256 Part IV: East Asian Civilization
Confucius and Laozi shared a contempt for their times but disagreed philo-
sophically on what remedy was called for. Laozi was a mystic who attempted to
relativize society much as Hindu renunciants did, holding that society was the
sphere of manifest reality—metaphorized as “the ten thousand things”—but
true reality was beyond: it was the source, the uncarved block, the way, the dao.
The Dao begot one.
One begot two.
Two begot three.
And three begot the ten thousand things.
Confucius also spoke of the dao, but in a less metaphysical way than did Laozi,
giving it less centrality in his philosophy, which focused instead on the morally
perfectible person.
For Laozi, the relationship between the “uncarved block” (the dao) and the
“ten thousand things” is or should be a natural, harmonious common identity.
“The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang. They achieve harmony
by combining these forces.” All manifest things form a unity with the dao;
because they come from that Nameless Source, they model it and operate by its
same principles. There should be no tension between them. However, Laozi
did not view the ten thousand things as dangerous illusion, as Hindus did, but
as good and natural manifestations of the dao. The only danger was in forget-
ting the Source beyond; trouble comes from thinking the ten thousand things
exist in and of themselves, disconnected from their Source.
What difference should this viewpoint make to the person living in the
world? You should not forget that you, too, come from the dao:
Empty yourself of everything.
Let the mind become still.
The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return.
They grow and flourish and then return to the Source.
Since the Self is also one of the ten thousand things, you, too, have a natural
way of being:
Better stop short than fill to the brim.
Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.
Claim wealth and titles and disaster will follow.
Retire when the work is done.
This is the way of heaven.
Traditionally the 81 verses of the Daodejing were divided into two sections,
the dao (1–37) and the de (38–81). De is usually translated as “virtue,” which in
English has lost most of the Socratic impact it once had. De is written as a com-
pound with, in part, the element for person and the element for heart; it implies
inner strength of character, or even in the daoist view, a mystical store of power
in the person of extraordinary virtue and wisdom. It is often used with the