great.
The Middle Kingdom has four greats, and the King is one.
Man follows the ways of the Earth.
Earth follows the way of Heaven.
Heaven follows the way of Tao.
And Tao follows its own ways.
26
Heavy is the root of light.
Stillness is the master of impatience.
Thus the wise man travels all day, but does not leave his wagon.
Although there are glorious sights, he is relaxed and proper.
Why should the Lord of 10,000 chariots
conduct himself lightly under Heaven ?
Lightness leads to loss of roots.
Impatience leads to loss of control.
27
A good journey leaves no tracks.
A good speech has no mistakes.
Good counting uses no tally sticks.
Good closure requires no latch bolt, yet does not open.
Good joints need no rope, yet do not loosen.
Thus does the wise man help others, not forsake them;
improve things, not neglect them.
Thus is understanding passed on.
The better man is the lesser man's teacher.
The lesser man is the better man's occupation.
One who does not esteem his teacher,
one who does not cherish his profession,
though wise, will be greatly confused.
This is an important secret.
28
Know the Masculine but hold to the Feminine, and be a Valley under Heaven.
To be a Valley under Heaven, never stray from Virtue; revert to a new-born
babe.
Know the White, but hold to the Black, and be a Model under Heaven.
To be a Model under Heaven, do not be extreme; return to moderation.
Know Honor but keep Humble, and be a Valley under Heaven.
To be a Valley under Heaven, let Virtue be sufficient.
Return to Simplicity, gain a reputation for Simplicity.
The does the wise man become a Statesman, and perpetuate a Great System.
29
This desire to conquer the World and rule it, in my opinion, is futile.
The World is a spiritual entity, not able to be governed.
He who tries, fails. Even the most persistent do not succeed.
For some lead, and some follow.
Some sigh, and some bellow.
Some are strong, and some are weak.
Some rise, and some fall.
Thus does the wise man avoid extremes, avoid extravagance, avoid excess.
30
One who assists his Master with the Way,
will not foster war upon the World.
Such matters easily recoil.
Where Armies go, thorny brambles grow.
Bad years follow great armies.
The Good succeed and stop, not daring to hold by force.
Succeed, but do not gloat.
Succeed, but do not boast.
Succeed, but do not humiliate.
If you succeed and cannot stop, seek Victory without force.
Strength will wane.
This is not the Way; and what is not the Way will soon end.
31
Now, a great army is not a measure of good fortune,
but rather a hateful thing, which a Taoist avoids.
It serves its Master only as an expensive aid.
Employ War only as a costly assistant.
War is not a measure of good fortune.
It is neither a measure of a Monarch's status, nor something he need employ.
Calm and mild is better.
Victory is not to be glorified, and whoever praises it is happy killing
people.
Alas, one who is happy killing people will not be remembered by the World.
Good Luck favors the left.
Bad Luck favors the right.
Stubbornly advancing troops serve the left.
Quickly advancing troops serve the right.
Speak of it as a sad ritual.
The slaughter of so many is a tragic sorrow.
Victory in battle is a sad ritual.
32
Tao has always been nameless;
an Uncarved Block, simple and small, but subject to none under Heaven.
All things will obey the Monarch who defends it.
Heaven uniting with Earth, as sweet dew falling.
People not commanded, but true to themselves.
First there were names, then more names.
It is time to stop.
Knowing when to stop avoids exhaustion.
Tao flows from Heaven, as Rivers flow into the Sea.
33
He who knows others is smart.
He who knows himself is wise.
He who triumphs over others has Power.
He who triumphs over himself has Strength.
He who has enough is Rich.
He who prevails has Will.
He who avoids Loss will survive.
He who dies knowing this, is blessed.
34
Great Tao is everywhere, to the left and to the right.
All things depend on it for life, and are not denied.
Nameless, it does its work.
It feeds and clothes all things, but is not their Master.
It has no desires, so its Name is little known.
All things return to it, but it is not their Master;
therefore its Name is Great.
