The Sage has no interests of his own, But takes the interests of the people as his own.
He is kind to the kind; he is also kind to the unkind; for Virtue is kind.
He is faithful to the faithful; he is also faithful to the unfaithful: for Virtue is faithful.
In the midst of the world, the Sage is shy and self-effacing.
For the sake of the world he keeps his heart in its nebulous state.
All the people strain their ears and eyes: the Sage only smiles like an amused infant.
(Tao Teh King 49–Wu’s translation)
The Sage has no interests of his own, But takes the interests of the people as his own.
Living in wise simplicity and free from ego, the sage is sensitive to the difficulties and needs of others and does what he can to quietly and unobtrusively (even invisibly) assist them. Possessing peace and contentment himself, he feels for those who have none. Sometimes he must simply observe and care, but as much he can he tries to alleviate all care and need in others. I have known such people, mostly in India where there was a great deal to feel compassion about.
He is kind to the kind; he is also kind to the unkind; for Virtue is kind.
We tend to have the idea that it is all right to be pleasant to the pleasing and unpleasant to the unpleasing. “They asked for it,” or “They deserved it,” we say in justification. But we are only revealing our lack of virtue. For as Lao Tzu tells us, virtue is unfailingly kind.
He is faithful to the faithful; he is also faithful to the unfaithful: for Virtue is faithful.
It is considered acceptable to lie to liars and cheat cheaters, to let the unmerciful suffer and the selfish stingy continue in need. But Lao Tzu says otherwise. No matter what a person is not, we must not mirror his lack or defect. We must be what he should be, no matter what. This is not easy, for being virtuous does not much appeal when dealing with the unvirtuous. But the virtuous are always virtuous. Of course they are not foolish, and do not let themselves be made fools of. But they are consistently gentle and kind, even if firm and uncompromising.
In the midst of the world, the Sage is shy and self-effacing.
“Shy” may not be such a good translation; reticent, modest and retiring is the idea. No sage is a zero, a wimp or a bore. Lao Tzu does not mean mean that. Rather, the sage is unassuming and quiet. Preferring to be completely offstage rather than on center stage, he is not antisocial but fits the description of a wise man given in the Bhagavad Gita: “Absence of pride, freedom from hypocrisy, harmlessness, fortitude, rectitude, purity, constancy and self-control, detachment from the objects of sense, absence of egotism, keeping in mind the evils of birth, death, old age, disease, and pain, non-attachment, constant even-mindedness in desired and undesired events, living in secluded places, having distaste for association with many people, establishment in the knowledge of the Supreme Self, keeping in mind the goal of knowledge of the truth–this is said to be true knowledge. The contrary is ignorance” (13:7-11).
For the sake of the world he keeps his heart in its nebulous state.
That is, he meets everything without preconception or prejudice, able to see it as it is. His mind is in a sense ever new in its experience of the world. This is why saints are mistakenly thought to be childlike and childish people are mistakenly thought to be saints. Just as wax or clay must be kept warm and malleable for the sculptor’s use, so the mind and heart of the sage is able to receive a full and perfect impression of anything or anyone he encounters. Since he lets nothing interfere with his perception, including any thoughts or attitudes regarding himself, his mind is more than a mirror, it is a source of understanding and knowledge regarding all things. It is not passive but supremely active in an incomprehensible manner. Consequently Lao Tzu concludes:
All the people strain their ears and eyes: the Sage only smiles like an amused infant.
The sage does not try to be a sage–he does not try to be anything. Rather, by cultivating non-trying and non-thought he is totally himself and practically speaking omniscient. All things are a source of happiness to him. His smile is the smile of an amused infant. This is not mere poetics. Swami Sivananda had just such a smile, which I will never forget, and which I have never seen the like of in all the intervening years. He was one whom Krishna meant when he said about the man of illumination: “When he leaves behind all the desires of the mind, contented in the Self by the Self, then he is said to be steady in wisdom. He whose mind is not agitated in misfortunes, freed from desire for pleasures, from whom passion, fear and anger have departed, steady in thought–such a man is said to be a sage. He who is without desire in all situations, encountering this or that, pleasant or unpleasant, not rejoicing or disliking–his wisdom stands firm” (Bhagavad Gita 2:55-57).
Next in the Tao Teh King for Awakening: The Preserving of Life