Nine Medicines

Medicine is a combination of various treatments. Guan Yinzi said: Do not underestimate small matters; do not underestimate small objects; do not underestimate small insects that can poison your body; do not underestimate small people; small people can destroy a country. If one can handle small matters well, then one can achieve great things; if one can accumulate small things, then one can achieve great things; if one can be kind to small people, then one can support great people. Since heaven has no one to be certain of, man has no one to be certain of. Only when I leave affairs and people can I remain within myself. This is all that is possible. There is no distinction between simplicity and complexity, restraint and forbearance, diligence and idleness. It is said: Those who reach the peak of wisdom know that their wisdom is insufficient to encompass all things, and thus they are foolish. Those who have reached the extreme of discrimination know that the result of such discrimination is insufficient to illustrate objects, and thus are dull. Those who are extremely brave know that the outcome of their courage is not enough to defeat anything, and thus they are timid. It is said: Of all things in heaven and earth, nothing is mine. Things are not me; things have to respond. I'm not who I am; I have no choice but to support. Though responding to things, there is never anything in existence. Though they support me, they never support me. Do not say that external things lead to external self; do not say that external appearance leads to external mind. The Way is one and cannot be advanced in sequence. It is said: "Those who understand the tiniest details cannot see the vastness of heaven and earth." Those who judge the sound of thunder do not hear it. Those who see the big do not see the small; those who see the near do not see the far; those who hear the big do not hear the small; those who hear the near do not hear the far. The sage sees nothing, and thus sees nothing; hears nothing, and thus hears nothing. It is said that when the eyes see something but do not know its shape, one may love gold or jade, but they are fixated on one color. What the ear hears is unknown in terms of quantity. Whether one loves a bell or a drum, it is all about taking one sound as the ear. Only the sage does not admire, reject or deal with it. It is said that those who do well in the present can follow in the past, and those who do well in the last can establish the foundation. It is said: A cunning man can catch a thief, and a brave tiger can catch a tiger. To be able to restrain oneself is to achieve self-fulfillment; to overcome all things is to benefit all things; to forget the way is to follow the way. It is said:  If something is firm, it will be destroyed; if it is hard, it will break. If the knife is sharp, everything will surely be destroyed. Riss was defeated. Wei Feng regards the rare as divine, and thus the sage takes the profound as his root. When a musk deer is left behind, its fragrance is not captured. This is why the sage made a pact as a record. It is said: If the bottle has two openings and is filled with water, then when it is poured out and one is closed, the water will not flow down and the lid will not rise or fall. Though a well is a thousand feet high, if water is drawn from it, it will not rise if it does not fall. Therefore, the sage does not precede anything. It is said that when a person makes a mistake, even if they have suffered after the loss, over time, I will reflect on it before the loss. Only by not relying on one's own intelligence but taking in the intelligence of others, and only by having no self but taking in the self of the world, if one follows this throughout one's life, one can never lose. It is said: The customs of ancient and modern times are different, and those of the east, west, south and north are also different. As for the virtues of a family and a person, they are also different. How could I hold on to one thing for future generations? Only by following the common customs at all times, taking the initiative and acting later, donating anger to suppress desires, simplifying material matters and forgiving others, weighing the importance of things, and doing them naturally, in accordance with the divine, unpredictable, and in line with the way, unpredictable. It is said that there are those who have the right way to befriend, those who have the right virtue to befriend, and those who have the right matter to befriend. Those who have a close relationship with each other are like father and son. They come from the realm of right and wrong, wisdom and ignorance. Therefore, those who have a long-term relationship of virtue will have right and wrong, wisdom and ignorance. Therefore, whether to unite or part ways, those who are close will either unite or part ways. It is said: Do not be clumsy or crude. The essence of the way should be joyful and agile. Do not be foolish and dark; when the way is obscure, be glad to be light and bright. Do not be proud of the easy way; it is said that when the way is high, one should enjoy harmony and unity. Do not let sweat spread; the vastness of the way should be filled with joy and urgency. Do not be sad; say that the stillness of the Tao should be filled with joy and contentment. As the ancients said, learning has many disadvantages and