Six Secret Teachings, Civil Teaching — Passing It On Clearly六韜 明傳
1King Wen, lying ill, asks for the Way he is to pass to his descendants
文王寢疾,召太公望,太子發在側。曰:「嗚呼!天將棄予。周之社稷,將以屬汝。今予欲師至道之言,以明傳之子孫。」太公曰:「王何所問?」文王曰:「先聖之道,其所止,其所起,可得聞乎?」太公曰:「見善而怠,時至而疑,知非而處,此三者,道之所止也。柔而靜,恭而敬,強而弱,忍而剛,此四者,道之所起也。故義勝欲則昌,欲勝義則亡;敬勝怠則吉,怠勝敬則滅。」
King Wen lay ill and summoned Taigong Wang, and the crown prince Fa was at his side. He said, "Alas, Heaven is about to cast me off. The altars of Zhou I shall now put into your hands. I wish to take the words of the utmost Way as my teacher, and so pass them on clearly to my sons and grandsons." Taigong said, "What would my lord ask?" King Wen said, "The Way of the former sages — where it stops and where it rises — may I hear of it?" Taigong said, "To see the good and be slack, to have the moment come and doubt, to know a thing is wrong and yet remain in it — these three are where the Way stops. To be gentle and still, to be humble and reverent, to be strong and yet yielding, to bear much and yet be firm — these four are where the Way rises. So when righteousness overcomes desire, there is flourishing, and when desire overcomes righteousness, there is ruin. When reverence overcomes slackness, there is good fortune, and when slackness overcomes reverence, there is destruction."