and they now harbor copious vegetation and creatures.
The living things follow the universal formula,
and they live;
When barons and kings follow the universal formula,
they become the object of emulation by their peoples.
All these achievements are due to the universal formula.
If the sky were not clear it could be torn apart.
If the earth were not calm and safe
it could burst into chaos.
If the gods were not effective
they could wear out.
If the valleys were not copious
they could become empty.
If the living things could not live
they would be doomed.
If barons and kings could not keep their high and respected positions,
they could be toppled.
The noble must be based on the ignoble.
The highly positioned must be buttressed by the lowly.
Barons and kings call themselves
the "lonely one" the "widowed one", or the "under provided one".
Don't these practices demonstrate loud and clear
that it is through the lowly
that kings and barons hold their positions?
Merely counting the number of carriages
will not give you any carriage.
It is no use showing the shiny look of jade
if the substance is merely an ordinary stone.
40
The Uncommon Dao
The reverse of expectations is the Dao in action.
The weak in appearance is the Dao in application.
All living things are born of interactions in the world of existence.
Interactions in the world of existence are born of emptiness or
non-existence.
41
The Dao and Its Real and False-Followers
Superior men, hearing about the Dao,
Will work diligently under its guidance.
Mediocre men, hearing about the Dao,
Remembers and then forgets about it.
Inferior men, hearing about the Dao,
Laughs and jeers at it.
If people do not laugh or jeer at it,
It is unlikely to be the Dao.
Thus it is said:
Those whose mind shines with the Dao
Appear to be dull and stupid.
Those who make progress along the Dao
Appear to be falling behind.
Those who go astray
Appear to be following the Dao.
The truly virtuous are humble like a valley,
The truly stainless souls appear sullied.
A man with many virtues
appears to be inadequate.
Those who are establishing their virtues
look like thieves.
The truthful look like good quality turned bad,
An infinite space will have no corners.
A man who is a great instrument never
aspires or strives to be such.
A big voice sounds like it is soft.
A big symbol has no shape.
The Dao is hidden and nameless.
Yet nothing is better than the Dao
In lending support and helping people accomplish.
42
Harmony through the Dao
The Dao gives birth to the One.
The One gives birth to the Two(yin and yang).
The Two give birth to the Three(heaven, earth, and man).
The Three give birth to all things as we know them.
All living things bear the female nature
And espouse the male nature.
In interacting with each other
these two natures result in a new harmony.
It is well known that people generally hate
to be lonely, widowed, or under-provided.
Yet kings and people who wield power
call themselves lonely, widowed, or under-provided.
Things may benefit people through imposing losses on them,
And may hurt them through bestowing apparent benefits.
I teach the same kind of people that others teach.
But by a single maxim that I teach, that
"Those who use sheer force to make their ways
Will not die a good death"
I should become the teacher of all teachers.
43
The Benefits of Being Empty
The most gentle and the most flexible of the world
Certainly outperforms the strongest and the hardest.
What appears intangible and without substance
Can penetrate the narrowest gaps.
From this we can appreciate the benefits of not contriving.
The wordless teaching, and the benefits of not contriving,
Certainly find no match under heaven.
44
Knowing When to Stop
Which is the dearer,
Fame or the body?
Which means more,
The body or wealth?
Which can be called an ill,
To gain or to lose?
Greater cost comes with greater craving.
Greater loss comes with greater accumulation.
He who knows what he needs
will attract no dishonor.
He who knows when to stop
will come to no grief.
Such people can have a lasting life.
45
Natural Stillness
The greatest accomplishment appears incomplete,
Yet it can meet the needs of the most demanding occasions.
The greatest fulfillment appears to be weak and restrained.
Yet its use is limitless.
What is most straight appears to be bent.
What is most dexterous appears to be clumsy.
The most skilled of debaters use words sparingly.
Motion overcomes cold.
Stillness overcomes hot.
Clearing up the muddiness of the mind
By allowing it to settle down to its natural stillness,
Will restore all things to their proper places.
46
Knowing One\'s True Needs
When things under heaven follow the Dao,
Horses will roam freely,
and their droppings will be found anywhere.
When things under heaven have departed from the Dao,
The horses will be reared in special stables away from the city.
No wrong is greater than having objects to crave for.
No disaster is greater than not knowing one's true needs.
No greater ill is invited than by craving to possess.
Thus, the satisfaction from knowing one's true needs
and asking for no more is eternal.
47
The Truth Lies Within
Without stepping out of the door,
One can know the universal truth that pervades the universe.
Without peeping through the window,
One can see the Dao of Nature.
He who goes to a distant land
in search of the Truth
Will only distant himself from the Truth.
The Sage knows it all without traveling afar.
He is illuminated without seeing with his physical eyes.
He accomplishes without ever contriving to accomplish.
48
How to Win the Hearts of People
The more we learn,
The more things are plowed into our minds;
The more we follow the Dao,
The more things are taken out of our minds.
As we take more and more things out of our mind,
We finally arrive at the state of losing the sense of contriving and action.
At that point we be in the state of non-action.
At that point all actions will be done in the state of non-action.
To win the hearts of all under heaven,
We must always leave people alone.
If we do not leave them alone,
We will not win their adherence.
49
The Mind of Equanimity
The Sage does not have a fixed mind different from that of others.
He takes the mind of any of his people as his own mind.
If people are good, I shall be good to them.
