Likewise "difficult and easy," "long and short," "high and low," "loud and soft," "before and after" - all derive their meanings from each other.
Therefore the intelligent man accepts what is as it is. In seeking to grasp what is, he does not devote himself to the making of distinctions which are then mistaken to be separate existences. In teaching, he teaches, not by describing and pointing out differences, but by example. Whatever is exists, and he sees that nothing is gained by representing what fully exists by a description - another lesser, diluted kind of existence. If something exists which cannot be wholly revealed to him with his viewpoint, he does not demand of it that it be nothing but what it seems to him.
If some one else interprets him, he does not trust that interpretation as being equal to his own existence. If some part of him stands out as if a superior representative of his nature, he will not surrender the rest of his nature to it.
And in not surrendering the whole of his nature to any part of it, he keeps himself intact. This is how the intelligent man preserves his nature.
3
If no distinctions of superiority and inferiority prevail among officers, they will devote themselves to their tasks rather than to rivalries with one another.
If no special value is placed upon rare things, one will have no incentive for stealing them.
If nothing appears to arouse envy, one will remain satisfied with things as they are
Since this is so, the wise administrator does not lead people to set their hearts upon what they cannot have, but satisfies their inner needs. He does not promote ambition to improve their status, but supports their self-sufficiency. He does not complicate their lives with knowledge of multifarious details or with an urge to attend to this, that and the other.
By keeping people contented, he prevents those who mistakenly believe that ambition is better than contentment from leading the contented astray.
By being calm and contented himself, he sets an example for his people.
4
Nature contains nothing but natures; and these natures are nothing over and above Nature.
In Nature, all natures originate,
all conflicts are settled, all differences are united, all disturbances are quieted.
Yet no matter how many natures come into being, they can never exhaust Nature.
To look for an external source of Nature is foolish, for Nature is the source of all else.
5
Opposites are not sympathetic to each other. Each one of the many kinds of opposites acts as if it could get along without its other. But Nature treats opposites impartially, dealing with each of every pair of opposites with the same indifference.
And the intelligent man will regard opposites in the same manner.
No matter how deeply natures are torn by opposition, Nature itself remains unchanged. In conflicts between opposites, the more one attacks his seeming opponent (upon which he really depends for his completion), the more he defeats himself (and thereby demonstrates that only Nature, and not any opposite abstracted from existence, is self-sufficient).
So, likewise, no matter how much debaters argue, their argument proves nothing. Things are what they are, regardless of how much we disagree about them.
6
The tendency towards opposition is ever-present. Opposition is the source of all growth.
And the principle of opposition is the source of all opposites.
The principle of opposition is inherent in Nature, so oppositeness will continue forever, no matter how many opposites may come and go.
7
The principle of initiation persists; and the principle of completion continues.
Why do such opposing principles persist? Because they inhere in Nature, rather than stand by themselves. That is why opposites endure.
The intelligent man, when an issue arises, stands off and observes both contentions.
Since he does not take sides, he never loses a battle.
By not favouring one side more than the other, he is able to appreciate the virtues of both sides.
8
The best way to conduct oneself may be observed in the behaviour of water. Water is useful to every living thing, yet it does not demand pay in return for its services; it does not even require that it be recognized, esteemed, or appreciated for its benefits. This illustrates how intelligent behaviour so closely approximates the behaviour of Nature itself.
If experience teaches that houses should be built close to the ground, That friendship should be based on sympathy and good will,
That good government employs peaceful means of regulation, That business is more successful if it employs efficient methods, That wise behaviour adapts itself appropriately to the particular circumstances, All this is because these are the easiest ways.
If one proceeds naturally, without ambition or envy, everything works out for the best.
9
Going to extremes is never best.
For if you make a blade too sharp, it will become dull too quickly
And if you hoard all the wealth, you are bound to be attacked.
If you become proud and arrogant regarding your good fortune, you will naturally beget enemies who jealously despise you.
The way to success is this: having achieved your goal, be satisfied not to go further. For this is the way Nature operates.
10
If you would retain a wholesome personality, must you not restrain your lower interests from dominating over your higher interests?
If you wish to live healthily, should you not breathe naturally, like a child, and not hold your breath until your vitality is nearly exhausted?
If you desire to realize the potentialities of your indescribable original nature, how can you insist that some selected aspect of your personality is really superior to that original nature?
If you are required to govern others, ought you not be able to guide them by example, rather than by forcing your will upon them?
If Nature's way is a joint process of initiation and completion, sowing and reaping, producing and consuming, can you rightly demand that you deserve always to play the role of the consumer?
If you desire to know the nature of the various kinds of things, must you meddle with them, experiment with them, try to change them, in order to find out?
Nature procreates all things and then devotes itself to caring for them, Just as parents give birth to children without keeping them as slaves. It willingly gives life, without first asking whether the creatures will repay for its services. It provides a pattern to follow, without requiring anyone to follow it. This is the secret of intelligent activity.
11
Every positive involves its negative or opposing factor; for example: In order to turn a wheel, although thirty spokes must revolve, the axle must remain motionless; so both the moving and the non-moving are needed to produce revolution.
In order to mold a vase, although one must use clay, he must also provide a hollow space of empty clay; so both clay and the absence of clay are required to produce a vessel.
In order to build a house, although we must establish solid walls, we must also provide doors and windows; so both the impenetrable and penetrable are essential to a useful building.
Therefore, we profit equally by the positive and negative ingredients in each situation.
