| | 君守: |
二曰── |
| | Secondly--
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| | 君守: |
得道者必静。静者无知，知乃无知，可以言君道也。故曰：中欲不出谓之扃，外欲不入谓之闭。既扃而又闭：天之用密，有准不以平，有绳不以正；天之大静，既静而又宁，可以为天下正。身以盛心，心以盛智，智乎深藏，而实莫得窥乎。鸿范曰：“惟天阴骘下民。”阴之者，所以发之也。故曰：不出于户而知天下，不窥于牖而知天道。其出弥远者，其知弥少。故博闻之人、强识之士阙矣，事耳目、深思虑之务败矣，坚白之察、无厚之辩外矣。不出者，所以出之也；不为者，所以为之也。此之谓以阳召阳，以阴召阴。东海之极，水至而反；夏热之下，化而为寒。故曰：天无形，而万物以成；至精无象，而万物以化；大圣无事，而千官尽能。此乃谓不教之教，无言之诏。故有以知君之狂也，以其言之当也；有以知君之惑也，以其言之得也。君也者，以无当为当，以无得为得者也。当与得不在于君，而在于臣。故善为君者无识，其次无事。有识则有不备矣，有事则有不恢矣。不备不恢，此官之所以疑，而邪之所从来也。今之为车者，数官然后成。夫国岂特为车哉？众智众能之所持也，不可以一物一方安车也。 |
| | One who attains the Dao must be tranquil. The tranquil one has no knowledge; knowledge itself is a form of ignorance, and thus it may be spoken of as the way of a ruler. Therefore it is said: When inner desires do not arise, it is called "jiōng"; when external desires do not enter, it is called "bì." When both "jiōng" and "bì" are achieved: the workings of Heaven become subtle; there is a standard that does not rely on levelness, and a plumb line that does not depend on uprightness. The great tranquility of Heaven—having tranquility and yet further peace—is what can serve as the standard for all under heaven. The body contains the mind, and the mind contains wisdom; when wisdom is deeply concealed, its reality remains beyond scrutiny. Hongfan said: "Only Heaven silently nurtures the people below." To nurture in silence is thus how one brings it forth. Therefore it is said: One can know the world without stepping outside the door, and understand the Dao of Heaven without looking through the window. Those who go farther out come to know less. Therefore, the person with extensive knowledge and the scholar with strong memory are lacking; matters that rely on ears and eyes and deep thinking fail; distinctions such as "Jianbai" (distinct whiteness) and debates about non-substantiality lie outside. Not going out is thus how one brings forth understanding. Not acting is thus how one accomplishes things. This is called summoning yang with yang, and yin with yin. At the extreme east of the Eastern Sea, water flows to its utmost point and then turns back; Under the intense heat of summer, transformation brings cold. Therefore it is said: Heaven has no form, yet all things are completed through it; The most refined essence has no image, yet all things undergo transformation through it; A great sage does nothing, and yet all the officials fulfill their functions. This is called teaching without instruction, a decree given without words. Therefore, one can know that the ruler is mad because of his appropriate words; One can know that the ruler is confused because of his well-reasoned speech. A ruler is one who takes non-propriety as propriety, and non-acquisition as acquisition. Propriety and attainment do not lie with the ruler, but with the ministers. Therefore, a good ruler has no awareness; the next best has nothing to do. Having knowledge means there is something incomplete; having affairs means there is something not fully accomplished. Incompleteness and lack of accomplishment are why officials become doubtful, and from where evil arises. Nowadays, when making a cart, it requires the work of many officials before it is completed. A state—how could it be merely like making a cart? It is upheld by the collective wisdom and abilities of many; one cannot rely on a single thing or method to stabilize it, just as one cannot build a cart with only one component or approach.
