Zeyang (7)
則陽(七)
1 Bai Ju was one of Laotse’s favorite disciples. He usually served Laotse in daily life and assisted him to receive guests. Bai Ju had done his job so well that Laotse trust in him.
柏矩是老子相當喜愛的弟子。平時他盡心的在老子身邊侍候起居，接待賓客，從無疏漏，深得老子的信任。
2 That autumn witnessed the clearness of weather and the mountains fraught with beautiful maple leaves. Bai Ju wanted to travel in this mild weather season, so he suggested his master to have a tour.
這一年秋天，氣候晴朗，滿山的楓葉實在是美極了。柏矩心想，應該利用這個涼爽的季節出去走走，因此建議老師辦個旅遊。
柏矩學於老聃，曰：「請之天下游。」
3 As a man of perfect practice, Laotse wasn’t charmed by the objective conditions at all. He devoted himself to improving his subject conditions. Environment didn’t work on him.
老子已經是修行完備的人了，客觀環境的一切對他而言，早已失去了吸引力;他天天專注在自己主觀條件的提升上，無論周遭環境如何演變，對他來說，是起不了什麼調劑作用的。
4 Therefore, Loatse dissuade him. “Why not practice at home and go around? Mountain is itself; so are water and human. Every place is as same as the other. It is unworthy of traveling for seeing various landscapes, different people and learning about different customs.”
因此老子說：「幹嘛放著功不練，到處亂跑呢？山就是山，水就是水，人就是人，各地都是一樣的; 為了看不同的風景，見不同的人; 為了接觸不同的風俗習慣而大費周章的出門旅行是不值得的。」
老聃曰：「已矣！天下猶是也。」
5 Bai Ju thought it rather boring to stay at the same place all the year and do the same things all the days. Recalling his disciple doing so many trivia for him without any complaint, Laotse accepted his suggestion finally.
柏矩卻認為，一整年呆在同一個地方，每天做著同樣的事，實在是太悶，太枯燥了。老子看這位弟子，平常為自己做了那麼多的事，從無怨言。因此，他一定想出去走走，那麼就去走走吧！
6 Laotse said, “Where do you want to go?” Bai Ju became very delighted with Laotse’s words. He replied, “Let’s go to the State of Qi.”
老子說：「既然如此，那麼你想要到哪兒去呢？」柏矩見老子鬆口，高興的不得了。他說：「我們就先到齊國去吧！」
又請之，老聃曰：「汝將何始？」曰：「始於齊。」
7 The two headed for the State of Qi. The day there was an execution held in the market – a criminal was beheaded. The criminal lay on the ground, with his head away from body. Seeing the brute execution, Laotse felt very sad. He took off his coat to cover the criminal’s body. He knew that to respect the dead is one of the basic principles a man of practice should obey.
就這樣師徒兩人一路來到了齊國。這一天在市集上，有罪犯被斬首示眾。罪犯仰臥在地上，身首異位。老子看見這幅殘忍的景象，心中難過得不得了; 他立刻解下身上的外套，覆蓋在受刑人的屍體上。他一向認為，對亡者的尊重，是修行人最起碼應該作的事;
至齊，見辜人焉，推而強之，解朝服而幕之，號天而哭之，
8 Additionally, a man of practice can’t help stopping to pray when he sees the self-nature being separated from the flesh body, because theirs are harmonizing to the self-nature of the dead man.
另外一點，就是修行人碰到肉身與自性等分離的當兒，都難免會駐足祈禱一番。因為他們的自性與這亡者的自性是相應的。
9 Holding up his hands, Laotse looked up to the sky, tear shedding. He said in heart, “You go relaxingly. There is nothing worth of longing for. In my opinion, a terrible calamity will befall in this world. You leave now. Why not be lucky?”
老子站在那雙手舉起，仰頭看天，目中不自禁地流下淚來。他心中念道：「你安心的去吧！這世上其實也沒有什麼值得留戀的。在我看，一場大災難即將降臨，你這時離開，又何嘗不是一件幸運的事。」
曰：「子乎！子乎！天下有大菑，子獨先離之。
10 After left the market, beheading in front of the mass still lingered on Laotse’s mind.
離開市集後，斬首示眾這一幕仍然停留在老子的心中。
11 He told Bai Ju, “Governors warn people of not stealing and not killing, that is the reason why they behead criminals in front of the mass. Nevertheless, do a person’s stealing, killing and robbing has nothing to do with the governors?”
