Chapter 72 — Loving oneself愛己

清靜無為謂之居，謙後不盈謂之生，離其清淨，行其躁欲，棄其謙後，任其威權，則物擾而民僻，威不能復制民，民不能堪其威，則上下大潰矣，天誅將至。故曰，民不畏威，則大威至。無狎其所居，無厭其所生，言威力不可任也。

Being clear and still and not acting is called where one lives; being humble, staying behind, and not filling oneself up is called one's livelihood. Leave that clearness and stillness and practice a hasty wanting, cast off that humble staying behind and entrust yourself to your power and authority, and then things fall into disorder and the people grow crooked, so that even power can no longer govern them. When the people cannot bear that power, high and low collapse utterly, and heaven's punishment arrives. Therefore it says that when the people do not fear your power, a greater power arrives. Do not crowd them where they live and do not make them weary of their livelihood — this says that power and force cannot be relied on.

威，害也。人不畏小害則大害至。大害者，謂死亡也。畏之者當愛精神，承天順地也。

Power (威) is harm. If a man does not fear a small harm, a great harm arrives. The great harm means death. One who fears it should cherish his spirit, uphold heaven, and follow earth.

謂心居神，當寬柔，不當急狹也。

This says that the heart houses the spirit, and so it should be ample and soft, and must not be hurried and cramped.

人所以生者，以有精神。託空虛，喜清靜，飲食不節，忽道念色，邪僻滿腹，為伐本厭神也。

A man lives because he has spirit. He ought to entrust himself to emptiness and delight in clearness and stillness; but when there is no restraint in eating and drinking, when he forgets the Dao and thinks of color, and what is wrong and crooked fills his belly, this is to cut down the root and make the spirit weary.

不自厭也。

He does not weary of himself.

夫唯獨不厭精神之人，洗心濯垢，恬泊無欲，則精神居之不厭也。

It is only the man who does not make his spirit weary who washes his heart and launders its filth, and is calm and without wanting; then the spirit dwells there and does not weary of it.

不自厭，是以天下莫之厭。

He does not weary of himself, and so no one under heaven wearies of him.

不自見其所知，以光耀行威也。

He does not display what he knows, flashing his brilliance to wield power.

自知己之得失，不自顯見德美於外，藏之於內。

He knows for himself his own gains and losses, but does not display the beauty of his virtue outwardly; he keeps it within.

自貴則物狎厭居生。

Make yourself precious and things will crowd where people live and make them weary of their livelihood.

自愛其身以保精氣，不自貴高榮名於世。

He loves his own body and so keeps his vital essence (精氣), and does not raise his name in the world to make himself precious.

去彼自見、自貴，取此自知、自愛。

He casts off that — displaying himself and making himself precious — and takes this — knowing himself and loving himself.