Alright, let's approach this from a perspective seeking fundamental principles, akin to uncovering the underlying laws of nature:
"The perfect Dao is without difficulty, save that it avoids picking and choosing."
Consider the "Dao" as the fundamental, unified principle governing reality, perhaps analogous to the ultimate, elegant laws of physics. Accessing or aligning with this principle is inherently simple, free of contrived complexity. The sole difficulty introduced is through the observer's imposition of preference, categorization, and judgment – the act of selecting one state or outcome as preferable over another.
"Only when you stop liking or disliking will all be clearly understood."
True, objective comprehension of the system ("all") requires the suspension of subjective bias. 'Liking' and 'disliking' represent observer-dependent value judgments that act as distorting filters on perception. Removing these filters allows for an unmediated, clearer observation of the system's inherent state, much like removing perturbing influences to observe a physical phenomenon in its pure form.
"A split hair's difference, and heaven and earth are set apart!"
This highlights the profound impact of introducing even the most minute subjective distinction or measurement boundary. The very act of imposing a dichotomous judgment, however small, fractures the perception of the underlying continuum. It creates a conceptual chasm (metaphorically, "heaven and earth") where previously there was unity, similar perhaps to how the act of measurement in quantum mechanics fundamentally alters the observed state or introduces distinctions not present before.
"If you want to get the plain truth, be not concerned with right and wrong."
To perceive objective reality ("the plain truth") directly, one must transcend conventional, often arbitrary, dualistic frameworks like "right" and "wrong." These are imposed constructs, not necessarily intrinsic properties of the underlying reality. Think of seeking the fundamental laws without being constrained by preconceived notions of what those laws should look like based on simpler, less complete models.
"The conflict between right and wrong is the sickness of the mind."
The persistent cognitive state of forcing phenomena into binary, oppositional categories ("right" vs. "wrong") is identified as a fundamental source of intellectual friction and perceptual limitation – a kind of inefficiency or "sickness" in the cognitive process. This internal conflict obscures a potentially simpler, more unified understanding and inhibits access to the underlying principle (the Dao).
In essence, it posits that the path to fundamental understanding lies in cultivating a state of pure, non-judgmental observation, recognizing that our own cognitive acts of categorization and preference are the primary veils obscuring the inherent simplicity and unity of reality. It's an argument for intellectual humility and the suspension of bias to perceive things as they truly are.