If they didn't laugh out loud, it wouldn't be the Tao!
Therefore it is said:
The path into light seems dark.
The way ahead seems to go backwards.
The path into peace seems rough.
The greatest good seems to us empty.
True purity seems stained.
The best efforts seem inadequate.
Appropriate caution seems like cowardice.
True essence seems violated.
The truly square bears no corners. Sound vessels take time to build.
Celestia music is seldom paid much heed.
The greatest image is impossible to capture. The Tao is hidden and
nameless
Yet it is the Tao alone that nourishes
and completes All things.
42
The Tao gives birth to one.
One gives birth to two.
Two gives birth to three,
And three gives birth to All things.
All things carry Yin and embrace Yang
Desiring nothing and finding harmony.
All people hate loneliness and poverty
Though they are the noblest of states.
So in losing, much is gained,
And in gaining, much is lost.
What others have taught, I also teach:
"The violent shal die with violence."
This is my primary teaching.
43
The softest thing in the World
Overcomes the hardest thing in the World.
That which is without substance can enter even where there is no space.
Therefore I know the value of non-action.
Teaching without words
And benefit without actions
There are few in the World who can grasp it.
44
Fame or self: which is more important?
Your possessions or your person: which is worth more to you?
Gain or loss: which is worse?
Therefore, to be obsessed with "things" is a great waste,
The more you gain, the greater your loss.
Being content with what you have been given, You can avoid disgrace.
Knowing when to stop, You will avoid danger.
That way you can live a long and happy life.
45
True perfection seems flawed
Yet its usefulness is never exhausted.
True fulfillment seems empty
Yet its usefulness is infinite.
True straightness seems crooked,
Great skil appears easy,
Great eloquence sounds awkward.
Cold overcomes heat.
Tranquility conquers agitation.
Purity and stillness is the universa ideal.
46
When the World keeps to the Tao
Strong horses are best used to manufacture manure.
When the World forgets the Tao
War horses are bred outside the city.
There is no greater curse than discontent.
Nothing breeds trouble like greed.
Only one who is content with what is enough
will be content always.
l
47
Without going outside, You can know the whole world.
Without looking out the window,
You can know Heaven's Way.
The further out you seek
The less you understand.
Therefore, the Sage
Knows without needing to travel,
Understands without needing to see,
Accomplishes without "doing."
48
To pursue learning is to grow a little more every day.
To pursue the Tao is to desire a little less every day.
Desire less and less
Unti you arrive at "not-doing."
When you practice "not-doing," nothing is left undone.
?br> If you want to have the whole world,
Have nothing.
If you are always busy doing something,
You cannot enjoy the world.
l
49
The Sage's heart is not set in stone.
She is as sensitive to the people's feelings as to her own.
She says, "To people who are good, I am good.
And to people who are not good? I am good to them, too."
This is true goodness.
"People who are trustworthy, I trust.
And people who are not trustworthy, I also trust."
This is rea trust.
The Sage who leads harmoniously considers the mind of
her people as well as her own.
They look to her anxiously.
They are like her own children.
50
From birth to death,
Three people out of ten are celebrators of Life.
Three people out of ten are advocates of Death.
The rest simply move numbly from cradle to grave.
Why is this?
Because they are overly protective of this life.
It is said that one who knows how to protect his life can
walk freely without fear of the wild buffalo or tiger.
He may meet an army bravely with neither sword nor shield.
For the buffalo will find no place to sink its horns,
The tiger finds no place to dig his claws,
Weapons find no soft spot to pierce. Why?
Because there is no place for death in him.
51
The Tao gives birth to All things.
Nature's goodness nurtures them.
Matter forms them.
Environment shapes them.
Therefore, All things cannot help but to respect the Tao and treasure
goodness.
Respect for the Tao and the treasuring of goodness are not demanded
of them, they do it naturally.
So, the Tao gives birth,
Nature's goodness nurtures them.
grows them, raises them and enables them to mature,
ripens them, nourishes and shelters them.
The Tao gives birth, but does not possess;
Acts, but does not take credit;
Guides, but does not control.
This is the mystery of goodness.
52
The World has an origin
Which we may regard as the Mother of the Universe.
Knowing the Mother, we can also come to know her children.
Knowing the children, return and hold fast to the Mother.
Doing this, you will not meet with danger your whole life long.
close your mouth Go easy on the senses And life will not be so hard.
If you spend your life filling your senses
And rushing around "doing" things
You will be beyond hope.
To concern yourself with the beautiful and small
is true wisdom.
To foster gentleness is true strength. Choose to do what is wise and
return to wisdom
Then you will avoid life's troubles.
This is called practicing consistency.
53
If I possess even a little wisdom
Then while I walk in the light of the Tao
My only fear is that I'l fal into "doing."
The path of the Tao is obvious and simple,
But most people prefer to take short-cuts.
The courts of law are far from the people's hearts.
The fields are ful of weeds, And the storehouses are empty.
But look, here are officials in elegant apparel
carrying sharp swords
Eating and drinking until they are bloated,
Possessed of such wealth that they could never use it all.
I call this positively criminal.
It is not the way of the Tao.
54
One who is well grounded will not be uprooted.
One who has a firm embrace will not let go.
His descendants will faithfully carry on his tradition.
Cultivate these things in yourself
And you will have true goodness.
Cultivate these in your family
And goodness will increase.
Cultivate these in your community
And goodness will catch on.
Cultivate these in your nation
And goodness will overflow!
