道德經
第五章 多言數窮
天地不仁①，以萬物為芻狗②。聖人不仁，以百姓為芻狗。天地之間，其猶槖龠③乎？虛而不屈，動而愈出。多言數④窮，不如守中⑤。
名詞解釋：
仁：仁愛、仁慈
芻狗：用野草紮成的狗，古人祭祀時用的，用後即扔。芻，野草
槖龠：古代的鼓風工具
數：通“速“
中：適中的意思
通篇解釋：
天地無所謂仁愛，對待世間萬物像對待祭祀時的小狗一樣，任憑其自然生長。有道的人也無所謂仁愛，對待百姓也如同對待芻狗一樣，任憑百姓自己發展。天和地之間，不就像一個風箱嗎？雖然中空但永無窮盡。只要越鼓動，風量就會越多。政令名目繁多反而會加速國家的敗亡，不如保持虛靜。
引申擴展：
1、天地既然無仁愛，人是否還要有所謂的仁愛之心呢？
天地的存亡當然是符合天道軌跡的，既然是一個軌跡或稱為一團意識集合，當然這個天地是無感情色彩的，無善惡之分的。那生活在天地之間的人，是否也應該格式掉自己的情感來符合這個天地大道的軌跡呢？從原則上說，人想要獲得更多收益，當然應該符合這天地軌跡來活即沒有情感牽絆，這樣做事更為中立公平，更不會螳臂當車與天道為敵。就好像你站在高一維度來俯瞰人世間的生命，就像人類觀察大自然的動物自由生長死亡，不應去破壞這個生態鏈。但完全符合這個標準的人基本上是沒有的，因為一個人如果沒了七情六慾，斷了血脈傳承，那這人和機器人還有什麼區別？當今社會，機器人取代人類的步伐正一步步加快，大膽暢想也許我們人類也只是上一代文明所遺留下來的生化機器人罷了。
2、
如何把天地不仁運用於治國安邦呢？在大道中，一個人乃至一個國家的形成，都應該順從大道軌跡原理，讓其自然發展成長。而不應該人為的設定概念去界定干涉道德或設定法律法規去苛責百姓。因為不管你模仿天道軌跡再像，都仍然會有雕琢的痕跡。唯有把人或國家放置在完全的天道中，任憑其風吹雨打自由生長，才會更有長久的生命力。
所以本章中已經講述了從政之道的精髓：”多言數窮，不如守中。”治國之道應該創造更為寬鬆的政策環境，民心安，則國安。我們也可以借史為鑑，西周中期以來，周王朝逐漸趨於衰落。到周厲王時期，社會矛盾進一步激化，而周厲王倒行逆施，不但繼承前朝積弊不思革新，不輕徭薄賦，更加緊盤剝，最終加速了西周的滅亡。
3、如何把聖人不仁運用於經商之道呢？
這裡先講一則寓言故事。春秋時期，一個宋國的窮人，向齊國的一個富人討教致富的方法。富人告訴他，我之所以能積累這麼多財富，其實是因為我很善於“偷”。三年之後，我便成為方圓百里的大戶，而在我富有之後，我便向周圍窮人施捨財物，大家也都得到了我的好處，擁護於我。窮人聽罷後，很興奮，沒問清楚這個“偷”的含義就回國自己致富去了。可想而知，那個窮人真的去靠偷盜來發家致富，結果自然最終進了班房。出獄後，窮人再去質問富人為何騙他，富人答是你自己心性不足，聽了我上半段不聽我下半段的經驗。我所謂的偷是指偷盜天時與地利。天時與地利就是指天有四季變化，地有四季物產。雨水霜露助我莊稼生長，山林湖泊助我畜牧與養殖。我偷的都是大自然的產物，即樹木莊稼、魚蝦龜鱉，飛禽走獸而發的家。
所以在經商中，還是要有做人的底線。即便知道得道之人無所謂仁愛，但安守的底線還是要自己給自己設定好，否則你就會飄了，這也是歷代王朝要設立進諫制度的原因。
作者V信：sweets3012
Chapter 5
Heaven and Earth are ruthless;
To them all things are straw dogs. (dogs are made up of straw for sacrifice)
The Sages are also ruthless;
To them the people are straw dogs.
Yet Heaven and Earth and all that lies between,
Is like a bellows.
In that it is empty, but gives a supply that never fails.
Work it and more comes out.
Whereas the force of words is soon spent.
Far better is it to keep what is in the heart.
Extension：
1、Heaven and earth are ruthless, should we still be kind?
Heaven and earth can exist, because they match with the WAY, just one track or a ball of mind group. Certainly, this heaven and earth are emotionless, no virtue and vice. Then how about the human live in this space? Should we also be ruthless to match the WAY more perfect? In principle, yes. However, there is no one can reach this state totally. Because if one reach this, what’s the difference between him and Robot? In this society, the human being are replaced of the robots in many ways. To imagine boldly, we maybe are also biochemical robots which previous civilization left.
2、How to govern the country by this ruthless WAY?
One country like one person should obey this WAY, and let it grow naturally. We shouldn’t make the concept to interfere the morality and make the laws to criticize the citizen. Because however you imitate the WAY running, you still will leave the carving trail. Only put the person and the country in the WAY totally, they expose to the wind and rain, then they can have strong vitality.
So according to the Chapter 5, the best way to govern the country is to make a slack policy environment, so that the citizen can live in peaceful and warm home. Take the history as a mirror, in the Western Zhou Dynasty falling period, the King Li of Zhou not only inherit bad policy, but also still intensify the tax and recruitment, then speed up the Western Zhou Dynasty failure.
3、How to do the business as a ruthless sage?
There is a fable story. In Chunqiu Period, a poor man asked a rich man for the way to be rich. The rich man told the poor man that he spent 3 years in stealing, then when he is rich enough, he donated his property to around people. The around people support him because of their benefit. Once hearing that, the poor man went back home excitingly without understanding the stealing meaning. As we all known, this poor man was caught by stealing in the end. Out of the prison, the poor man went to blame the rich man why he cheated on him? The rich man said: you had no patience to hear all my experience. It was not my fault. What I mean stealing is to steal the nature. The nature means four seasons make the resources abundant, the raining make the crops growing, the mountain forest raise livestock, the river make the fish breeding. I became rich by stealing these from the nature.
From this story, we know as a person we should keep our bottom line. Even you know the sage is ruthless in the WAY, you should also draw the bottom line by yourself, otherwise you will be arrogant. That is also why we have expostulation system in ancient time.
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