Extensive Interpretation of Tao Te Ching
(70)
道德經演義（七十）
My teaching are very easy to understand
and very easy to practice.
吾言甚易知，甚易行。
But no one can understand them
and no one can practice them.
天下莫能知，莫能行。
In my words there is a
principle.In the affairs of men there is a system.
言有宗，事有君。
Because they know not these,
they also know me not.
夫唯無知，是以不我知。
Since there are few that know
me, therefore I am distinguished.
知我者希，則我者貴。
Therefore the Sage wears a
coarse cloth on top and carries jade within his bosom.
是以聖人被褐懷玉。
Xianchi’s Interpretation of Tao Te Ching(70) a。70
咸池評述道德經演義（七十）a。70
1Many Chinese
intellects have racked their brains to seek Tao for happy life for thousands of
years. They studied how to lead a life to accomplish the somewhat confounded
life.
中國的知識份子，數千年來一直在費盡心力的探索人生幸福之道，研究我們人究竟應該怎樣走這一趟有些迷糊的旅程。
2 Countless
philosophers, such as Su Dongpo, Tao Yuanming, Laotse, Confucius and Mengzi,
asked us again and again in their poems and articles to lead a simple and plain
life.
蘇東坡、陶淵明、老子、孔子、孟子以及無數的哲人們，他們在各自的文章詩詞之中，一再的告訴我們，唯有秉持簡單樸素的操守度日，才是正確的生活之道。
3 Plainness and
simplicity are the suggestion that is easy to understand and follow. It is
enough if clothes can cover and warm the body, house can protect us from wind
and cold and irrelevant people’s entry, vehicle can send us to destination
safely and fast, Food can quench our thirst and hunger and offer suitable
nutrition. In spare time, reading, exercising, painting and singing can kill
time and ease our mind. The expense to support such a life is less and easy to
get.
簡單、樸素是多麼地容易做，又是多麼容易瞭解的忠告啊！衣服能蔽體、保溫即可；房屋能防風禦寒，阻止閒雜人士入侵即可；交通方面能夠以車代步，能夠既快捷，又安全地將我們送到目的地即可；食能止渴、防飢，能夠供應適當的營養即可。平時以讀書、運動、畫畫、唱歌來排遣、舒展心智，而維持這樣的生活、供應這樣的日子，其所需的費用也是極其低廉，更是極容易滿足的。
4 However, few
people can do so in fact. Why? Buddha said that avarice, wrath and obsession
are main obstructs to live such a life. For vogue people in modern society,
clothes are not for warming and closing over body any more. They have many
intricate functions, such as symbols of status, object to show fortune,
fashion, showing off figure, seducing opposite sex and expressing mood.
可是在實務上，真正能照著做的人就少之又少了。為什麼呢？世尊說貪、瞋、癡就是執行這樣生活的主要障礙。對現代社會的時髦人士來說，衣服的功能已經不再是蔽體、保暖的工具了。它不但是象徵著身分，而且還包含了炫耀財富、追趕流行、顯示身材，甚至於勾引異性、表白情緒等等極為複雜的功能。
5 If you want
meet these demands, you have to prepare dress suit, swallow-tail coat,
professional suit, leisure wear, sportswear, living clothes, sleep gown, bath
gown, and so on. What’s more, you must have more than one suit. You want to
follow up fashion; you have to change it time to time.
如果你一定要滿足這些不同的需求，那你就得準備大禮服、晚宴服、上班服、休閒服、運動服、家居服、睡袍、浴袍、旅遊服等等不同名目的衣服;
而且你還不能只有一套，你必須跟著潮流，不時變化調整，更換款式。
6 In other aspects, there are
countless changes and styles in food, house, travel and entertainment. Your
life expense increases invisibly and virtually. Starting with these demands,
you go far from simple and plain life.
其他食、住、行、娛樂的花樣就更是多得數也數不清了。正因為這麼多的變化，使得你的生活開支無形中增加了。而由於這些需求的存在，使你和簡單、樸素的生活之間的距離也就變得越來越遠了。
7 The so-called life pressure results
from these. Once you cast off them, you feel lighter pressure. Leisure and free
life comes at once. The problem is that you can cast them off or not.
所謂生活的壓力多半都是因此而起的。一旦你能夠擺脫它，你生活的壓力立刻就會減輕; 你的自由自在、悠遊卒歲的日子就會立刻到來。問題是你能不能放下。
8 “Avarice” just
is a simple word but is the source that makes most people live hard and feel
depressive and fretted. Besides it, face is a factor that incurs our wrong
spending money. For example, others do so; I have to do so too. Others have it;
I will lose face if I don’t have. I have to insist on doing so. As a result, it
brings endless trouble and obsession.
“貪”是這麼簡單的一個字，可是它卻是造成普天之下絕大多數人生活沉重、心情煩悶的根源。除了貪以外，面子問題也是促成我們必須花費許多冤枉錢的因素之一。因為別人都是這樣，所以我也只得跟進; 別人都有，我也必須得有。就因為輸人不輸陣，所以只得拼下去了。像這樣惡性循環的結果，最終徒然為自己帶來了無窮盡的麻煩與困擾。
9 Laotse has
three precious things: The first is Kind. The second is Restraint. The third is
Never be the first in the world. They are known by
people. The problem is that people can’t desert avarice and face, they don’t
have firm confidence, and they can’t neglect other’s views but to execute the
ideas.
老子的三寶: 慈、儉、不敢為天下先，都不是大家知不知的問題，而是能不能擺脫貪念，擺脫面子，能不能堅定自信心，不理會別人的看法，勇敢的去執行的問題。
10 Laotse said
that the Sage wears a coarse cloth on top and carries jade within his bosom. If
you are brave and confident enough to wear an old clothes that can keep you
warm and cover your body, and you don’t feel disgraced when you walk before
people. Your happiness thus is possessed. Carrying jade means that you feel
free and inner content as the feeling you carry enough money in your pocket
when traveling.
老子說聖人被褐懷玉。當你有足夠的勇氣、有足夠的信心，穿著一身舊衣服，一身足以蔽體、保溫為滿足的衣服，在世人面前遊蕩而絲毫不會覺得丟臉時; 你個人的幸福就得以確立了。懷玉是身心的自由，是滿足感充滿內心，如同旅行時口袋裡有足夠零用錢的感覺。