Extensive interpretation of Tao Te Ching (18)
道德經演義（十八）
On the decline of the great Tao, the
doctrines of “humanity” and “justice” arose.
大道廢，有仁義;
When knowledge and cleverness appeared,
great hypocrisy followed in its wake.
慧智出，有大偽;
When the six relationships no longer
lived at peace, there was praise of “kind parents” and “filial sons.”
六親不和，有孝慈;
When a country fell into chaos and
misrule, there was praise of “loyal ministers.”
國家昏亂，有忠臣。
Horses' Hooves (1)
(15-19)(18。1)
莊子演義外篇馬蹄(一)(15-19)(18。1)
15 Gradually people’s civilization came into being. When the
so-called sages appeared, they all-out advocated such moral rules as
benevolence and righteousness. Since then people’s hearts have been teemed with
doubt, confuse, jealousness and distrust.
慢慢地，人類文明逐漸形成，等到所謂聖人出現，他們努力地提倡仁義等道德標準，從此懷疑、迷惑、猜忌、不信任等情緒才開始深入人心。
及至聖人，蹩躠為仁，踶跂為義，而天下始疑矣。
16 They have to be delighted with music and discriminate people’s rank in rite
and by clothes, for which the discrimination appeared in the society.
他們必須仰賴音樂才會得到快樂。利用儀式，服裝來區分人的高下尊貴。因為這樣的發展，人類社會開始分化，有了彼此之分。
澶漫為樂，摘辟為禮，而天下始分矣。
17 To make a vase for sacrifice, they have to split away a wood to carve it
into vase. It is the same with the nature of humanity spoiled for surrendering
those artificial moral rules.
為了一個祭祀用的花瓶，人們必須將木頭切開，雕刻使之成為花瓶。同樣地，為了屈就仁義等人為的道德標準，人們自然的天性就被破壞了。
18 If the nature of humanity were intact, people would not need such things as
music and etiquette. If the five notes of the ancient Chinese five-tone scale
were in ordered, people would not use six pitches to regulate them.
如果人類原始的天性不被破壞，人們就根本不須要音樂及禮儀這些東西。因為五聲不亂，人們也不須要六律來規範樂曲。
19 It is craftsman’s fault to forcefully distort natural resource into various
vessels. It is sage’s fault to spoil the nature of humanity to bridle those
artificial codes of conduct on people.
將自然提供的天然資源，強加扭曲以製成各式器皿，這是工匠們的錯。將天性破壞掉，以配合仁義這些人為的行為框架，這是聖人的錯。
吾意善治天下者不然。彼民有常性，織而衣，耕而食，是謂同德；一而不黨，命曰天放。故至德之世，其行填填，其視顛顛。當是時也，山無蹊隧，澤無舟梁；萬物群生，連屬其鄉；禽獸成群，草木遂長。是故禽獸可係羈而游，鳥鵲之巢可攀援而闚。故純樸不殘，孰為犧尊！白玉不毀，孰為珪璋！道德不廢，安取仁義！性情不離，安用禮樂！五色不亂，孰為文采！無聲不亂，孰應六律！夫殘樸以為器，工匠之罪也；毀道德以為仁義，聖人之過也。
Xianchi’s
interpretation and remark(18。1)
咸池評述(18。1)
1 Even play with mud on
the ground and play jumping games with a rope, the innocent kids feel very
happy.
那些天真無邪的孩子，他們只是蹲在地上玩泥巴就能得到快樂，用一根繩子就能玩出無數種跳繩的遊戲。
2 In childhood,
with some kids, we might play with the round card for the whole afternoon. On
summer holiday, we frolicked in the river, picking up shell and catching fish.
We were not fed up with the games though we did them every day. We were so
happy at that time.
小時候玩圓牌。幾個孩子圍在泥地上，幾張圓牌就可以玩上一個下午。暑假時光著屁股與七、八個朋友在河中戲水、挖貝殼、捉小魚，天天如此也不覺得膩，每天都玩得那麼高興。
3 When having grown up,
the same joy seems to cost much money and need a certain occasion and friends.
