Original Text
All things in the world have a beginning, which is the root of heaven and earth. Once you know the root, you understand all things; once you understand all things, if you hold fast to the root, you will never face danger throughout your life. Block the openings of desire, shut the doors of the mind's cravings, and you will have no troubles to disturb you for life. Open those openings, and you will invite endless entanglements, making you incurable forever. Seeing the subtle is called clarity; holding to the soft is called strength. Use the light of external wisdom to illuminate the inner clarity. This will bring no disaster or harm to your person, and this is what we call the everlasting constant Way.
Guide
The growth and development of all things in the natural world have a single root—the mother, which is the "Way" as the origin of all things, representing the universal aspect of the world's principles. The "Way" also gives rise to the different aspects of things—the child, representing the individual aspects of these principles. People should trace the commonality from the changes of all things and grasp the most fundamental principles. At the same time, they should recognize their individuality to avoid rigidity and dogmatism. Only in this way can they "know the child yet hold fast to the mother, and be free from danger throughout their lives."Analysis
This chapter discusses the method of returning to the Great Way in personal conduct and explains the principle that the Way is the mother of all things under heaven.
Let's first look at the opening of this chapter: "There is a beginning of the universe, which may be regarded as the mother of the universe. Having known the mother, we may know her children; having known the children, we return to keep to the mother, and we will be free from danger throughout our lifetime." Laozi believes that all things in the universe have a beginning, and this beginning is the Tao. Therefore, we can compare the Tao to a mother who gives birth to all things, and all things to the children of the Tao. Although every thing in the world is a "child" of the Tao, they differ from each other, with distinctions between good and bad, just like brothers born of the same mother—some are filial, while others are unfilial, and those who violate filial piety will surely be condemned. Here, Laozi uses the mother-child relationship to illustrate the relationship between the Tao and all things in the universe, aiming to encourage us to follow the virtue of the Tao as we would honor our parents. Only by doing so can we be in harmony with the Tao, and only then can we be "free from danger throughout our lifetime."
Let us now analyze the middle section: "Block the openings, close the doors, and to the end of life there will be no toil. Open the openings, attend to your affairs, and to the end of life you will be beyond rescue." In the eight trigrams of the I Ching, "dui" is interpreted as "mouth"; here we explain it as the mouth, ears, and nose, generally referring to the organs that connect with the external world. Regarding the meaning of the word "qin," most people interpret it as "jin," which means "to see." Thus, this sentence can be explained as closing off all sensory organs—mouth, ears, and nose—and sealing the heart's door, never seeing any person or thing for the rest of one's life. Why did Laozi say such a thing? Below, we will analyze it in detail.
In earlier chapters, Laozi mentioned the "five colors," "five flavors," and "five sounds," pointing out that they are harmful to people, manifesting as directly causing blindness, deafness, and loss of taste. Since these five colors, five flavors, and five sounds harm humanity, why do we still pursue them so eagerly? In Laozi's view, this is determined by human nature. Humans are born with desires, and having desires leads to contention with others, which is why Laozi repeatedly emphasizes in the Tao Te Ching that people should restrain their desires. When Laozi says, "Block the openings, close the doors, and toil not to the end of your days," he does not mean we should not open our eyes, breathe, or hear sounds like the dead; this is merely an exaggerated expression, intended to warn people of the various harms brought by the external world. Therefore, people must adhere to the virtue of the Great Way and not indulge in delusions or reckless actions. Here, Laozi urges people to block the channels through which the five colors, five flavors, and five sounds enter the body. This blocking does not mean not eating, not seeing, or not hearing, but rather blocking the channels that tempt the soul into moral decline. If these channels of desire are not blocked, people will suffer punishment.
"Seeing the small is called clarity, holding to softness is called strength." This means perceiving the principles of things from subtle details is clarity, and being able to abide by gentleness is strength. This sentence serves to introduce the following text: "Using its light, returning to its clarity, leaving no disaster for oneself, this is called abiding in the constant." At the end of this chapter, Laozi guides us to pursue the great Dao. Everyone knows that a mother's embrace is the warmest, and everyone wishes to be held in it, so Laozi follows our desires and points the way for us.