On Laozi's theory of inaction

"Doing nothing" is the essence of Laozi's philosophy, and "doing nothing" is the embodiment of Tao. However, the meaning of "inaction" has not been clearly explained. Our preliminary experience is as follows:

"Thirty spokes * * * a hub, when it is not, there is a car. Think of it as a device. When it is useless, it will be useful. Carve the family into a room, and when it has nothing, it has a room. Therefore, there is something, nothing. " (1 1) Make a wheel with 30 spokes, and the empty place will play the role of a car. A vessel made of clay has the function of a vessel only in a hollow place. Open the window to build a house, and the vacant place will have the function of a house. Therefore, some appliances use space. Spokes are long strips that support wheels. There is a hole in the wheel, and the round hole is empty, so that it can pass through the axle, and the axle can rotate and play the role of a car. Bowls, plates and other utensils should have empty space to put things. The function of a house lies in space. This means that "nothing" is not "vacuum" or "nihilism", but has its important role.

"Between heaven and earth, fun? Virtual and unyielding, move out. " (5) There seems to be a big bellows in the middle of heaven and earth, which is empty, but when it twitches, it can send out endless winds. This also shows the role of "nothing", and all "nothing" should be understood from this angle.

"Tao, Chang, do nothing and do everything." (37) Tao is permanent (constant), inaction and inaction.

"Inaction" is a proper noun in Laozi's philosophy, which cannot be translated into "inaction" or misunderstood as "indifference". Laozi advocates Tao and believes that the occurrence and development of things has its objectivity and regularity. When people treat nature (objective reality) and even politics, they must act according to the law of natural development (Tao) without any artificial measures. This has the meaning of "objective existence, independent of subjective will". "Wei" refers to "man-made" things, and "inaction" does not mean inaction or inaction, but refers to not doing things that go against nature. Lao Tzu also realized that everything in the world, including human life, has its own laws of natural development and cannot be artificially restricted. However, the rulers at that time did not think so. They take the world for themselves, treat the people as anvil, take whatever they want and treat it as a blessing, which is contrary to nature. Therefore, "inaction" is not negative, but has its positive significance. Laozi opposes everything that goes against nature through inaction. Laozi put forward "inaction" with the intention of overthrowing the political system at that time. However, it is inconvenient for him to make it clear. He only used the word "inaction", which triggered numerous speculations and literally made various explanations.

Under the condition of "inaction", nothing is impossible, and everything will evolve naturally. I saw all the objective things, such as the natural movement of the sun and the moon at four o'clock, the natural growth of plants, birds and animals, the need for artificial rendering of red flowers and green leaves, and birds and animals can fly and walk without teaching. As the saying goes, "a bird in the sky, a bug in the ground", nothing needs artificial measures, and everything has natural arrangements. So he said, "If the Marquis can keep it, everything will be made by himself. I want to do this, and I will make this town unknown. The nameless Pufu will have no desire, no desire to be quiet, and the world will decide. " (37) If the governors can abide by (Tao), everything will naturally evolve. In the process of evolution, if there is variation (desire), they will overcome it according to objective laws (nameless simplicity-the essence of Tao). The Tao itself has no variation, and you can settle down without variation. Then the world will be at peace. This is "doing nothing, doing nothing."

"Learning to be excellent is an official, and it is a loss for the country. Loss and loss lead to inaction. " (48) "For learning" refers to the so-called learning at that time, such as benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith. And the degree of "artificial" is increasing day by day. On the other hand, if you practice Taoism, the degree of "man-made" will decrease day by day, thus reaching the realm of "inaction".

"inaction" is based on objectivity, but Laozi is a pure objectivist. He said: "I want to take the world, I will do it, and I regard it as the last resort." Artifacts in the world cannot be made or forced. If you lose, you lose. " (29) People should take artificial measures against the objective world (the world) according to their own subjective intentions. (Contrary to "doing"-"not doing" may mean "reforming" and there will be no result. The universe (world) is a phenomenon (device) of nature (God) and cannot be "transformed" (completed). Those who transform it will destroy it, and those who persist and transform it will lose it. This is mechanical materialism. He believes that people are powerless in the face of objectivity, and he denies "subjective initiative", which is not comprehensive enough. So some people think that Laozi is a materialist, which is not correct enough.

