04道德经英译本85种-第315章

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　　The　ultimate　principle　of　the　ancients　
　　Those　who　excel　in　the　art　of　command　do　not　wage　war　lightly。　The　truly　great　generals　and　strategists　do　not　show　aggression　or　put　their　military　power　on　display。
　　Those　who　excel　in　battles　do　not　lose　themselves　to　anger。　By　being　calm　and　collected；　they　increase　their　effectiveness　in　action。
　　Those　who　are　truly　good　at　winning　do　not　need　to　engage　their　enemies　in　physical　combat。　They　can　achieve　victory　with　a　minimum　of　fighting；　or　no　fighting　at　all。
　　Those　who　are　truly　good　at　management　are　humble。　Because　they　are　not　arrogant　in　assuming　that　they　are　more　capable　than　everyone　else；　they　are　able　to　delegate　authority　and　empower　others　to　fully　utilize　their　talents。
　　All　of　the　above　are　examples　of　the　virtue　we　call　non…contention。　It　is　a　virtue　that　applies　not　only　to　military　leadership；　but　also　to　our　social　interactions。　It　is　a　powerful　way　to　manage　our　personal　relationships　with　other　people。
　　We　follow　this　virtue　because　it　harmoniously　matches　the　heavenly　laws　of　nature。　Nature　is　non…contentious。　In　a　thunderstorm　there　is　tremendous　power　…　but　no　hatred；　anger；　or　arrogance。　When　the　ancient　sages　noted　this；　they　made　non…contention　their　ultimate　principle。
　　69

　　In　using　the　military；　there　is　a　saying：
　　I　dare　not　be　the　host；　but　prefer　to　be　the　guest
　　I　dare　not　advance　an　inch；　but　prefer　to　withdraw　a　foot
　　This　is　called　marching　in　formation　without　formation
　　Raising　arms　without　arms
　　Grappling　enemies　without　enemies
　　Holding　weapons　without　weapons
　　There　is　no　greater　disaster　than　to　underestimate　the　enemy
　　Underestimating　the　enemy　almost　made　me　lose　my　treasures
　　So　when　evenly　matched　armies　meet
　　The　side　that　is　compassionate　shall　win　
　　In　military　strategy　as　well　as　life　strategy；　we　have　a　saying　that　goes　like　this：
　　〃I　dare　not　be　the　host　…　the　aggressor　that　initiates　the　conflict。　I　prefer　to　be　the　guest　…　the　cautious　defender。
　　〃I　dare　not　move　forward　into　a　fight；　even　by　an　inch。　I　prefer　to　move　back　a　foot；　to　let　my　opponent　overextend　and　thus　lose　balance。〃
　　With　such　a　strategy；　you　are　actually　marching　in　formation　…　moving　purposefully　with　a　plan　…　but　it　appears　as　if　you　have　no　formation。
　　You　are　actually　using　your　arms　…　taking　action　…　but　it　appears　as　if　you　have　no　arms。
　　You　are　actually　grappling　with　the　enemy　…　coming　to　grips　with　your　opponent　…　but　it　appears　as　if　you　have　no　enemies。
　　You　are　actually　holding　a　weapon　…　wielding　an　effective　tool　…　but　it　appears　as　if　you　have　no　weapons。
　　The　worst　thing　you　can　do　in　warfare　is　to　underestimate　your　opponent。　The　worst　thing　you　can　do　in　life　is　to　underestimate　your　challenges。　In　either　case；　it　can　cause　you　to　charge　forth　recklessly。　When　I　did　that；　I　almost　lost　my　treasures　（compassion；　conservation；　and　humility）。
　　From　this　principle；　we　can　see　that　when　evenly　matched　armies　or　individuals　clash；　the　side　that　approaches　the　conflict　with　compassion　instead　of　aggression　will　end　up　with　a　truly　meaningful　victory。
　　Notes
　　Many　people　believe　that　overwhelming　force　wins　respect。　This　belief　forms　the　basis　of　the　〃shock　and　awe〃　military　strategy。　History　shows　that　such　strategies　simply　do　not　work。　Aggression　succeeds　only　in　planting　the　seeds　of　subsequent　retaliation。　It　is　wisdom　and　restraint　that　win　respect　and　admiration；　not　force。
　　Judo　and　Aikido　are　based　on　the　concepts　described　in　this　chapter　more　than　2；500　years　ago。　A　master　of　these　arts　may　appear　to　be　yielding　and　retreating；　and　yet　is　devastatingly　effective　in　combat。
　　Tao　sages　apply　the　same　concepts　to　life。　Acting　from　compassion；　they　realize　that　it　is　more　important　to　be　kind　than　to　be　right。　In　an　argument；　why　not　let　the　others　〃win〃？
　　70

