Tao Te Ching Chapter 13 – 厌耻 (道德經 第13章)
Paul PengShare
Tao Te Ching — Chapter 13: Loathing Shame
道德經 第十三章 · 厭恥 · Lao Tzu · Bilingual Edition with Classical Commentaries
Original Text — 原文
何謂寵辱若驚？寵為下，得之若驚，失之若驚，是謂寵辱若驚。
何謂貴大患若身？吴所以有大患者，為吴有身，及吴無身，吴有何患？
故貴以身為天下，若可寄天下；愛以身為天下，若可託天下。
English Translation — James Legge
Favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared; honour and great calamity, to be regarded as personal conditions of the same kind. What is meant by speaking thus of favour and disgrace? Disgrace is being in a low position after the enjoyment of favour. The getting that favour leads to the apprehension of losing it, and the losing it leads to the fear of still greater calamity — this is what is meant by saying that favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared.
And what is meant by saying that honour and great calamity are to be similarly regarded as personal conditions? What makes me liable to great calamity is my having the body which I call myself; if I had not the body, what great calamity could come to me?
Therefore he who would administer the kingdom, honouring it as he honours his own person, may be employed to govern it; and he who would administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be entrusted with it. This is the Taoist paradox of the self: only by transcending self-concern can one be trusted with the world.
✦ Key Insight
Chapter 13 confronts the root of all anxiety: the self. Favour and disgrace both disturb us because we are attached to a self that can be elevated or diminished. Lao Tzu's radical insight is that the source of all calamity is having a self to protect. The sage who has loosened this grip — who values and loves the world as his own body — is the only one fit to govern it. This is the same selflessness at the heart of Taoist inner cultivation and ritual practice.
Classical Commentaries — 古典注释
王弼注 Wang Bi's Commentary
Wang Bi explains that both favour and disgrace cause alarm because they involve the self — favour always carries the seed of disgrace, and honour always carries the seed of calamity. The reason we suffer great calamity is that we have a self. If we returned to naturalness and had no self, what calamity could befall us? One who values the kingdom as his own body may be entrusted with it; one who loves it as himself may be given charge of it.
河上公注 Heshang Gong's Commentary
Heshang Gong says both favour and disgrace are alarming: honour brings the danger of a high position, disgrace brings the fear of further misfortune. The calamity of having a self means worrying about hunger and cold, following desire, which invites disaster. One who has transcended the body through the Dao rises freely and moves without obstruction. One who values the kingdom as his own body may govern it; one who loves it as himself — not for personal gain but to be a parent to the people — may be entrusted with it forever.
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is the curator of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
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