Tao Te Ching

Chapter 80
[Original text]

If there is a big grievance, there must be more grievances, and if you repay your grievances with virtue, can you do good?
It is the sage who holds the left contract [1] and does not blame [2] on others.There is Desche [3], but there is no Desche [4].

God has no relatives, but often with good people.

【Note】

[1] Left Deed: The debt collection certificate held by the creditor.

[2] Responsibility: debt collection, request.

[3] Secretary: The person in charge of the IOU.

[4] Si Che: The person in charge of taxation.

【Analysis】

To reconcile great resentment is bound to leave resentment behind.Repaying resentment with virtue, how can this be a proper solution?
Therefore, the sage takes the IOU and does not collect the debt from the debtor.A virtuous man, like a man in charge of contracts, demands nothing; an unvirtuous man, like a man in charge of taxes, always demands something from people.

The law of nature has no distinction between closeness and estrangement, but it always helps kind people.

To put it simply, those in power should not intensify conflicts with the people, let alone accumulate resentment among the people. If the people are squeezed by taxation or punished to restrict the people, the resentment of the people will increase.Therefore, those in power should "govern by doing nothing" like a sage, educate the people with virtue, give without taking, and be friendly without disturbing, so that they can gain the support of the people and thus stabilize their rule.

【Explanation by Famous Artists】

Mr. He Shang:
Those who kill others will die, those who hurt others will be punished, and they will be rewarded with peace.If the punished loses humanity, there must be resentment towards the beloved.Cultivating the Tao and doing good deeds will never cause disasters in the unborn.If one person complains, he will lose his heart. How can we make good with resentment?
The ancient sages held the left contract, which is consistent with the letter.There are no documents and laws, and the engraved conformity is believed to be believed.But engraved deeds are trustworthy, and people are not responsible for other things.A virtuous king is nothing more than Si Cha Qixin.A king without virtue will lose his trust if he breaks his contract.

There is no closeness in the way of heaven, but with good people, it is the same as the division.

(End of this chapter)