Tao Te Ching Ch 27

The Door of all Wonders: 
The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching
by  Nirguna Chor-kok Lam

Chapter 27

One who excels in travelling leaves no tracks.

One who excels in speech makes no defects.

One who excels in reckoning uses no counting rods.

One who excels in shutting uses no bolts,

yet what he has shut cannot be opened.

One who excels in tying uses no cords,

yet what he has tied cannot be undone.

Thus the sage always excels in saving people, and so abandons no one.

He always excels in saving things, and so abandons nothing.

This is called having enlightenment.

Hence the good person is the teacher the bad person learns from.

The bad person is the material for the good person.

People who do not respect the teacher, nor value their material,

though they seem clever, they are in great bewilderment.

This is called the subtlest wonder.

Review

    In this Chapter, Lao Tzu begins with five parables to depict how people abiding in the Truth act in their life:

“One who excels in travelling leaves no tracks.”

    First, they are like people travelling on the road without leaving any footsteps or tracks of their chariots. In ancient China, unlike modern times, the roads were not covered with concrete and cement but with soil and sand naturally there. Therefore, it was almost impossible not to leave any track when walking or driving a cart on the road.

“One who excels in speech makes no defects.”

    Second, they speak without any defects, no loose talking for nothing good and meaningful. Whatever they speak, it is only the Truth, no falsehood.

“One who excels in reckoning uses no counting rods.”

    Third, they are excellent in calculation without using any devices. In ancient China at the times of Lao Tzu more than 3000 years ago, people normally used counting rods for accounting and calculation, whereas Lao Tzu says the person who is the most excellent in calculation i.e. the people abiding in the Truth, need not any devices for the best calculation.

“One who excels in shutting uses no bolts,

yet what he has shut cannot be opened.”

    Fourth, this parable is even more unbelievable. The person who is excellent for shutting the door does not need any bolts to do so while no one can open it. Without using bolts, what else can he use to shut the door?

“One who excels in tying uses no cords,

yet what he has tied cannot be undone.”

    Fifth, this is the same unbelievable. The person who is excellent for tying a knot also does not need any cords while no one can unfasten the knots he made. Without cords, what else can he use to tie a knot?

    We as human are limited beings in this world, so we are bound by different conditions. However, the Truth is infinite, without limitation. Our body is limited and restricted, while our soul can merge with the Truth to become infinite. Our spiritual world inward us is not limited if we can realize the eternity within us. This is what Lao Tzu intends to tell us again and again. Our mind can have unlimited imagination to tackle problem and complete tasks but we can hardly explore our potential in the infinite sense. There is a Supreme Person inside every one of us but no one can know this Truth until we strive hard to find out. This is our main concern in spirituality. This is also the main theme in the Tao Te Ching to tell us this Supreme Person, how we can achieve this last stage of human to be divine in our nature, i.e. to be Oneness with the Truth. The Truth inside us is the Supreme Person inside us.

    The person who realizes the Truth is called the sage that Lao Tzu is trying so hard to make us recognize his virtues. So what is the virtue of the sage here Lao Tzu wants to tell us?

“Thus the sage always excels in saving people, and so abandons no one.

He always excels in saving things, and so abandons nothing.”

    The sage that Lao Tzu tells us repeatedly is going to save everyone and everything without wasting and discarding them. He is infinite not restricted by the finite. Everyone and everything can have the way to be used and saved. The mind of the sage is so vast that he sees the past, the present and the future at the same time. He has got the whole picture, so he knows what to do to save people and material and make them useful in their right positions. He is beneficial, so he will not abandon people doing things opposite to the Truth. The Truth is beneficial to all beings, with mothering nature to nourish all creatures. The Truth is also not extravagant. The virtue of the Truth is to be thrifty to preserve material, not to waste material. To be economical in consuming material is the ideal life for sages in this material world. To waste material can make people corrupted in spirituality. Without enlightenment, people cannot do it, thus Lao Tzu says:

“This is called having enlightenment.”

    Then Lao Tzu further elaborates how we can deal with good and bad people in our life according to the Truth. This is the Supreme Principle of our life people can hardly tell us except in the Tao Te Ching:

“Hence the good person is the teacher the bad person learns from.

The bad person is the material for the good person.”

    We mostly know that we should learn and follow the goodness and virtues of good people, and we should avoid the bad people. Mostly people would dislike the bad people and avoid them. They would talk ill about them, or try to correct them by blaming or any gentle way. If they fail, they will be frustrated and getting hurt more or less. However, Lao Tzu tells us more that we should know the demerits of other people as a material to upgrade ourselves. This material can act as a warning to look at ourselves whether we have the same demerit or not. If we have, then we should correct ourselves first instead of correcting others without correcting ourselves. If we do not have that demerit, we should bear in mind as a warning to ourselves not to misbehave in the same way as we realize its defects from another person. In addition, if we can help the bad people correct themselves by our proper advice, we will enhance goodness to people as a whole. Then spiritually we are growing up not only by getting along with good people but also learning lesson from bad people. We can avoid the defects by people showing to us. So Lao Tzu says we should cherish both of them, good and bad experiences with people, for our better spiritual awareness.

    Therefore, we do not need to feel upset by bad experience with bad people but positively learn to become better for ourselves and try to help the bad people if they seek for help and guidance. To experience good and evil, we then know what we want to be. We know what is evil and what is good, then we can choose what we want by our determination. It is the meaning of our life to experience both good and evil. Then, Lao Tzu tells us the worst situation of people:

“People who do not respect the teacher, nor value their material,

though they seem clever, they are in great bewilderment.”

