Governing Government - Maintain Dao

In order to have smooth and free qi circulation in your body, you must learn to keep your conscious mind calm. That means to regulate your emotional mind until no regulating is required.

The Dao always does nothing (wuwei),

            but nothing is left undone.

If sovereigns are able to follow it (i.e., the Dao),

            myriad objects will be transformed (i.e., in order) automatically.

Transforming, but the desires are still initiating, 

            I will restrain them by nameless simplicity (i.e., the Dao).

(Nameless simplicity), will lead to the desireless.

Using sereneness to stop desires,

            the world will find its peace with its own accord.

第三十七章

為政—守道

『道』常「無為」，

            而無不為。

侯王若能守之，

            萬物將自化。

化而欲作，

            吾將鎮之以無名之樸。

（無名之樸，）夫亦將無欲。

不欲以靜，

            天下將自定。

General Interpretation

Wu, Cheng (吳澄) said: “The Dao’s wuwei (i.e., does nothing) lasts long without changing; it not just temporary. Therefore, it is said: it ‘always does nothing.’ However, though it does nothing, for whatever needs to be done, there is nothing that cannot be done.”[1] Thus, if rulers are able to follow the Dao, the people in the country will be in order automatically. 

Even when the mind is in order, ego, desires, and ambitions will still arise. When they do, use simplicity (pure neutral mind) to stop them from arising. Wei, Yuan (魏源) said: 

“’But the desires are still initiating’ means that the mind just begins to have an idea of action (i.e., ego). ‘Myriad objects will be transformed automatically’ means to let them live and die by themselves. When they live and die automatically, the qi’s circulation will gradually become gentle. (However), if there is a desire initiated in the heart and (I) use the nameless (i.e., the Dao) to calm it down, then even after three generations have passed and continuing for the next three generations, who is able to stop (me)? Even if (I) calm it down (with the nameless) and the action is still being initiated, I again cease the action with nameless simplicity. What is nameless simplicity? It means to use the calmness to restrain the action, use the purity to calm down the mild disturbance, and use the simple sincerity to vary furtiveness. This is to stop the heart of desire, which seeks to initiate an action, and make it comfortably reverse its desire into no desire. When there is no desire, then there is calm. When there is a calmness, then it straightens and returns itself to the nameless simplicity. This is exactly what is said: ‘If I don’t have desires, then the people will be simple automatically. If I am in favor of calmness, then the people will be in order by themselves.’”[2]

Ding, Fu-Bao (丁福保) also said: “A human’s heart (i.e., mind) is easily plugged (i.e., filled with desires) and is hard to be emptied; it easily initiates actions and is difficult to be calmed, it easily shifts the mind and is hard to keep steady, and it easily changes the path and is hard to maintain. Although these are to be regulated, still there are some desires possibly initiated from external temptations. I will calm them down with the Dao and won’t allow them to dare be initiated.”[3]

Qigong Interpretation:

To qigong, the Dao in the body is the spirit. Though we know and can feel the existence of the spirit, it cannot be seen, touched, or heard. However, this spirit governs the lives of the all the cells in the body. The spirit does not do anything but at the same time does everything in our bodies. 

There are two minds in our body: the conscious mind and subconscious mind. The conscious mind is emotional, lying, and filled with desires. The subconscious mind related to our spirit is more truthful and simple. If you are able to calm down the activities of your conscious mind by centering your subconscious mind at its residence (limbic system), then the qi’s circulation in your body will be regulated smoothly and automatically by itself.

Conclusion:

In order to have smooth and free qi circulation in your body, you must learn to keep your conscious mind calm. That means to regulate your emotional mind until no regulating is required. The way to do that is through embryonic breathing meditation. In embryonic breathing meditation, you will find both your mental center (the subconscious mind) at the center of your head and the physical center at the center of gravity in the body. Once you find these two human polarities, you move your mind to the physical center (lower real dan tian). When you do this, you will be in an extremely calm state both mentally and physically. This will allow the qi to move freely. Consequently, all the cells will be able to maintain their healthy condition. This is the stage of “wuwei” (doing nothing or regulating without regulating) and what is called “embracing singularity” (抱一).

The above is an excerpt from The Dao De Jing: A Qigong Interpretation Lao Tzu, Translation and Commentary by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, Publication Date 2018, YMAA Publication Center, ISBN:9781594396199.

[1] 吳澄說：“道之無為，久而不變，非特暫而已，故曰常無為。雖一無所為，而于所當為之事，無一不為也。”

[2] 魏源說：“蓋欲作者，欲生萌動也。夫萬物自化，則任其自生自息而已。自生自息，而氣運日趨于文，將夫有欲心萌作于其間，苟無名以鎮之，則太古降為三代，三代降為后世，其誰止之？然鎮之亦豈能有所為？亦鎮之以無名之樸而已。無名之樸者，以靜制動，以質止文，以淳化巧，使其欲心將作而不得，將釋然自反而無欲矣。無欲則靜。靜則正而返于無名之樸矣。正謂‘我無欲而民自樸，我好靜而民自正。”

[3] 丁福保說：“人心易塞而難虛，易動而難靜，易遷而難守，易變而難常。雖以相化。而或有復為外物所動欲起妄作者，則吾將鎮之以道，使不敢有所妄作也。”