The Natural Course of Events (2)

1 The concrete presentations of Tao are vain quiet, tranquilness, loneliness and non-action, which is the essential way that we should take.

2 Doing so and conserving the specialties fit the natural course of events.

3 Applying the specialties to governance of a country could make the country peaceful and prosperous, which is called human harmony. Those that conform to human harmony are called Human Joy.

4 Heavenly harmony that conforms to the natural course of the events is called Heavenly Joy.

5 Delighted by such finding, Chuang Tzu sighed and said, “This is my teacher. This is my teacher.”

6 Tao fairly governs all things in the Nature but it doesn’t flatter itself that it is fair. Tao makes all things flourish but it doesn’t flatter itself that it is benevolent. It has been existed eternally but it doesn’t think itself long life. Tao holds Heaven and Earth and created various and rare creatures but it doesn’t think itself skillful.

7 Those phenomena are Heavenly Joy. He who complies with the law of Heavenly Joy lives his live in the rule of Nature. Hence his death is a part of the changes of Nature.

8 When he is still, he complies with the rule of Yin; when he is moving, he complies with the rule of Yang. For the reason, his deeds will not be condemned by Heaven, will not be complained by people, will not be in trouble of destitution, and will not be punished by gods and ghosts.

9 For this reason, it is said that he is powerful as Heaven and immediately efficient in moving.

10 When his mind settles down, he creates all creatures generation after generation in silence like Earth.

11 His mind teems with vain quiet, tranquilness, loneliness and non-action, so he becomes a ruler of a country. Even after death, his soul stays still to wait for reincarnation, not disturbing other’s life by eerie forms. After reincarnation, his self-nature, Buddha-nature, Qi, calmness and soul fulfill their duties faithfully and play their roles fully.

12 All things respect and admire him because his mind obtains vain quiet, tranquilness, loneliness and non-action.

13 Only if a man is modest and active to publicize the specialties to all things, he can obtain Heavenly Joy as if Heaven nourishes all things and makes them prosperous generation after generation.

14 Doing thing should be in sequence. The important is prior; the minor is posterior. We should comply severely with the important principles. The minor parts are put behind to do.

15 The armed force and its armament are the edge tool of a government but they are inferior to virtue. The measures, such as promotion, punishment, encouragement, awards and criminal laws, are adopted to regulate people. However, they are worse among the ways to educate people.

16 As ways of governance, etiquette, laws, classic systems and various divisions of work are not the best.

17 Bell, drum and splendid clothes are not the outfit of top grade for the musical instrument; wailing, mourning howl and wearing sackcloth in a funeral are the inferior ways to express sorrow.

18 The said five ways are inferior because they express their feelings by heart and consciousness instead of by the inner instinct.

19 Ancient people also employed the said knowledge; however, they looked them as the inferior and the subordinate.

20 If we attach no importance to the order of priority in the discussion and study of Tao, we will lose it. We discuss and study Tao and sincerely hope to seize it, but for the said mistakes, we will at the end of day losing it. If so, why do we make such an effort to discuss and study it?

21 Hence, the ancient sages who really understood Tao, observed and learned the Nature first, and then they discussed and studied Tao and virtue.

22 They did not discuss benevolence and righteousness until made clear Tao and virtue.

23 After understanding benevolence and righteousness, they started to learn about the inferior things such as the class and duty. Having understood the class and duty, they divided the possible works into different sectors. After dividing, they assigned the works to classes and officials of different duty. The classes and the officials themselves were responsible for the works.

24 After assignation, the following was to check and appraise the work periodically, by which they discriminated everyone’s competence.

25 Promotion and punishment were done in terms of their actual work. The check and appraisal revealed official’s intelligence, competence and virtue clearly and fairly.

26 When both officials and their underling were appraised in such way, they would work all out, fairly and carefully.

27 If the personal practice was done in this way, he would not from a clique and intrigue selfish interest and fame any more.

28 Governance in this way would start a peaceful and prosperous age of a country.

29 It is said in book that “things have their forms and names.” The forms and names are detailed categories of various works, which has existed from of old, but they are not the priority in the sequence of work.

30 In the sequence of governance, the forms and names rank fifth while the punishment ninth. Putting the forms and names in the first priority, this is the essential error of governance. Emphasis of reward and punishment and put it in the first place is the error of reverse sequence. Those, who don’t know the order of priority or run in the opposite direction, can only work as an underling, are not eligible to be a leader.

31 Those who know reward and punishment are considered to know the way of governance instead of the principle of governance. They only know something less about governance, not gaining the essence of governance.