Original Text
Those who have attained the One since ancient times: Heaven attained the One and became clear; Earth attained the One and became stable; the spirits attained the One and became efficacious; the valleys attained the One and became full; all things attained the One and grew and multiplied endlessly; lords and kings attained the One and brought order to the world. Tracing the principle, if Heaven could not remain clear, it would likely shatter; if Earth could not remain stable, it would likely collapse; if the spirits could not remain efficacious, they would likely vanish; if the valleys could not remain full, they would likely dry up; if all things could not grow and multiply, they would likely perish; if lords and kings could not remain clear and tranquil, they would likely be overthrown. Therefore, the noble takes the humble as its root, and the high takes the low as its foundation. Thus, rulers call themselves "the orphan," "the lonely," and "the unworthy"—is this not taking lowliness as the root? Is it not so? Therefore, the highest honor is to have no need for praise. Hence, the man of the Way does not seek the preciousness of jade but remains like a stone—plain, resilient, and unassuming.
Guide
Heaven, earth, spirit, and humanity all manifest their qualities through being "mixed as one." Extremes lead to reversal; excessive pursuit of extremes will turn into the opposite direction. Therefore, rulers must understand this principle: know glory but keep to humility, know brightness but keep to darkness, contend without contending, govern without governing.Analysis
This chapter discusses the application of the Dao. “One” refers to the Dao itself. The Dao is the foundation of all things under heaven, as well as the basis for doing anything, including governing a country. Therefore, “attaining oneness” means acting according to the principles of the Dao.
"Those who attained the One in ancient times: Heaven attained the One and became clear; Earth attained the One and became stable; Spirits attained the One and became divine; Valleys attained the One and became full; All things attained the One and came to life; Rulers and kings attained the One and brought order to the world." In this chapter, Laozi emphasizes the concept of the One, repeatedly using it. What exactly is the One? In a narrow sense, the One means uniqueness and unity; in a broad sense, the One is a highly abstract concept, referring both to the uniqueness of matter and the unity of understanding. Laozi believed that the One is the earliest origin of all things, and everything in the world gradually derives from the One. Thus, this One is shared by all things, and everything begins from the One.
In this chapter, Laozi enumerates heaven, earth, spirits, valleys, all things, and rulers, stating that when heaven aligns with the Way it becomes clear, when earth aligns with the Way it becomes tranquil, when spirits align with the Way they become efficacious, when valleys align with the Way they become full, and when rulers align with the Way they bring order to the world. Through these examples, Laozi elucidates that the One is the foundation of all existence and the origin of all things.
If it is pushed to its extreme, heaven without clarity would shatter; earth without stability would collapse; spirits without power would vanish; valleys without fullness would dry up; all things without life would perish. Since the One is the origin and foundation of all existence, what would the world be like without it? In this passage, Laozi describes the scenario without the One: if heaven does not align with the Way, it will crack; if earth does not align with the Way, it will cease; if spirits do not align with the Way, they will disappear; if valleys do not align with the Way, they will dry up; if all things do not align with the Way, they will be destroyed; if rulers do not align with the Way, the world will fall into chaos.
At this point, we cannot help but ask: what exactly is the One?
In fact, the One is not a physical entity but an abstract principle; it cannot be seen, touched, or described in words, only perceived by people. Specifically, the One is unity and regularity, formless, soundless, colorless, and odorless; it exists at the beginning of all things' emergence and is the root from which all things in the universe arise.
In this chapter, Laozi says "the noble takes the humble as its root," which follows the line "those who have attained the One in ancient times," meaning that if people wish to attain this mysterious and great One, they must abandon selfish thoughts and discriminating minds, reaching a state of "forgetting both self and the external world." What is "forgetting both self and the external world"? It means there is no distinction between the external world and oneself, and in the mind, there are no boundaries of beauty and ugliness, good and evil, honor and disgrace. Without these concepts in the mind, no discriminating mind arises; without a discriminating mind, there are no thoughts of contention; without thoughts of contention, there is no pain or worry from failing to achieve goals. Without concepts of good and evil, honor and disgrace, beauty and ugliness, without a discriminating mind, without thoughts of striving for gain, without pain and worry... thus, life reaches a state of desirelessness and non-attachment, which is the harmonious unity of the individual with the Great Dao.
What has been discussed above is about how to discard selfish thoughts and discriminatory minds. Without selfish thoughts, it means that this person has no delusions. As long as we achieve no delusions, we cannot act recklessly, and without reckless actions, we will not violate moral norms. If we violate moral norms, it is what we often call immoral behavior.
We know that the great way and great virtue are omnipresent and all-pervading; they are without desire and without action, making no distinctions, and all things are born from them. They have no pursuit or seeking, and thus no attachment. We must abandon selfish thoughts and distracting ideas, as they restrict our perception of happiness.
A human life spans only a few short decades. If we define its meaning solely by satisfying our own greed, we will fall into suffering. Driven by desire, we may commit immoral acts. Such actions harm others and destroy our own happiness, inevitably leading to pain. Therefore, only by keeping the mind free of distractions can one reach the highest realm of life.