Yet few people understand the value of
teaching without words
relationship without promise
being without doing
religion without god.
44
Being praised by others
or valued by oneself
which is most important?
You or things,
health or wealth
which is more valuable?
Having things
or losing things
which is better?
The person who saves the most will pay the most in the end;
the one who acquires the most possessions and property
will lose the most in the end.
Attachment causes suffering.
Be satisfied with where you are and what you have
and you will never be sorry.
Be satisfied with when you are
and you will be always
safe, always
secure.
45
Perfection seems to be missing something
but like an empty cup
it is perfect.
The fullest seems to be empty
but like the ocean
it is always there.
The perfectly straight line looks crooked
the most intelligent seem stupid
the best speech seems like stuttering.
Activity overcomes cold
but stillness overcomes heat.
Being still,
one puts everything
in its proper place.
46
When the way is followed
railroad tracks become bicycle paths
king lots and highways get plowed under
oil cushions the crust of the earth.
When the way is not followed
railroads haul weapons and fuel
food and energy are stockpiled
the earth is bled away and sold.
No motive is more compelling
than wanting what others have
no illness more debilitating
than dissatisfaction with what one has
no better forecast of failure
than wanting more.
Knowing
the satisfaction
of being content
with the simple life
a wise person will always be satisfied.
47
Without leaving your house
without looking outside
you can understand
the whole world.
The more you search
the less you will find
the more information you acquire
the less you will know
the more you travel
the less you will feel at home.
Arrive without leaving
see without looking
do nothing yet everything.
48
Learning means accumulating something every day.
ollowing the way
means losing something every day.
Loss followed by loss
until everything is gone
and nothing
is to be done
and everything
is accomplished.
Win by letting things take their natural course
lose by interfering.
49
The follower of the way has
no constant heart or mind, no morality, no reason.
One uses the hearts and minds of others.
I am good to good people
I am also good to bad people
-- how else will they experience good?
I believe the truthful person
I also believe the liar and cheat
-- how else will they experience trust?
To others the follower of the way
looks like a gullible coward.
For others the follower of the way
is simply simple.
Others want to know the deeper meaning,
the real person, the true motive,
more photos, more sound bites.
The follower of the way
accepts the surface
and understands
the depths.
50
In wanting to live life more fully
one dies.
Some people live forcefully in order to evade death.
Some people die within themselves in order to evade life.
Some people just survive with a human body
as life becomes a thing to have or get or lose.
But others who follow the way seem to be impervious
to car accidents or woods at night or the bomb.
Stray cars find nothing to hit,
the woods contain no lions or tigers or bears,
the bomb finds no bodies to burn.
Why?
Because people prepared to die live
and those prepared to live die.
Life generates death
and death life.
51
The way creates
its truth sustains
its matter shapes
its energy is the spark of life
There is not one thing that does not know the way
or is not influenced by it
even though there is no instruction to follow
or bill to pay.
It is just so naturally.
As the universe creates everything,
sustains it, shapes it, enlivens it,
you are called
to care for the world but not own it,
use it but not abuse it,
lead but do not control.
This is the way of the universe.
52
We attribute the creation of many things to a
ent
and so we imagine a beginner of all creation
and call it god or Dao or the Big Bang.
Knowing the origin we know the children.
Knowing the children we understand the origin better.
Knowing the one we know the many
knowing the many we know the one better.
Close your eyes, t your doors,
and you will live forever.
Turn on the tv, become involved, get busy,
and you become vulnerable to everything.
Seeing small things clearly is good vision;
holding on to weak things is strength.
Seeing the outer light yet being able to return to the inner light
seeing the many and being able to return to the one
a person survives.
This is called
returning.
53
To travel the way is like
following a foot path
to your destination
you have nothing to fear
so long as you
stay on the path
and avoid turning.
Paths are safe and easy
but people like to stray
away.
When government works at setting things right
farmers' fields lie fallow
the silos stay empty
people wear the latest fashion
carry weapons, go out to eat and drink a lot
buy more possessions than they can use
like thieves stocking up.
This is not the foot path.
54
What is well planted cannot be pulled up
what is well held cannot slip away
a good family will live on for generations.
Follow the way and free yourself of the meaningless
follow it in your home and prosper
follow it in your town and be secure
follow it in your nation and flourish
follow it in the world and expand your horizons.
Within you is the basis for the perfect home
in your own home is the basis for the perfect town
in your town is the basis for perfect nation
in your nation is the basis for perfect world
in our own world is the basis for the perfect universe.
How do I know all this?
By what is inside me.
55
Persons that follow the way are like
a baby that
bees and mosquitoes do not sting
dogs and cats do not bite
birds do not peck.
Soft bones, weak muscles, strong grip
no need of sex, but perfectly formed by it.
Baby lives completely
screaming all day without becoming hoarse
Its needs fulfilled
it sleeps in perfect harmony.
To understand this harmony
is to understand the universe;
to understand the universe
is enlightenment.
