Tao Te Ching, Ch 34

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

Chapter 34

The Great Truth is like a flood, flowing to the left as well as the right.

All creatures depend on it for life, yet it claims no authority to control them.

It accomplishes its task yet lays no claim for merit.

It nourishes all creatures 

yet lays no claim for being their master to control them.

Forever free of desire, it can be called small.

Yet as it lays no claim for being their master when all creatures turn to it,

it can be called great.

As it never attempts itself to be great, it succeeds in being great.

 

Review

 

In this Chapter, the Truth is depicted as the greatest and the smallest. As to be greatest, this Chapter starts with the verses:

 

“The Great Truth is like a flood, flowing to the left as well as the right.”

 

The Truth is great like a flood flowing water everywhere to the left and to the right. All creatures depend on water for survival. Without water, all creatures will die. Although the Truth as water is so great and important, it will never pose to control every creature outwardly. It means it will never claim its authority to all creatures. As water nourishes all creatures without words, the Truth prevails in all creatures silently also. Without careful contemplation, we will never be aware of the Truth which is nourishing us like in the form of water, air and space, thus Lao Tzu says:

 

“The Great Truth is like a flood, flowing to the left as well as the right.

All creatures depend on it for life, yet it claims no authority to control them.

It accomplishes its task yet lays no claim for merit.

It nourishes all creatures yet lays no claim for being their master to control them.

It can be called small.”

 

The Truth is small in the sense that it hides itself. No one can see the Truth by seeing, hearing, talking, smelling and touching. The Truth is so subtle and minute. It is even subtler than water, air and space. The Truth is also without desires. It has no desire to show off its authority though it is the Lord of all beings. The Truth has no desire to become great, thus Lao Tzu says:

“Forever free of desire, it can be called small.”

 

The Truth is independent. With desire, it becomes to depend on the one which is desirable. However, all creatures depend on the Truth while the Truth does not depend on them. In the Quran, Allah tells us that He is free of any desire. He is self-sufficient. All creatures depend on His nourishment while He does not depend on anyone. It is beneficial for all creatures to obey Him rather than for benefiting Himself. Allah does not increase or decrease anything of Him whether people worship Him or not, thus we are told in the Quran:

 

“O men! It is you who stand in need of God 

– God is self-sufficient and praiseworthy.” (Quran 35:15)

 

“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Say, “He is God, the One, God, the Self-sufficient One.

He does not give birth, nor was He born, and there is nothing like Him.”

(Quran 112 Al-Ikhlas, Oneness)

 

To be great and to be small are the same for the Truth. They are one only because the Truth is one, without the second. The Truth is the Master of all, but it will never claim its authority over all creatures. It seems so small without any pomp and show that no one realizes its lordship. It is also the greatness of the Truth that it needs nothing even to claim its authority, thus Lao Tzu says:

 

“Yet as it lays no claim for being their master when all creatures turn to it,

it can be called great.”

 

In the Chandogya Upanishad, one of the earliest Upanishads, the Lordship of every creature is the Supreme Self inwardly and outwardly pervading all. It is also the greatest and the smallest close to what the Tao Te Ching says:

 

“This is my Self within the heart, smaller than a grain of rice, than a barley corn, than a mustard seed, than a grain of millet or than the kernel of a grain of millet.

This is my Self within the heart, greater than the earth, greater than the atmosphere, greater than the sky, greater than these worlds.”

(Chandogya Upanishad, III. 14. 3)

 

Here in this Chapter, Lao Tzu tells us the reason why the Truth succeeds in being great:

 

“As it never attempts itself to be great, it succeeds in being great.”

 

The whole teaching of the Tao Te Ching is to tell us to follow the Truth to be humble as the Truth itself. This is also one of the qualities of all saints in this world in different cultures and times. They are all humble to the Truth, never claim to be great. In the Quran, Allah tells us that He has sent messengers and scriptures to all nations by using their own languages to tell people the Truth. Prophet Muhammad tells us that there have been more than 120000 messengers of Allah conveying the Truth to their people. Therefore, we can find the virtues of all the saintly people are the same and the messages they convey are also the same. What we can find the Truth in the Tao Te Ching, is the same as what we can find the Truth in the Quran, the Bhagawa Gita and the Upanishads as I find in my studies. They all say the Truth is One and all-pervading. The virtues they are going to tell us are also the same. To be humble to the Truth, we will become great.

 

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching, Ch 33

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

 Chapter 33

Those who know others are wise.

Those who know themselves are wiser.

Those who overcome others are strong.

Those who overcome themselves are stronger.

Those who know contentment are rich.

Those who proceed strongly have will-power.

Those who do not lose their base will endure.

Those who die but do not perish are ever-lasting.

Review

“Those who die but do not perish are ever-lasting.”

    In this Chapter,  theTao Te Ching tells us the aim of spiritual life, i.e “those who die but do not perish”. Our body definitely will die one day. Then, who is the ever-lasting? How can people die but do not perish? In Hindu scriptures we know that we all have an eternal soul inside every one of us which is called “Atma” in the Upanisad-s. “Atma” is a Sanskrit word. The translation can be “the Self” or “the Supreme Self”. It is the eternity inside us. Our life force comes forth because of the existence of the Self. Otherwise, our body is a dead body without the Self inside. When the Self with the life breath goes away, we are dead. Everyone says someone is dead when he or she has no breathing and no heart beating, a dead body only. Then the body will decay soon.

