15.13 Four stages of virtue (knowing, abiding, applying, integrating)

子曰、知及之、仁不能守之、雖得之、必失之。

知及之、仁能守之、不莊以蒞之、則民不敬。

知及之、仁能守之、 莊以蒞之、動之不以禮、未善也。

The Master said, ‘When a man’s knowledge is sufficient to attain, and his virtue is not sufficient to enable him to hold, whatever he may have gained, he will lose again.

‘When his knowledge is sufficient to attain, and he has virtue enough to hold fast, if he cannot govern with dignity, the people will not respect him.

‘When his knowledge is sufficient to attain, and he has virtue enough to hold fast; when he governs also with dignity, yet if he try to move the people contrary to the rules of propriety:– full excellence is not reached.’

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1st stage: knowing (understanding, thinking, talking)

2nd stage: abiding (holding the core intentions)

3rd stage: applying (in worldily roles)

4th stage: integrating (within propriety, in harmony with prevailing situation)

At the first stage, one knows what is and not virtue.  At second stage, one not only knows about it, but can abide in it in one’s individual life.  At third stage, one expands the practice of virtue from isolated individual to interacting with others through various worldly roles. At final stage, one succeeds in aligning with virtue without contradicting with propriety and prevailing social standards, e.g. final stage of life of Confucius.

Therefore, first stage practitioners are scholars, second stage practitioners are hermits and experts of the internal world, third stage practitioners are socialists and Bodhisattvas (masters of the internal world seeking to help the world); forth stage practitioners are full enlightened masters of internal and external worlds.

Knowing one knows nothing, is sane; not knowing but claim one knows, is sickness.

-> The limited self, with its limited perception and bias, is not capable to see the whole picture in this unlimited universe.  Having some understanding and opinions and proceed to claim that one knows, is arrogance out of ignorance.

When one knows sickness is sickness, one will not be sick.

-> On the other hand, when one become honest and admit one’s limitation and bias, i.e. the self is limited and cannot know the universal wisdom, one is integrous and return to sanity.  I.e. a limited but sane person.

Saints are not sick, as they see sickness as sickness, and therefore not sick.

-> By admitting our limitations, we become true to what we are, and therefore do not fall into the temptation of self inflation and ignorance.  Saints are no difference, they do not claim their “self”s to be perfect and all knowing, but attribute that divine perfection to the universe and the Dao.

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Chapter 71 Discussion:

If claiming to know is sick, then are we all sick?  Yes, if we are unaware; and we become sane again when we become aware of it.

If our knowing is temporary and limited, how then should we view the knowing of the self then?  Should we stop trying to understand and know all together and claim that all knowledge and knowing are limited?  No, because if we do that we fall into another extreme of concluding all understanding as temporary.  Laozi said that, knowing the limitation of the self is adequate.  With this intuitive understanding, one can continue life with the self, in the natural rhythm of the universe, yet not fall into the sickness of self-inflation and ignorance.  Sanity returns.

Bilingual version of Ch71: https://www.lisiming.net/chinese-philosophy/daoist/daoist-philosophy/dao-de-jing-core-33-chapters/ddj55-79/