Chapter 60: Ruling a Large Country (第60章：居位)

治大國，若烹小鮮。
以道蒞天下，其鬼不神；
非其鬼不神，其神不傷人；
非其神不傷人，聖人亦不傷人。
夫兩不相傷，故德交歸焉。
☸

Translation

Ruling a large country is like cooking a small fish.

When the world is ruled with the Dao, ghosts lose their power.
It is not that the ghosts lose their power, but that their power does not harm people.
It is not that their power does not harm people, but that the Sage also does not harm people.

When these two do not harm each other, Virtue (De) flows between them and returns to the source.

✦ ◆ ✦

📜 Liuren Perspective

This is a major instruction for Spiritual Management in Liuren Fajiao. "Cooking a small fish" (烹小鮮) means acting with extreme care and Non-interference. If you poke a small fish too much, it breaks apart. Similarly, if a practitioner over-meddles with spiritual forces (Ghost/神), they create chaos.

"When ruled with the Dao, ghosts lose their power" (其鬼不神). This describes the Natural Exorcism of our lineage. We do not necessarily need to "fight" every ghost. By maintaining a high vibration of the Dao at the Altar, negative entities simply lose their "signal" and their ability to "harm people."

The goal is a state where "neither side harms the other" (兩不相傷). This includes the practitioner not harming the spirits and the spirits not harming the people. When this balance is achieved, Virtue (De) is preserved and returned to the Immortal Master.

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