What’s more, the joy comes easy and goes easy. When we lose it, we have to make
effort to seek new goal, spending more time and money.
長大之後，同樣的歡樂似乎就必須要花許多錢，費勁地找一定的場合、一定的朋友才能獲得。而且這種樂趣來得快，去得也快; 一旦失去了興趣，又必須要多花心思、時間、金錢，努力地去尋找新的目標。
4 In childhood, we
never distasted the dishes at home. In each meal, we eat up all. We didn’t
leave the table until there is nothing to eat. However, when growing up, in
order to have the same joy of eating, we have to search some special dishes in
a certain restaurant.
小時候在家裡吃飯，從來沒有嫌過什麼菜不好吃。每餐飯都是吃到菜盤見底，無物可吃才下桌。不像現在，總是不時在心裡盤算著到哪家餐廳去吃什麼特別的菜式來打打牙祭，來犒賞自己。
5 All the phenomena
are relative to the loss of our simplicity and innocence. Let’s say, we spoil
our taste and listening. We think that the tasteful food must be gourmet and
the nice music must be classic music, such as Beethoven’s works and works of
所有這些現象，都是與我們失去了純樸的天真有關係。因此我們常說，把自己的嘴養刁了，把自己的耳朵養驕了，必須是山珍海味才覺得好吃，必須是古典音樂而且是貝多芬的曲子，柏林交響樂團卡拉揚指揮的才能入耳。所有這些，都是失去天真本性而衍生出來的問題。
6 If such
conclusion is correct and theory of Laotse and Chuang Tzu is right too. Thus, are Beethoven’s music and
Michelangelo’s art redundant?
如果我們這樣的推論是正確的，老莊的理論是無誤的，那麼貝多芬的音樂、米開朗基羅的藝術就是多餘的了？
7 Let’s tell the truth; Beethoven’s
music is nice and heart-stirring while Michelangelo’s art is wonderful. No one
can deny them.
且讓我摸著我的良心說話，貝多芬的音樂是優美悅耳的，是振奮人心的; 米開朗基羅的雕刻藝術是無懈可擊的，這一切皆是無可否認的事實。
8 However, our
aesthetic feeling is based on the common cognition that built on human’s
civilization. Without the civilization, aesthetic feeling disappears. This is
why countryside carline feels nothing special on Shakespeare’s opera and
Beethoven’s music and can never understanding it.
不過像這樣的美感，畢竟仍舊是建立在人類現代文明所塑造的共同認知上。一旦離開了文明的基礎，它的價值就消失了。這也就是鄉下老太婆不會覺得貝多芬的音樂有什麼特別，而莎士比亞的歌劇，也沒有什麼值得會心一笑的地方了。
9 Nevertheless, the singing of oriole is felt nice despite of ages, races and
locations. From this point of view, we know that the difference between the
voice of oriole and the music of Beethoven is the feeling between innateness
and one must acquired by education.
然而，對於黃鶯的叫聲，卻往往不分地域、年齡、種族都會覺得美，都覺得好聽。這種貝多芬與黃鶯之間的差異或許就是後天感覺與天真之間的差別吧！
Gengsang Chu(9)
(14)(18。2)A
莊子演義雜篇庚桑楚(九)(14)(18。2)A
14 Conduct
is the presentation of pure and simple nature of human. There are error and
hypocrisy in the human conduct because they deviate from Tao. There is no error
and hypocrisy in the conduct in the light of Tao.
人們純樸的天性，表現在日常生活的活動上，就是行為。人們行為有偏失，有虛偽是因為人們偏離了道的結果。依道的行為，是不會有偏失及虛偽發生的。
性之動，謂之為；為之偽，謂之失。
The Human World
(1) (64-65)(18。2)B
莊子演義內篇人間世(一)(64-65)(18。2)B
64
Nevertheless, the experience of the fast is very particular. It is difficult to
compare it with other experiences.
