Lao Tzu

Verse 45: The sage always has no intention, and takes the people's heart as his heart (1)

Chapter 12: The sage always has no intention, and takes the people's heart as his heart The heart is the heart

The sage always has no heart and takes the hearts of the people as his heart. What is good is good; what is not good is also (not) good: virtue is good. Those who believe, believe it; those who do not believe, also (dis)believe it: virtue is faith. When the saint is in the world, he is like a sage; when he is in the world, he is like a pure person. The common people all belong to his ears and eyes, and all the saints cough.

--Chapter 12 (49) of Yanchi Hall's version of "Laozi"

Explanation

This chapter explains that a wise gentleman has no personal likes and dislikes. The people's heart is the heart, and the foothold is still inaction.

General explanation

The sage does not have his own will, but takes the wishes of the people as his own will. If the people think it is good, praise it; if the people think it is not good, do not praise it: only in this way can you gain good; if the people think it is trustworthy, trust it; if the people think it is not trustworthy, do not trust it: only in this way can you gain trust. When the sage lives in the world, he is restrained and humble, quiet and inactive; when the sage governs the world, he is simple and has no desires, and he cannot get what he wants. The common people are his ears and eyes, and the saints all look happy and at ease.

Disappeared characters

The text of this chapter in the current version of "Laozi" is: "The sage has an impermanent heart, and takes the hearts of the people as his heart. Those who are good will be good to me; those who are not good, I will do the same. What is good is good. Those who believe, I believe in; those who do not believe, I also believe in it. The saints are in the world, and the people in the world pay attention to them, and the saints are all children. "

1. Change the word "constant no heart" in the silk book to "impermanent heart" ", that's ridiculous. The mind of impermanence is sometimes called "always unmindful". It can be seen that it is constantly changing and is just a taboo.

2. Silk book "Those who are good are good, and those who are not good are also good, and virtue is good; those who believe believe in it, and those who do not believe also believe in it, which is virtue and belief." In this version, four characters for "I" have been added, which has changed the original meaning of "Laozi".

3. "Hun Hun Yan" became "Hun Qi Xin" in Tongxing Ben.

4. "Gen" was changed to "Note".

5. "Cough" became "child".

"Taking the hearts of the people as our heart".

There is a saying that the common people are the officials. "The common people are not close to each other, and the five grades are not inferior." ("Shang Shu Shun Dian") scholar Xu Zhijun believes that "in ancient times, people had no surnames, and those with surnames all had land and officials... The common people are called officials, and Laozi said that the sage is based on the common people. "The heart is the heart" actually expresses the situation of the primitive tribal alliance meeting to decide major events democratically. "The author believes that whether it is the common people or the officials, what is said here is that the saint cannot act arbitrarily and must rely on public opinion.

"Those who are good are good, and those who are not good are also (not) good, and virtue is good; those who believe believe in it, and those who do not believe also (not) believe in it, which is virtue and belief."

There are also different opinions on the interpretation of this sentence. The most common saying is: "For kind people, I treat them kindly; for unkind people, I also treat them kindly, so that you can get kindness. For trustworthy people, I trust them; for untrustworthy people, I trust them." Also trust him, so that you can gain integrity. "

The author believes that such an explanation is a forced interpretation and will only cause confusion: encourages people to give up their principles and become a good gentleman? The author suspects that "also" may be originally "no". Therefore, this sentence may be: "Those who are good are good, and those who are not good are not good, so they are good; those who believe believe in it, and those who do not believe do not believe in it, so they have faith." Virtue is gained. It’s clear as words.

Although, this is just the opinion of the author. But the author can still submit two supporting evidences: First, "The Analects of Confucius·Zilu No. 13" "...those who are not as good as the countrymen are fond of them, and those who are not good are evil." Second, the folk saying goes: "Those who believe believe in it, Those who don't believe will never believe." This sentence became the most popular phrase in Taiwanese society when the "3.19" shooting incident of Chen Shui-bian was discussed.

"The common people all belong to his eyes and ears."

This is the wisdom of the sage "using the crowd" that we talked about in Chapter 10 above: "He who is the master of the world, See with your eyes and hear with the ears of the world." Rather than being explained by the public, the common people pay attention to the saint's ears and eyes and every move.

"All saints cough."

Cough, pass "child" and teach "child to laugh". Describe the innocence of his smile.

Night Talk in Yanchitang

How did Alexander the Great break the mysterious knot?

In the autumn of 2009, overseas media widely reported a speech by a former national leader on his 70th birthday. In short, it is "two times", "two times", and "three times".

The first is the "second return", which is to "return to nature", because after retirement and putting down official duties, you can have more time to walk around and enjoy the great rivers and mountains of the motherland; the other is to "return to nature" "People" can return to the people and "enjoy the lives of ordinary people and no longer be officials and lords."

The second is "two no's", which is "not to participate in government activities" and "not to disturb the people".

The retired chief said that it is easier to not participate in government activities, but "not to disturb the people" is difficult to achieve based on China's current objective situation. For example, when traveling, the local police must follow conventions and specifications. Police cars clear the way or even take measures such as road closures, which is relatively involuntary. Therefore, we have no choice but to "disrupt the people less" and not add more trouble to the people.

The last is the "three followings", which are to "go with the flow", "move with the wind" and "live with the circumstances". This seems to indicate the chief's mentality after retirement and his understanding of human life, that is, do not care about changes in the environment, changes in treatment, and the ensuing changes in human relationships; all human activities should go with the flow and take advantage of the situation. Rather than going against the trend. In the vast universe and in the long history of life, human beings appear so small and helpless. A person's life may only be a short moment, and everything is just fate. Therefore, don't think of yourself as a great person.

It would be quite difficult for a person who has been in a high position to have the open-mindedness of "two times", "two no's" and "three followings". It is close to what Lao Tzu said, "constantly without heart", and understands the principle of "taking the hearts of the people as the heart".

Li Jieming, the former ambassador to China with a CIA background, died at his home in Washington on November 12, 2009, at the age of 81. In his memoir "China Hands", he said this: For any thing that happens, there are three versions: your version, my version and the version of the truth.

The author borrowed this famous quote from Ambassador Li Jieming to explain: In fact, there are at least three versions of the interpretation of each verse of "Laozi": your version, my version and Laozi's version back then. The true intention version. All I have done is hope that my version can be as close as possible to the version of Lao Tzu's true intention.