How to "do nothing"?

"Easy to grasp, not easy to seek. Crispy, easy to judge, but slightly easy to disperse. For it, it is not chaotic. " (64) When things are stable, they are easy to maintain; When there is no certainty, it is easy to plan; When you are weak, it is easy to judge; It is easy to dissipate when it is weak. Do it when there is no difficulty, and deal with it when there is no chaos.

"The difficulty is easy, greater than fine. It is easy to do difficult things in the world, and it is necessary to do great things in the world. It is easy and difficult for a husband who promises lightly to break his promise. It is because saints still find it difficult, so there is no difficulty in the end. " (63) To solve difficult problems, we should start with easy things, and to do great things, we should start with small things. In this world, there must be easy things for difficult things, and there must be small things for big things. People who promise easily will find it difficult to keep their promises, and people who think things are easy will encounter difficulties. The "sage" still finds it difficult to meet things, but he is good at handling them, so there is no difficulty in the end. That is to say, we should pay attention to difficulties. Everything has a certain stage of development, and it is easy to succeed if we grasp the favorable stage.

"The wood with folded arms was born at the end. The nine-story platform starts from the foundation soil. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. " Trees that can be reached by both hands grow from tiny seedlings. The balcony on the ninth floor is made of a pile of soil. The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. The achievement of things is from small to large, from low to high, from near to far. This step must be gradual and cannot be delayed.

"If you want it, you will be solid; If you want to be weak, you must be strong; If you want to abolish it, you must lift it; If you want to take it, you must give it. It means dusk. Fish can't get rid of the jade garden, and the weapon of the country can't be shown. " (36) Everything must be opened before it can be closed; Get stronger before getting weaker; If one thing is done in advance, it will give up; Give first, then take. It's called Twilight. An inconspicuous but inevitable phenomenon. -the dialectical relationship of contradictions. The relationship between them is like a fish without water, and national defense equipment cannot be displayed to others. Everything must have certain preconditions in order to achieve something.

This certain stage, certain steps and certain conditions are the laws (Tao) of natural development. "If you are defeated, you will lose. It is precisely because the sage is inaction that there is no failure, no persistence, and no loss. " (64) If you don't follow the law of nature, you will destroy it (Tao), and those who persist (doers) will lose. Because "saints" practice "inaction", they will not destroy it, nor will they persist in doing it (without persistence), so they will not lose it (Tao). "People engaged in, often in a few success or failure. If you are careful to the end, you will not fail. " People often fail in doing things, so we must always be cautious to avoid failure.

"There is no trace of good deeds, no flaw in good words, no need to plan for good deeds, no key to good deeds, and no solution to good deeds." (27) People who are good at walking will not leave footprints; (of doing things without leaving a trace) people who are good at talking will not make mistakes; (of words that won't be caught) a calculating person doesn't need chips; Those who are good at closing can't open it without a key; People who are good at knotting knots can't untie them without ropes. That is to say: everything follows the laws of nature and makes use of natural conditions, and the result is much more reliable than man-made.

Laozi's theory of "inaction" is based on the political and ideological situation at that time. He opposed all artificial measures, especially the feudal political system of "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom". This is aggressive and revolutionary.

"The avenue is useless and meaningful." (18) Lao Tzu thought that the rulers at that time could not walk the streets, because the roads were not good, so there was so-called benevolence and righteousness. "Benevolence" is an artificial system, which goes against nature. It is necessary to "abandon benevolence and righteousness, and people should put filial piety first." (19) If this hypocritical benevolence and righteousness are removed, people will return to the nature of natural filial piety. "Benevolence and righteousness" has always been highly praised by China literati, and it is considered sacred and inviolable. In order to attack the politics at that time, Lao Tzu also raised objections to benevolence and righteousness, which can be described as brilliant.

