Extensive
Interpretation of Tao Te Ching (72)
道德經演義（七十二）
When people have
no fear of force, then as is the common practice great force descends upon
them.
民不畏威，則大威至。
Despise not their dwellings, dislike not
their progeny.
無狎其所居，無厭其所生。
Because you do not dislike them, you will
not be disliked yourself.
夫唯不厭，是以不厭。
Therefore the Sage knows himself, but
does not show himself, loves himself, but does not exalt himself.
是以聖人自知，不自見，自愛，不自貴。
Therefore he rejects the force and
accepts the gentility.
故去彼取此。
Xianchi’s Interpretation of
Tao Te Ching (72) a。72
咸池評述道德經演義（七十二）a。72
1 Albert Einstein
said that he devoted all his life to research mystery of universe. When he
discovered something occasionally, he felt smug.
However, when he stood on the highland of truth, he found that the laws had
been applied fully and skillfully on the most common things long time ago.”
愛因斯坦說，我憑畢生之力以研究宇宙的奧秘，然而當我偶有發現而沾沾自喜之時，我站在這真理的高原上，卻發現造物者遠在無限久遠之前就已經充分把握，並且嫻熟的運用了這些定律於最平凡的事物之中了。
2 The situation
is like that a primitive man in Africa forest someday find that the clay can be
made into various wares that can meet the demands in daily life. As he
celebrates happily his great invention, he comes to a modern city and finds
pot, bowl, ladle and basin in people’s house. Then he realizes that his
knowledge is limited and insufficient.
這種情形，就有點像是長期居住於非洲叢林裡的原始居民，有一天讓他意外的發現到，只要火燒泥土就能做自己想要的各種器皿，而這些器具都能滿足生活上的各種需求，簡直是妙用無窮; 然而就在他慶贊自己偉大的發明之時，他偶然間來到現代化的城市，發現人們家中的鍋、碗、瓢、盆等各種器具是應有盡有，一應俱全時;
他這才感到如夢初醒，這才瞭解到自己知識的多麼有限與不足。
3 When facing
Buddha, Bodhisattva, God and creator, common people should never feel
complacent, proud and arrogant. Laotse said, people
think that mankind could certainly defeat heaven and they could do anything as
they want, they call themselves dominator, they occupy all plain land and build
many concrete buildings on plain land, valley, middle part of mountains and its
top, and never considering the endurance of the earth. For example, farmers
living in Northern China Plain have nearly exhausted the underground water. Now
hot spring even comes out but they don’t stop yet. These people’s dauntless
deed will certainly be punished by the nature someday in the future.
凡人在佛菩薩、上帝，造物者面前也是這樣。我們絕不能自滿、驕傲、目空一切。老子說，如果世人認為人定勝天，在地球上能為所欲為，自稱老大，將地面上可供利用之地，都盡情地佔為己用; 將一棟棟水泥建築，一一豎立在平地、山谷，乃至於山腰、山頂上等各種可供立錐之地，而完全不考慮地球本身之承受能力; 又比如中國華北平原上的農民，他們將地下水無止盡的抽取，如今已經抽出溫泉還不知克制。這些農民毫不畏威的行為，乃至於前述種種行為，終有一天大自然是會找機會，用祂自己獨特的方式向人類討回公道的。
4 When the great
force descends upon, the civilization of human will almost reaches the verge of
collapse. Therefore, Laotse suggested us that we must
attach the great importance to the residential environment, and should not make
changes at our will. In the past, we make the river crook into straight
watercourse in this place and build a reservoir in that place; we dig a part of
hill foot, and build a bank alongside the river. All these deeds that occupy
and develop land of nature at random will come with unknown side effect at the
end of the day.
當大威至時，人類的所謂文明大概就差不多了到了崩潰之時了。老子因此建議我們，對我們所居住的環境千萬不要輕視，不要輕易地更動; 這裡截彎取直，那裡蓋一座水庫，山腳挖個缺口，河邊築上堤防。所有這些與大自然爭地，隨意開發的行為，其背後都具有著某種程度的，不可預知的副作用的。
5
地球上森林面積減少了，溼地被填實了，石油、天然氣也都盡數被開發出來了，而所有的這一切，卻都是大自然花費了不少時間與精力才逐漸累積、醞釀出來的成果; 然而人類所使用的先進工具卻輕易地將之破壞無遺。人類往往為逞一時之快，因而不惜對大自然作出了大大小小，不計其數的改變，而諸如此類的改變，最終足以對全世界的所有生物，包括人類自己構成難以估計的傷害。
6 Chinese
advocated that mankind and all things are intimate and equal. We must respect
and take care of nature and all creatures. Laotse
said that because you do not dislike them, you will not be disliked yourself.
Only if we love nature, nature can protect us. We are a part of nature so we
are noble and marvelous. However, we should remember that other creature also
is a part of the nature. Though they don’t speak as we speak and don’t write as
we write, they are equal to us.
所謂民胞物與。我們對宇宙眾生、自然環境都要懷著相當程度的尊敬與愛護之心。老子說，夫唯不厭，是以不厭。只有我們愛護自然，自然才會愛護我們。正因為我們是自然界中的一份子，所以我們是高貴而神奇的; 可是我們也別忘了其他生物也都是自然界中的一部份，雖然它們不能說與我們一樣的語言，寫我們相同的文字，可是這並不表示它們就比我們來得低下。
7 We cherish
ourselves because we are God’s children. But we should not do anything bad as
we want, and should not think ourselves great and being supercilious. We should
not take all things as our victims, treading them as we like. Therefore we,
human, should take account of the whole nature instead of ourselves. We love
ourselves but should not focus on our interest only. Based on the interest of
all creature and universe, we should consider and balance everything. With such
concept, we can be harmonious with Heaven, and possibly reside in this world
for a long time.
我們自認是上帝的孩子，可是我們卻也不能因為這樣就自以為了不起，目空一切，視萬物為我們的犧牲品，任意糟蹋它們。所以，我們人類千萬不要什麼事都以自己的立場去設想、去實行;
相反的，我們應該以大自然全體的立場來考量。只有這樣，我們才能與天和諧相處，人類也才有可能常居久安於世界之中，屹立不搖。