All it does is not for its own Greatness.
Thus does it achieve Greatness.
35
Remember this pervasive image;
Falling from Heaven, falling unharmed, is the Great Peace.
Pleasure and Enticements tempt the passing visitor.
seems empty, mild, and without flavor.
Look, and there is nothing to see.
Listen, and there is nothing to hear.
Apply it, and there is no end.
36
What is to be closed, must first be opened.
What is to be weak, must first be strong.
What is to be poor, must first be rich.
What is to be taken, must first be given.
This is a subtle point.
The soft and weak overcome the hard and strong.
Fish cannot leave the deep.
The nation's wealth cannot enlighten men.
37
Tao does nothing, and there is nothing it does not do.
If a Monarch can uphold it, all things will reform naturally.
As they reform, and desires arose,
I would calm them with Nameless Simplicity,
for Nameless Simplicity lessens desire.
Not desiring promotes Peace beneath Heaven,
and things beneath Heaven will stabilize.
38
High Virtue is not Virtuous, and therefore has virtue.
Low Virtue is Virtuous, and thus lacks virtue.
High Virtue does not act, and governs by inaction.
Low Virtue acts, and governs by action.
Great Charity acts, but governs by inaction.
Great Justice acts, and governs by action.
Great Ritual takes action and gets no response,
then grabs you by the arm and expels you.
So, we lose the Way and turn to Virtue,
lack Virtue and look for Charity,
receive no Charity and seek Justice,
get no Justice and turn to Ritual.
Alas, Ritual is the shadow of true faith, and a source of confusion.
Divination is the flower of Tao, but the beginning of foolishness.
There do the Elders place their confidence, not with Ritual,
with the practical, not the imagined.
Therefore reject the latter, embrace the former.
39
Previously, things must have been as One.
Heaven must have been One to be Clear.
Earth must have been One to be Calm.
Spirits must have been One to be Alert.
Valleys must have been One to be Full.
All things must have been One to be Alive.
The Monarch must have been One to serve under Heaven.
For;
Heavens not Clear would split,
Earth not Calm would crack,
Spirits not Alert would cease,
Valleys not Full would deplete,
Without Life, all things would expire,
A Monarch not highly regarded would be deposed.
For the Humble are the basis of the High,
the Inferior are the foundation of the Superior.
Thus does the Monarch regard himself as Orphaned, Widowed, and Unlucky.
Can Humility be the source of the problem ?
Better to count a carriage as no carriage,
and lie low like Rocks, rather than shine like Jade.
40
Action is the opposite of Tao.
Weakness is the function of Tao.
All things under Heaven were created from Something.
Something was created from Nothing.
41
When a great scholar hears of the Way,
he adopts it and practices it.
When a fair scholar hears of the Way,
he sometimes remembers and sometimes forgets.
When a poor scholar hears of the Way,
he laughs outright.
If he did not laugh, it would not be the Way.
Hence, these phrases ...
The simple way seems unwise.
The fruitful way seems useless.
The smooth way seems rough.
Highest Virtue is like a Valley.
Great honesty seems insulting.
Broad Virtue seems insufficient.
Good Reputation seems undeserved.
True Character seems uncertain.
Great principle takes no sides.
Great ability arrives late.
Good speech strives for clarity.
Great Form has no shape.
Tao is hidden and nameless,
but only Tao permits early results.
42
The Way creates one.
One creates two.
Two creates three.
Three creates all things.
All things carry Yin and embrace Yang; both forces blend.
Men dislike being Orphaned, Widowed and Unlucky, as the Kingship declares
itself.
Thus one may gain by losing, or lose by gaining.
What others teach, I also teach.
The strong need not die.
I teach survival.
43
Under Heaven, the weakest things overcome the strongest.
Non-Being requires no Space.
I know this; that non-action has advantages which it teaches without words.
Seek to attain the benefits of non-action under Heaven.
44
Fame or Life, which is dearer ?
Life or Goods, which is better ?
Gain or Loss, which is more trouble ?
