Tao, the most Primitive Internal Driving Force
Universally, the greatest driving force comes from internal impetus. In the physics department of Fudan University, there used to be a student who fell behind in academic work but was very good at abrading glass. Rather than restraining the student, the teacher encouraged him to fully develop his talents. After graduation he participated in the abrasion of the most advanced astronomical telescope in China. The flame in his mind was kindled. There is no such thing as universal genius. Everyone has his merits. “The task of school is to help bring students’ talents into full play.” One of the reasons why universities such as Peking University enroll mavericks who are talented in only a certain field is because all of them succeeded by having a strong internal impetus, which is, according to Laozi, the most powerful vatality.
Tao, Never Be Rigid or Still
In order to worship God, grass-made horses and goats are used as sacrifices. And to please God, sacrifices should be consistently offered to God. Discarding the used sacrifices randomly would be seen as “not benevolent”. Within the infinite universe, everything in the world plays as the grass-made sacrifice. Tao exists in the continuous process of taking and dumping tangible objects, by dint of a certain object for an instant until it is replaced by a new one. The governance of a country goes the same way. Some measures seem to be reasonable and profitable for the time being but new measures must be carried out as circumstances change. Some people are reluctant to change but for the sake of the interest for more people as a whole, short-run interest of those minorities has to be sacrificed. The world itself is like a big bellow, air going in and out. Nothing remains in it, giving it the capability to contain more.
Tao, with Inexhaustible Power
Laozi told us that to govern the country, one has to learn how to rely more on factors beyond his own. The moment that he does not need to depend on any of his own power, he reaches the state which Laozi called “action through inaction”. Governance has to be in accordance with factors in the whole world. Pushing one’s own will by force is not the path leading to success. “A good warrior does not win by waving his weapon. A wise strategist doesn’t confront his enemy directly. A man good at personnel selection treats people humbly.” Through these examples Laozi emphasizes one shouldn’t always have to contend against others. However, it doesn’t mean that one should never contend for things, rather it is wiser for one to succeed by taking advantage of the other’s strength. The method of leveraging competitor’s strength to hit back has been widely practiced in Chinese Taijiquan.
The Broadest Embrace of Tao
Tao, with the broadest embrace, contains everything. The greatness of Tao is not merely the broadness in terms of space, but the broadness in terms of philosophy. In a word, what Laozi pursued is the containing of everything. At the same time everything is in harmony with each other. This philosophy later evolved into the Confucian middle way, which can be described as a win-win situation. “All things on the earth grow simultaneously in their own realm, never disturbing others. Numerous microcosmic objects are like countless streams, converging into turbulent waters of macro-principles. Prosperity of the world lies in the subsistence, development and interdependence of all existence.”
The interpretation of Laozi’s Tao no longer focuses on its negative and compromising aspects. Laozi penetrated with his wisdom that Tao universally exists, so does the vitality, the most powerful force in the world. When reading Daodejing, we should seek for ways to inspire the vitality, between human and nature, among groups and even among different nationalities, cultures and religions.
Translated by Qu Ran
Editor：Dong Lin
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