Classical Text 古典文獻 · Dao De Jing 道德經
Chapter 13 — Beyond Honor and Disgrace
厭恥
Part I — The Dao 上篇·道經
Original Verse
原文
寵辱若驚，貴大患若身。
何謂寵辱若驚？
寵為下，得之若驚，失之若驚，是謂寵辱若驚。
何謂貴大患若身？
吾所以有大患者，為吾有身，及吾無身，吾有何患？
故貴以身為天下，若可寄天下；
愛以身為天下，若可託天下。
English Translation
英譯
Favor and disgrace are both like a shock;
Honor and great trouble are both like the self.
What does "Favor and disgrace are both like a shock" mean?
Favor is inferior. Getting it is a shock; losing it is a shock.
This is what is meant by "Favor and disgrace are both like a shock."
What does "Honor and great trouble are both like the self" mean?
The reason I have great trouble is that I have a "self."
When I no longer have a "self," what trouble could I have?
Therefore, only those who value the world as they value their own bodies
Can be entrusted with the world.
Only those who love the world as they love their own bodies
Can be handed the world.
Liuren Fajiao Commentary
六壬法教注疏
In Liuren Fajiao, the greatest obstacle to power is the Ego (身/Self). If a practitioner is "shocked" by favor (praise) or disgrace (criticism), it shows their heart is still attached to worldly labels. True power requires a heart like still water, unaffected by external judgment.
"The reason I have trouble is that I have a self" is a profound truth in magical practice. When we perform rituals, if we think "I am doing this," we are limited by our own smallness. But when we have "no self" (acting as a conduit for the Lineage), there is no trouble and no limit to the power.
A master who values the lives of others as their own can be "entrusted with the world." This is the high standard of De (Virtue) required to hold the authority of the Immortal Master.
Source: Dao De Jing (道德經), Chapter 13