    Most people do not know their Supreme Self inside them. They only identify themselves as the body of some characters and deeds. This body is the identification of our limited ego, I am so on and so on… When people die, everything is gone. However, Hindus scriptures tell us that our eternal soul will keep on the journey of birth and death like a wheel rolling ceaselessly which is called in Sanskrit, “samsara”, i.e. transmigration. However, we forget in each birth what our soul experienced in the past life with the past body. This life journey can be upward or downward by entering into different forms of existence. Without knowing our Real Self as our real identity, our life is in vain only experiencing birth and death. The ultimate aim of our life is to realize our real life, the Supreme Self with divine nature totally different from the bodily identification. All the religious faiths aim at this spiritual life, which is real and ever-lasting. It is the highest goal of life to know our real identity, to go beyond the body, and this world.

    This world is like a dream with dream-like qualities. Whatever happens, it comes and goes. Everything in this world is ever changing without any stability. Our body is changing from childhood, to adulthood and finally to old age. The real unchanging is our Supreme Self only. The main theme of the Upanisad-s is “Self-realization”. It tells us there is the Supreme Self in every being which every being does not know. To know this Supreme Self in us, our goal is attained. There will be no more we need to attain. In one of the oldest Upanisad-s, it says:

    “He who dwells in all beings, yet is within all beings, whom no beings know, whose body is all beings, who controls all beings from within, he is your Self, the Inner Controller, the Immortal.” (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad III.7.15)

    To realize our Real Self, the Inner Controller, the Immortal, is our ultimate aim of life. Once we can attain, we will realize that we die but do not perish. We become the immortal, the ever-lasting. This awareness does not need any external recognition by anyone. It is not any fame or honor, nor any worldly achievements for anyone to take a certificate of approval, which is what Lao Tzu says here with the deepest sense:

“Those who die but do not perish are ever-lasting.”

        This is Self-realization. This is the main theme of this Chapter, thus Lao Tzu starts with:

“Those who know others are wise.

Those who know themselves are wiser.”

    Many people do not know other people. They only think they know by their own imagination and false perception. They may be wrong but they do not know. It is much wiser for people to understand other people when approaching them, and also know what other people think about them. However, no matter how much we know about other people, what we should know first is to know ourselves. Without knowing ourselves, we get lost in all senses. What is the goodness of doing anything without fully understand what we want? Thus Lao Tzu says those who know themselves are wiser than those who know others. If we lose ourselves, we lose everything. If we know ourselves, we know what we should do. Then Lao Tzu says further:

“Those who overcome others are strong.

Those who overcome themselves are stronger.”

    We must know ourselves first. Then we can start doing what is good for us. We all have the duty to look after ourselves. Then we can go forward to deal with other people. We all need to have self control. We need to overcome ourselves first before overcoming other people. It is much worth to overcome ourselves to make us progress in life than overcoming other people without controlling ourselves. Prophet Muhammad teaches us the same:

    “The strong is not he who overcomes the people with his power, but the strong is he who controls himself while being in anger.” (Bukhari, VII, #6114)

    Our ultimate aim is inside of us. To attain the ultimate goal of life is much stronger than attaining any pride and vanity in life. In Hindu culture, yoga is the art of self-control in life. The one who practices yoga is called yogi. In the Yoga Sutra, an ancient Hindu scripture, tells the practice of yoga with division of eight paths. The first two paths tell us what a yogi should not do and should do. A yogi must be contented in simple living without any greed. This contentment is a spiritual attainment. They are contented because they always have peace within which no one can take it away. This spiritual contentment makes them free from the worries of lacking anything, thus Lao Tzu says:

“Those who know contentment are rich.”

    No matter how much material prosperity we have, we are not actually rich in spiritual sense. Without spiritual attainment, we are poor within though outwardly we can have a lot of money. Without contentment, people want to accumulate more and more wealth which shows that they are poor within. What we need to accumulate is the spiritual assets which make us have peace and contentment. This is the spiritual attainment we need to strive hard for. To be contented with simple life without material craving is repeatedly told in the Tao Te Ching:

“The five colours make man’s eyes blind;

The five sounds make his ears deaf;

The five tastes injure his mouth;

Riding and hunting make one wild in the heart.

Goods hard to obtain make one behave wrongly.”

(Chapter 12)

“People must have something they should follow:

Show plainness, embrace simplicity;

Have little thought of themselves and as few desires as possible…”

(Chapter 19)

“Knowing contentment,

You will suffer no disgrace.”

(Chapter 44)

“There is no disaster greater than being insatiable.

There is no fault greater than desiring.

Hence in being contented, 

one will always have enough.”

(Chapter 46)

    How can we attain peace and contentment? It is by the will power with strong base, thus Lao Tzu says:

“Those who proceed strongly have will-power.

Those who do not lose their base will endure.”

    We all must have strong will power to uphold the Truth as our strong base. We should never forget our base. With strong foundation, we can go upward to achieve higher and higher. We can endure if we have the strong base. Those who lose their base will perish soon.

    In a conclusion, Lao Tzu tells us that we should have five virtues in order to attain the supreme goal. These five virtues are: to be wise, to be strong, to be rich, to have will power and to have endurance. Then ultimately we will attain our Self-realization to become ever-lasting. It is the Self-journey, no course and no certificate. It is you yourself who realize.

Tao Te Ching Ch 32

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

Chapter 32

The Truth is forever nameless, like a raw block, simple and natural.

Though small and subtle, 

no one in the world can control it.

Should the rulers be able to hold fast to it,

all creatures will submit of their own accord.

When the Heaven and the Earth get united,

 sweet dew will fall.

All creatures will be harmonious, 

though no one so decrees.

Only when the Truth creates, 

there are names and forms.

As soon as there are names and forms, 

one ought to know when to stop.

Knowing when to stop, 

one can be free from danger.

The Truth exists everywhere in the world,

when all creatures come back to the Truth,

as the rivulets and streams, 

finally flow back to the river and the sea.

Review

“The Truth is forever nameless,

like a raw block, simple and natural.”

