natural that makes everyone feel comfortable, as Lao Tzu describes:

 

“Therefore, the sage, while wearing homespun,

conceals with  priceless jade.”