    The worst situation for people is that they cannot see any goodness among people and they also cannot learn to avoid from having the same defects of other people. They think they are the best, infallible, nothing wrong they can do. Although they may look very clever and smart, for Lao Tzu they are greatly bewildered. What Lao Tzu wants to tell us is that we should not have likes and dislikes of people. We do not need to love and hate when dealing with people because everyone can have merits and demerits only to what extent we know. We value the experience with different people and see the Truth. Do not praise people too much. Also do not find faults with people with hatred or contempt. Value all of them as lessons to make us grow better and live better.

“This is called the subtlest wonder.”

Tao Te Ching, Ch 26

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching 

by Chor-kok Lam

Chapter 26

The steadiness is the root the light should return to.

The calmness is the origin the restless should hold fast.

Thus, the sage when travelling all days, never leaves the heavily supplied carts.

Though having luxurious life, he is composed and transcends beyond.

How can the lord of ten thousand chariots be light to rule the whole empire?

To be light is to lose one’s root.

To be restless is to lose one’s origin.

Review

    Humility is the virtue Lao Tzu highly praises in the Tao Te Ching. Here in this Chapter, Lao Tzu tells us two other virtues we should learn to abide, i.e., Steadiness and Calmness, thus says Lao Tzu:

 

“The steadiness is the root the light should return to.

The calmness is the origin the restless should hold fast.”

 

To have steadiness means we should maintain our stability in mind, speech and act which we should not be fickle all the time. We should avoid being light to speak and act with sudden mood here and there. We should be careful and serious. To have calmness means we should keep silence and peace inside us to withdraw ourselves from chaotic situations outside us. We should avoid from being restless as being too active in mind and act which will make us loose in right discretion. Inside us we should be always at rest so that we can act and speak without harming or disturbing anyone including ourselves by over-activities. People should know to take rest whenever in need.

Yoga, from ancient India is the teaching and practice of self-control and self-discipline of our sense organs. Our five sense organs, i.e., eye, ear, nose, mouth and body (skin) were born like wild horses without proper training and guidance. So, we need to train the horses to harness them under our control with good discipline for the welfare of our life and the whole surrounding. In this sense, we as human once were born on earth should learn to harness our body and mind from wild horses into tamed horses for the harmony and goodness of life. Our body and mind should be in proper order under the control of Tao.

 

Here Lao Tzu tells us that we should return to steadiness if we are light, not serious, and we should hold fast calmness when we are restless. Steadiness is the root of our life, while calmness is the origin of our life. Therefore, we should go back to our root, our origin, i.e., the Truth inherent in us which we need to strive hard to be aware of, which is the same discipline and teaching in Yoga. In this sense, Lao Tzu is the Yoga Master in China teaching all walks of life in all aspects including personal, social, economic and political.

 

Lao Tzu is the Best Trainer for every one of us. If we can study the Tao Te Ching in earnest, we can understand the Truth and the ways to the Truth for ultimate benevolence in our life. The Truth is our real asset we should never forget and lose it. We are living in this world just like having a journey which we need to equip ourselves to ensure the journey is good and safe, thus Lao Tzu says:

 

“Thus, the sage when travelling all days,

never leaves the heavily supplied carts.”

 

The heavily supplied carts for the sage are the Truth and Truth only. The sage is very careful to bring enough food and material for his journey to prevent from hardship and suffering. We should follow the sage to be well-equipped with good supplies for our journey of life, i.e., the Truth, our real asset of life. Without this real asset, we lose our root, we lose our origin. Then poverty and suffering will result. See how many people in our society having a lot of wealth and luxurious enjoyments but are poor guys, thieves, robbers and criminals in spirituality knowing nothing about the Truth and seeing the world and all people full of evil ideas. How can they have peace and love with calmness and steadiness? Nay, no way.

 

Our real asset is our root, our origin that we must cherish much. We should not be mistaken by the outward pomposity and luxuries. The outward luxurious living style may easily make us indulge in the outside world and forget our real asset inside us. How does the sage react when facing the luxurious life as a king or affluent people in society? Here in this Chapter, Lao Tzu teaches us, especially for the ruling class who own the wealth of the state how they should behave, thus Lao Tzu tells us:

 

“Though having luxurious life, he is composed and transcends beyond.”

 

No matter how wealthy we are, we must be always composed and stick to the Truth only, i.e., to transcend beyond all these outward magnificence and flamboyance. We are not moved by the luxurious life enjoying so much that we may fear to lose these luxuries, which will turn us astray from our root and origin. We have lost ourselves already before losing any wealth and luxuries. Whether we have wealth or not, no matter what situation we are having, if we lose ourselves, our root and origin, we lose everything. Then our journey cannot be safe and sound, thus Lao Tzu says further:

 

“How can the lord of ten thousand chariots be light to rule the whole empire?”

 

Here Lao Tzu is telling the king in a great empire. “The lord of ten thousand chariots” means the king in a big country in ancient China. In ancient China, the greatness of a country was indicated by the number of chariots the king possessed. The largest empire was the country where the king had ten thousand chariots. To rule a large country as the king, Lao Tzu says that he should never be light, reckless and arrogant to show off his pride and position without proper control. What he acts would affect the whole country. So, he should be extremely careful and serious not to be heedless as an ordinary layman. Politically, Lao Tzu tells us his ideal how the Truth should rule the whole world by the sage as the ruler. This ideal is in need. The Tao Te Ching is not a mythical scripture telling us the unreal. On the contrary, it only tells us the real in every aspect of our life.