"Virtue is not virtue, but virtue. Virtue without virtue is virtue without virtue. Suntech doesn't think about things, and Friedrich Hirth thinks about it. " (38) Lao Tzu divided man's self-cultivation, including man's attitude towards nature and ways and means of dealing with politics, into two levels; Advanced cultivation (virtue) does not seek gain (virtue), so it has gain (virtue). Low-level cultivation (virtue) does not give up seeking profit, so there is no virtue. This means that the best practice is not to gain something for yourself, but to do things well. The highest accomplishment is "doing nothing", and everything is done according to the laws of natural development, without artificial measures, so it is said that "thinking without doing anything". Low-level cultivation is "doing" (as opposed to "doing nothing") and "thinking" because it thinks that all kinds of artificial measures are necessary.

"Benevolence, without thought. Righteousness is to do it, but to think. Give a gift, don't respond, then throw it away. " (38) The best benevolence is "doing" and "not thinking". The best meanings are "doing" and "thinking". The best etiquette is to "do it". If it doesn't work, just throw it away. "Benevolence, righteousness, propriety and righteousness" all belong to the category of "virtue", which I think is not desirable.

"Husband, honest and thin, and the first of the chaos. Those who know before, the brilliance of Tao, the beginning of stupidity. It's because a gentleman is thick but not thin, but China doesn't. " (38) The so-called "courtesy" is caused by people's lack of loyalty and social chaos. The wise men of the past did not know the spiritual essence of Tao, but only pursued some superficial phenomena (Hua), which was the beginning of ignorance. Therefore, a gentleman adopts an honest and pragmatic system (Tao), not a vanity system (benevolence). The so-called "ceremony" in feudal times was not a simple ceremony, but a special system governing the people. This is artificial and unnatural, so throw it away.

"If you lose your virtue, you will lose your virtue, then the benevolent, then the righteous, and then the courteous." (38) When dealing with nature and politics, people are practicing "inaction" in accordance with the laws of nature (Tao) and should not take artificial measures. When people don't understand this truth, they give up (lose) the highest principle of "Tao", and seek the second best (benevolence, righteousness and propriety), which can be described as giving up the root and chasing the end. "Therefore, those who are engaged in Taoism are the same, those who are virtuous are the same, and those who lose are the same." (23) Therefore, people engaged in Tao can walk together in Tao. People who practice morality (benevolence, righteousness and propriety) belong to the level of morality (lower morality). A man without virtue "loses" (has no virtue). On the other hand, those who don't seek Tao can't get Tao. Laozi emphasized the importance of "Tao" and denied "virtue, benevolence and propriety".

Press: Laozi takes "Tao" (inaction) as the virtue, and "benevolence" as the virtue. But what does "virtue" mean? It is not appropriate to explain it with general "morality". Because the morality at that time was "benevolence and courtesy", and that was "virtue".

"When wisdom comes out, there is a big holiday." (18) "People are difficult to treat because of their wisdom. Therefore, those who govern the country with wisdom are thieves of the country; Those who do not govern the country with wisdom are also blessed by the country. " (65) "Don't worry about studying." (19) When people have wisdom, they will use it to do hypocritical things. People are difficult to govern because they are much smarter. Therefore, it is the invaders of the country who govern the country with wisdom. Governing the country without wisdom is a blessing to the country. In short, the so-called knowledge (intelligence) at that time caused all the troubles, and if it was removed, there would be no troubles.

Laozi's theory of "inaction" is based on "Tao" (natural law) and "name" (natural phenomenon), and we should follow the law of natural development in treating nature and people. At that time, politics was based on "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom", which was a set of measures against nature and the people, and Lao Tzu opposed it.

At that time, all the so-called scholars were reading his "Benevolence and Morality", and the rulers used this magic weapon to oppress and exploit the people. Lao Tzu put forward "inaction" to confront it, which is commendable!