不過我跟你說，心齋這種經驗是很特別的，你很難以一般的經驗去作比較。
65 Leaving no trace of our walking are easy, but walking without touch of
ground is difficult. Doing thing by other’s order or
instruction, sometime it will expose to be deceptive or conscienceless but
doing things in the way of Nature will not.
我們走路不留痕跡並不難，可是要我們走路完全不著地就很難了；奉人的命令、指示做事很容易有虛偽不實，昧著良心做事的情形。可是奉天行事就不容易發生這種事。
「絕跡易，無行地難。為人使易以偽，為天使難以偽。
External
Things (12) (1-3)(18。2)C
莊子演義雜篇外物(十二)(1-3)(18。2)C
1 In the
town of
演門城裡有位人兄，當他雙親過世時，他披頭散髮，不剃鬍鬚，整天哭號，將自已弄的形容憔悴，一副傷心欲絕的樣子。
2 The local government thought that his filial piety is so much that he could
be the role model of people. Therefore, the government entitled him a position.
當地政府認為，他思念父母的孝心，足以為人民的楷模，因此授予他一份官職。
3 In consequence, people in the town imitated him in succession. Many people
died from over emaciation because of the death of their parents.
結果同城裡的人，群起效尤。許多父母過世的人，他們自己也因過度憔悴而亡。
演門有親死者，以善毀爵為官師，其黨人毀而死者半。
Xianchi’s
interpretation and remark(18。2)A。B。C。
咸池評述(18。2)A。B。C。
1 The attitude in
funeral ceremony in western Christian civilization is very different from the
one in Chinese civilization.
西方基督教文明與中國文明在處理喪事的態度上是有著很大的差別的。
2 In the west, the people cultured by Christian civilization, their funeral
ceremony is solemn and heavenly. The scene that family members wail beside
coffin can hardly be found. They think that inner feeling should not be vented
before the masses. Wear black cloths and black armband and to have solemn face;
when coffin is buried, they put flower on it, all of that are enough to express
their feeling. No one would criticize them ruthless or impious.
我們注意到，在西方基督教文明薰陶下的人，他們在喪禮上的表現往往是莊嚴而肅穆的，你不常會看見喪家扶棺痛哭失聲的場面。西方人習慣上認為，內心的情緒不可在大眾面前宣洩。在葬禮上著黑衣，戴黑紗，穿著整齊，表情嚴肅; 在下葬的那一刻，親人向死者丟朵鮮花，就已經表達了他們的感情; 因此，絕沒有人會批評他們不孝及無情。
3 However, the funeral ceremony in
反觀我們中國人的喪禮，孝子、孝女、未亡人，尤其是婦人; 如果不在死者下葬的那一刻跪倒在地，痛哭失聲，高叫夫婿的名字，那她可能會被別人批評為不孝，不愛先生; 一些風言風語也可能就此流傳，將她罵得臭名滿村裡。
4 We discover that woman’s expression of wail and pain is stronger and clearer
than man’s. The rite of five sons crying before tomb actually is five daughters
crying. The family of bereavement employs professional criers in the funeral
ceremony. Criers’ wails raise the roof so as to let all people in the village
know it.
我們又注意到，女士們哭叫傷痛的表情又比男士們來得強烈而明顯。所以所謂五子哭墓，實際上應是五女哭墓。在喪禮進行中，喪家們也往往會招請一些職業哭手在葬禮中大哭特哭，哭得價天震響，非得讓全村人都聽見，絕不罷休。
5 According to Chuang Tzu’s idea, all deeds should be
done naturally. It is abnormal to do extra vent or to intently restrain
feeling.
按照莊子的說法，對一切的行為舉止，我們只需順其自然就可以了，加油添醋的宣洩或刻意的壓抑都是不正常的。
6 Therefore, the
attitude to funeral in both civilizations are sham and distorted. Both are
abnormal.
