Chapter 13 — Honour, Disgrace, and the Self

Classical text

宠辱若惊，贵大患若身。何谓宠辱若惊？宠为下，得之若惊，失之若惊，是谓宠辱若惊。何谓贵大患若身？吾所以有大患者，为吾有身；及吾无身，吾有何患？故贵以身为天下，若可寄天下；爱以身为天下，若可托天下。

Original rendering

Favour and disgrace both bring alarm; value great trouble as you value the embodied self. What does it mean that favour and disgrace bring alarm? Favour places one in a dependent position: receiving it causes alarm, and losing it causes alarm. What does it mean to value great trouble as the self? I have great trouble because I cling to the self; if I were free from clinging to the self, what trouble would remain? Therefore one who values the self as carefully as the world may be entrusted with the world; one who loves the self as responsibly as the world may be given its care.

Beginner’s guide

“No self” does not mean neglecting the body or denying individuality. It questions defensive attachment to a social image. The closing lines require a balanced reading: someone who cares responsibly for embodied life, without making status the centre, may also care responsibly for others.

Key ideas

• Dependence on approval makes praise as agitating as blame.

• The body deserves care, but the social ego need not rule every choice.

• Public responsibility requires grounded self-care without self-obsession.

Reading it in modern life

Before reacting to criticism, separate useful information from the wound to status. Before accepting praise, notice whether it changes your standards or makes you fear the next judgment. Care for sleep, health, and limits so that responsibility does not become martyrdom or vanity.

A question to carry

Which part of my alarm belongs to the actual situation, and which part belongs to protecting an image?

Continue reading the complete Tao Te Ching overview, Chapter 12 or continue to Chapter 14.