他對柏矩說：「為政者都警告百姓不可以偷盜、不可以殺人，他們將罪犯斬首示眾就是這個目的; 然而，百姓偷盜、殺人越貨等行為，難道與當政者就一點關係都沒有嗎？
曰『莫為盜﹗莫為殺人﹗』
12 When a society defines what the honor is and what the shame is, people are afraid to violate the taboo. Therefore, the complete virtue of people gets lost.
當一個社會將什麼是榮耀、什麼是羞辱劃定清楚後，百姓就有了懼怕及不安的心; 害怕自己有朝一日會觸犯法律，因此，德全就開始喪失了。
13 When some people of high rank and rich men accumulate the live stuff and wealth by unfair means, most people have to struggle for their lives.
當社會上有錢有勢的人，為了一己之私而無所不用其極地搜刮財富時，社會上絕大多數為了生存而辛苦掙扎的事就發生了。
14 The standards of honor and shame set by governors make people discontented. The people of high rank and rich men plunder live stuff and wealth that most people live on. Most people have to toil all day for living. Do you think that nobody will take risk in desperation?
當政者樹立榮辱的標準，造成百姓心存芥蒂; 有錢有勢的人搜刮百姓賴以為生的資財，使得百姓的生活環境日趨嚴苛; 這樣的社會，你難道不覺得，一些人會因此挺而走險嗎？
榮辱立，然後睹所病；貨財聚，然後睹所爭。
15 In the ancient time, the governors’ policy focused on people’s bliss. They undertook all the wrongdoings by themselves. People’s error must result from the governor’s bad leadership. People always are right. Their wrongdoing is owing to governor’s error.
從前的主政者，他們的施政都是以百姓的幸福為唯一攷量，百姓永遠是對的，百姓犯錯必是主政者領導無方，其缺失都歸咎於自己的錯誤。
16 The recent governors are different from the past. They keep their policy as secrets, people are not advised clearly, and however, once people have done any mistake against the policy, they are condemned seriously. Governor drives people to do dangerous work, the one dare to reject will sentence through severe law.
今天的主政者就不同了。他們將施政列為國家機密，不讓百姓知道，百姓不明白政策方向，稍有違犯則痛加責難。與此同時，主政者又促使百姓去幹些危險的工作，畏縮不前者就立刻施以嚴法峻刑。
17 The service and tax that governors impose on people get more and more heavy. The escaper is punished by very inappropriate ways. Many people are banished to the frontier of country or killed.
主政者所加諸百姓身上的勞役、稅捐日愈繁重，凡無法履行義務者就施以極不相稱的懲罰，致使許多人被發配邊疆，不從者就處以亟刑。
18 People are tired out under the severe governance. Some can’t stand and then take risk in desperation.
百姓在這種苛政下疲於奔命，有些人實在受不了就只好挺而走險。
今則不然，匿為物而愚不識，大為難而罪不敢，重為任而罰不勝，遠其塗而誅不至。
19 We can’t understand it: if the governors discredit their people, how can they force people to have credit on them? When people can’t afford to pay the heavy tax, people are forced to play some tricks to escape it. When people can’t suit a certain environment, they manage to cover their embarrassment. When people lack money for living, they are desperate to steal and rob.
你想一想，為政者對百姓不誠信，如何強迫百姓對他們誠信? 當無力交付沉重的稅捐時，百姓當然會耍些小手段來逃避苛稅；當百姓不能適應某個環境時，他們就會設法來掩飾自己的尷尬；當百姓沒錢生活時，他們就被迫去偷、去搶；
今立人之所病，聚人之所爭，窮困人之身，使無休時，欲無至此，得乎﹗古之君人者，以得為在民，以失為在己；以正為在民，以枉為在己；故一形有失其形者，退而自責。民知力竭，則以偽繼之。
20 When people do such offence things, whom do we blame? It is the people or the governors. I think that beheading in the market is not a proper policy.”
當百姓做出這些違法的事時，我們到底是應該責備百姓，抑或是主政者？斬首示眾這件事，我認為是很有問題的。」
日出多偽，士民安取不偽﹗夫力不足則偽，知不足則欺，財不足則盜。盜竊之行，於誰責而可乎？」