　　My　words　are　easy　to　understand；　easy　to　practice
　　The　world　cannot　understand；　cannot　practice
　　My　words　have　basis
　　My　actions　have　principle
　　People　do　not　understand　this
　　Therefore　they　do　not　understand　me
　　Those　who　understand　me　are　few
　　Thus　I　am　highly　valued
　　Therefore　the　sage　wears　plain　clothes　but　holds　jade　
　　The　concepts　I　talk　about　are　easy　to　understand　and　easy　to　put　into　practice；　but　most　people　in　the　world　cannot　understand　them　or　put　them　into　practice
　　The　concepts　I　talk　about　are　based　on　the　source　of　spiritual　truth。　The　actions　that　I　put　into　practice　are　based　on　an　overall；　ruling　principle。　People　do　not　understand　this　unified　nature　of　the　Tao；　so　they　fail　to　understand　me。
　　Those　who　do　understand　me　are　relatively　few　in　number。　They　are　the　rare　and　exceptional　individuals。　This　only　increases　the　value　of　my　words　and　actions。
　　The　sages　…　those　who　really　understand　and　are　consistent　in　thoughts　and　action　…　excel　quietly；　invisibly；　unknown　to　most　and　misunderstood　by　those　around　them。　It　is　as　if　they　wear　plain　clothes　while　holding　precious　jade　within。　In　other　words；　they　assume　an　unremarkable　external　appearance　and　hold　spiritual　treasures　deep　in　the　heart。
　　71

　　To　know　that　you　do　not　know　is　highest
　　To　not　know　but　think　you　know　is　flawed
　　Only　when　one　recognizes　the　fault　as　a　fault
　　Can　one　be　without　fault
　　The　sages　are　without　fault
　　Because　they　recognize　the　fault　as　a　fault
　　That　is　why　they　are　without　fault　
　　To　know　that　you　do　not　know　…　to　recognize　your　own　ignorance　…　is　best；　because　it　motivates　you　to　continue　seeking　answers　and　keeps　you　from　becoming　presumptuous　and　arrogant。
　　The　opposite　of　this　is　to　be　ignorant　but　assume　that　you　possess　knowledge。　This　is　a　flaw　that　many　of　us　have。　It　even　seems　like　the　less　you　know；　the　more　you　think　you　know。
　　It　is　only　when　we　see　a　problem　clearly；　and　recognize　that　we　need　to　do　something　about　it；　that　we　can　begin　taking　steps　to　remove　it　and　eventually　be　without　it。
　　The　sages　are　human　too；　and　make　mistakes　just　like　everyone　else。　What　makes　them　different　is　that　they　look　at　themselves　with　the　clarity　of　detachment；　whereas　most　of　us　are　blind　to　our　own　faults。
　　Because　they　are　naturally　humble；　sages　do　not　automatically　assume　they　must　be　correct。　When　they　recognize　that　they　have　made　a　mistake　or　manifested　a　problem；　they　take　active　steps　to　address　the　issue。
　　People　who　know　that　they　do　not　know　and　take　steps　to　learn　will　eventually　acquire　the　knowledge　they　need。　Similarly；　sages　who　monitor　themselves；　recognize　their　own　faults　and　take　steps　to　correct　themselves　will　ultimately　be　free　of　the　faults。
　　Notes
　　The　Chinese　character　bing　occurs　eight　times　in　this　chapter。　Many　translators　translate　it　as　〃disease〃　or　〃illness。〃　This　is　the　dictionary　definition　as　well　as　the　common；　modern　usage；　but　in　this　case　it　doesn't　quite　fit。　Being　sick　comes　close　to　the　original　meaning　but　doesn't　really　hit　the　mark。
　　When　Lao　Tzu　uses　bing；　he　is　specifically　referencing　human　errors　and　character　flaws　…　being　sick　or　defective　in　some　aspect　of　one's　thinking。　This　context　still　exists　in　modern　Chinese。　For　instance；　when　we　say　mao　bing；　we　are　talking　specifically　about　a　fault　or　a　problem。
　　Plug　〃disease〃　into　the　translation　and　interpretation　above　and　the　chapter　will　seem　a　bit　strange。　Use　〃problem〃　or　〃fault〃　instead　for　bing　and　suddenly　it　will　seem　as　if　a　veil　has　been　lifted；　and　the　meaning　of　the　chapter　becomes　crystal　clear。
　　This　particular　issue　makes　this　chapter　a　good　test　of　translation　quality。　If　your　translation　renders　bing　in　the　context　of　disease　or　illness；　it　may　be　a　sign　that　the　translator　knows　modern　Chinese　but　not　ancient　Chinese。
　　72

　　When　people　no　longer　fear　force
　　They　bring　about　greater　force
　　Do　not　limit　their　place
　　Do　not　reject　their　livelihood
　　Because　the　ruler　does　not　reject　them
　　Therefore　they　do　not　reject　the　ruler
　　Therefore　the　sages：
　　Know　themselves　but　do　not　glorify　themselves
　　Respect　themselves　but　do　not　praise　themselves
　　Thus　they　discard　that　and　ta