所以，西方文明及東方文明所表現在喪禮上的都是虛偽而失真的，都有問題。
7 Bereavement of family member surely feels sad. It is sham not allowing crying
out, but if they cry when mourners come and stop after mourners leave like a
gramophone, it is sham too.
家中有親人過世，傷心難過是再自然不過的事。一定不准哭，不准哭出聲是虛偽；可是喪家只要一有客人上門祭拜，立刻就得哭上一場，客人一走哭聲就停，客人一來哭聲又起; 像這樣如留聲機似的哭也一樣是虛偽的表現。
8 Nevertheless,
being supervised by customs and habit, people have much difficulty to live
freely at their wills as what Chuang Tzu advocated.
然而，在風俗習慣的大網嚴密的監督及籠罩之下，要想如莊子所主張的那樣隨心所欲的自由自在地生活，對我們來說實在是太難、太難了。
Xianchi’s interpretation and remark of
Tao Te ching (18) a。18
咸池評述道德經演義（十八）a。18
1 Sitting
silently, man of practice is requested fundamentally to ban all actions which
are directed by consciousness, including moving a finger, touching hair or
scratching itching nose. All actions should be consigned to Qi
and Kuntalini. Only in this way, your practice is right and your progress is
fast.
靜靜地一個人坐在那兒打坐，此時，練功人最重要的要求就是所有由意識指揮的動作，包括動一動手指，撥弄一下頭髮，搔一搔發癢的鼻子等都要禁止。在練功時，你只能將自己身體的所有動作都交給氣、挫火去處理，只有這樣，你的功才會練得正確，才會進步神速。
2 Sitting in meditation, our thinking are not ceased. Some ideas that caused by
emotion, desire, avarice, wrath and obsession still occur to us. If the ideas
don’t hamper the operation of Qi and Kuntalini, let
it be. If they hamper the operation of Qi and
Kuntalini, we should take “ignorance as child’s babble” to make Qi and Kuntalini ignore the nonsense. Ignoring it,
regarding them as child’s babble, and not expecting that the ideas in the consciousness
have any influence on the normal operation of Qi and
Kuntalini.
當我們靜坐時，我們的思維還在那兒蠢蠢欲動。一些因情、欲、貪、瞋、癡而起的念頭還是會在那兒不停的遊走。如果這些念頭不會妨礙氣、挫火的運行那就罷了，就讓它呆一會吧！但是，如果這些念頭的目的是為了影響氣及挫火的運行，那麼，我們就應該興起
“童言無忌” 的口訣，告訴氣、挫火不要理睬這些胡說八道的言語，不要聽它的，就當它是童言無忌; 不能讓這些由意識中興起的念頭一絲一毫地影響氣、以及挫火的正常運作。
3 We as the man
of practice think that we have no idea of the operation of Qi
and Kuntalini in our body, so we had better not to touch it, because we don’t
know it.
練功的人始終認為，氣、挫火的運行是一種我們所完全不曾有過的經驗。因此，對於不懂的東西，我們最好還是別去動它。
4 Hundreds of passengers don’t allow a greener to pilot a Boeing 747. A man
without driving license is not allowed to drive on road at random.
一架波音７４７的飛機，載著幾百位乘客。這些乘客為了自身的安全，不會允許一個毫無經驗的人去駕駛及操縱這架飛機。同樣的，一個沒有駕照的人，我們也不會同意讓他將車子開到馬路上去橫衝直撞。
5 Our knowledge to body operation is limited, not to mentioning of Qi. Under this condition, we don’t venture to control it is
a reasonable choice. Now that there is a self-nature with great experience to
manager it, why not relax and let him to do the job for us?
對於自己身體的運作，我們實在知之非常有限，對氣更是完全感到陌生。在這種情形之下，我們就不要貿然的嘗試去駕馭它、甚至控制它。既然眼下已經有一位經驗老到的自性佛願意來為我們操盤，願意幫助我們，那麼，我們又為何不樂得輕鬆呢？
6 Widely using the above idea on daily life, Laotse
deemed it is improper that human isolate themselves from primitive life on
grassland to develop a life style throwing off the rule of Tao.