cannot be ignored. It is said: One must not dismiss the world as oneself, must not belittle others while respecting oneself, must not neglect one's own way, must not slander one's own virtue, and must not look down upon one's own talent. It is said: The wise in the world do not lie in their wisdom but in their foolishness. The master of debate in the world does not lie in debate but in eloquence. A brave person in the hot summer days does not lie in bravery but in timidity. It is said: The sky cannot match winter lotus and spring chrysanthemum, so the sage does not go against The Times; the earth cannot match orange and badger, so the sage does not go against the customs; the sage cannot hold hands and feet, so he does not go against his own strengths; the sage cannot make fish and birds fly, so he does not go against others' strengths. In this way, one can move or stop, be subtle or clear, but cannot be bound. Therefore, it is the way. It is said that those who speak little are not despised by others, those who act little are not criticized by others, those who are wise little are not toiled by others, and those who are capable little are not enslaved by others. It is said: "Be sincere in your conduct, simple in your actions, forgiving in your treatment, and silent in your response. My way will never end." It is said: Plan for matters, make decisions based on reason, act for people, and succeed by nature. Learn from the present, reason with the ancient, act in accordance with others, but follow the way of oneself. It is said that gold and jade are hard to donate, while earth and stones are easy to give up. Those who study the Tao, when encountering subtle words or brilliant deeds, should be cautious not to cling to them. These are actions that can be taken but should not be held onto. If one holds onto them, there will be a disease in the heart and mind that cannot be cured. It is said that a person who is not clear about urgent matters but engages in many other and extraordinary tasks will encounter poverty and misfortune. Little do they know that everything is there and they cannot abandon one for another. It is said: The principle of the world is that if one gives up one's relatives, one will be distant; if one gives up the root, one will be weak; if one gives up the virtuous, one will be foolish; if one gives up the near, one will be distant. It can be temporary, but if it lasts long, it will harm life. It is said that in the past, those who discussed the Dao were either described as calm and silent, or as profound and deep, or as clear and transparent, or as empty and unified, or as obscure and dark. Be cautious not to feel frightened and retreat when encountering such things. The ultimate truth of the world is not just words or intentions. Merely understanding is neither words nor intentions. Beyond that subtle and profound meaning, it is in line with what I have said. It is said: The sage spoke highly of gold and jade, and less of bellflower 芣 wei. If used properly, the platycodon grandiflorum 芣 should be cleaned up; if not, it should be killed with gold and jade. It is said that those who speak of something, A says it is beneficial, B says it is harmful, C says it is either beneficial or harmful, and D says it is both beneficial and harmful. There must be one of them. Those who symbolize the way do not speak. It is said: When things exist, their words are reasonable; when the way does not exist, its words are unreasonable. If one's words are unreasonable, then every word is true. Not knowing that words are unreasonable, even if one holds onto the most profound words, they are regarded as obstructions and obstructions. It is said: It is easy not to trust fools, but hard not to trust virtuous people. It is easy not to trust virtuous people, but hard not to trust sages. It is easy not to trust one sage, but hard not to trust a thousand sages. Those who do not believe in the thousand sages will not see others on the outside, nor themselves on the inside, nor the Dao above, nor the affairs below. It is said: The sage speaks of the hazy, thus making people deaf; the sage speaks of the dark, thus making people blind; the sage speaks of the deep, thus making people dull. One who is deaf cannot hear sounds, one who is blind cannot see colors, and one who is silent cannot speak. Those who do not listen to the sound do not listen to the truth, do not listen to the affairs, and do not listen to me. Those who do not see form do not see the way, do not see events, and do not see themselves. Those who do not speak do not talk about the way, do not talk about matters, and do not talk about themselves. It is said that people only know that there are true losses within false gains, but they do not realize that there are true losses within true gains. One only knows that there is truth and falsehood within falsehood, but fails to realize that there is truth and falsehood within truth. It is said that those who speak of the Tao are like those who speak of dreams. Those who speak of dreams say that such gold and jade, such vessels, such beasts, the speaker can speak of them but cannot take them, the listener can hear them but cannot receive them. Only those who are good at listening are neither muddled nor discerning. It is said: "Be round in your way, square in your actions, flat in your conduct, and sharp in your matters."