For strong desires carry a high cost.
Amassed Wealth leads to great loss.
Showing restraint is not shameful.
Knowing when to stop
avoids exhaustion and maintains endurance.
45
Great Achievement appears deficient, but serves without fail.
Great Abundance seems modest, but provides without limit.
Great honesty appears devious.
Great intelligence seems dumb.
Great discussions are low-keyed.
Activity overcomes cold.
Stillness overcomes heat.
Peace and Quiet is proper under Heaven.
46
When there is Tao under Heaven, loose horses manure the fields.
When Tao is absent under Heaven, war horses are bred on the borders.
There is no misfortune so great as not recognizing excess.
There is no mistake so great as the desire to obtain.
Therefore feel content, be content, and stay content.
47
Without going out the door, you may know the things beneath Heaven.
Without looking out the window, you may behold Heaven's Way.
The further you go, the less you know.
Thus does the wise man know without going,
see without looking, achieve without doing.
48
By learning, each day brings increase.
With Tao, each day brings decrease.
Less and less, until there is nothing at all to do.
Nothing to do and nothing left undone.
To truly gain the World, do without affairs.
One who has affairs is not content until he has gained the World.
49
The wise man has no opinions,
so that he may understand the opinions of others.
To the Good, I am Good.
To the not Good, I am also Good.
Virtue is Good.
To the Honest, I am Honest.
To the Dishonest, I am also Honest.
Virtue is Honest.
The wise man is at peace with the World,
and from the World conceals his thoughts.
The wise man is everyone's child.
50
Life begets, Death receives.
The unborn are 3 in 10.
The dead are 3 in 10.
Mortal men active in life are also 3 in 10.
Now, what is the significance of the immortals?
There are stories about ones who survive.
They meet no tigers or rhinos on the road,
in war they go without armor.
Rhinos have nowhere to thrust their horns,
Tigers have nowhere to sink their claws,
Weapons have nowhere to pierce their blades.
So why are they untouched by Death ?
51
Tao creates, Virtue provides,
Matter assumes form, Power completes.
Thus do all things without exception honor Tao and praise Virtue.
Honor Tao. Praise Virtue.
Not by command, but continually and naturally.
Therefore Tao creates, Virtue provides,
by raising, nurturing, sheltering, nourishing, feeding, and clothing.
Create and do not possess.
Govern, and do not exploit.
Lead, and do not kill.
This is Mystic Virtue.
52
The World had a beginning, there is a Mother of the World.
Since we have the Mother, we can know the Child.
By knowing the Child, we can return to the Mother.
The disappearance of the Body is not to be feared.
Complete the exchange, close the door;
be done with a body that no longer serves.
Begin the exchange, relieve its troubles,
the death of the body cannot be prevented.
See these unimportant things clearly.
Accept Weakness, use its Emptiness,
Rejoin its Purity, regardless of the body's demise.
This is quite normal.
53
If I interpret the facts correctly,
following the Great Tao carries only this risk;
the Great Tao is very easy, but people prefer the hard way !
Government is divided. Farms are overgrown. Granaries are empty.
People wear fancy clothes and carry sharp swords,
tire of food and drink, spend money endlessly,
and are said to be corrupt.
Alas, this is not the Way.
54
What is well established is not uprooted.
What is well accepted is not cast off.
Thus will your children's children offer sacrifices forever.
Cultivated in the person, its virtue becomes genuine.
Cultivated in the home, its virtue multiplies.
Cultivated in the village, its virtue grows.
Cultivated in the nation, its virtue increases.
Cultivated in the world, its virtue becomes universal.
Thus does
a person judge a person,
a family judge a family,
a village judge a village,
a nation judge a nation,
a world judge a world.
How can I recognize an ideal world ?
By this.
55
One who has great Virtue is like a new-born child.
Wasps, scorpions and cobra snakes will not bite him.
Fearsome beasts will not take him.
Raptors will not attack him.
His bones are soft, his muscles are weak, but his grip is firm.
