How much difference is there between "yes" and "no"?
What is the distinction between "good" and "evil"?
Must I value what others value? Nonsense!
Having no end to their desires, they are desolate.
People rush here and there, maybe going to a feast,
Or perhaps climbing a tower in the springtime.
I alone am calm and unconcerned.
Like an unselfconscious infant
At peace and having no destination.
Most people have more than they need.
But I alone seem lost and out of place.
I have the mind of a fool--so confused!
Ordinary people are bright.
I alone seem dim.
Ordinary people are discriminating.
I alone am ambivalent.
As quiet as the ocean.
As free as the wind.
People rush about on their very important business.
But I alone seem incorrigible and uncouth.
I am different from ordinary people;
I enjoy feeding from the Great Mother's breasts.?br>
21
The only virtue worth having is that of following the Tao,
and the only thing you can say about the Tao,
Is that it is elusive and evasive.
It is elusive and evasive, yet it can be observed.
It is evasive and elusive, yet it does manifest itself.
It is dim and dark, yet its essence can be grasped.
Its essence is unquestionably genuine. You can put your faith in it.
From the beginning of time until the present,
Its Name has remained.
In it one can see All of Creation.
How do I know where All of Creation comes from?
I know the Tao!
22
If you don"t want to be broken, bend.
If you want to be straight, allow some crookedness.
If you want to be filled, become empty.
If you want to be made new, let yourself be used.
If you want to be rich, desire little. Wanting more and more is craziness!
Therefore the sage embraces oneness
and becomes a mode for the world.
Not self-centered, she is enlightened.
Not self-righteous, she is a shining example.
Not self-glorifying, she accomplishes glorious things.
Not boastful, she grows large inside.
She alone does not compete,
And so the world can never overcome her.
When the ancients said, "If you don't want to be broken, bend"
Were they just uttering empty words?
Bend sincerely and wholeness will return to you.
23
Nature uses few words.
So, a whirlwind will not last All morning.
A sudden storm will not last All day.
What causes these?
Heaven and Earth.
If Heaven and Earth need not speak for long,
How much less should humankind?
Therefore, one who seeks the Tao is at one with the Tao.
One who seeks goodness is good.
One who seeks loss is lost.
If you are one with the Tao, the Tao eagerly accepts you.
If you are one with goodness, goodness is happy to receive you.
If you are one with loss, loss welcomes you.
If you do not trust enough, you will not find trust.
24
One who stands on tiptoe does not stand firm.
One who rushes ahead is likely to trip.
One who listens only to himself cannot learn.
One who considers himself righteous, isn't.
One who brags, has nothing to brag about.
One who feels sorry for himself does not grow.
Compared to the Tao, these people are table scraps and wasted effort,
and not well-liked by anyone or anything.
So, if you follow the Tao, you will not live like that.
25
Before Heaven and Earth were born
There was something undescribable.
Perfectly still, having no form,
It stands alone, and does not change.
It acts perpetually, yet never tires.
It could very well be the Mother of the Universe.
I don't know its name, so I just call it the Tao.
If forced to give it a name, I would call it Great.
Being Great, I call it eternal.
Being eternal, I call it infinite.
Being infinite, I call it Reconciliation.
Therefore, the Tao is Great.
Heaven is Great.
The Earth is Great.
Humankind is also Great.
In the Universe there are these four things which are Great,
And Humankind is one of them.
Humankind follows the Earth,
The Earth follows Heaven,
Heaven follows the Tao,
And the Tao just acts like itself.
26
Heaviness is the root of lightness.
Stillness is the master of restlessness.
Therefore, the Sage walks All day
and never parts from the baggage wagon.
Although there are many beautifu palaces to behold,
He is beyond such things and is at peace. Why should the ruler of 10,000
chariots
Act with such frivolity in this world?
To act lightly is to lose one's root.
To be restless is to lose one's self control.
27
A skillful walker leaves no tracks.
A skillful speaker makes no mistakes.
A skillful accountant needs no counting-devices.
A well-made door needs no lock, yet cannot be opened.
A well-made binding uses no rope, yet will not be undone.
Therefore, the Sage is always there to help people
So that no one is forsaken.
She is always there to see to things
So that nothing is lost.
This is called being clothed in light.
What is a good person but a bad person's teacher?
What is a bad person but raw materia for a good person?
If you do not respect your Teacher,
Or love your "raw material,"
You are greatly confused, regardless of your intelligence.
I call this an essential, yet subtle mystery.
28
Know the active, the masculine
Yet keep to the passive, the feminine
And you will cradle the World.
If you lovingly hold the World
You will know eterna goodness
And will become again as a little child.
Be aware of the obvious-the light
But keep to the mysterious-the dark
And set an example for the world.
Be an example for the world
And do not stray from your calling
And you will return to the Eternal.
Know honor
Yet remain humble
And be empty of the world.
Being empty of the world
Is good enough
And you will return to the simplicity of the uncarved block.
If the block is carved it is trapped
In one form and critiqued.
The Sage prefers simplicity and so is ahead of them all.
He knows better than to divide the whole.
29
Do you want to own the World and improve it?
I don't think you can.
You see, the World is sacred.
It can't be improved upon.
If you try you will ruin it.
If you try to own it,
You will lose it.
Therefore, sometimes you must lead and sometimes you must follow.
Sometimes you need to blow hard, and sometimes you can breathe easily.
Sometimes you must be strong and sometimes tender.
Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
Knowing this, the Sage avoids extremes, extravagances and exhaustion.