 

Although it seems that Lao Tzu tells the ruler to behave carefully with steadiness and calmness, he also tells every one of us to behave properly to avoid being light and restless as we individually, rule our mind and body as a large empire. We are ruling our own kingdom bestowed by Allah when we were born materially with the body and spiritually with the soul, only we do not know. We need to manage our body, mind and soul with care. To act and speak slowly and carefully will avoid making faults by quick actions and loose speech, i.e., self-discipline for the root, our origin, thus Lao Tzu ends with the last verses:

 

“To be light is to lose one’s root.

To be restless is to lose one’s origin.”

 

Tao Te Ching Ch 25

The Door of all Wonders: 
The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching
by Nirguna Chor-kok Lam

 Chapter 25

There is a thing plainly formed, born before the Heaven and the Earth.

So silent, without form, it stands alone and does not change.

It goes round and does not cease.

It can be the Mother of the Heaven and the Earth.

I do not know its name.

I call it "Tao" (the Truth).

Unable to describe, I style it “Great”.

Being great, it is as if passing without limit.

Being without limit, it is as if turning back to its origin.

Hence, the Truth is Great.

The Heaven is Great.

The Earth is Great.

The Human is also Great.

There are four Greatnesses within the realm,

and the human is one of them.

Man models himself on the Earth, the Earth on the Heaven,

the Heaven on the Truth, and the Truth on the way it is naturally so.

Review

    The Truth (Tao) described in the Tao Te Ching is invisible and intangible. It cannot be seen. It cannot be heard. It cannot be touched. It is like a vast space pervading everywhere. It is the emptiness only. This emptiness actually is also the Oneness, as the Truth is the One only. In this Chapter, Lao Tzu further elaborates his idea of the Truth in his beautiful and simple words. From emptiness, there is Oneness. Tao in its origin can be understood as emptiness as it is nothing. Lao Tzu says:

 

“Tao is empty.” (Chapter 4)

“Truth is like emptiness.” (Chapter 4, another translation)

 

“Attain the ultimate emptiness.

Hold firmly to tranquility.

All creatures rise together.

And I watch their return.”

(Chapter 16)

    Thus here Lao Tzu says:

“There is a thing plainly formed, born before the Heaven and the Earth.”

    Before the creation of the Heaven and the Earth, there is only the One which arises from the emptiness. Therefore, we are all One in our origin. Our differences come from different forms of creation, but the essence is One only. This essence can be comprehended as the pure living force. It is the Supreme Self described in the Upanisad-s which the ancient sages of India tried to tell us the Ultimate Reality of life. The Supreme Self is the One only. From Oneness then we have many different forms, names and shapes of different creatures. This One-ness, is depicted here:

“So silent, without form, it stands alone and does not change.

It goes round and does not cease.

It can be the Mother of the Heaven and the Earth.”

    This emptiness becomes the One which can move and circulate ceaselessly and silently, like the air and breeze we can feel and understand. But it is even more subtle than air and breeze. It is so subtle that we can only experience by ourselves when words come to failure. Lao Tzu says it is the “mother” of the Heaven and the Earth because it comes before the creation of the Heaven and the Earth. From this Oneness, there are the creation of the Heaven and the Earth. Then there are the creation of all beings. Tao is like the Mother in the sense that Tao creates all creatures as we can see all females give birth to their offspring. Tao actually is sexless. It is only an analogy for us to understand. It only refers to the mothering nature of the Truth, and even there is not a name which is sufficient to refer to the Truth. Thus Lao Tzu further says:

“I do not know its name.

I call it "Tao" (the Truth).

Unable to describe, I style it “Great”.”

    The Truth is named “Great” here, but it is actually indescribable, so are the names “Mother” here or “Valley Spirit” and “Mysterious Female” (in Chapter 6). It is coherent with what Lao Tzu says in the very beginning in the first Chapter:

“The truth that can be spoken is not the Eternal Truth.

The name that can be named is not the Eternal Name.”

(Chapter 1)

    The Truth is great in the sense that it is the pure moving energy all pervading without limit. This living force is silent and moving at the same time. It exists everywhere, while it is always in its origin as it is the origin of all beings, thus Lao Tzu says:

“So silent, without form, it stands alone and does not change.”

“Being great, it is as if passing without limit.

Being without limit, it is as if turning back to its origin.”

    The prophet, Jesus, also tells us the same Truth by his sayings in the Gospel of Thomas, the lost scrolls of Jesus’ earliest words excluded in the Bible[1]:

“……If they ask you, “What is the evidence of your father in you?”

Say to them, “It is a motion and a rest.” (Gospel of Thomas, verse 50)

    Both father and mother are analogies to convey the Truth for our limited understanding and cognition which is actually indescribable. Therefore, in the Quran, Allah tells us that He is not father or mother to give birth to any offspring like our human beings. Allah has no consort. He is the Lord of all beings, neither begets nor is born.[2] Actually our soul is indicated as male, while our body is indicated as female in ancient Hindus scriptures by the term “Purusha” and “Prakriti”. “Purusha” is the pure soul, non-material in nature, while “Prakriti” refers to the material elements for the bodies of all creatures. We human are the combination of the soul and the body. Father, mother, Purusha and Prakriti are all the names only, which are not eternal. Hence, Lao Tzu tells us the Truth in simple words without using too many names or complicated terms and concepts. It is the most precious for the Tao Te Ching among all ancient religious scriptures which tells us the same deep Truth in simple words and concepts only. In the Upanisads, there are also similar words to express the Supreme Truth:

“Vast, divine, of unthinkable form, subtler than the subtle, it shines forth, farther than the far, yet here near at hand, set down in the secret place (of the heart) (as such) even here it is seen by the intelligent.” (Mundaka Upanisad, III.1.7)

    The Truth is great. It is without limit. It is omnipresent. It is the origin of all beings. It is silent, unchanged but moves ceaselessly. The Truth “stands alone”. It is independent from every creature as the Lord of all beings in Islam. The Truth is One only. It does not rely on anything while all beings rely on it. This is the Lordship of the Truth the same as told in the Tao Te Ching and in the Quran. The Truth, itself is great. The creatures made by the Truth are also great, thus Lao Tzu says:

“Hence, the Truth is Great.