    Here in this Chapter Lao Tzu tells us the nature of the Truth by an analogy of a raw block which means the Truth is simple, original and natural. The Truth is forever nameless as repeatedly mentioned in the Tao Te Ching. The nameless cannot be carved and manufactured. All the artificial work is turning us away from the origin which is simple and natural. People should eliminate all exterior work of harming our real nature by simplicity. To live a simple life is one of the disciplines in spirituality told by ancient scriptures in different cultures and different times. The Truth is One only. All the spiritual teaching in reality tells the same with different terms and expressions for different people.

    In Chapter 25, Lao Tzu says the Truth is nameless and he calls it “Great”:

“I do not know its name.

I call it “Tao” (the Truth).

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

(Chapter 25)

    Here in this Chapter Lao Tzu says the Truth is subtle and small. For Lao Tzu, the Truth is great and also small. To say it is great because the Truth is all-pervading. It exists everywhere without boundary and limitation. It is infinite in size which no one can measure. To say it is small because it can penetrate into the tiniest of the tiniest no matter how small the substance is, the Truth is also there. It is so subtle and small that it exists even in the hair divided into thousands. Although the Truth is small and subtle, it is also forever the Great because it is the Lord of all beings. It is not an instrument controlled by anyone. On the contrary, the Truth is the Lord that no one can control, thus Lao Tzu says:

“Though small and subtle, 

no one in the world can control it.”

    No one can control the Truth. As the Truth is the Lord of all beings, our world is the creation of the Truth which belongs to the Truth. Therefore, in Chapter 29, Lao Tzu says:

“Whoever wants to be in charge of the world and do anything to it,

I see it cannot be succeeded.

The world is a sacred vessel.

Nothing should be done to it.

No one can take over it.

Whoever does anything to it will ruin it.

Whoever lays hold of it will lose it.”

(Chapter 29)

    What we should do is to live in harmony with the Truth, to live according to the Truth which is potentially abiding in us as our pure nature. It is not the servant submits to us but it is the Lord that we need to be submissive to it. If people can live under the leadership of the Truth, everything will be alright for them. Not only among people but also the whole environment will get benefit. Our whole world will be alright if it is ruled by the Truth and the Truth only. Every being submits to the Truth which brings harmony. No one needs to order anyone to do so. Naturally they are in harmony with each other, which is the ideal stage of life in our world, thus Lao Tzu says:

“Should the rulers be able to hold fast to it,

all creatures will submit of their own accord.

When the Heaven and the Earth get united, 

sweet dew will fall.

All creatures will be harmonious, 

though no one so decrees.”

    Our world, our body, mind and soul are the creation of the Truth. Therefore, everything actually belongs to the Truth. It is also in the Quran Allah repeatedly tells us:

    “Say, “Lord, sovereign of all sovereignty. You bestow sovereignty on whom You will and take it away from whom You please…” (Quran 3:26)

“…..The kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything between them belong to God (Allah). He creates what He will and God has power over all things.”   (Quran 5:17)

    Here Lao Tzu says further:

“Only when the Truth creates, 

there are names and forms.”

    All the names and forms are the creation of the Truth. The Truth is One, i.e. Allah, the One God in Islam, the origin. From the One, it creates many with different names and forms. We as human, the same as all other creatures, are the creation of the Supreme. The real ownership of all belongings is Allah, the Truth, not anyone of us. Then how can we live in harmony with the Truth, to live according to the Truth which is potentially abiding in us as our pure nature? Lao Tzu tells us:

“As soon as there are names and forms, 

one ought to know when to stop.

Knowing when to stop, 

one can be free from danger.”

    Lao Tzu tells us a very important principle of living with the Truth is to know when to stop. When we go far away approaching to the dangerous place, we should stop and do not go further. That is the rule. When we see the danger of doing something, we should stop right away to avoid from any calamities. When we see what we are doing turning away from the Truth, we should stop doing it. We should turn our path to the Truth again. “Knowing when to stop” is a great reminder for us. From the origin, there are many forms and names coming forward. When we get lost in all the names and forms, we should stop and come back to the origin. This is the way for the Truth, our destination. Although the Truth exists everywhere, we may forget the Truth by having too much attachment to the sense objects, the names and forms, which is the delusion people see the names and forms without knowing the Truth in all these names and forms, thus Lao Tzu uses an analogy to tell us to go back to the Truth:

“The Truth exists everywhere in the world,

when all creatures come back to the Truth,

as the rivulets and streams,

 finally flow back to the river and the sea.”

    We are all the same as rivulets and streams. Our final destination is the main river and the sea. By nature if not harmed and blocked, rivulets and streams will flow back to the river and the sea. We should stop doing harmful work and turn back to the Truth. In the Quran, Our Lord also tells us again and again:

“We belong to God and to Him we shall return.” (2:156)

“To God shall all return.” (3:28)

“His is all that the heavens and the earth contain. To God shall all things return.” (3:109)

“To Him you shall all return.”(10:4)

“Truly, it is We who give life and cause death, and to Us shall all return.” (50:43)

Tao Te Ching Ch 31

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

 Chapter 31

Arms are instruments of ill omen.

People always detest them.

Thus the one who has the Truth does not abide by their use.

Arms are instruments of ill omen, not the instruments of gentlemen.

They are compelled to use them when having no other choice.

Calm detachment should be above all.

There is no glory in victory.

To glorify it is to exult in the killing of men.

One who exults in the killing of men will never have any achievement in the world.

On occasions of rejoicing, precedence is given to the left.

On occasions of mourning, precedence is given to the right.

The gentlemen give precedence to the left when at home,

but to the right when going to war.

The lieutenant general is on the left.

The major general is on the right.

This means it is the mourning rite that is observed.

When great numbers of people are killed, 

one should weep over them with sorrow.

