Chapter 3: Keeping the Heart Empty (第3章：安民)

不尚賢，使民不爭；
不貴難得之貨，使民不為盜；
不見可欲，使民心不亂。
是以聖人之治，
虛其心，實其腹，弱其志，強其骨。
常使民無知無欲。使夫智者不敢為也。
為無為，則無不治。
☸

Translation

Not exalting the gifted prevents contention among the people.
Not prizing rare goods prevents the people from stealing.
Not displaying desirable things prevents the people's hearts from being disturbed.

Therefore the Sage governs by:
Emptying their hearts and filling their bellies;
Weakening their ambitions and strengthening their bones.

He constantly keeps the people without knowledge and without desire,
Ensuring that even the "clever" do not dare to act.
By practicing non-action, nothing remains ungoverned.

✦ ◆ ✦

📜 Liuren Perspective

This chapter is a blueprint for internal cultivation within the Liuren path. "Emptying the heart" (虛其心) means quieting the emotional mind and the ego, which are often the source of spiritual blockages.

"Filling the belly" (實其腹) refers to the practice of sinking the Qi (氣) to the lower Dantian. By grounding the energy in the physical center, the practitioner gains stability and "strong bones"—a metaphor for a resilient spiritual foundation.

"Weakening ambition" (弱其志) does not mean becoming weak, but rather letting go of the aggressive, calculating mind (the "clever" ones who dare to act). When the practitioner acts from a state of Wu Wei, the Fa (magic) is performed through them by the higher powers, leading to a state where "nothing remains ungoverned."

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