Tao Te Ching (Chapter 3) : Mitigating Illusory Ego through the Wisdom of Tao

Wong Weng Hon

不尚賢, 使民不爭;
不貴難得之貨,
使民不爲盜;
不見可欲,
使民心不亂.
是以聖人之治也,
虛其心,實其腹,
弱其志, 强其骨.
常使民無知無欲,
使夫智者不敢爲也.
爲無爲, 則無不治.

If we do not overly praise
the highly able and virtuous individuals,
People will not excessively compete with one another;
If we do not overvalue the material wealth,
This will not motivate the people to steal.
Do not show off your wealth,
The people’s minds will not be moved.
Therefore, the wise ruler rules by
emptying the minds of the people
filling their stomachs
weakening their cravings
invigorating their spirits
eliminating the chatter of their minds and cravings
discouraging the adept not to show off
Commit actions of non-action
Thus, the state or country is well governed.

Chinese imperial governance was impacted perfumely by Confician ethics and Taoist wisdom. Those emperors who cared to listen to their Confucian bureaucrats on their advice of Confucian ethics or Taoist wisdom of the Unity of Heaven-earth and Man governed their subjects righteously and thus prosperously. Those emperors, who ignored the advice of their philosophically elite bureaucrats, political consultants to the emperors, indulged excessively in hedonism in the palace and exploited the subjects through unrighteously heavy taxations. Chinese imperial history unveils that such a tyrant emperor and his autocratic dynasty was eventually doomed to early ruin. Even in modern democratic governance, the power of representative democracy of the people, for the people and by the people will pull down a tyrant, autocratic, corruptible government through the process of democratic general election. In this sense, democracy liberates the citizentry from the unrighteous or unethical governance. Of course, democracy not constructed upon truth or righteousness can also backfire. Of course, the original spirit of democracy is sacred and dear.
 
           
Ordinary worldlings’ actions are motivated by self-centric ego. They pursue material wealth to fulfill self-interest or self-satisfaction. If the adept people of wisdom and virtue are not overly extolled, this will reduce unhealthy competition among the egoistic people. It should not be erroneously conceived that the capable ones are not to be praised. What is recommended by Lao-tzu is that the capable ones are not excessively praised to avert unhealthy competitions among the egoistic or unrighteous rivals. Healthy competition for the progress and prosperity of human society existing among righteous people is, of course, encouraged.

 For instance, The 5th Chinese Chan Patriarch, Hong-jen did not openly extol Hui-neng’s perfection of wisdom gained from instantaneous enlightenment among his immediate disciples. Instead, he advised him to leave the monastery immediately at night. The master was wise in order to avert jealousy and unhealthy rivalry arising among his immediate Buddhist disciples to seek monastic power in his monastery.

If the hard-sought treasures are not overly priced, this will discourage the people from committing thefts. If there is no seduction or temptation, the people’s minds will not be perturbed. If the wisdom of saints is employed by a ruler in his governance, he will eliminate the mind of greed, hatred and delusion among his citizentry. Besides, the virtuous ruler ought to help fill the empty bellies of the needy. He also should admonish the people not to set their aspirations motivated by cravings. The people’s minds should be spiritualised by invigorating  them with philosophical wisdom. The people’s minds ought not to be obsessed with mental conceptualization and cravings. In this way, the intellectual ones will also be tamed and appeased mentally. Buddhism, like any other esoteric religion discourages intellectual conceptualizations and mental obsessions directed and empowered by self-centric ego. Self-centric ego generates greed, hatred and delusion rooted in ignorance. Most severely, it veils the Tao – the Truth of path of innate human wisdom.

When the people have developed the wisdom of Tao, they will spontaneously commit all actions of non-action. Actions of non-actions are purified actions empty of conceit and pride. Non-action connotes that the actions are not directed and empowered by self-centric ego. Such actions of non-action are wisely and cankerlessly directed and empowered by the wisdom of Tao. Action of Tao is selfless action.

Wisdom of Tao silences the chatter of the noisy mind. Wisdom is the domain of the intuitive mind. Devoid of Tao, the ordinary worldlings utilize the intellectual or conceptual mind. The man of Tao is morally restrained and mentally tamed by the wisdom of Tao. Buddhistly put, the actions of non-action are synonymous with cankerless or karmaless actions directed and empowered by the perfection of wisdom of Chan or Zen or the right mindfulness and clear awareness of the four foundations of mindfulness (cattāri satipaṭṭhāna).

If the people commit all actions of non-action, they are considered to have annihilated the self-centric ego. Actions of non-action are selfless and divine. They are wills of willessness. If the people perform all actions of non-actions, the country will be well governed and will be peaceful. Non-actions are selfless actions in which individual selfishness vanishes.  Tao is the non-discriminative wisdom of Non-duality (Advaita). It is the Truth-body (Dharmakāya) in the liberated Mahāyānists. It is the Holy Spirit of God in a saved Christian. It is Kṛṣṇa consciousness or Ātman in an emancipated Hindu. It is Baqā’ in a saved Muslim. It is al-Fanā’ al-Fanā’ in a delivered Sufi. Tao is the knowledge of Unity. Emptiness is the Truth of Unity. Hence, Tao and Emptiness are synonymous. God is the Unity of Existence. Therefore, Tao is also God. Brahman is God. Thus. Tao is also Brahman. Tao makes a Buddhist a good Buddhist; Tao makes Hindu a good Hindu; Tao makes a Christian a good Christian; Tao makes a Muslim a good Muslim. The sole purpose of life is the noble quest of Tao. Tao is the Truth, Way and Life of the universal brotherhood of humanity which is also friendly towards the natural environment.Tao is peace.