The Heaven is Great.

The Earth is Great.

The Human is also Great.

There are four Greatnesses within the realm,

and the human is one of them.”

    Our origin is the Truth, so are the Heaven and the Earth. The four Greatnesses are the Truth, the Heaven, the Earth and the Human. From one Greatness goes to the other Greatness, we human need to learn the Truth, and ultimately, to be the one with the Truth that is what Lao Tzu says:

“Man models himself on the Earth, the Earth on the Heaven,

the Heaven on the Truth, and the Truth on the way it is naturally so.”

    We human are one of the Greatnesses. It means we have the potential quality to embody the Truth dormant inside us. We need to learn and try to master our instincts to behave in the way according to the Truth. Then we can attain harmony in our life with our surroundings. So the Earth is our first teacher we need to learn from. What can we learn from the virtue of the Earth? How can man model himself on the Earth? How can man learn from the Earth, from the Heaven, and finally from the Truth?

    In the Yi Ching[3], the earliest Chinese ancient scripture which is regarded as the founder of all Chinese scriptures, tells the principles of the functioning of this world that we must observe in order to get rid of all calamities of life. In the Yi Ching, it tells the virtue of the Earth is humility and gentleness. It is the feminine force to be silent and gentle to nourish all beings just like the moon shining on us, how the earth bears all creatures without making nuisance or showing off to anyone. So we should learn the virtue of humility and gentleness from the Earth. To be humble and gentle is the virtue highly praised in the Tao Te Ching that we all should abide in. This is also the virtue of all the saints in different cultures and different times.

    If we have the virtue of the Earth, we become the Earth as one Greatness merging with the other Greatness. We think and act like the virtue of the Earth. Then from the Greatness of the Earth, we go to model on the Greatness of the Heaven. The Yi Ching tells us that the virtue of the Heaven is brightness and strength. It is the male force to have action to shine through just like the sun. To be bright means we should give light to our surroundings. We cannot hide ourselves as we have light to shine forth. Light is the wisdom in our thought and it is the righteousness in our deeds. We should act rightfully to all people, just like the sun gives light to all people without discrimination. So we should keep our silence inside us and act with strength, wisdom and righteousness. This is what we learn from the Earth and the Heaven. These, indeed, are the virtues Lao Tzu repeatedly tells us in the Tao Te Ching.

    When we have the virtues of the Earth and the Heaven, we finally can model on the Truth which means all the virtues become natural to us without being reminded of. From the initial stage we need to strive hard for cultivating our virtues and abide by them fully in life. We may face hardship and obstacles turning us away from the virtues. When we keep practicing as our life principle with endurance, it is promised in scriptures that one day we will attain the goal successfully in case we insist and never give up to be with the Truth.

“The Lord said, “…, there is no fall or destruction for him here or in the higher world. None who strives for redemption and helps others for it, will ever meet with downfall.” (Bhagavad Gita, 6:40)[4]

    From the Greatnesses of the Earth and the Heaven, we go to merge with the Greatness of the Truth. In this ultimate stage of the Greatness of the Truth, we are the Truth. We think and act as the Truth: “on the way it is naturally so.” Our life goal is complete here where the four Greatnesses become the One only.

    In Islam, Prophet Muhammad also tells us the similar stage of spiritual attainment to be nearest to Allah:

“Allah says, “……The most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing extra good acts. Besides what is obligatory until I love him. So I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks. If he asks me, I will give him, and if he seeks refuge with me, I will give him refuge……”

(Bukhari, Vol VII, #6502)

Note:

[1] The Bible in Christianity has been distorted with some false teaching and concepts about God and His will that is why Allah needs to reveal Himself telling the whole world the true messages in the Quran. Sadly the Christianity in history, turn blind to the Quran and spread the false teaching to the whole world actively making all people turn blind to Islam which Allah intends to tell us the Truth. Jesus is not the son of God but only one of the prophets sent by Allah. The original teaching of Jesus was edited and distorted in the Bible we see in the public. There are some lost earlier scrolls being found later showing the earlier texts of the Gospel. The Gospel of Thomas is one of the lost scrolls found in Egypt in 1945.

[2] The concept of Allah in Islam is clearly told in the Quran, Surah al-Ikhlas:

“Say, “He is Allah, who is One. Allah, the Eternal Refuge.”

He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.”

Allah is One, in Arabic, is called “Ahad”. Eternal Refuge, in Arabic, is “Samad” which means the satisfaction of all needs. Allah gives all provisions and nourishment to all mankind and all other creatures. This message is exactly told in the Tao Te Ching as Tao gives beneficence to all beings.

