Having Dao
You become a resource to the ten thousand things
A treasure for good people, a shield for bad people.
Catchy words have their market value.
Commendable deeds win public recognition. 5
But that doesn’t mean bad people should be thrown away.
Therefore
The emperor’s highest ministers
Receive extravagant jade tribute
Preceded by teams of four stallions 10
And none of it compares to sitting and presenting Dao.
The ancients had good reason to cherish it!
Did they not tell us:
If you have it and seek, you obtain
If you have it and offend, you’re forgiven? 15
That’s why the world honors it.
***
NOTES
line 6: Laozi elaborates on recognizing the value of people who are not good in poem 27.
COMMENTARY
In poem 62 Laozi describes how attaining Dao enables you to be of service to anyone, because you are no longer confusing legalistic and moralistic concepts of good and bad with actual people. Being of service to anyone, you have the same message for the emperor’s highest ministers that you have for regular people – presenting Dao – because nothing is more unfailingly useful. Freed of your ego and devoid of agenda, you naturally obtain if you seek and find forgiveness if you offend.
Links To:
The Classic of Dao and De by Laozi: Contents
For more on Daoism, see:
Film Dreams: Frank Capra
Music: KALW Radio Show #3, Ancient China in 20th-Century Music
Music: SFCR Radio Show #8, Daoism in Western Music, part 1
Music: SFCR Radio Show #9, Daoism in Western Music, part 2
NICOLE V. GAGNÉ 