Commentary on the Tao Te Ching (35): Supreme Virtue is Not Virtue

Supreme virtue does not claim to be virtuous, and thus possesses virtue; inferior virtue never loses its claim to virtue, and thus lacks true virtue. Supreme virtue acts without action and without ulterior motive; inferior virtue acts without action but with ulterior motive. Supreme benevolence acts without ulterior motive; supreme righteousness acts with ulterior motive. When supreme propriety is practiced and meets no response, one rolls up sleeves and forces compliance. Therefore, when the Tao is lost, virtue arises; when virtue is lost, benevolence arises; when benevolence is lost, righteousness arises; when righteousness is lost, propriety arises. Propriety is the thinning of loyalty and sincerity, and the beginning of chaos. Prescience is the flower of the Tao, and the beginning of foolishness. Therefore, the great man dwells in the substantial, not the superficial; he dwells in the fruit, not the flower. Thus, he discards the latter and retains the former. Commentary: Supreme virtue does not pursue having virtue, nor does it regard virtue as virtue, and thus possesses virtue. Inferior virtue constantly pursues not losing its virtue, and thus lacks true virtue. Supreme virtue acts without action and without ulterior motive, whereas inferior virtue acts without action but with ulterior motive. Supreme benevolence acts without ulterior motive, while supreme righteousness acts with ulterior motive. However, when the way of supreme propriety is practiced in the world, no one responds with reason, turning away and abandoning it. Therefore, only after losing the Tao do we pursue virtue; only after losing virtue do we pursue benevolence; only after losing benevolence do we pursue righteousness; only after losing righteousness do we pursue propriety. Propriety arises merely because loyalty and sincerity are insufficient, and it is truly the beginning of chaos. Those with foresight see the superficiality of the Tao and understand the beginning of foolishness. Therefore, the great man should dwell in depth, not in superficiality; pursue substance, not superficiality; retain what is truly useful. Commentary: Humans cannot perceive the changes of heaven and earth and all things, and cannot align with the Tao, so they can only pursue virtue. When virtue cannot constrain people, they pursue benevolence. When benevolence is lost, they resort to righteousness for mutual constraint. But when righteousness is also lost, they can only pursue laws and propriety, with each step lowering the degree of constraint. In reality, relying solely on propriety is the beginning of disaster, not a fundamental solution. Historically, when propriety is insufficient, one must ultimately rely on law, using legal rules to punish violations, which is already the last resort. If people's quality is high enough and everyone observes propriety, violations will naturally disappear. After observing propriety, with mutual benevolence, helping and loving each other, society can become more harmonious. With benevolence, followed by virtue, conflicts of interest in the human world will greatly decrease, and unfairness will become increasingly rare. With virtue, one aligns with the Tao, and all things follow the supreme Tao, leading to universal harmony where all things naturally submit. This is the most ideal model.