The Dao of Politics

For Laozi, the Dao of heaven and earth is inseparable from the Dao of politics. Laozi believed those on top should be as humble as possible. The sages kept a low profile to balance their role as keepers of the light of wisdom; and without concern for their own safety, they defended just and higher causes knowing they did so under the protection of the people. Laozi found that those spoiling for a fight always got less than they wished for, but those who did not contend with others got more than they expected. Thus, Laozi recognized that the Dao, the heavens, and the earth are the true splendor of the world, and a king is magnificent only in the world of men.

Laozi metaphorically compared the state to the kitchen: it should be governed as one fries a fish. The fish will flake and fall apart if turned over too frequently, and the more active the government, the more restless the public. Laozi emphasized that those in power should not therefore interfere with the peaceful lives of common people.

Laozi’s ideal way of ruling says the populace should be kept uninformed about matters that do not have an impact on their daily lives. Confucius shares a similar idea: ordinary people should be free to conduct their affairs as necessary, but there was no need to provide explanations for governance. Yet at the same time he reasoned that it was better for people if their leader handled affairs of state without guile. Wise leadership aims to “empty the hearts and minds of the people and fill their stomachs.” Laozi promoted the concept of “non-coercive action (wuwei).” However, Laozi’s idea of wuwei is not the same as “doing nothing,” but rather of following the natural rhythm of things while maintaining the “big picture.”

Laozi believed the best pattern for lives to follow is that of water, which always flows without resistance to a lower place, does not contend with any other things but rather moves around them, and contributes unselfishly. Oceans and big rivers contently sit at the lower end of streams, but by doing so become bigger than all their tributaries.

Laozi is famous for defying a cardinal Confucian teaching that an ideal society is guided by five values – humane approach (ren), appropriateness (yi), filial piety (xiao), and loyalty (zhong). In his view, the advocacy for a humane approach (ren) and for appropriateness (yi) is called for because the affairs of men are often characterized by injustice. An over-emphasis on wisdom and erudition can also give rise to duplicity. It is not until family relationships are damaged that filial piety (xiao) and parental affection (ci) are given due attention. Finally, only when the state has fallen into troubled times, can upright ministers step into preeminence.

The ideal society of Laozi’s is one consisting of small states with small populations, where interpersonal relationships are less complicated, and people are indifferent to worldly gain and live in peace. This vision appeals to people crowded into today’s modern cities.

The Dao of Self-illumination

Laozi’s profound wisdom always enlightens us, like listening to an old man’s advice when we walk in the woods in the late autumn and feel the vicissitude of things’ returning to their roots at the close of another cycle. The road to enlightenment prepared by Laozi’s wisdom is one that deeply appreciates the experience of just living. Personal growth and development require acceptance of changes great and small, which in turn grant the observer a deeper understanding of the self.

Laozi also pointed out that “to conquer others is power, to conquer oneself is strength.” Being fully present in the world is a matter of agility, in mind and spirit. If one has difficulty achieving something, it may be because one does not resonate with the surroundings. Usually people have to work hard and learn the process of constructing harmony with the world.

Central to Laozi’s epistemology is intuitive enlightenment. The illumination of the world is based on one’s basic intuition concerning the natural and unadulterated state of things: intelligence and intuition play much bigger roles than experience or logical deduction. The more one acts upon the world, the further one drifts from a true understanding of it. One needs to be contextualized, following the changes of being. As such, one might achieve control in the world without seeming to interfere with it at all.

Daoist philosophy is very intriguing to Western readers because there are few comparable schools of thought in their own cultural tradition. Among many mystic notions in Daoism, the idea of Dao itself is the first concept to tackle if one wants to deepen one’s understanding about the philosophy. Simple and easy as it looks, its meaning is as profound as can be; the concept of Dao is not only freighted with meaning in Daoist philosophy, but also in the Chinese philosophical tradition in general.

The ancient Chinese had a cyclical conception of such practical abstractions as time and space. In contrast, Western concepts of time and space are typically linear. The Daodejing and the Book of Changes constitute the foundation for Chinese cosmological studies, in which the yin-yang interchange and cyclical return are core notions.