When victorious in war, 

one should observe the rites of mourning.

Review

    In this Chapter, Lao Tzu continues telling us the principle of using arm force. It has been mentioned in Chapter 30 that warfare will bring calamities to people without fail, therefore, in this Chapter, Lao Tzu says again:

“Arms are instruments of ill omen.

People always detest them.”

    These instruments of ill omen are only the last resort for people when all the means to maintain peace and righteousness are invalid.

“Thus the one who has the Truth does not abide by their use.

Arms are instruments of ill omen, not the instruments of gentlemen.”

    The instruments of gentlemen, people abiding in their living, are by the Truth and the Truth only. However, Lao Tzu does not totally deny the use of arm force. Then when should the gentlemen make use of the arm force?

“They are compelled to use them when having no other choice.”

    In the previous Chapter, we have reviewed that Prophet Muhammad is the one who observes the principle of using warfare the same as what Lao Tzu teaches us. He started war against the infidels only because Muslims were severely persecuted. Finally Prophet Mohammad got the victory and the casualties of both sides were incredibly low. When facing severe attack and aggression, the use of arm force was minimized as much as possible by the leadership of Prophet Muhammad. Prophet Mohammad is Allah’s Apostle who follows the teaching of the Quran with his deeds in life. In the Quran, Allah reveals a lot of verses telling people when they should make good use of arm force which is coherent with the teaching in the Tao Te Ching.

    “Slay them wherever you find them (those who fight against you); drive them out of the places from which they drove you, for persecution is worse than killing. Do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they fight you there. If they do fight you, slay them – such is the reward for those who deny the Truth – but if they desist, then surely God is the most forgiving and merciful. Fight them until there is no more fitna (religious persecution) and religion belongs to God alone. If they desist, then let there be no hostility, except towards agressors.” (Quran 2:191-193)

    “And how should you not fight for the cause of God, and for the helpless old men, women, and children who say, “Deliver us, Lord, from this city of wrongdoers, grant us a protector out of Your Grace and grant us a supporter out of Your Grace?”” (Quran 4:70)

    “But make an exception of those who seek refuge with people with whom you have a treaty, or who come over to you because their hearts forbid them to fight against you or against their own people. Had God pleased, He would have given them power over you, so that they would have taken up arms against you. Therefore, if they keep away from you and cease their hostility and propose peace to you, God does not allow you to harm them.” (Quran 4:90)

    Then Lao Tzu further tells us more how we should deal with the warfare. Do people need to rejoice in victory? No. We all should be mournful when facing warfare as killing is inevitable in this case. No matter who were killed and injured, it is woeful for mankind only. Our righteousness lies on whether we enjoy killing and harming people or not. If people enjoy the act of harming others so much, they are not on the rightful way but opposite to the Truth. Warfare should be treated as a funeral no matter whatever result will come. What we need is only to have “calm detachment”.

“Calm detachment should be above all.

There is no glory in victory.”

    Those who are fond of victory by killing amass in war are opposing the Truth. By acting against the Truth, the victory cannot last long and the return of ill omen will come soon. They can never achieve anything good in the world by slaughtering, which is exactly what happened in our history, thus Lao Tzu says:

“To glorify it is to exult in the killing of men.

One who exults in the killing of men will never have any achievement in the world.”

    All warfare should be handled in the way the same as holding a mourning rite. In traditional Chinese culture, the left side is regarded as more auspicious and important than the right side. Therefore, Chinese people say “men station in the left and women station in the right” in order to show that men are higher than women in the Chinese society. Normally in any ceremony and celebration, people of higher positions should be arranged to the left side while the lower ones to the right side. It is only a matter of cultural understanding which can vary in other cultures. Lao Tzu tells us that ancient Chinese treated the warfare the same as the mournful rite. They should be calm and solemn in both warfare and funeral.

“On occasions of rejoicing, precedence is given to the left.

On occasions of mourning, precedence is given to the right.

The gentlemen give precedence to the left when at home,

but to the right when going to war.

The lieutenant general is on the left.

The major general is on the right.

This means it is the mourning rite that is observed.”

    In the warfare of ancient China, the head was the major general who stationed on the right while his assistant, the lieutenant, stationed on the left. It was the same in mournful rites of funeral different from all other occasions for proper placement of people. It was the sign for people to understand what they should behave in the warfare. It was not for any enjoyment or gain. The victorious army should be mournful as attending a funeral for the death after the war , thus Lao Tzu says:

“When great numbers of people are killed, one should weep over them with sorrow.

When victorious in war, one should observe the rites of mourning.”

    To be sad and sorrowful before the war, during the war and after the war is the righteous deed for Lao Tzu. There should not be any happiness or elated mood for the soldiers. This is the virtue of the army. In India, there is a great epic, the Mahabharata narrating the stories about the ancient royal families and their empires. One of the Chapter in the Mahabharata is a very famous scripture in India called the Bagatwa Gita narrating the dialogues between Sri Krishna and his disciple, Arjuna.

    Several thousand years ago in India, there were two royal families fighting each other in war. Although the two families had kinship, one family persecuted another family harshly and declaring war was the final resort without any other choice. Arjuna was the prince soldier in one of the families having severely persecuted. His teacher, Sri Krishna was his charioteer. Before the war, Arjuna felt very sorrowful. He saw so many his relations, friends and teachers from the opposing army and they were going to kill each other. He did not want to fight at all. He was rather willing to die before the battle. He was noble in his character. He felt the compassion to his enemies who were also his relatives. The dialogues between Sri Krishna and Arjuna started before the war. Sri Krishna told Arjuna to fight for the Almighty Lord for the righteous cause as it was the duty of a soldier should be. Otherwise, more calamities would result. 