[3] The Yi Ching  usually translated as the Book of Changes or the Classic of Changes, is an ancient Chinese divination text and among the oldest of the Chinese classics. It is an influential text read through the world, providing inspiration to the worlds of religion, philosophy, literature and art. Originally a divination manual in the Western Zhou Period (1000-750 B.C.), over the course of the Warring States Period and early Imperial Period (500-200 B.C.), it was transformed into a cosmological text with a series of philosophical commentaries.

[4] The Bagatwa Gita, in Sanskrit, means “the song of the Lord”. The author traditionally known was Vyasa who was believed as the author of many Hindus scriptures. It was formed by a long period of time from the earliest 10th century BC down to 4th century AD. Like all the scriptures in India, they were formed and developed through long historical periods.

Tao Te Ching Ch 24

The Door of all Wonders: 
The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching
by Nirguna Chor-kok Lam

Chapter 24

He who tiptoes cannot stand steadily.

He who strides cannot walk for long.

He who shows himself is not conspicuous.

He who considers himself right is not illustrious.

He who brags will have no merit.

He who is arrogant will not last and progress.

From the viewpoint of the Truth,

these behaviours are like leftover food and tumors.

People detest them.

He who has the Truth does not abide in them.

Review

    This Chapter tells us the same message about the signs of people who are abiding in the Truth. Humility is their virtue. They are naturally humble to people. On the contrary, those people who have pride in their mind, speech and act are not the sages mentioned by Lao Tzu. They are ordinary people in majority who do not know the Truth, having no interest to know the Truth. These people also have signs for us to recognize. Similar to the messages told in Chapters 20 and 23, this Chapter also tells us that humility is the virtue, while arrogance is far away from the Truth. This Chapter uses two analogies to explain:

“He who tiptoes cannot stand steadily.

He who strides cannot walk for long.

    How can a person keep on tiptoeing for long? How can a person keep walking in big steps for long? It is correlated to Chapter 23:

“Strong wind cannot last all morning.

Sudden downpour cannot last all day.”

(Chapter 23)

    For Chapter 23, Lao Tzu tells us about the natural environment, while here in this Chapter, he tells us about the human behavior. Both cannot last long, thus in Chapter 23, Lao Tzu says:

“Even the Heaven and the Earth cannot be long-lasting,

how can human be?”

(Chapter 23)

    Therefore, Lao Tzu continues to elaborate the human situation how people cannot last long by intensive and severe behavior as answering his question put forth in Chapter 23. Here Chapter 24 is the same as Chapter 22 telling the same messages but in the opposite expressions. Chapter 22 tells us what a sage should behave while here Chapter 24 tells us what a sage should not behave. Both are telling the same messages.

“He does not show himself, and so is conspicuous;” (Chapter 22)

“He who shows himself is not conspicuous.”(Chapter 24)

“He does not consider himself right, and so is illustrious.” (Chapter 22)

“He who considers himself right is not illustrious.”(Chapter 24)

“He does not brag, and so has merit;” (Chapter 22)

“He who brags will have no merit.”(Chapter 24)

“He does not boast, and so is lasting.” (Chapter 22)

“He who is arrogant will not last and progress.”(Chapter 24)

“He who boasts, will not last.” (Chapter 24, another translation)

    People who love the worldly life and do not see the Truth behave in the way as being fond of showing off, bragging, boasting and considering himself right without realizing the whole picture of people and event. Unlike the sages who are conspicuous, illustrious, having merits and can last long, the worldly people are not conspicuous, not illustrious, having no merits and cannot last long. On the contrary,they will turn into being disgusted as “leftover food” and “tumors”, a kind of undesirable diseases:

“From the viewpoint of the Truth,

these behaviours are like leftover food and tumors.

People detest them.”

    To desire for fame and honor by intentions and deeds is a disease against the Truth which people should discard as told by Lao Tzu. He who has no desire for any fame and honor by doing good deeds, he who does no harm to anyone and is ready to leave without demanding for anything, he has the Mysterious Virtue showing that he has merged with the Truth as Oneness. He does not depend on other people to admire his good deeds, therefore, Lao Tzu says in the end:

“He who has the Truth does not abide in them.”

Tao Te Ching Ch 23

The Door of all Wonders: 
The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching
by Nirguna Chor-kok Lam

 Chapter 23

Rare words are natural.

Strong wind cannot last all morning.

Sudden downpour cannot last all day.

Who makes this so?

The Heaven and the Earth.

Even the Heaven and the Earth cannot be long-lasting,

how can human be?

Those who follow the Truth are with the Truth.

Those who follow the Virtue are with the Virtue.

Those who follow the Loss are with the Loss.

Those who are with the Truth, the Truth is also pleased to be with them.

Those who are with the Virtue, the Virtue is also pleased to be with them.

Those who are with the Loss, the Loss is also pleased to be with them.

If one’s integrity is lacking, he will not be trusted.*

Review

    A person who is abiding in the Truth attains the highest virtues which Lao Tzu tries to depict the signs of him throughout the whole Tao Te Ching. Here there is another sign telling that a truthful person with purity will not be always talkative, keep on talking and talking. A person who wants to attain the Truth should follow the Truth and should not always talk and talk actively. Here Lao Tzu tells us:

“Rare words are natural.”

    To be artificial is not the Truth. Lao Tzu tells us not to be clever and sharp, not to show off, and not to crave honor and achievements outwardly. He tells us to follow the Nature functioning smoothly and silently to benefit without intention. This is the Mysterious Virtue. Look at the Nature, so great but never needs to say anything to bother any creatures. How does the Nature work? Strong and severe actions can never last long, while slow and mild action is far more enduring. Our Nature is the same:

“Strong wind cannot last all morning.