30
A leader who is advised to rely on the Tao
Does not enforce his will upon the world by military means.
For such things are likely to rebound.
Wherever armies have camped
Thistles and briars grow.
In the wake of war
Bad years are sure to follow.
A good leader accomplishes only what he has set out to do
And is careful not to overestimate his ability.
He achieves his goal, but does not brag.
He effects his purpose, but does not show off.
He is resolute, but not arrogant.
He does what he must, though he may have little choice.
He gets results, but not by force.
Things that grow strong, soon grow weak.
This is not the Way of the Tao.
Not following the Tao leads to an early end.
31
All weapons are bad news
And All creatures should detest them.
So those who follow the Tao do not keep them.
(Wise people prefer the left side as the place of honor,
But the genera always stands on the right.)
Weapons are the tools of fear.
They are not appropriate for a Sage
And should only be one's last resort.
Peace is always far superior.
There is no beauty in victory.
To find beauty in it would be to rejoice at killing people.
Anyone who delights in slaughter will never find satisfaction in this
world.
(When celebrating happy occasions, the left side is the place of honor,
But on unhappy occasions, the right is preferred.
Then we see those of lower rank standing on the left;
The Genera is given the right-hand position.)
Military officers should observe their duties gravely,
For when many people are killed
They should be mourned with great sorrow.
Celebrate your victory only with funera rites.
32
The Tao will always be beyond comprehension.
Although it seems trivial
No one in All the world can contro it.
If governments and leaders can abide in it
All beings shal gratefully behave likewise.
We would have a Heaven on Earth
And sweet rains would fall.
The people would not need to be told, They would just naturally do
what is right.
When you organize, you must of necessity use names and order.
But given that, you must also know where to leave off
naming and structuring.
Knowing when to stop, you can avoid danger.
All the World is to the Tao
As rivers flowing home to the sea.
33
One who knows others is intelligent.
One who knows himself is truly wise.
One who overcomes others has force.
One who overcomes the self has true strength.
One who knows he has enough is truly wealthy.
One who has discipline is sincere.
One who remembers his Source will endure.
He embraces death and so does not perish
but lives forever.
34
The great Tao flows everywhere, to the left and to the right.
All things rely on it for their life
and it does not refuse them.
When its work is done, it does not demand recognition.
It clothes and nourishes All things
and does not demand allegiance.
Since it makes no demands for itself, it can seem to be of smal regard.
Yet as All things return to it of their own accord, without being commanded,
it can truly be regarded Great.
It is only because it does not claim to be Great
That it is able to achieve such Greatness.
35
Whoever holds firmly to following the Tao
Wil draw All the World to herself.
She may go anywhere and not be afraid,
Finding only safety, balance and peace.
Music and good food lure passers-by
But words about the Tao
Seem bland and flavorless to them.
Look, and it cannot be seen.
Listen, and it cannot be heard.
Use it, and it cannot be exhausted.
36
What you want shrunk
Must first be allowed to expand.
What you want weakened
Must first be strengthened.
What you want destroyed
Must first be allowed to flourish.
That which you want to take
Must first be given.
Seeing this is an understanding of the subtle.
What is soft and weak overcomes what is hard and strong.
Just as a fish should keep to deep waters,
So a country's weapons should be kept out of sight, so as not to tempt
people.
37
The Tao never "acts"
Yet nothing is left undone.
If the governments and leaders would keep it
All things would of their own accord be transformed.
Should desires arise from transformation
I shal influence them through silent simplicity.
Silent simplicity involves being free from desires.
When you are without desire you are content
And All the World is at peace.
38
A truly good person does not try to be good,
Therefore is he able to be good.
Another person tries to be good,
And finds that he cannot.
A good person does not act, nor has any reason to.
Another person is always doing
Because he thinks he has to.
A humanitarian acts from the heart.
A politician acts, but he has ulterior motives.
When a legalist acts and gets no response,
He rolls up his sleeves and uses force.
Therefore, when the Tao is lost, Remember that there is stil goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is stil kindness.
When kindness is lost, there is stil the law.
When the law is lost, there is stil politeness.
Politeness is the thin edge of loyalty and trust,
And is the beginning of chaos. We need those who try to direct society
About as much as the Tao needs a flower
To make it attractive.
They mark the beginnings of stupidity.
The Sage concerns herself with causes,
Not symptoms
And focuses on the Tao, not the silly flower.
Forget the flower, follow the Tao instead.
39
People of ancient times possessed oneness.
The sky attained oneness and so became clear.
Earth attained oneness and so found peace.
The Spirit attains oneness and so is replenished.
The Valleys attained oneness and so became full.
All things attain oneness and they flourish.
The ancient leaders attained oneness
And so becme examples for All the world.
All of this is achieved by oneness.
Without oneness, the sky would crack
The Earth explode
The Spirit exhaust
The valley deplete
Leaders would certainly fall
And All life, perish.
Therefore the Great recognizes the Smal as its root.
The High takes the Low as its foundation.
Leaders refer to themselves as orphans and widows.
Is this not grounding oneself in humility? Therefore the highest renown
is no renown.
We do not want to glitter like jewels.
We do not want to be hard as stone.
40
Returning is the movement of the Tao.
Yielding is the way of the Tao.
All things in the world are born of being.
Being is born of non-being.
41
When wise people hear about the Tao
They follow it carefully.
When ordinary people hear about the Tao
They can take it or leave it.
When foolish people hear about the Tao
They laugh out loud.