          In the Bagatwa Gita, Sri Krishna on behalf of the Almighty Lord, tells the supreme knowledge of the Truth to Arjuna. For Lao Tzu, he would tell Arjuna to fight with sorrow as he should be.

Tao Te Ching Ch 30

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

 Chapter 30

The one who upholds the Truth to assist the ruler

does not intimidate the world by army.

Taking arm force is something liable to be returned.

Where troops have encamped, there will brambles grow.

In the wake of the mighty army, famines follow without fail.

The one who makes good use of arm force aims at bringing the war

to a conclusion and dare not thereby intimidate.

Bring it to a conclusion but do not boast.

Bring it to a conclusion but do not brag.

Bring it to a conclusion but do not be arrogant.

Bring it to a conclusion but do not be overly done.

Bring it to a conclusion but do not intimidate.

A creature becomes too strong will get old soon,

which is known as going against the Truth.

Going against the Truth will come to an early end.

Review

    Here in this Chapter Lao Tzu tells us that warfare is woeful to humankind which people abiding in the Truth will never assist their rulers to boast their brilliance by starting war. To start a battle is an issue which should be handled with great caution because everyone will taste the return of the war.

“The one who upholds the Truth to assist the ruler

does not intimidate the world by army.

Taking arm force is something liable to be returned.”

    This is the functioning of the Law of Karma, in other words, the law of cause and effect. “Karma” in Sanskrit means “deeds” by thought, speech and action. Whatever we think, do or speak is the cause, sooner or later, we will receive the consequence of what we thought, spoke and did. It is clearly told in the Upanisad-s, the ancient Hindus scriptures about the spiritual insights of the ancient sages especially living in the forests. Buddhism is another interpretation of the insights in the Upanisad-s which has also followed the teaching of the Law of Karma telling us good deeds brings good effects while bad deeds brings bad effects. In the Quran, Allah also clearly tells us that He will definitely reward whatever we do in our life. Good deeds will have good rewards while bad deeds will have bad rewards. Allah never fails in His promise while we as human seldom fulfill all our promises. Allah is the Giver of the Law of Karma in order to uphold compassion and righteousness for all beings. Everyone should bear the consequence of the deeds of his own and other people collectively in the society. So what is the return of warfare without fail? Here Lao Tzu says:

“Where troops have encamped, there will brambles grow.

In the wake of the mighty army, famines follow without fail.”

    Warfare aims at destruction which the nature has got harmed and innocent people inevitably got inflicted. After the warfare, people will suffer. Famines will follow as farming cannot be recovered soon. Therefore, Lao Tzu advises people to deal with warfare as the last resort when it cannot be avoided. Lao Tzu tells people the principle of warfare:

“The one who makes good use of arm force aims at bringing the war

to a conclusion and dare not thereby intimidate.

Bring it to a conclusion but do not boast.

Bring it to a conclusion but do not brag.

Bring it to a conclusion but do not be arrogant.”

    In our past history, great emperors would use their strong arm force to conquer other countries by massacring people and annexing their lands and properties. Seldom was the arm force aimed at the righteous cause and stopped battling when the aim was attained without slaughtering further and seizure of possessions. Seldom are the arm forces that do not intimidate, do not boast and do not brag. Invaders are normally aggressive and arrogant. They do not have any compassion for humanity as a whole. Who has followed the principle of warfare told by Lao Tzu?

    Surprisingly our mankind did have that example only people do not make it known widely. It is the establishment of Islam in Arabic Peninsular. More than 1400 years ago, in 610 AD, Muhammad Mustafa in his forty years of age received the revelation from the Almighty God, Allah, to proclaim Islam in Mecca to all people to worship and obey only Allah for the rightful way of human life and to eliminate all social evils in forms of corruptions, discriminations and exploitations. Prophet Muhammad and his followers were severely persecuted by the dominating class, the Quraysh tribe, together with all the pagans who insisted on worshipping idols in whatever form they like and continued their corruptions and exploitations in the society like usury and killing of female infants. According to the descriptions by the Islamic scholar:

    “They increased the torment and torture they exacted against Muslims with every passing day….. The Makkan polythesists severed all possible connections with the Muslims and their defenders, including trade, marriage and all human interactions. This boycott and embargo continued with all its severity for three years. The Muslims endured great deprivation and hardship. They were forced to eat the bark and leaves of trees due to their hunger and the wailing of children could be heard from afar. “[1]

    “The purpose of the wars of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was not to cause needless bloodshed. The Muslims had been expelled from their ancestral homes, many innocent Muslim men and women had been martyred, and still the wrongdoers were not prepared to restrain themselves, and continuously obstructed the progress of Islam. In these circumstances the Divine law of security demanded the safeguarding of the persecuted ones against total destruction. Therefore, those who had drawn the sword were opposed with the sword. Thus those wars were directed towards rooting out the mischief of those who were bent upon murder and were aimed at repelling evil. They took place at a time when the wrongdoers were bent on the ruin of the righteous. In these circumstances, if Islam had not had recourse to measures of self-defense, thousands of innocent women and children would have been slaughtered and an end would have been put to Islam.” [2]

    In 622 AD, Prophet Muhammad got the revelation of Allah to lead his followers to emigrate from Mecca to Medina. When arriving at Medina, they were welcome and soon the whole city of Medina accepted Islam as their own religion and Prophet Muhammad was their ruler in all aspects, thus his three years’ Mecca struggle ended and his ten years’ life in Medina began.

    The first war started in 624 AD between the Muslims and the pagans was called the Unavoidable Battle of Badr, which was caused by the frequent attack of the Quraysh to the Muslim traders and travelers. Only at this time Prophet Muhammad started war with the tyrants. At that time there were only 313 soldiers poorly equipped for Islam, while there were 950 pagan soldiers highly well-equipped to attack Muslims for the ruling Quraysh tribe. As told by Allah in the Quran, Allah stood by the Muslims in war so that the weak side overcame the strong side and won the war. A few pagan heads were killed in the war.

