Tao Te Ching

Chapter 73
[Original text]

If the people are not afraid of prestige[1], then great prestige will come.

There is no love[2] where it lives, and there is no tire[3] where it is born.The husband is not tired, so he is not tired [4].

It is because the sage knows himself but does not see himself[5], loves himself but does not value himself[6], so he chooses this and that.

【Note】

[1] Wei: power, extended to violence.

[2] 勎: Tong "narrow", narrow, persecution.

[3] Tired: Tong "press", squeeze, suppress, oppress.

[4] disgust: disgust.

[5] See: pass "now", show off.

[6] Self-love without self-esteem: Self-love without being noble.

【Analysis】

If the people are not afraid of violence, there will be greater violence to harass them.

Don't force the people to change from normal, and don't squeeze the people's labor income.As long as the lives of the people are not squeezed, the people will not hate their rulers.

Therefore, the sage knows many things but does not boast, loves himself but does not pride himself on being noble.Therefore, we should abandon the practice of "self-seeking" and "self-esteem" and choose the practice of "self-knowledge" and "self-love".

【Explanation by Famous Artists】

Mr. He Shang:
Prestige, harm also.People who are not afraid of small harm will cause great harm.The great harm is also called death.Those who are afraid of it should love the spirit, and they will obey the sky and the earth.

It is said that the mind resides in the spirit, it should be lenient and gentle, and it should not be narrow-minded.People are alive to have spirit.The spirit is empty, and one likes to be quiet. If one eats indiscreetly, thinks about sex suddenly, and is full of evil and secluded things, this is the root of detesting the gods.The only ones who never tire of the spirit are the ones who cleanse their minds and cleanse their dirt, and have no desires.

Self-aware of one's own gains and losses, not self-evident, see virtue and beauty on the outside, but hide them on the inside.Self-love oneself in order to preserve one's essence, not self-noble and honorable and famous in the world.Go to the other to see and value yourself, and take this to know and love yourself.

(End of this chapter)