Heshang Gong Chapter 79 – 任契 (Relying on Contracts)

Heshang Gong Chapter 79 – 任契 (Relying on Contracts)

Paul Peng

Heshang Gong Chapter 79 – 任契 (Relying on Contracts)

老子河上公章句 · 第79章 · Heshang Gong's Commentary on Laozi

📖 Taoist Scripture🖋 Heshang Gong (河上公)🔢 Chapter 79 of 81🌐 English & Chinese
Heshang Gong Chapter 79 - Relying on Contracts - Chinese ink painting

Section 1 — 第1节

Original Chinese 和大怨,殺人者死,傷人者刑,以相和報。必有餘怨,任刑者失人情,必有餘怨及於良人也。安可以為善?言一人,則先天心,安可以和怨為善?是以聖人執左契而不責於人。古者聖人執左契,合符信也。無文書法律,刻契合符以為信也。但刻契為信,不責人以他事也。有德司契,有德之君,司察契信而已。無德司徹。無德之君,背其契信,司人所失。天道無親,常與善人。天道無有親疏,唯與善人,則與司契同也。

Settle great grievances — those who kill shall be put to death, those who injure others shall receive punishment, and thus harmony can be restored. There will inevitably remain lingering resentment; those who impose punishments lose human sentiment, and there will certainly be remaining grievances that affect the innocent. How can this be considered good? Speaking of one person, then the innate mind is at peace; how can resolving grievances be considered good? Therefore, the sage holds the left token but does not demand repayment from others. In ancient times, sages held the left token, which was to align with symbols and trust. There were no written documents or laws; instead, engraved tokens matching symbols were used as proof. But the token was merely carved as a sign of trust, not to hold others accountable for other matters. The virtuous person oversees the tokens — a virtuous ruler merely supervises and verifies the tokens as proof. One without virtue oversees thoroughly. A ruler without virtue, who violates the token and trust, oversees what people have lost. The Way of Heaven is impartial; it constantly supports the virtuous. The Way of Heaven has no favorites or biases, but only supports the virtuous — this is akin to overseeing tokens.


Paul Peng — Zhengyi Taoist Priest, Longhu Mountain

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.

Read his full story →
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