Sudden downpour cannot last all day.

Who makes this so?

The Heaven and the Earth.

Even the Heaven and the Earth cannot be long-lasting,

how can human be?”

    The Heaven and the Earth are the first creatures created by the Truth from non-being into being. The Heaven and the Earth are always gentle and silent, so we human can be at peace. “Strong wind” and “sudden downpour” serve their function but they cannot last long to become disasters. It is the same as the human beings. If our action is strong and severe continuously, it will only turn out into disasters for us. Therefore we should learn the virtue from the Heaven and the Earth.

    Speak less, be silent and let everyone be harmonious to each other. To be silent with well wish and thought is the way for the harmony of the whole environment that we should bear in mind. Talking too much may turn our attention outside far away from our purity of Tao, like a typhoon raining and blowing strongly which cannot stop. It will be horrible. To be natural, we must keep rare words. Then we can have silence and peace inside. Therefore, people who want to attain higher spiritual level will observe the vow of silence in different religious faith as told in scriptures. To be silent, we can relax our mind and body. Hence, deep sleep is the most beneficial for the good health of people physically, psychologically and even spiritually. To speak less does not mean not to speak or communicate with anyone at all. It is only not to overdo in expressing and communicating, which is the rule for our well-being. Then Lao Tzu tells us that there are three levels of human being:

“Those who follow the Truth are with the Truth.”

(1)First, the highest level is the people who follow the Truth wholly. They do not need any detailed and prolonged rules and regulations to enforce themselves to do goodness and avoid from doing bad. Naturally they are the embodiment of the Truth living with peace and harmony inside and outside of them. They return to their ideal pure nature. They have tranquility always in them. This is the ideal of human life.

“Those who follow the Virtue are with the Virtue.”

(2)The second level is the people who need rules and regulations to follow in order to behave well and avoid from crimes and evils. Most of us are in the second level which is the reason why our society needs badly rules and regulations for people to observe to safeguard the welfare of us. This is also one of the purposes of religions in the basic level aiming for teaching people to be virtuous. To be virtuous in life, sooner or later, people can go to the upper level to attain the Truth inbuilt in them. Without virtuous and unshaken morality and righteousness, people can never realize the Truth. There will be no way for people to be uplifted to the highest ideal level.

“Those who follow the Loss are with the Loss.”

(3)The lowest level is the people who do not want any virtues and never think of the Truth and truthfulness. They are blind and deaf spiritually. They only want to have happiness and enjoyments in their life without cultivating any goodness inside of them. They see goodness as bad deeds, and bad deeds as goodness. They are just opposite to the Truth and the Virtues. Without the Truth and the Virtues in life, there will be the loss. They only love the loss because they do not want any virtues to restrain their uncontrolled deeds, thoughts and speech. They can only concern themselves without considering for other people. This is the worst type of egoistic people at the lowest level of human similar to wild animals.

    People can hardly attain the Truth without austerity, right knowledge and disciplinary life. If people cherish morality and want to be good and moral in their life, they will upgrade themselves as the virtuous people observing their duties in life. They will do goodness to people and control themselves not to harm people unlawfully. However, if people do not want to be virtuous, gradually they will lose their virtues bit by bit and gain the loss that is how we are choosing the path what we want to be.

    In Islam, Allah also tells us that there are three types of human actions like a ladder for people climbing from the lowest to the topmost level:

(1)The first is the self that incites to evil. It is the lowest self inside people which urge people toward undesirable and evil ways.

(2)The second is the reproving self as stated in the Quran: “I call to witness the reproving self.”(75:3) It means : I call to witness the self that reproves itself for every vice and intemperance. This reproving self is the second source of human level from which the moral stage is generated. This is the moral state of human self when it seeks high moral qualities and is disgusted with immorality, but cannot achieve complete success.

(3)The third is the Soul at Rest which is the beginning of spiritual life as stated in the Quran:

“O soul at rest that has found comfort in God, return to thy Lord, thou well pleased with Him and He well pleased with thee. Now join My chosen servants and enter My Garden.”(Quran 89:28-31)

    This is the highest level in spiritual attainment that human can undergo a great transformation in this very life and is bestowed a paradise while still in this world. This is also the same highest level Lao Tzu tells us in this Chapter. We were born to have natural uncontrolled ignorance with intelligence so that we can choose what we want to be in our living experience. We experience evil and darkness. We also feel being reproved by a higher self inside us, therefore, we want to be virtuous.

    What we want, surely we will attain sooner or later, though it needs to take time for people to become the lowest or the highest. The whole Quran is the teaching that guides people moving away from the lowest level and turning to the highest level to become a peaceful soul with Allah, our Supreme Lord. This is the Truth Lao Tzu refers to in the whole Tao Te Ching. The human’s will can choose what they want to be. It is the key that is promised in the Quran. They will not be disappointed, neither themselves nor the targets they want to meet, therefore, Lao Tzu says further:

“Those who are with the Truth, the Truth is also pleased to be with them.

Those who are with the Virtue, the Virtue is also pleased to be with them.

Those who are with the Loss, the Loss is also pleased to be with them.”

    If we neither choose the Truth nor the Virtue, we are going to choose the Loss. All of them will be pleased to meet whom they like, which is the same as Prophet Muhammad says, 

“We will meet what we love ultimately.”

How can we attain the highest? Lao Tzu tells us in the end. Therefore, the review here regards the last line of texts is meaningful to conclude the whole Chapter:

“If one’s integrity is lacking, he will not be trusted.”