老子將這樣的見解廣泛地運用在日常生活上，他認為，人類自草原的原始生活中孤立出來，然後再自行發展出一套逐漸擺脫“道”的生活方式，這樣的作法;是極為不妥當的。
7 In human’s colonies, when population increased gradually and colony got
larger, before the law was formed, the leader invented benevolence, righteousness,
loyalty and credit to restrain his members. Since benevolence, righteousness,
loyalty and credit come out, each member has to act on moral criteria, thus it
is convenient for leaders to manage his colonies and the operation of colonies
is in good order. It works as if the traffic lamps which control vehicles at
all directions so as to minimize traffic accident rate.
在人類的群聚團體中，因為人數的逐漸增加，組織愈來愈見龐大。因此，在法律制度尚未完善前，首領便發明了一套仁、義、忠、信等的道德信條來約束成員，以便於管理，使這個組織能夠在比較有秩序的狀況下妥善的運作。有了仁、義、忠、信之類的信條後，每一個成員的活動無形中都具備了一個標準、一個共同的準繩。這些無形的道德標準，它們就像交通號誌一樣，將四面八方來的車輛完全控制住，從而促使交通事故減低到最低程度。
8 Actually, when
human’s society develop into the state of modern country that is more
intricate, the soft restraints, such as benevolence, righteousness, loyalty and
credit, can’t meet the demand of reality, law, police and army come into being
as it requires.
事實上，當人類社會進一步發展到更為複雜的國家型態中時，忠、孝、仁、信、義等軟性約束力已經不再能符合現實中的需要。此時，法律、員警、軍隊等也就理所當然的應運而生了。
9 Laotse criticized the improper way of benevolence, piety,
righteousness, loyalty; it is because his identification focuses on a man in
practice who stays alone. When many people gather to form a society,
benevolence, piety, righteousness, loyalty and credit actually matters a lot.
老子批判忠、孝、仁、信、義等的不當，是因為他所看到的是修行人一個人獨處時的情況; 然而，當人類群聚在一起時，忠、孝、仁、信、義還是具有其重要及必要性的。
10 Regarding
“When knowledge and cleverness appeared, great hypocrisy followed in its wake”.
It is worth spending more time to study its deep meaning, because there are
many things that must be made clear.
關於
“智慧出有大偽”， 這句話值得我們多花一些時間來討論。因為其中有許多我們必須弄清楚的地方。
11 “Hypocrisy” means a man does or speaks of something that is not his real
intention. The question is what is the real intention? On street, when I see a
naive and beautiful girl with fair skin, my heart starts to beat hard,
expecting to have a chance to kiss her. It is primitive libido of human. But my
wisdom and restraint arise at once to stop me doing so; I can only watch her,
not kiss her. Is it “Hypocrisy”?
“偽”者，違背自己的真實想法而做出或說出違背自己真意的事與話。問題是，什麼才算是自己內心的真正意願呢？當我在街上看見一位天真美麗、皮膚白淨的女孩子時，一顆心立刻就會噗通噗通地跳，希望自己能有一親芳澤的機會;
這是原始人性的本能衝動。可是很快的，我們的智慧、我們的不放逸心馬上就會升起，告訴我們不行，不能動、不准動; 只能看、不能動。這到底算不算是偽呢？
12 In a company or an organization, there are two persons who are congenial to
each other by various aspects. However, each of them has family. Could they
accept each other at their own will by breaking pretence and social moral? Some
people have done it but the cost is high. They break two families to make a new
one. Not to mentioning other aspects, as far as the parenthood is concerned,
aren’t they too selfish to their innocent children?