    In 625 AD, the Quraysh tribe fought back again by gathering 3000 strong arm force near the northern mountain of Medina. The Muslims were severely attacked and Prophet Muhammad was seriously injured. The Quraysh tribe again sent 10000 strong soldiers to further attack the Muslims. Prophet Mohammad gathered with all Muslim soldiers to dig a large entrenchment as blockage for the strong enemy force to enter Medina. The Quraysh soldiers had camped at the border of the entrenchment for one month. Then Allah sent strong wind to blow away the tents of the Quraysh soldiers. They were frightened and withdrew. Subsequently, battles were fought in defending Medina from foreign threats and enemies. Eight years later, Mecca was conquered without bloodshed, while in the 10th year, the entire Arabic Peninsular had surrendered to Allah’s Messenger, Prophet Muhammad.

    As the principle of warfare, Lao Tzu says over again:

“Bring it to a conclusion but do not be overly done.

Bring it to a conclusion but do not intimidate.”

    This is exactly what Prophet Muhammad did to complete his mission as commented and reviewed in Islam:

    “Sent as a mercy to the worlds, the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, pursued such a policy of compassion in military expeditions that, despite taking the entire Arabic Peninsular under his administration in a short time, he did not allow for heavy bloodshed on both sides. He opted to resolve all problems, in the main, with conciliation.

    The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, personally fought in 29 military expeditions. In 16 of these, no effective conflict ensued and agreements were made with the opposing side. In 13 military expeditions, however, he was forced to engage in active conflict and in all of these the total number of Muslims martyred was approximately 140, while a total 335 enemy fighters were killed.

    In Islam, the real objective of war is not to kill, obtain spoils of war, annex land, water the soil with blood, destroy the earth for self-interest, procure financial gain or seek revenge. On the contrary, it is to abolish oppression, ensure freedom of belief, to guide human beings and to remove all kinds of injustice.”[3]

    Unbelievable is that the number of people killed totally on both sides was so small which was less than 500. There is no more this example in human history ever happened though the Muslims led by Prophet Muhammad at that time followed Allah’s guidance not knowing the Tao Te Ching. After Prophet Muhammad, we can hardly find any ruler in human history ruling the world with the Truth without demerits and transgressions. Gone is the virtue of the Prophet. Nowadays, after the two World Wars, there are many local wars and conflicts keeping on in different corners of the world bringing large casualties and humanitarian crisis. People cannot uphold the Truth to rule the world. Our world is heading for destruction as the rulers boast their power for selfish interest, thus Lao Tzu says:

“A creature becomes too strong will get old soon,

which is known as going against the Truth.

Going against the Truth will come to an early end.”

    No empires no matter how large, strong and powerful they had been could last long as we know in the world history. The Greek empire was gone. The Roman empire was gone. In Chinese history, the largest empire, Qin dynasty (221BC-207BC), which unified the whole China 3000 years ago, lasted for only 14 years. The Yuan dynasty of the Mongolians in 13th century (1271 – 1368) which conquered the whole China, the middle East and further stretched to Europe was also gone. Both dynasties lasted only for short periods. What they did was opposing to the Truth, therefore, they could not last long. They behaved like a person once was born growing so fast to reach death, i.e. what Lao Tzu tells us. Nowadays, our world is also heading for death. The more powerful the rulers want to be, the faster will be the pace approaching to “an early end”.

Note:

[1] “Islam, the Religion of Truth” by Osman Nuri Topbas, Erkam Publications, 2013, Turkey. P. 132

[2] “The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam” by Mirza Ghulam Ahmed, Islam International Publications Ltd, 1996, UK. P.141

[3] “Islam, the Religion of Truth” by Osman Nuri Topbas, Erkam Publications, 2013, Turkey. P. 135-136

Tao Te Ching Ch 29

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

 Chapter 29

Whoever wants to oversee the world and do anything to it,

I see it cannot be succeeded.

The world is a sacred vessel.

Nothing should be done to it.

No one can take over it.

Whoever does anything to it will ruin it.

Whoever lays hold of it will lose it.

The sage does nothing, so he never ruins anything. *

Also, he does not lay hold of anything, so he loses nothing. *

Hence, things either lead or follow, either breathe gently or hard,

either be strong or be weak, either gain or lose.

Therefore, the sage:

eliminates the extremes, eliminates the competitiveness,

 eliminates the arrogance.

 

*These two lines in italics are the verses in Chapter 64 where traditional commentators deem as wrong insertions as the meaning is not coherent in Chapter 64. They revised that these verses should be inserted here in Chapter 29 which can complete the whole theme here. Our review will follow the revised version.

Review

   

The Tao Te Ching tells us the Truth and the way for spiritual practice not only for individual benevolence but also for the benevolence of the whole world. There are many verses in the Tao Te Ching telling us how the world should be ruled by the Truth instead of the common understanding which only sees the outward appearance of life without knowing the Truth functioning in us. Here in this Chapter, Lao Tzu tells us that the world is a sacred vessel which no one should take it as their own possession. Let the Truth rule the world by “the way it is naturally so.” (Chapter 25)

 

“Whoever wants to oversee the world and do anything to it,

I see it cannot be succeeded.

The world is a sacred vessel.

Nothing should be done to it.

No one can take over it.”

 

Who is the real owner of the world? It should be the One who creates the world, who makes the world come into existence. As starting with the First Chapter:

 

“The Non-being is called the beginning of the Heaven and the Earth.

The Being is called the mother of the whole creation.”

