Daoist virtues

Over the short lifetime of this blog, I have often talked to and received feedback from my Daoist friend on what has been written here. His remark that some entries can be too deep for the average students holds true, as the particular entries were meant for thinkers, experts and scholars of ancient Chinese studies. Consequently one often thinks of how to make entries simpler and easier for readers (at whatever levels) to digest. This entry on virtues is written for that purpose.

Daoists have read various translations (or perhaps the received text) of the Tao Te Ching and often hold a fixed opinion of what Laozi meant to say. One is glad to see that a few more learned Western Daoists have lately come to accept that virtues (Te) plays a major role in their own self cultivation. Glad because Daoist students in the forums can in turn learn from them. It has always been an uphill battle to introduce so called ‘Confucian’ virtues to students in the West. As they usually stand their grounds, notwithstanding Confucius’s emphasis that his teachings were based on the ancients and that he merely transmitted their thoughts.

Perhaps, Laozi understood the ancients better than Confucius and his profound understanding may have led Confucius to liken him to that of a dragon. Laozi wrote down these virtues (Te) in the TTC and like the Confucian books, has been passed down to posterity. Let us then examine Laozi’s thoughts on virtues (Te) in Chapter 18 of TTC (Legge) in a simple way:

“When the Great Tao (Way or Method) ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came into vogue.”

Students and those who have read TTC and various translations for years quite often misunderstand Laozi’s lament on humanity’s fall from Tao to mean something else. They prefer to think that Laozi was pointing out the faults of those, especially the Confucians, who practise or cultivate these two cardinal virtues, benevolence (Ren) and righteousness (Yi). Yet they fail to note that centuries or millenniums before the ascribed writing of TTC, revered ancients like Huangdi, Yao and Shun, The Great Yu, King Wen, displayed benevolence (humaneness) and righteousness (justice) in their rule and were therefore considered virtuous (Te).

“(Then) appeared wisdom and shrewdness, and there ensued great hypocrisy.”

Wisdom (Zhi) can be considered similar to perseverance, without which aims can be abandoned halfway. To tie in with the last of four Daoist and Confucian cardinal virtues, shrewdness means propriety or the mores (Li) with which one discriminates between right and wrong. Of course the four cardinal virtues can be misrepresented or twisted by those in power to achieve their own ends, leading to great hypocrisy. No, great hypocrisy did not refer to the Confucians as some may wish to think. And Laozi did not write about the future but on past or current events of his time. (Neither did he write a blog.)

“When harmony no longer prevailed throughout the six kinships, filial sons found their manifestation; when the states and clans fell into disorder, loyal ministers appeared.”

Filial piety and loyalty were also considered important virtues by the ancients. Shun was honored for his filial piety and Yao passed over the rule to him. Shun in turn passed the rule to Great Yu of Hsia. From history and tradition, Shun, Yu and King Wen had remained loyal ministers to their respective rulers at the time.

Why in the world and of all people would Laozi disparage virtuous deeds of these revered ancient sages in the TTC? Perhaps only those who think they know better than Laozi can answer that. For the four cardinal virtues namely benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom are also depicted in the Judgment of Hexagram 1 Qian / The Creative [Book of Changes, W/B]. Then again, those biased could still argue that the received text of the Yi is Confucian in the first place, but here we are discussing Chapter 18 of the TTC, ancient Chinese thoughts and tradition. And is the Judgment of the Qian hexagram in the so called ‘Daoist I Ching’ any different?

The final tie up is to understand why Laozi advised cultivation of these virtues. The key is hidden in this verse: “When the Great Tao (Way or Method) ceased to be observed”. Understanding or misunderstanding it could open or shut doors to further learning. And with the lament over humanity's fall from the Tao, Laozi showed a way to return to Tao which is to cultivate virtues (Te). The TTC has been in existence for 2,500 years. It has always been up to earnest students to understand it.

To further clarify to readers still unclear on the concept, one can look at the virtues from bottom up (progressing from young to maturity to old age) and perhaps visualize the return to Tao after the fall, this way:

‘Filial Piety’ to parents; ‘Loyalty’ (or staying true) to friends, relatives, teachers and rulers; learning to discriminate between right and wrong according to ‘Propriety’ (and the Mores) leading to ‘Wisdom’; ‘Righteousness’ in helping people and righting wrongs because it is just; serving and ruling the people with ‘Benevolence’. Once we have cultivated these virtues and with these human characteristics, Heaven may consider us the right persons to return to Tao.

Indeed the truth has always been in front of us or out there. Perhaps Daoists in the West may still prefer to see it differently. After all, it is a free world.


Notes:
1) Relevant entries
What do the Ancients teach – March 27; Te in the TTC, The fall and return to Tao, and 50 Ting / The Cauldron – April archives; The center, and Twofold entrance to Tao – May archives.
2) Further readings
Book of History, Book of Changes, the Spring and Autumn Annals (– for the great hypocrisy depicted by the Ruler of Song in trying to gain hegemony), the Book of Filial Piety; Analects and the Great Learning.
3) Meditation
Cultivation of virtues is only part of the whole picture. Lest we forget, meditation is also required in the far journey to return to Tao.