    To be truthful is the basic need for spiritual growth. We must be honest and truthful to ourselves and to people. Otherwise, we become hypocrites and cunning. Gradually we will lose virtues and attain loss only. There is no way for the Truth without integrity. To be trustful is the root of all virtues and spiritual life.

Tao Te Ching Ch 22

The Door of all Wonders: 
The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching
by Nirguna Chor-kok Lam

Chapter 22

Bearing to be wronged, 

one can preserve oneself.

Bearing to be treated unjustly,

 one can uphold the justice.

A low-lying place can be filled full.

Things withering can be renewed.

To get little can be benefited.

To get a lot will be perplexed.

Therefore the sage embraces the Oneness as the rule of the world.

He does not show himself, and so is manifested.

He does not consider himself right, 

and so is illustrious.

He does not brag, and so has merits.

He is not arrogant, so is lasting and progressing.

As he does not contend, 

no one in the world can contend with him.

What the ancients said, “bowed down then preserved” is not an empty saying.

Truly preserving oneself,

 one can return to the Truth.

Review

    This Chapter tells us a special virtue of the people who are abiding in the Truth, i.e. to forbear the injustice and suffering. Our society and human relations are full of injustice and hypocrisy. Many people may have experienced to be treated ill and unjustly. What should they do? Do they accept the falsehood of injustice? Do they fight openly for their right and dignity? How about the situation gets so worse that everyone turns against you and no justice is possible? Lao Tzu tells us to have patience in this situation:

“Bearing to be wronged, one can preserve oneself.

Bearing to be treated unjustly, 

one can uphold the justice.”

    This is the way to face the hard situation. It is to bear, to bear to be wronged, to bear to be treated unjustly. Do not do any harm to yourself, just to be patient and bear the bad situation. Let the Truth do the work. Let the Law of Karma reward good or bad deeds by the action of cause and effect. The greatest and the best judge is not any human but the Truth only. In the Quran, Allah tells us that He is the best of all the judges. He will judge every one of us with the best justice. So what we should do is not to wrong ourselves by harming deeds but bear and see what will happen by the act of Truth, i.e. the natural law. What we need is to preserve ourselves and let the justice work later in due course.

    To have patience to forbear with strength  - this quality is some of the names of Allah in the Quran. Actually, Allah is not any person, saint or incarnation. Allah is the Lord of all creatures, i.e. the Truth (Tao) in the Tao Te Ching. In Islam, Prophet Muhammad tells us that there are 99 names of Allah which depict the attributes of Allah, how Allah manifests to us by His Grace. There are two names which mean the quality of forbearing with strength and conviction. The one is, Al-Halim, which means the Forbearing. The other is As-Sabur, which means the Extensively Enduring One. In the Quran, Allah teaches us to have faith and patience the same applied here what Lao Tzu tells us. We should not react wrongly but wait and see in order to preserve ourselves. Here Lao Tzu reminds us:

“A low-lying place can be filled full.

Things withering can be renewed.”

    Lao Tzu tells us to be like “a low-lying place”, i.e. to be humble as an empty vessel to contain the Truth. If we are arrogant and proud of ourselves that we are very good and outstanding, we will be like a vessel full of egoistic thought, where there is no room for filling in the Truth. This is not a good sign of fortune. Lao Tzu tells us that we should let something wither inside us in order to renew ourselves for turning better and better. We are limited in our bodies while the Truth is infinite. How can a limited vessel abiding in the Truth all the time? Therefore, the vessel should always keep empty, throwing away all the impurities of bad and harmful stuff. Then Lao Tzu reminds us some more:

“To get little can be benefited.

To get a lot will be perplexed.”

    Our world tells us to get more and more. Human desires are insatiable. It is greed which is very dangerous and harmful Lao Tzu tells us. The more possessions we have, the more confused and perplexed we will be. Lao Tzu tells us to be contented with little and should not indulge in acquiring much. Greed is one of the enemies leading us astray from the Truth. Simplicity is the principle Lao Tzu tells us to uphold in our life. We will gain much by having little instead of having much. Our attention is to uplift ourselves to embrace “Oneness”, so having little in this material world is better than having much. We need to look up the Oneness, not to look down to see many without bearing the Oneness in mind, so the faith of the sages told here:

“Therefore the sage embraces the Oneness as the rule of the world.”

    We should know the rule of the world, i.e. the Oneness of the Truth. Then we will not behave wrongly which do harm to ourselves. Bearing with the Truth, we do not need to show off to be praised with pampering. Lao Tzu tells us what a sage should behave:

“He does not show himself, and so is manifested.

He does not consider himself right, 

and so is illustrious.

He does not brag, and so has merits.

He is not arrogant, so is lasting and progressing.

As he does not contend, 

no one in the world can contend with him.”

    This is the real sage Lao Tzu tells us. To show off, to consider himself right, to brag, to be arrogant are not the signs of a real sage. He who is a real sage should be humble and also not contend with anyone, which is totally opposite to the way our world encourages us to do. It is why our world is always in chaotic situations. Our mind is always swaying up and down, this or that, without balance. A sage should let the Truth do the work. Gradually his virtues and merits are manifested. Gradually people will know he is right. To be arrogant can never last long. The Truth is the Master so mysterious to us. It does not need to contend with anyone. To behave according to the Truth is what a sage should do. He lets the Truth function smoothly only. This is the real faith of the sage abiding in the Truth. Therefore, he can endure any situation with patience. He has full conviction to know that the Truth will prevail only people have not known yet. So what people should do is to preserve ourselves and let the Truth function. We should not kill ourselves or anyone. This is not the action to be done. We should return to the Truth. Then our mind will be at rest with tranquility.