(Chapter 1)

 

The Truth is the real creator of the world from non-being into being, from nothing into something. It is only the Truth can keep the world in good functioning and only people abiding in the Truth can live well with the harmony of the whole world. Any individual desires going to extreme, astray from the Truth, will become artificial and harmful to our inherent pure nature bestowed by the Truth. Therefore, Lao Tzu says whoever wants to control the world and take over the world as his private asset can only ruin the world. No one can be successful to change the world according to their individual preference and will. This is exactly what has happened in our history. No empire can change the world and keep it long without destroying the world and the empire will finally get destroyed also.

 

In China, the Cultural Revolution put forth by the communists from 1966 to 1976 which aimed at eradicating the traditional Chinese culture by the substitution of the ruler’s will and preference turned the whole China into disasters bringing suffering only. Nowadays China needs to revive their own traditional culture in order to save the country from calamities of not only material poverty but also spiritual poverty. Nowadays, our whole world is controlled by the Jewish-Christian civilization dominated by the western powers. They control the whole world in all aspects which ruins the whole world. Western culture is highly materialistic without the wisdom from the East. Their religion, based on the formulation by the Roman Empire inevitably with distortions opposite to the Truth described in ancient scriptures, but has been propagated for these several centuries as the only truth that everyone should follow.

 

Deception rules our world in all forms. People become more and more materialistic without spiritual seeking. They are not humble to the Truth but blindly embrace the western values to be permissive to wrong and harmful deeds like over-eating, drinking, gambling and sex without marriage. The material affluence brought by the western culture makes us blind in one eye. We only see the material life, thinking that democracy is God we must strive hard to attain but totally blind in another eye of spirituality denying our Real Supreme Lord in our life. It is all foretold by Prophet Muhammad more than 1400 years ago that our world will be destroyed by the wrong and harmful deeds of all human beings. People only believe in falsehood. They only see the outward appearance of life but no knowledge for the Truth. No one reads the ancient scriptures but only indulges in all sorts of entertainments.

 

This world, as a sacred vessel, has got stained and ruined, not heading for any success. Gone was the history that no emperors could hold their empires for long but now we are facing the greatest deception which has been controlling our world. This is called the Age of Darkness (Kali Yuga) as the last phase of human history heading for destruction told by the ancient Hindus scriptures several thousand years ago. There may be some light in this age of darkness but in majority people go astray. Our world has been highly and quickly polluted by the last hundred years. We are losing our natural way of life not gaining anything, but we do not know, thus Lao Tzu says:

 

“Whoever does anything to it will ruin it.

Whoever lays hold of it will lose it.”

 

For Lao Tzu, ideally our world should be ruled by the sages who act only according to the Truth. They do nothing, only let the Truth work. They respect the nature and let the way be naturally so. They do not lay hold of anything, so they never lose anything. It is the wisdom of living and governing the world, thus Lao Tzu says:

 

“The sage does nothing, so he never ruins anything.

Also, he does not lay hold of anything, so he loses nothing.”

 

How can the sage do nothing and does not lay hold of anything? Lao Tzu tells us further:

 

“Hence, things either lead or follow, either breathe gently or hard,

either be strong or be weak, either gain or lose.”

 

The sage should understand this world is ever changing and let it be as the way it is. We should not insist on something which is changeable. Someone may lead. Someone may follow. We may lead sometimes and sometimes we should also follow. Sometimes people breathe hard, but they also need to breathe gently to make the balance of life. Sometimes we are strong but sometimes we also need to be weak. We must know when to be strong and when to be weak. Gain and loss are also coming in turns. Never insist on the gain or loss of anyone. Let the Truth function in its own way and gradually harmony can be attained as the equilibrium of living force.

Similarly, as told in Chapter 2, how our world is working:

 

“Thus, being and non-being are born together.

Difficult and easy bring about each other.

Long and short are formed together.

High and low face each other.

Notes and tones harmonize together.

Front and back follow each other.”

(Chapter 2)

 

Similarly, as told in Chapter 2, how should the sage act:

 

“Therefore, the sage does the actionless actions,

conducts the teaching of no words,

facilitates all creatures to arise without showing any authority.

He rears but does not possess.

He serves but does not expect any gratitude.

He succeeds but does not dwell on his success.

Since he does not dwell on his success, his merits will never go away.”

(Chapter 2)

Here in this Chapter, Lao Tzu tells us the same Truth, how the sage lives with the life principle of the Truth. They follow the Truth and act without action. How to act without action? The idea is very hard to grasp, so Lao Tzu tells us three principles that we should bear in mind:

 

“Therefore, the sage eliminates the extremes,

eliminates the competitiveness,

eliminates the arrogance.”

 

Firstly, as our roles and situations are ever changing, whatever action we do we must not go to the extremes. We should always stay in the middle path, to be moderate which is closer to the Truth. In the Quran, Allah also tells us that we should not do anything to exceed the limits, which turns to be harmful. Be fair with justice to all people.

 

“Do not transgress: God does not love the transgressors.” (Quran 5:87)

 

Secondly, the sages will never make competitions with anyone. There is no competition in the life of sages, so there is also no winner and loser in their life. Who wins? Who loses? Sages never take any one of them. The harmony of living is that there is no winner and no loser. Everyone holds his potential for better living for self-progress. We are interdependent with each other, not competitive with each other. If all the people are leaders without followers, our world cannot function well. A meal is prepared well by someone, and it also needs someone else to enjoy the meal. We aim at harmony, not competition. It is the way of Tao.

 

Thirdly, we should not be arrogant. We should be humble to the Truth. We should be gentle and kind to all people. Humility is the virtue Lao Tzu always mentions its importance for seeking the Truth and getting progress in us. Arrogance is opposite to the Truth bringing damage only.

 

All these three principles are for upholding the Truth only. Without having extremes, competitiveness and arrogance as the three enemies of the Truth, we can follow the Truth naturally.