在公司裡、社團中一定會遇到一些情投意合，無論從何種角度看都是極為合適的對象，遺憾的是雙方卻已經各自有了家眷。在這樣的情況之下，我們能順著自己的心意破除偽善、破除社會規範、放心大膽地接受對方嗎？的確有一些人是做到了，可是他們所付出的代價也是極其高昂的。犧牲兩個破碎的家庭去成全一個新的家;
別的不說，站在父母親的角度去看，對無辜的孩子，我們是不是顯得太自私了些？
13 Perhaps you may say that: the sex impulsion is not our real nature; Buddha
instructed that practice and awareness of dharma require eliminating the desire
for love, affliction and longing forever, not rejuvenating them, deserting
bondage and coverage, as well as ruling out love and desire out of the real
ego; under this condition, we have no other choice but to say that “my body
isn’t I”.
也許你可以說，這些性衝動並不是我們的真性，如世尊所說的修行、念法等應該是渴愛之心永不復興，欲及無欲的結縛要斷絕。將愛、欲等排除在真實自我的範疇之外，那麼我們就沒法子，只得說， “此身非我”，而沒有其他的法子了。
14 If you admit
that your body is real ego, then sex, avarice and wrath cannot be deserted. If
you try to use restraint heart to control it, you immediately run into great
“Hypocrisy” mentioned by Laotse.
當你承認這個肉身是真實的我時，性欲、貪欲、瞋恚等就永遠也擺脫不了。問題是，當你想利用不放逸心來控制它時，你又會立刻陷入老子所謂的大偽之中。
15 As a Buddhist, he, who ran into man of
practice and seek for nirvana, may say that “my body isn’t I”. He can strictly
carry out the restraint heart to limit avarice, wrath, desire and love, and has
nothing to do with “Hypocrisy”. But it is right only to a few men of practice.
Ninety-nine percent of people in this world look their bodies as most precious
treasury. Even a yoga doer who spends so much time every day in body building,
it seems impossible to say that he is making effort on a non-ego.
做為一個世尊的門徒，晉身於修行的行列，以涅槃志作為終生目標的修行人; 他可以說 “此身非我”。他也可以認真地執行不放逸心原則，嚴格地限制貪、瞋、欲、愛的興起及發展，而不被批判是偽君子。可是這畢竟是極少數人的事。百分之九十九點九的人，他們生存於這個世間，視其身體為最珍貴的寶貝，就連我們瑜伽行者，每天花那麼多的時間在健身上，然而你卻非要如此說，你每天是用功在一個非我的身上，這似乎也太說不過去了。
16 In most people’s mind, it is inevitable to use restraint heart to control
their mind. People have to choose the way of “Hypocrisy”, and no other way can
be found.
因此，在這個以絕大多數人的標準為標準的環境裡，以不放逸心來控制自己的心意還是非做不可的事。偽就偽吧！對此，你也只得認了。
17 Men of
practice makes effort to seek tranquil and peaceful heart. They must falsely
and primly make many decisions to expel outer temptations. A kind, talented,
and beautiful girl has great appeal to you, but you, as a monk or a man with
family, have to restrain your inner strong kickback to be an outright
hypocrite.
修行人為求獲得一顆安寧平靜的心，你必須虛偽地、假正經地做出許多決定來排除來自於身外的誘惑。一個心地善良、才藝出眾、美貌多姿的女孩，不論她對你有多傾心，你身為一個和尚、一個有家室的人都得約束自己發自內心的強烈反應，做一個不折不扣的偽君子。
18 If you do as you want to be a real man. Sorry, you can’t be a man of
practice, furthermore, it is very possible that your actions would offend the
rules of moral and law and be punished. So, in the society man of common
people, wisdom is important; and “Hypocrisy” is inevitable. Only a man who has
the concept of Buddha’s “my body isn’t I” can slip the leash and is not be
criticized “Hypocrisy”.
如果你想隨性而為，做一個真君子; 那麼，對不起，你非但修行不得，更極有可能會褻瀆了淳厚的風俗習慣，甚至於觸犯了嚴厲的法律尺度。所以在凡人社會中，智慧是非常重要的，更是不可或缺的，而偽善也是難以避免的。也只有懷有世尊的“此身非我”之信念者，才能跳出這個框框，同時不屬於偽善。