Cultivate these in the World
And goodness will fil the Universe.
And so, let the self examine the self.
Let the family consider the family.
Let the community examine the community.
Let the nation evaluate the nation.
Let the World contemplate the World.
How do I know the World is like this?
Through these:
Grounding and embracing.
55
One who is filled with goodness is like a freshly-born infant.
Wasps, scorpions and snakes will not bite her.
Wild beasts will not attack her, nor will birds of prey pounce on her.
Her bones may be fragile and her skin soft,
But her grasp is firm.
She does not recognize the union of male and female
For she knows it only as an undivided whole.
This is the essence of perfection.
She can how All day and not get hoarse.
This is perfect harmony.
Knowing harmony is faithfulness.
Knowing faithfulness is salvation.
Trying to extend one's life-span is dangerous and unnatural.
To manipulate one's energy with the mind is a powerfu thing
But whoever possesses such strength invariably grows old and withers.
This is not the way of the Tao.
All those who do not follow the Tao will come to an early end.
56
Those who know, do not speak.
Those who speak, do not know.
So t your mouth
Guard your senses
Blunt your sharpness
Untangle your affairs
Soften your glare
Be one with All dust.
This is the mystery of union.
You cannot approach it Yet you cannot escape it.
You cannot benefit it
Yet you cannot harm it.
You cannot bestow any honor on it
Yet you cannot rob it of its dignity.
That is why the whole Universe reveres it.
57
As a leader, lead properly.
Don't resort to force in the usua ways.
Win the World by "not-doing."
How do I know to do this?
Listen, the more laws and prohibitions there are
The poorer the people become.
The more dreadfu weapons you have
The more chaotic the state of the nation.
The more clever and advanced your knowledge
The stranger things become.
The more commandments and regulations you have
The more thieves there are.
Therefore the Sage who leads says:
"I practice "not-doing" and the people transform themselves.
I enjoy peace and the people correct themselves.
I stay out of their business affairs and the people prosper.
I have no desires and the people, All by themselves,
become simple and honest."
58
When a government is unobtrusive
The people are simple and honest.
When a government is suspicious and strict
The people are discontented and sneaky.
Blessings are rooted in misery.
Misery lurks behind blessing.
Where does it ever end?
There is no such thing as "normal."
What seems norma is only an illusion,
And what seems good is finally revealed to be monstrous.
The people's confusion has lasted a very long time.
Therefore the Sage is honest, but not judgmental
Strong, but not injurious to others
Straightforward, but not reckless
Bright, but not blinding.
59
In leading people and serving Heaven
There is nothing better than moderation.
In moderation, one is already following the Tao.
When one follows the Tao, great goodness is abundant.
When great goodness is in abundance,
There is nothing that cannot be overcome.
When there is nothing that cannot be overcome
Then there are no limits.
Having no limits, one can certainly govern a country.
If you know the country's Mother, you will long endure.
I call this having deep roots and a firm stalk.
This is the Way of long life and great insight.
60
Govern a big country as you would fry a smal fish.
Approach the world with the Tao and evi will have no power.
Not that evi has no power, but it will not harm people.
Not that evi is not harmful,
But the Sage is dedicated to not harming people-even evi people.
When no one hurts another,
All will eventually return to the good.
61
A great country is like a low-lying lake where many rivers converge;
A foca point for the Earth, the feminine Spirit of the World.
The female always overcomes the male by stillness.
Stillness is the lowest position.
Therefore a big country, By placing itself below a smaller country
Wil win the smaller country.
And a smal country, By placing itself below a larger country
Wil gain the large country.
Therefore, by being humble, one gains
And the other, being humble already, also gains.
A great country needs to embrace the lowly.
The smal country needs to serve others.
Thus, both needs are satisfied
And each gets what it wants.
Remember, the great country should always humble itself.
62
The Tao is the bosom of the Universe
It is the good person's treasure
And the bad person's refuge.
Flattery may buy one's position
And good deeds can win people over
But if one's heart is not pure
That is All the more reason to cling to the Tao!
Therefore when a king is coronated,
Crowned in ceremony,
Presented with gifts of rare value, And escorted in luxury,
All these things pale when compared to the humble gift of the Tao,
offered in silence.
Why did the Sages of old value the Tao so much?
Because, when you seek, you find
And when you sin, you are forgiven.
That is why the Tao is the greatest treasure of the Universe.
63
Do without "doing".
Work without forcing.
Taste without seasonings.
Recognize the Great in the small,
And the many in the few.
Repay hatred with kindness.
Dea with the difficult while it is stil easy.
Begin great works while they are small.
Certainly the Earth does difficult work with ease,
And accomplishes great affairs from smal beginnings.
So, the Sage, by not striving for greatness,
Achieves greatness.
A person who makes promises lightly
Is not regarded as trustworthy.
lIf you think everything is easy,
You will find only difficulty.
That is why the Sage considers All things difficult
And finds nothing too difficult in the end.
64
What is at rest is easy to maintain.
What has not yet happened is easy to plan.
That which is fragile is easily shattered
That which is tiny is easily scattered.
Correct problems before they occur.
Intervene before chaos erupts.
A tree too big around to hug is produced from a tiny sprout.
A nine-story tower begins with a mound of dirt.
A thousand-mile journey begins with your own two feet.
Whoever tries will fail.
Whoever clutches, loses.
Therefore the Sage, not trying, cannot fail
Not clutching, she cannot lose.