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| | 君守: |
夫一能应万、无方而出之务者，唯有道者能之。鲁鄙人遗宋元王闭，元王号令于国，有巧者皆来解闭。人莫之能解。儿说之弟子请往解之，乃能解其一，不能解其一，且曰：“非可解而我不能解也，固不可解也。”问之鲁鄙人。鄙人曰：“然，固不可解也。我为之而知其不可解也。今不为而知其不可解也，是巧于我。”故如儿说之弟子者，以“不解”解之也。郑大师文终日鼓瑟而兴，再拜其瑟前曰：“我效于子，效于不穷也。”故若大师文者，以其兽者先之，所以中之也。故思虑自心伤也，智差自亡也，奋能自殃，其有处自狂也。故至神逍遥倏忽而不见其容，至圣变习移俗而莫知其所从，离世别群而无不同，君民孤寡而不可障壅，此则奸邪之情得而险陂谗慝谄谀巧佞之人无由入。凡奸邪险陂之人，必有因也。何因哉？因主之为。人主好以己为，则守职者舍职而阿主之为矣。阿主之为，有过则主无以责之，则人主日侵而人臣日得。是宜动者静，宜静者动也；尊之为卑，卑之为尊，从此生矣。此国之所以衰而敌之所以攻之者也。 |
| | Only those who possess the Dao can respond to myriad things with one ability, and accomplish matters without fixed methods. A rustic from Lu sent a puzzle called "Bi" to King Yuan of Song. King Yuan issued an order throughout the state, and all those skilled in craft came forward to solve the puzzle. No one was able to solve it. A disciple of Ershuo requested to go and solve it, and was able to resolve one part but not the other. He then said: "It is not that this can be solved yet I cannot do so; rather, it is inherently unsolvable." They asked the rustic from Lu. The rustic said: "Indeed, it is inherently unsolvable." I made it and knew that it could not be solved. He said: "Now, without making it yet knowing that it cannot be solved—that is more skillful than I am." Therefore, someone like the disciple of Ershuo solves it by "not solving"—by understanding that it cannot be solved. The master of Zheng, Wen, played the se all day and then rose, bowing twice before it and saying: "I emulate you; I emulate that which is boundless." Therefore, someone like Master Wen, by preceding with the image of beasts, was thus able to strike the right note. Therefore, thinking and deliberation injure oneself from within; wisdom that strays leads to one's own loss; striving with ability brings calamity, and having a place or position leads to madness. Therefore, the most spiritual being roams freely and vanishes suddenly without revealing its form; the greatest sage transforms customs and shifts traditions without anyone knowing where it originates from. It separates itself from the world and remains distinct yet harmonious with all things; it governs people as if they were orphans and widows, beyond obstruction or blockage. In such a state, the inclinations of evildoers find no foothold, and those who are treacherous, deceitful, flatterers, and sly 佞 persons have no way to enter. All those who are wicked, evil, or devious must necessarily have a cause or opportunity. What is this cause? Because of the ruler's actions. When a sovereign prefers to act according to his own will, those who hold office abandon their duties and flatter the ruler's actions instead. Flattering the ruler's actions, when there are mistakes, the ruler has no grounds to hold them accountable; thus, the sovereign gradually loses authority while the ministers gain increasing power. This is a case where what should be active becomes passive, and what should be passive becomes active; Respect turns into humility, and humility into respect—thus arise disorder and inversion. This is why a state declines and why its enemies attack it.
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| | 君守: |
奚仲作车，苍颉作书，后稷作稼，皋陶作刑，昆吾作陶，夏鲧作城，此六人者所作当矣，然而非主道者，故曰作者忧，因者平。惟彼君道，得命之情，故任天下而不强，此之谓全人。 |
| | Xi Zhong made the cart, Cangjie created writing, Houji cultivated crops, Gao Tao established punishments, Kunwu made pottery, and Xia Gun built cities. These six individuals did indeed create things that were appropriate for their times; however, these are not in accordance with the way of rulership. Therefore it is said: those who create innovations bring worry, while those who follow naturally achieve peace. Only the way of a true ruler understands the essence of fate; thus he entrusts all under heaven without force. This is called being a complete person.
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