 

 

Tao Te Ching Ch 28

The Door of all Wonders: 

The Commentary on the Tao Te Ching

by Nirguna, Chor-kok Lam

Chapter 28

Know the masculine, but keep to the feminine, be a creek to the world.

Being the creek to the world, the constant virtue does not depart.

Return to be pure and innocent as an infant.

Know the white, but keep to the black, be a model to the world.

Being the model to the world, the constant virtue does not deviate.

Return to the infinite.

Know the honour, but keep to the disgraced, be a valley to the world.

Being the valley to the world, the constant virtue will be sufficient.

Return to plainness.

When the plainness shatters, it becomes vessels.

The sage makes use of the plainness, and becomes the lord over the officials.

Thus the greatest ideal for ruling the world is

to maintain its plainness as its own nature.

Review

  Humility is the virtue of people having the Truth which is repeatedly explained in the Tao Te Ching in Chapters 8, 15 22 and 24. In this Chapter, Lao Tzu also elaborates this virtue more by telling us that we should be humble with strength not as a weak and poor person. It begins with the verse:

 

“Know the masculine, but keep to the feminine, be a creek to the world.”

 

“Masculine” means our strength and will power that we should bear in mind, but it is not enough. Apart from knowing our strength and will power, we should also be gentle and humble like a female, i.e., what Lao Tzu says, “keep to the feminine”. We should be both strong and gentle at the same time and act like a creek being small and hollow for filling in water. It is a metaphor for our understanding. A creek can hold water and let water flow smoothly while the ground without hollows cannot contain any water in depth. It is why we should be like a creek always as hollow that we can contain the Truth in us in depth.

 

To be like a creek means we should be humble to the Truth and see the Truth as the Supreme only, not anyone including ourselves. To be humble, we will not be arrogant to people and always make our mind clear to see the Truth. Then we will not be blinded by the pride of anyone including ourselves. We can correct ourselves at any time and avoid the defects made by others. Then, the virtue of Tao becomes constant to us that we will not sway here and there without consistency in actions and speech. What is the highest virtue of the Truth? The answer is as follows:

 

“Being the creek to the world, the constant virtue does not depart.

Return to be pure and innocent as an infant.”

 

The ideal of a person abiding in the Truth is to become strong, gentle, pure and innocent in nature just like a newborn baby. This is the purity attained at the starting point of life which is nearest to the Truth. Therefore, humility is beneficial for us to draw close to the Truth. It is the vast space. We must have large capacity in our heart to fill in the Truth. Then Lao Tzu tells us more:

 

“Know the white, but keep to the black, be a model to the world.

Being the model to the world, the constant virtue does not deviate.

Return to the infinite.”

 

“Know the white” means we are right, and people also know that we are rightful. To be righteous is also the virtue of the Truth. However, sometimes we may be misunderstood as bad and wrong by some people. Of course, we must make clear to people but when in vain, Lao Tzu tells us “Keep to the black”. We should have the endurance to bear the temporary suffering if any action done is not helpful anymore.

 

To be forbearing is also the virtue of the Truth. It is also one of the 99 names of Allah, “Al-Halim”, the Forbearing, which shows this virtue is so important that our Almighty Lord also has this virtue. Sooner or later, when the Truth prevails, people will see the Truth more, and they will know the fact. Then we can be the model of other people to bear suffering and do not go astray from the right path. Only sages with the Truth can act as a model for people to follow. They have constant virtue and will never deviate from it though people may think wrongly to them.

 

“Hold the black” means they can forbear and do not deviate. So, they “return to the infinite”. The Truth is infinite without limitations. They return to the Truth and abide in the Truth only. Then Lao Tzu tells us more:

 

“Know the honour, but keep to the disgraced, be a valley to the world.

Being the valley to the world, the constant virtue will be sufficient.

Return to plainness.”

 

We like to have honour to be recognized by people in the form of praise. When the honour is gone, people may disgrace us, looking down upon us as unimportant and not respectable. This world is always changing, nothing can keep long, and so does the appreciation from people. Lao Tzu tells us not to value the honor and disgrace as they will come and go. When we are honored, we must be humble. When we are disgraced, we are also the same with humility in us. Never forget the Truth. Be a valley to the world. We become the world and remember how the valley keeps water in it and becomes beneficial. Then our virtue will be sufficient for us. We need no more else. We keep the plainness inside us. “Plainness” means to be natural and simple. To be pure and honest is our natural quality, while to be cunning and hypocritical is unnatural with fake coverings, i.e., falsehood opposite to the Truth.

 

The plainness is like a raw rock naturally there without carving. Lao Tzu tells us that we all should return to our original stage as a rock newly created without carving. After carving, the rock becomes artificial. It loses its purity. So, we must be simple, honest and straightforward which is the character of sages, without any crookedness. Then Lao Tzu further says:

 

“When the plainness shatters, it becomes vessels.

The sage makes use of the plainness and becomes the lord over the officials.”

 

Our world should be kept plainness, as a rock without crookedness. In the beginning, it is plainness. From plainness, the rock is cut into different pieces, so there are different names and shapes of creatures as different vessels for different purposes. They are the varieties of people. The sage who is abiding in the Truth always keeps the plainness of the Truth for people, thus the sage can be the Ruler, the Lord over his officials.

 

Here Lao Tzu tells us how a government should function well. The head must keep the plainness for his officials to serve the country without crookedness. Although people are divided into different roles and positions, they should be abiding by the plainness of the Truth without cheating or cunningly misbehaving. This is the greatest ideal for ruling the world. Let everyone be simple and honest to do his or her duties in the way the most natural for them to do so, thus Lao Tzu ends with the following:

 

“Thus, the greatest ideal for ruling the world is

to maintain its plainness as its own nature.”