Laozi
善行無轍迹，善言無瑕讁； 善數不用籌策；善閉無關楗而不可開， 善結無繩約而不可解。是以聖人常善救人， 故無棄人；常善救物，故無棄物。 是謂襲明。故善人者，不善人之師； 不善人者，善人之資。不貴其師，不愛其資， 雖智大迷，是謂要妙。
James Legge
The skilful traveller leaves no traces of his wheels or footsteps; the skilful speaker says nothing that can be found fault with or blamed; the skilful reckoner uses no tallies; the skilful closer needs no bolts or bars, while to open what he has shut will be impossible; the skilful binder uses no strings or knots, while to unloose what he has bound will be impossible. In the same way the sage is always skilful at saving men, and so he does not cast away any man; he is always skilful at saving things, and so he does not cast away anything. This is called ‘Hiding the light of his procedure.‘
Therefore the man of skill is a master (to be looked up to) by him who has not the skill; and he who has not the skill is the helper of (the reputation of) him who has the skill. If the one did not honour his master, and the other did not rejoice in his helper, an (observer), though intelligent, might greatly err about them. This is called ‘The utmost degree of mystery.’
Victor H. Mair
He who is skilled at traveling leaves neither tracks nor traces; He who is skilled at speaking is flawless in his delivery; He who is skilled in computation uses neither tallies nor counters; He who is skilled at closing things tightly has neither lock nor key, but what he closes cannot be opened; He who is good at binding has neither cord nor string, but what he binds cannot be untied. For these reasons, The sage is always skilled at saving others and does not abandon them, nor does he abandon resources. This is called “inner intelligence.” Therefore, Good men are teachers for the good man, Bad men are foils for the good man. He who values not his teacher and loves not his foil, Though he be knowledgeable, is greatly deluded. This is called “the wondrous essential.”
C. Spurgeon Medhurst
Good doers leave no tracks. [^1] True words have no defects. Skillful plans require no calculations. Able closers need no locks and bars, yet none can open what they shut. [^2] Real strength wants no cords, yet none can loose it. [^3]
It follows that the Holy Man when helping others, works in accordance with the unchanging goodness. Hence, He rejects none. He does the same when helping nature to develop. Therefore, he rejects nothing. This may be called ‘obscured perception.’ [^4]
Thus the Good Man is the bad man’s instructor; the bad man the Good Man’s material. Yet he does not esteem himself a teacher, [^5] nor does he love his material. [^6]
Although one may be wise, here he is deceived. [*6a]
This is ‘The Cardinal Mystery.’ [^7]
The Christ declared that his disciples were the salt of the earth, the light of the world; but salt and light act towards all things with equal impartiality; moreover, the salt, because one with the whole, is unnoticed when the flavors are praised; light is indistinguishable from the landscape which it reveals. “Good doers leave no tracks.” It is this universalizing of his heart which gives the Sage his power. One with God he is one with all. The fuel dies that the flame may soar. What would become of man if the atmospheric oxygen insisted on remaining itself? The mother travails in pain that the child may be born. The cross is the center of all—“the symbol, not of separatism, but of universality.”
[^1] Matt. vi. 3.
[^2] i.e. They are independent of externals.
[^3] The paragraph teaches that the most forceful energies operate on the spiritual planes. Prayers are more valuable than gold.
[^4] In his dealings with humanity the Sage never departs from the eternal law of the Divine Wisdom, that every cause produces its own effect, and that no effect occurs without an adequate cause. The idea may be illustrated by a verse in section 99 of the Koran: “Whosoever hath wrought an ant’s weight of good shall behold it, And whosoever hath wrought an ant’s weight of evil shall behold it.” (Stanley Poole’s translation.)
The “perception” of the Sage is said to be obscured because it regards the hidden Law, rather than the immediate gain or immediate loss of the individual. The miracles of the Christ were the phenomena of his ministry of which he thought least.
[^5] Says Su Cheh: “Though himself unable to forget the world, the Sage is able to let the world forget him.”
[^6] 11e radiates power as the sun heat. The Lord Jesus was more concerned to witness for the truth than to save individuals.
[^6]a Cf. chaps. 20, 58, 73.
[^7] Huai-nan-tza illustrates the general teaching of the chapter by two illustrations from Chinese history. The Builder of the Great Wall could not retain the succession to the throne in his family; whereas the descendants of the virtuous Wu Wang swayed the scepter for thirty-four generations.
”Mystery” here reminds us of The Abyss of chap. 1.
Ursula K. Le Guin
Good walkers leave no track. Good talkers don’t stammer. Good counters don’t use their fingers. The best door’s unlocked and unopened. The best knot’s not in a rope and can’t be untied.
So wise souls are good at caring for people, never turning their back on anyone. They’re good at looking after things, never turning their back on anything. There’s a light hidden here.
Good people teach people who aren’t good yet; the less good are the makings of the good. Anyone who doesn’t respect a teacher or cherish a student may be clever, but has gone astray. There’s a deep mystery here.
Note UKLG: The hidden light and the deep mystery seem to be signals, saying “think about this” — about care for what seems unimportant. In a teacher’s parental care for the insignificant student, and in a society’s respect for mothers, teachers, and other obscure people who educate, there is indeed illumination and a profoundly human mystery. Having replaced instinct with language, society, and culture, we are the only species that depends on teaching and learning. We aren’t human without them. In them is true power. But are they the occupations of the rich and mighty?