THE LIFE AND TIMES OF LAO TAN

The Taoist method of seeking immortality is not that of the school of Chang Tao-ling, hunting for the elixir of immortality, and their art for becoming a genii. All this is unscientific. 4. His moral system. He has three views on ethics, which may be taken as mottoes of life. (a) Mercifulness. p. xix (b) Thrift. (c) Meekness. Lao Tzû says, (Chap. 67) "I have 3 precious things which I prize and hold fast. Gentleness, economy and a shrinking from taking precedence of others" (Legge). Compassion, self-restraint, refusal to claim precedence of others (Medhurst). Compassion gives courage; temperance gives ample-mindedness and liberality. By shrinking from the struggle for precedence, the physical life is lengthened. When men abandon these three precious things, they hurry on in the path of death. Compassion will be victorious in life: rely on it and you will be firm. Heaven always protects with compassion. It is recognised that Lao Tzû had courage; but it is forgotten that this came from his compassion: men recognise he had liberality but forget that it sprung from his temperance: they know, too, his preëminence; but they are unaware that this came from his diffidence and his not pushing himself forward. Jesus also said: "The last shall be first and the first last." The spirit that is willing to be last, comes to be the first. 5. His Political theory. Purity and tranquility are the leading ideas. Ancillary to these, we have (ning) peace of mind and unity. So Lao Tzû says: "Heaven is bright and pure, by unity: earth is restful, by unity: the soul wins unity through the spiritual: the valleys are full through it (unity); creation is life-giving, through unity: rules get the model of life, which they give to all, by it. (unity: tao). (C. 39) All these are the work of the One, (Tao). When the unity or the Cosmic Spirit is obtained, there is no need for rigorous laws and stern regulations, in order to win the people and keep them. Hence, the 1st Emperor of the Han, when he entered and occupied the Han Ku Pass, swept away the rigorous laws of Ch‛in Shih Huang and made a few simple and humane laws. These were the foundation of the Han dynasty. These plans were determined by Hsiao Ao, Ts‛ao Ch‛an, Ch‛en P‛ing, Ch‛ang Liang. (Advisers of the emperor). As a result of these spiritual ideas, the Western Han was most peaceful under