    This is the strength silently inbuilt in us. This is the wisdom from the experience of ancient sages. Lao Tzu says it is not “an empty saying”. It is really truthful that can be experienced:

“What the ancients said, “bowed down then preserved” is not an empty saying.

Truly preserving oneself, 

one can return to the Truth.”

Tao Te Ching Ch 21

The Door of all Wonders: 
The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching
by Nirguna Chor-Kok Lam

Chapter 21

The appearance of the Great Virtue follows the Truth and the Truth only.

The Truth, as a thing, is shadowy and indistinct.

So shadowy and indistinct, yet within it is an image.

So shadowy and indistinct, 

yet within it is a substance.

So deep and profound, yet within it is an essence.

This essence is supremely genuine and can be verified.

From the antiquity up to the present, 

its name has never gone.

It serves as a means to overview the origin of the whole creation.

How do I know what the origin of the whole creation is like?

By means of the Truth.

Review

    This Chapter tells us what the Highest Virtue can appear to us, i.e. what is the sign of people having the Truth in their appearance. Do they look more beautiful or handsome than other people or not? This is not the concern of Lao Tzu. He tells us not to care about the outward appearance among us. Lao Tzu says to us:

“The appearance of the Great Virtue follows the Truth and the Truth only.”

    As the people with the Highest Virtue, what do they need to follow? Lao Tzu says it is “the Truth and the Truth only”. We should not follow anyone, anything other than the Truth. The Truth is the Only One Master among all creatures. Lao Tzu also uses the word, Oneness, to refer to the Truth because the Truth is One only. There is no second, third or many the same as the Truth. It is simple, One only, because every creature is the same in the sense that they have the same origin. We all come from the same source, i.e. the Truth.

    This concept of Oneness actually is closely related to Allah in Islam. The name, “Allah”, in Arabic, means the One God. So the name, Allah, also refers to the One only. In Islamic faith, Allah tells the whole world that there is none to be worthy to worship, there is none to be worthy to obey, except Allah only: “laa ilaaha illallou” (in Arabic). We should all obey and worship Allah alone, and nothing else. There are also some other names of Allah in Islam which also means the One only, i.e. Al-Waahid (the Only One/the Unique), Al-Ahad (the Indivisible One) and Al-Badi (the Unique One/the Originator). So what our Creator Lord in Islam tells us is the same Lao Tzu tells us here about the appearance of the Great Virtue should be: to “follow the Truth and the Truth only”.

    Then what is the Truth that we ideally need to follow? The Truth is the One only. It is not a concept or imagination by people. It really exists and can be found and experienced though it seems to be highly imperceptible and invisible. Lao Tzu tries very hard to describe the appearance of the Truth (Tao) though it cannot be seen, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt and cannot be touched as mentioned in Chapter 14. The same as in Chapter 14 where Lao Tzu tries to depict here:

“Thus it is called the form of the formless, the image of the imageless.

This is called indistinct and shadowy.”

(Chapter 14)

    Here in this Chapter, Lao Tzu also says the same:

“The Truth, as a thing, is shadowy and indistinct.”

        Then Lao Tzu further elaborates how shadowy and indistinct it is:

“So shadowy and indistinct, 

yet within it is an image.

So shadowy and indistinct, 

yet within it is a substance.”

    Tao, the Truth, is the image and substance which we cannot see by our eyes, we cannot hear by our ears, we cannot smell by our nose, we cannot taste by our tongue, we cannot touch by our hands. Therefore, it is “shadowy and indistinct”. We cannot know the Truth in the superficial level. It is very subtle, very deep, yet also very profound. The Truth is the essence of everything told by Lao Tzu here. This essence we must strive hard to know and experience. It is not fake like anything in mythical stories. Tao is the Truth, the Ultimate Reality, the origin of all beings; therefore, Lao Tzu says it can be verified. In fact, many, many saints in different cultures and times have experienced the Truth and told us the same experience with the same explanations as Lao Tzu tells us in the Tao Te Ching, thus Lao Tzu says:

“So deep and profound, yet within it is an essence.

This essence is supremely genuine and can be verified.”

    As the Truth is One, the everlasting One, it is also the name of Allah, Al-Baqi (the Everlasting One), thus Lao Tzu further says:

“From the antiquity up to the present,

 its name has never gone.”

    The Truth is the everlasting One. It is the essence of all beings which means the life force of all beings. People who attain the Truth will be like a baby full of living force told by Lao Tzu in some other Chapters in the Tao Te Ching. On the contrary, people without the Truth will tend to die devoid of all living energy. This essence, i.e. the vital force, is the origin of all beings, thus Lao Tzu says:

“It serves as a means to overview the origin of the whole creation.”

    How does Lao Tzu know the origin of all beings? How can we know that we are returning to the Truth? The Truth is the origin, from the ancient times up to now, and forever. We should never forget our origin and turn away from it. This is the main theme of the Tao Te Ching to tell us to return to our origin, to retain our pure nature by throwing away all impurities of cleverness, sharpness and cunningness.  

    In Chapter 14, Lao Tzu tells us:

“Hold fast to the Truth (Tao) of antiquity,

for keeping in control of everything today.

Know the beginning of antiquity 

as the Law of  the Truth.”

(Chapter 14)

    Here in Chapter 21, Lao Tzu tells us the same again:

“How do I know what the origin of the whole creation is like?

By means of the Truth.”