Chapter 54 of the Dao De Jing explores how cultivating inner virtue (De) naturally extends from the individual to family, community, nation, and ultimately the world. It emphasizes the organic growth of ethical influence through non-coercive alignment with the Dao.
What (Dao’s) skilful planter plants
Can never be uptorn;
What his skilful arms enfold,
From him can never be borne.
Sons shall bring in lengthening line,
Sacrifices to his shrine.
Dao when nursed within one’s self,
His vigour will make true;
And where the family it rules
What riches will accrue!
The neighbourhood where it prevails
In thriving will abound;
And when ’tis seen throughout the state,
Good fortune will be found.
Employ it the kingdom o’er,
And men thrive all around.
In this way the effect will be seen in the person, by the observation of different cases; in the family; in the neighbourhood; in the state; and in the kingdom.
How do I know that this effect is sure to hold thus all under the sky? By this (method of observation).
At the very beginning, Laozi mentioned that:
- What is well-established cannot be uprooted;
- What is firmly embraced cannot be stripped away.
It refers to grounding oneself in Dao’s principles and unwavering adherence to virtue(De).
Then Laozi outlines a natural progression: personal virtue radiates outward to family, community, nation, and the world.
Finally, Laozi advocates one way to perceive the world, the self-observation.
Since the cultivation of De benefits the people, family, community, nation, or the world at different levels. And the outcomes of inner spiritual work can be observable. We can evaluate the effectiveness of one’s inner cultivation of the Dao and De by observing the external manifestations.
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