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Introduction

This verse was very challenging to translate. Characters were used repeatedly, sometimes as nouns and sometimes as verbs. The cadence and poetic flow relied on double negatives, and the entire meaning is couched in Daoist cosmology and metaphysics. After chewing on it for an alarmingly long time, considering its brevity, I am ready to say, “Here it is!”

Translation

Govern the Nation,
  as one would fry a small fish.

When the World is governed by Dao,
  its “ghosts” do not stir. 

Not only do “ghosts” not stir,
  Spirit is not distressed. 

Not only is Spirit not distressed,
  neither is the Wise.

When neither harms the other,
  Integrity moves freely between them. 

Commentary

Govern the Nation,
  as one would fry a small fish.

Recall from verse 59 that the Nation is a delicate balance of the Three Treasures, resulting in the realization of a subtle, energetic life force known as Breath (炁, qì). 

If you’ve ever tried to fry a small fish, you know that it tends to fall apart as it cooks. If we are impatient or overzealous in tending to the fish, our attempts to manipulate it destroy it. Our overall health, well-being, meditative process, and work in Weaving the Way are like this. Our job is to maintain awareness of the appropriate conditions, providing only the gentlest of nudges as we allow the process to unfold. 

By contrast, fusing breath (气, qì) and Spirit (神, shèn) to realize Breath requires significantly more effort! 

Also, similar to the last verse, these opening lines are somewhat disconnected from the teaching. We are invited to spend some moments entering into a meditative mind before receiving the instructions that follow. 

When the World is governed by Dao,
  its “ghosts” do not stir. 

Here, the World simultaneously maintains several layers of meaning. It points to the “world out there” and our various relationships, roles, responsibilities, and professional activities. It refers to the “world in here,” meaning our personal conscious experience, including all of our meaning-making, identities, thoughts, and emotions. Finally, it refers to the microcosmic cycle of meditative, energetic circulation. 

To be governed by Dao is to regulate oneself according to natural principles of balance and harmony. 

Finally, “ghosts” refer to negative psycho-emotional experiences. In the “world out there,” ghosts are the various forms of suffering and conflict that destabilize our system and arise from our confused approach to life. In the “world in here,” ghosts are our guilt, shame, regrets, anxious thoughts, depression, lust, and other challenging emotional states. Finally, in meditation, ghosts are scattered concentration and inconsistency in our practice. 

Not only do “ghosts” not stir,
  Spirit is not distressed. 

Here, the verse takes a decidedly interior turn. 

When we aren’t “haunted by our ghosts,” our Spirit, the illuminating experience of pure awareness, is not distressed. In some way, seeking to relieve the distress of our Spirit is what drives most people to engage in meditative living. 

However, we can still understand this in the “world out there” by recognizing our paradoxical relationship with having many “ghosts.” Naturally, we find ourselves searching for solutions to the “world out there” in the “world out there,” including relying on external agents, concepts, and beliefs to solve our problems. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work very well and, eventually, we realize that such external projection keeps us trapped in a powerless, distressed state. At that time, we finally turn within and attune to what is truly necessary; the ghosts fade, and our spirit is restored. 

Not only is Spirit not distressed,
  neither is the Wise.

The Wise is our skillful engagement with the world, moving in the appropriate harmony with life’s unfolding. When we host many “ghosts,” it’s more challenging to show up as our best selves. As Spirit harmonizes with the Dao, our intuitive Wise One comes online and does not apply its faculties in unhelpful directions, like anxiously pre-planning 500 possible but unlikely and irrational outcomes to an event. 

When neither harms the other,
  Integrity moves freely between them. 

As Spirit (awareness) and the Wise move freely in their roles, not pulling each other around in various forms of distress, they can act according to the Dao, and we can more effectively Weave the Way. 

Remember the multi-layered meanings of 德 (dé, Integrity). Not only is it the skillful means mentioned earlier in the world, but it also represents the active aspect of the Dao and the balanced Three Treasures. Furthermore, dé is the energetic flow within the body. As Breath (炁, qì) rises and falls, it compounds itself. This process cannot occur when there is a systemic disturbance, and thus, the goal of the Way of Immortality (verse 59) will remain unattainable. 

I encourage you to read this verse several times. First, examine its principles in light of your relationship with a challenging issue or important person. Then, in light of your interior experience. Also, if you are a meditator, I hope you continue your efforts to realize the alchemical instructions this text provides.