第十六章
原文：致虚极，守静笃。万物并作，吾以观复。夫物芸芸，各复归其根。归根曰静，静曰复命，复命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作凶。知常容，容乃公，公乃全，王乃天，天乃道，道乃久，没身不殆。
罗汉乱弹琴：上一章，老子教我们如何从外表和行为处事，看一个人是不是“士”。这一章是教我们如何从观天察地，类万物之情中悟“道”的存在。
致虚极，守静笃。万物并作，吾以观复——让自己的心灵、思想处于极为虚空，保持极为宁静的状态，看世间万物蓬勃生发的状态，我在这个过程中观察他们是怎样完成生命的周期性变化。
夫物芸芸，各复归其根。归根曰静，静曰复命——自然界的万千物种，都有各自生发、成长、壮大、成熟、衰老等蓬蓬勃勃的运动过程，最后又都会回到静止的，也就是归根复命状态。而这，既是他们生命的终点，也是他们新一轮生命活动的起点。
复命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作凶——这种归根复命的运动是具有固定周期性的，我们对事物生发成熟的周期有了确切的认知，才算是更深入更清晰地了解了事物。如果我们不知道事物动静变化具有周期性的规律，就会盲动妄作，妄作自然会遭到掉入深坑的危险。
知常容，容乃公，公乃全——明白了事物的动静都具有各自的周期规律，我们就能等待和包容。比如有的生长快，有的生长慢，由于我们明白了他们各自的特点、规律，我们就不会“拔苗助长”，又比如猪喜欢贪吃，鸡喜欢挑食，我们对他们各自的习惯就会公正对待。由于我们明白了他们都有各自的生命习性和周期，就会周全地考虑如何让他们各得其所。这样，我们对待万千事物的态度就既是包容的，也是公平的，更是全面的啦。
王乃天，天乃道，道乃久，没身不殆——啊！主宰万物的王是天，是大自然。是存在于自然中的道，这道的存在和主宰，由来已久，就是我们的生命终结了，它也不会跟我们一起消亡。
从行文中，我们看到老子在这里着重观察的是植物的生命周期，所以对其生命运动的周期节点，用的是“复命归根”。很多植物，在经过一个生长周期后会花谢叶落，枝干会枯萎，看似死掉。民间却不这样认为，将其叫做“化苗”，也就是生命的元气重新回到地下的根部去了。所以老子将其叫做“复归其根”。待到新春，重又冒出新芽，长出新枝，开始新一轮的生命运动。老子从这有形的现象观察中，悟出了“动”与“静”的辩证。动和静都是生命运动的表现形式，动，是向静的回归，所以世上没有永动不静的事物；静，是向动的酝酿。所以世上没有恒静不动的事物。静是生命能量的收敛，动是生命能量的外泄。而这种外泄不是单向的，而是与外界进行能量交换的双向运动。也就是事物在做外泄运动的同时，也在为自己回归静的状态吸收着使自己能静的能量。老子更进而悟出，世间万物静与动的无限循环，和天与地的大开大合运动是同步的。所以“道乃久”，“没身不殆”！
请注意，我在这里特别阐述动与静的辩证，是想批驳天体物理学家的一种错误理论：一个错误是认定宇宙中的黑物质是死物质的概念。这不符合动静、生死的辩证关系。一个错误是认定宇宙会有一个无限收缩的时期，也就是认定霍金说的宇宙是从一颗豌豆突然爆炸而处于无限扩散的状态，这个无限扩散的状态最终会转为收缩，也就是宇宙会坍塌。会无限收缩回“豌豆”。这看起来很符合老子“归根复命”的思想。但是我要说这是对老子思想的机械化理解。当科学家告知，宇宙中有黑洞存在的时候，我就明白这个宇宙在扩散的同时也在收缩，扩散（动）和收缩（静）同步进行。正因为如此地进行着动、静能量的交换。所以，宇宙是“道乃久，没身不殆”的。
从老子以通过植物观察而悟的“道”，说明那个时候老子所处的时代，是以农耕为主的农业文明。但老子却没有因此就让自己的思维受限。作为现代人的我们，为什么要把自己的思维局限、治理社会的无能，归咎于我们是植根于农耕文明的农耕民族呢？
还是把这样一句俗话送给当政者好：“不会撑船怪河弯”！
Luohan comprehension：
In the last chapter，Lao-Tzu teach us that identify a person through observing the appearance and behavior. In this chapter，he will teach us to observe the heaven and earth，realize the existence of philosophic theory“道”.
致虚极，守静笃。万物并作，吾以观复——Empty the self completely；embrace perfect peace. The world will rise and move；watch it return to rest.
夫物芸芸，各复其根。归根曰静，静曰复命——When things have diaplayed their luxuriant growth，we see each of them return to its root. This returning to their root is what we call the state of stillness；and that stillness may be called a reporting that they have fulfilled their appointed end. And that is the end of life but also the origin of life.
复命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作凶——The report of that fulfilment is the regular，unchanging rule. To know that unchanging rule is to be intelligent：Not to know it leads to wild movements and evil.
知常容，容乃公，公乃全——The knowing of that unchanging rule produces a grand capacity and forbearance，and the capacity and forbearance lead to a community. As we understand its own characteristics，we will not spoil things by excessive enthusiasm，such as the greedy pig and the picky chicken，we must treat them fairy according to their habits. From this community of feeling comes a kingliness of character.
王乃天，天乃道，道乃久，没身不殆——He who is king like goes on to be heaven-like. In that likeness to heaven he possesses the Tao. Possessed the Tao，he endures long；and to the end of his bodily life，is exempt from all danger of decay.
From the chapter，we can see that Lao-Tzu focused on observe the life cycle of plants. The node periodically of the motions of lives were called refer to soul. Many plants will fade and wither after a cycle of growth and seem to die. But the folk don’t think so，they called it“burn seedlings”，that is the vitality return to the ground. So Lao-Tzu called it“return to its root”. The light green buds sprout from the trees in spring and start a new round of life activities. Lao-Tzu realize the dialectical relations of dynamic and static through observation of the visible phenomenon. The dynamic and static are both forms of energy. The dynamic return to static and the static return to dynamic. So there is not perpetual dynamic things and the static things. Static is the convergence of energy and dynamic is the leakage of energy. And the leakage is not single but interactive movement for the interchange of energy，at the same time it taking all the static energy through the movement. So Lao-Tzu had the further experience that all things are infinite loop by dynamic and static，and it synchronize the opening-closing movement of the heaven and earth. So“道乃久，没身不殆”.
So in here notice that the importance I state the dialectical relations of dynamic and static，I want to refute the false theory of astrophysicist：First they think that the dark matter is dead material. It do not conform to the dialectical relations of dynamic and static.；second they think that the universe has a period of expansions-contraction，that is what Hawking said：the universe had suddenly exploded from a pea and then present a status as a unbounded diffusion，but finally it will contract into a pea，or maybe it will collapse. It seems to the ideology“return to its root”by Lao-Tzu，but I would like to say is that is the mechanization of comprehension. When the societist told the existence of black holes in the universe，I can understand the universe was expanding and at the same time was contracting. The expansions（dynamic） and contraction（static） synchronization. So“道乃久，没身不殆”.
According to the word“Tao”in which from the observation of plants，it illustrate that the period when Lao-Tzu lived was a agrarian age. But it did not limit the“idea space”of Lao-Tzu. As the modern people，why should we attribute it to the limitation of thinking and political incompetent even the agrarian age？
I want to give this proverb to the rulers，“不会撑船怪河弯”(a bad workman always blames his tools) .
2011年12月27日星期二于富力湾
