道德經聚會主題（11）- 治人事天（59-61）

聚會日期：2013年2月12日，12點

探討內容：

Virtue, the root of politics

Dao, the ultimate policy to peace

Humbleness, the way to harmonize nations

帛本：

治人事天莫若嗇，夫唯嗇，是以早服，早服是謂重積德。重積德則無不克，無不克則莫知其極。莫知其極，可以有國。有國之母，可以長久。是謂深根固柢，長生久視之道也。

治大國若烹小鮮，以道蒞天下，其鬼不神。非其鬼不神也，其神不傷人也。非其神不傷人也，聖人亦弗傷也。夫兩不相傷。故德交歸焉。

大邦者，下流也；天下之牝，天下之交也；牝恒以靜勝牡。為其靜也，故宜為下。大邦以下小邦，則取小邦；小邦以下大邦，則取於大邦。故或下以取，或下而取。故大邦者，不過欲兼畜人，小邦者，不過欲入事人，夫皆得其欲，則大者宜為下。

參照其他本:

治人事天，莫若嗇。夫唯嗇，是謂早服；早服謂之重積德；重積德則無不克；無不克則莫知其極，莫知其極，可以有國；有國之母，可以長久。是謂根深固柢，長生久視之道。

治大國，若烹小鮮，以道蒞天下，其鬼不神。非其鬼不神，其神不傷人。非其神不傷人，聖人亦不傷人。夫兩不相傷，故德交歸焉。

大邦者下流，天下之牝，天下之交也。牝常以靜勝牡，以靜為下。故大邦以下小邦，則取小邦；小邦以下大邦，則取大邦。故或下以取，或下而取。大邦不過欲兼畜人，小邦不過欲入事人。夫兩者各得所欲，大者宜為下。

英文對照

59.1 To govern men in accord with nature It is best to be restrained; 
59.2 Restraint makes agreement easy to attain, And easy agreement builds harmonious relationships; With sufficient harmony no resistance will arise; When no resistance arises, then you possess the heart of the nation, 
59.3 And when you possess the nation's heart, your influence will long endure: 
59.4 Deeply rooted and firmly established. This is the method of far sight and long life. 

60.1 Manage a great nation as you would cook a delicate fish. 
60.2 When you use the Way to conquer the world, Your demons will lose their power to harm. 
60.3 It is not that those manes have not that spiritual energy, but it will not be employed to hurt men. It is not that it could not hurt men, but neither does the ruling sage hurt them. 
60.4 When neither you nor your demons can do harm, You will be at peace with them. 

61.1 A nation is like a hierarchy, a marketplace, and a maiden. A maiden wins her husband by submitting to his advances; Submission is a means of union. 
61.2 So when a large country submits to a small country It will adopt the small country; When a small country submits to a large country It will be adopted by the large country; 
61.3 The one submits and adopts; The other submits and is adopted. 
61.4 It is in the interest of a large country to unite and gain service, And in the interest of a small country to unite and gain patronage; 
61.5 If both would serve their interests, Both must submit. 

另一英文版本翻譯

59.1 The essential for co-operation with heaven in the government of men, is to moderate one's action. 
59.2 This moderation should be the prime care. It procures perfect efficacy, which succeeds in everything, even the governing of the empire. 
59.3 He who possesses this mother of the empire (wise moderation), will last a long time. 
59.4 It is called the pivoting root, the solid trunk. It is the principle of perpetuity. 

60.1 To govern a great state, one should act like someone cooking a very small fish (very delicately, otherwise they break up). 
60.2 When a state is governed according to the Principle, phantoms do not appear there to harm the people, because the Sage who governs does not harm the people. 
60.3 Not that the spirits have no more powers, But their powers will not harm men./ Neither will they harm men, Nor will the Sage harm the people. 
60.4 The merit of this double tranquility (on the part of the living and the dead) comes back, therefore, to the Sage. 

61.1 If a great state lowers itself, like those holes in which water accumulates, everyone will come to it. It will belike the universal female. In her apparent passivity and inferiority, the female is superior to the male (for it is she who gives birth). 
61.2 On condition of knowing how to lower itself, a great state will win over lesser states, 
61.3 which in their turn, will lower themselves, seeking its protection. 
61.4 
61.5 For this to be realized, only one thing is needed, but it is essential. It is that the great state deigns to lower itself before the lesser ones. (if it is proud and hard, there is no hope)