Classical Text 古典文獻 · Dao De Jing 道德經
Chapter 71 — Knowing Ignorance
知病
Part II — Virtue (De) 下篇·德經
Original Verse
原文
知不知，上；不知知，病。
夫唯病病，是以不病。
聖人不病，以其病病，是以不病。
English Translation
英譯
To know that you do not know is the highest attainment.
To not know, yet think you know, is a disease.
Only by recognizing this disease as a disease can one be free of it.
The Sage is free of the disease because he recognizes it as a disease.
Therefore, he is not sick.
Liuren Fajiao Commentary
六壬法教注疏
In Liuren Fajiao, "Thinking you know" (不知知) is the most common cause of failed magic and spiritual stagnation. This "Disease" (病) manifests as the belief that one has "mastered" the spirits or the Dao. This arrogance creates a blockage between the practitioner and the Immortal Master.
A true master maintains the state of "Knowing that you do not know" (知不知). This is the state of the Uncarved Block—always empty and always ready to be taught by the Dao. By being "sick of the disease" (recognizing intellectual pride as a hindrance), the master stays spiritually healthy.
When we perform a ritual, we do not rely on our "knowledge," but on our "connection." By being humble about our own understanding, we allow the Absolute Knowing of the Dao to work through us. This is how we remain "not sick" in our cultivation.
Source: Dao De Jing (道德經), Chapter 71