Filling one's life with busyness is to invite
disaster,
pushing oneself to the edge
exhausts,
for every effort
there is a loss.
This is not the way
and what is not the way
will soon die away.
56
A person who knows the way
has no need or desire to talk about it.
People who talk about it
really don't know the way.
The atheist who knows atheism does not talk,
and those who talk about it don't know it.
Quit talking about
quit searching
quit your logic
quit trying to win
quit trying to impress
get down to the very basics
of existence.
This is the mystic way to understanding.
Then there are no friends or enemies,
no benefits, no disgrace
no rewards, no losses.
This is human being
simply
being.
57
Order is only maintained through law and justice.
Battles are only won by ignoring rules and propriety.
But the universe can only be understood by
letting-go
leaving-alone.
How do I know?
Because ...
the more restrictions placed on people,
the more people will evade them, the poorer the people become.
The more weapons, the smarter people become,
the darker the land becomes.
The greater the science,
the deadlier the inventions.
The more laws,
the more criminals and jails.
Therefore, I do nothing,
and people are naturally transformed.
I love peace and quiet,
and people naturally become better.
I do nothing,
and people have more than enough.
I want nothing, and people naturally return to
the simple life.
58
When politicians look depressed and inactive
people are satisfied and happy.
When politicians look happy and active
people are dissatisfied and depressed.
Bad times come after good times, good times after bad.
Few have found it, but there is a creek that runs
neither hot nor cold, good nor bad, right nor wrong.
For every straight there are two crookeds,
for every good two bads
what is the purpose of choosing one over the other?
who can make the necessary corrections?
Wise person
reach the end without resorting to means
shape without cutting
mold without pressure
straighten without pulling
illumine without shining.
59
No person has power to lead others or to serve the world
unless one has a store of energy.
Storing energy is done through breathing
breathing is done through meditation
Meditate
breathe
and your power cannot be overcome.
If your power cannot be overcome
it is boundless
Only what is boundless
is large enough to understand the full dimensions of reality.
Only what is rooted deep within the earth
can keep the understanding of the full dimensions of reality.
Being rooted deep in the earth takes letting go,
living long necessitates long meditation.
60
Thinking big thoughts
of religion the dao atheism
is like cooking small fish
the less handled
the more remains.
Following the way
no force is used no bad
no coaxing is used no good
both merge
to the same end.
61
Religion should be like low land
everything flowing towards it
all ideas converging on it.
By receiving it absorbs
by absorbing it becomes more basic.
When religion becomes more basic
it will be followed by others.
Large religions absorb small ones
by conquering and converting with force and argument
small ones absorb large ones
by being underneath.
Large ideas, small followings;
small ideas, large followings
one serves the other.
62
Atheism, like a fireplace,
offers warmth in the cold
to the good and bad person alike.
Arguing for or against god is a profitable business
charismatic speakers and serious writers are well respected
even bad people buy their books and attend their talks.
Therefore
for your brother's wedding or sister's graduation
instead of offering money or a vcr
sit
and send your reflections on the way.
About the way the elders of the past have said
Seek, and you will find
Apologize, and you will be
doned.
These are benefits of the way
better than anything else.
63
You --
do without working
work without doing
find flavor in water
make the small big
the few into many
turn the other cheek
reward bad actions with good
mold the hard while it is still soft
create the great while it is still small.
Wise person --
deal with the microcosm,
never the macrocosm,
the individual not the group,
and thus succeed.
Little commitment creates little faith
and many easy little things create one big difficult thing.
The wise person knows how to make
the simple
complicated,
and by knowing this
avoids complications.
64
Silence is easy to break
future is easy to plan
gentle is easy to hurt
tiny is easy to lose
Look ahead, see forms before they become things
deal with them before they become
set them in order before they collide
See
the sequoia began as small as a bean sprout
the skyscraper began as a hole in the earth
the longest trip begins with the first step.
Act, and you hurt
grab, and it slips away
own, and it is stolen
believe, and it is shown false.
The wise
do not act, and nothing is hurt
do not grab, and nothing slips
do not own, and nothing is lost
do not believe, and nothing is false
Others fall short right before their long-awaited success.
The end is as important as the beginning,
thus the wise person
wants only the unwanted;
values the common, not the scarce;
teaches the things that others don't;
returns others to the past they left behind,
such that everything is valued for itself by itself
all done by not doing.
65
In the past, when the path has been walked well
the walkers not only
did not show others the way
but even made others more ignorant about it
because
the smarter people become
the harder they are to control.
People who want to lead by promoting higher intelligence
and higher educational standards and harder tests
are thieves stealing from farmers and factories.
People who lead without pushing education
bless the people and the land.
Education causes discontent for what one has,
creates desire for more and better and higher
ignorance makes people feel good where they are.
To understand the difference here is to know quality
to be able to apply this quality in life is to be on the path
This path ...
so long so old so deep so mysterious
