Tao Te Ching Chapter 80 – 独立 (道德经 第80章)
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Tao Te Ching — Chapter 80: The Small and Self-Sufficient State
道德经 第八十章 · 独立 · Lao Tzu · Bilingual Edition with Classical Commentaries
Original Text — 原文
English Translation — James Legge
In a little state with a small population, I would so order it, that, though there were individuals with the abilities of ten or a hundred men, they should not be employed; that the people should attach weight to their deaths, and not remove far from their dwellings.
Though they had boats and carriages, they should have no occasion to ride in them; though they had buff-coats and sharp weapons, they should have no occasion to don or use them. I would make the people return to the use of knotted cords instead of the written characters. As shown in Chapter 17, the best ruler is one whose existence the people barely notice — the ideal state governs so lightly that life flows on undisturbed.
They should think their coarse food sweet; their plain clothes beautiful; their poor dwellings places of comfort; and their common simple ways sources of enjoyment. There should be a neighbouring state within sight, and the voices of the fowls and dogs should be heard all the way from it to us, but I would make the people to old age, even to death, not have any intercourse with it.
✦ Key Insight
Chapter 80 is Lao Tzu’s vision of the ideal society — and it is deliberately small. A small state, few people, simple tools unused, no need for boats or weapons, a return to knotted cords instead of writing. The people find their plain food sweet, their rough clothes beautiful, their simple homes comfortable, their ordinary customs joyful. A neighbouring state is visible; its roosters and dogs are audible. Yet the people grow old and die without ever going there. This is not isolation born of fear but contentment born of sufficiency — the Taoist ideal of a life that needs nothing beyond itself.
Classical Commentaries — 古典注释
王弼注 Wang Bi's Commentary
Wang Bi describes the ideal small state: few people, simple tools, no use for boats or weapons, return to knotted cords, content with simple food and clothing, peaceful in their dwellings. Though neighboring states are within sight and hearing, people grow old and die without interacting.
河上公注 Heshang Gong's Commentary
Heshang Gong says even the ruler of a great state should remain frugal. The ideal state is small and self-sufficient: simple food, plain clothes, modest dwellings, unpretentious customs. Without desires or grievances, neighbors live peacefully side by side.
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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