12
Interest in the varieties of colour diverts the eye from regarding the thing which is coloured. Attention to the differences between sounds distracts the ear from consideration for the source of the sounds. Desire for enjoyment of the various flavours misdirects the appetite from seeking foods which are truly nourishing.
Excessive devotion to chasing about and pursuing things agitates the mind with insane excitement. Greed for riches ensnares one's efforts to pursue his healthier motives.
The intelligent man is concerned about his genuine needs and avoids being confused by dazzling appearances. He wisely distinguishes one from the other.
13
Pride and shame cause us much fearful anxiety. But our inner peace and distress should be our primary concerns.
Why do pride and shame cause us so much fearful anxiety? Because: Pride attaches undue importance to the superiority of one's status in the eyes of others; And shame is fear of humiliation at one's inferior status in the estimation of others. When one sets his heart on being highly esteemed, and achieves such rating, then he is automatically involved in fear of losing his status. Then protection of his status appears to be his most important need. And humiliation seems the worst of all evils. This is the reason why pride and shames cause us so much fearful anxiety.
Why should our inner peace and distress be our primary concerns? Because: The inner self is our true self; so in order to realize our true self, we must be willing to live without being dependent upon the opinions of others. When we are completely self-sufficient, then we can have no fear of disesteem.
He who wisely devotes himself to being self-sufficient, and therefore does not depend for his happiness upon external ratings by others, is the one best able to set an example for, and to teach and govern, others.
14
Since what is ultimate in Nature cannot be seen with one's eyes, it is spoken of as invisible. Since it cannot be heard with one's ears, it is called inaudible. Since it cannot be grasped in one's hands, it is thought of as intangible
But not even all these three together can adequately describe it. Nature did not originate in beginnings, and will not reach its goal in endings. Rather it acts unceasingly, without either absolute beginnings or final endings. If we cannot describe it intelligibly, this is because it is beyond our understanding.
Nature is the formless source of all forms, and yet it remains unaffected by its forms. Thus it appears to us as if mysterious.
No matter how closely we scrutinize its coming toward us, we cannot discover a beginning. No matter how long we pursue it, we never find its end.
One must comprehend the way in which the original Nature itself operates, if he wishes to control present conditions. That is, he should study the ultimate source itself. This is the way to understand how Nature behaves.
15
In primitive times, intelligent men had an intuitively penetrating grasp of reality which could not be stated in words.
Since their instinctive beliefs have not been recorded for us, we can only infer them from old sayings which have come down to us. Regarding caution when crossing a stream in winter: the more nervous you are, the more likely you are to slip and fall: Regarding suspicion of enemies; the more you fear others, the more the will be afraid of you: Regarding courtesy as a guest: the longer you stay, the more you become indebted to your host.
Regarding melting ice: the more you do to prevent it from melting, the quicker it melts. Regarding making furniture: the more you carve the wood, the weaker it gets. Regarding digging ditches: the steeper you slope their sides, the sooner they will wash down. Regarding muddy water: The more you try to stir the dirt out of it, the murkier it gets.
What, then, should we do in order to clear the muddy water? Leave it alone and the dirt will settle out by itself. What, then, must we do in order to achieve contentment? Let each thing act according to its own nature, and it will eventually come to rest in its own way.
Those who fully comprehend the true nature of existence do not try to push things to excess. And because they do not try to push things to excess, they are able to satisfy their needs repeatedly without exhausting themselves.
16
In order to arrive at complete contentment, restrain your ambitions.
For everything which comes into being eventually returns again to the source from which it came. Each thing which grows and develops to the fullness of its own nature completes its course by declining again in a manner inherently determined by its own nature.
Completing its life is as inevitable as that each thing shall have its own goal. Each thing having its own goal is necessary to the nature of things.
He who knows that this is the ultimate nature of things is intelligent; he who does not is not. Being intelligent, he knows that each has a nature which is able to take care of itself. Knowing this, he is willing that each thing follow its own course. Being willing to let each thing follow its own course, he is gracious. Being gracious, he is like the source which graciously gives life to all. Being like the gracious source of all, he embodies Nature's way within his own being. And in thus embodying Nature's way within himself, he embodies its perpetually recurrent principles within himself.
And so, regardless of what happens to his body, there is somethng about him which goes on forever.
17
The most intelligent leaders bring about results without making those controlled realize that they are being influenced. The less intelligent seek to motivate others by appeals to loyalty, honour, self-interest, and flattery. Those still less intelligent employ fear by making their followers think they will not receive their rewards. The worst try to force others to improve by condemning their conduct.
But since, if leaders do not trust their followers then their followers will not trust the leaders, The intelligent leader will be careful not to speak as if he doubted or distrusted his follower's ability to do the job suitably.
When the work is done, and as he wanted it done, he will be happy if the followers say: "This is just the way we wanted it."
18
When people try to improve upon, and thus deviate from, the way Nature itself naturally functions, they develop artificial codes of right and wrong.
When knowledge becomes highly abstract, men are deceived by mistaking abstractions for realities.
When instinctive family sympathies are replaced by rules for proper conduct then parents become "responsible" and children become "dutiful".
When corruption replaces genuine benevolence in government, then loyalty oaths are demanded of officials.
19
Therefore - If we ignore intricate learning and knowledge of petty distinctions, we shall be many times better off.
If we neglect to insist upon the formal proprieties of etiquette, our intuitive sympathies will return.
If we abolish opportunities for profiteering "within the law," incentive for political corruption will disappear.
If the foregoing three principles are unclear, then at least the following are understandable:
Simply be yourself. Act naturally. Refrain from self-assertiveness. Avoid covetousness.