If people are not good, I shall also be good to them.
This way I am really good.
If people are truthful, I shall be truthful to them.
If people are not truthful, I shall also be truthful to them.
This way I am really truthful.
The Sage keeps an undiscriminating mind
for the sake of all under heaven.
While people use their eyes and ears to discriminate,
The Sage's mind is always unsuspecting and innocent
like an infant's.
50
The Natural Right to Live
Anyone who is born dies.
If 13 people are born
All 13 people will eventually die.
From birth to life,
From life to death,
The great earth will afford the places to live and to die
for exactly 13.
Why is this so?
It is because the mind cherishes the belief
that living is a privilege and not a natural right.
I have heard that those who are good at conserving and preserving life
Seldom meet tigers and horned animals when they move around.
If they should join the military forces,
They would not have the need to combat.
Horned animals will have no way to cast their horns on their bodies,
Nor will tigers find a place to lay their claws.
Even soldiers' swords will not hurt them.
Why is this so?
Because such people will never die.
51
The Dao and the Virtue
The Dao gives them birth.
The Virtue rears them.
They get their shapes from substance.
They become what they are from the working of various forces.
For these reasons all living things pay homage to the Dao,
And respect the Virtue.
The stately status of the Dao and that of the Virtue
Are such that they are at the command of no one,
And are always in their natural states.
The Dao gives birth;
The Virtue rears them;
Raises and nourishes them;
Brings them up and lets them down;
Claims no ownership even though it brings them to life.
The Dao accomplishes but is never arrogant;
It lets them grow but never dictates their fates.
This is known as the Mystical Virtue.
52
Guard and Stay With Mother Nature
Everything under heaven has a beginning.
That beginning we take as our mother.
Now that we know our mother,
We can begin to know our role as sons(and daughters).
Since we know our role as sons(and daughters),
We must guard and stay with our mother,
This way, even if our bodies perish,
We will never die.
Let the passages be blocked.
Let the doors be closed.
(So long as we stay with our mother,)
Till the end of life no worry need bother us.
(If we do the contrary,)
Then even though the roads are opened up,
And help is available,
Till the end of our lives we will still be doomed.
To be able to see the small things is to be illuminated;
To adhere to the principle of flexibility and
suppleness is to be strong.
Let people use their own light
to illuminate and restore their understanding.
Let them leave nothing to regret about when their bodies perish.
This is called the gradual realization of the Eternal.
53
Arrogance at the Dao
What makes me know what I know,
And adhere to the Dao
Is the fear of departing from it.
The Dao is level and straight.
Yet people prefer to go on their devious paths.
When the court is busy with granting honors to its dignitaries,
And not caring for the fields that are overgrown by weeds,
While the granaries are empty;
When the officers of the nation dress themselves up beautifully,
And carry sharp swords with an air of superiority and power;
While excessive dining and drinking
go hand in hand with excessive consumption and waste,
You know this is arrogance at the Dao.
This is certainly not the Dao.
54
Live and Work Respectfully
Those skilled in building will build sturdy buildings.
Those skilled in hugging will hug fast.
Because they are serious and excel in what they do
they are remembered and honored by all their descendents.
He who applies the same seriousness to serve his own body has true virtue.
He who applies the same seriousness to serve his family
has virtue beyond himself.
He who applies the same seriousness to serve his village
has virtue that grows further afield.
He who applies the same seriousness to serve the nation
has virtue that is profuse.
He who applies to same seriousness to serve all under heaven,
has virtue that pervades the world.
Thus we see our body as our body is;
See our family as our family is;
We see our village as our village is;
See our nation as our nation is;
And we see everything under heaven as everything is.
How may we know the nature of everything under heaven?
With this (same and serious attitude).
55
Be Receptive Like an Infant; Be Congruent with the Eternal
To be receptive to the benefit of the Virtue,
Like an infant is receptive to the mother,
One would be spared of the stings and bites
from bees, scorpions, and snakes;
One would be spared of being harmed
by fierce beasts;
And of being clawed by the predatory birds.
To be so receptive,
Then even if one has weak bones and soft sinews
One can grip things firmly.
People do not realize that
the union of the male and female with moderation
Represents energy at its height; and that
Being together all day sounding natural calls
and not losing voice through screaming
Represents harmony at its best.
To know the harmony of the universe is
be congruent with the Eternal;
To know the Eternal is to be illuminated.
To preserve and to promote life is to bring good fortune;
To let the mind take command of the life-breath is to be strong.
Any living thing that indulges in excesses soon gets old.
Indulging in excesses is against the Dao.
Going against the Dao, one soon dies.
56
Inner Peace and the Mystical Union
Those who know do not speak much.
Those who speak much do not know.
Block the passage of exchange with the outside world.
Close the doors;
Blunt the protruding points;
Absolve the disputes;
Tone down the dazzling light;
Receive outside stimuli with an equanimous mind.
This is called the mystical union.
With a non-possessive mind100 we get together;
With a non-possessive mind we separate.
With a non-possessive mind we experience what seems advantageous to us;
With a non-possessive mind we experience what seems disadvantageous;
With a non-possessive mind we experience high positions;
With a non-possessive mind we experience low positions.
This way we achieve the most valuable under heaven.
57
The Laissez Faire Government
We rule a nation with the straight mind.
We deploy the military forces with surprises.
We win the hearts of all under heaven with non-intervention.
