Explanation Of The Tao Te Ching Part Sixty Two

“Tao is the source of the ten thousand things.
It is the treasure of the good man, and the refuge of the bad.
Sweet words can buy honor;
Good deeds can gain respect.
If a man is bad, do not abandon him.
Therefore on the day the emperor is crowned,
Or the three officers of state installed,
Do not send a gift of jade and a team of four horses,
But remain still and offer the Tao.
Why does everyone like the Tao so much at first?
Isn’t it because you find what you seek and are forgiven when you sin?
Therefore this is the greatest treasure of the universe.”

Immersed in universal nature is the home of a good person and the refuge of the bad, in the same way that a Christian lives in the house of god and a bad person calls on him only when he’s in trouble.

Words and deeds to buy honour and respect are disingenuous and can be seen to be so, but we shouldn’t abandon a bad person as they still belong to the Tao.

The three officers of state are the ministers of education, war and work and considered to be the most important as they dictate what the public will learn and do.

Ministers, government and people should not be bribed, but offered the natural balance of the way where all can be forgiven and nature brings us back to what it intended us to be.