63
Achieve serenity. Work passively. Taste the flavorless. Large or small, many or few, exchange love for hatred.
Undertake the difficult while it is still simple; undertake the great while it is still minor. The problems in the world must be solved while they are easy; the great while they are minor. The truly wise find greatness by undertaking nothing great.
A promise lightly made is often difficult to keep. Whoever makes light of things encounters many problems. The truly wise know that things are difficult and therefore meet with no difficulties.
64
What is not moving is easily held. What has not happened is easily planned. What is brittle is easily broken. What is tiny is easily dispersed. Deal with a problem before it arises; exercise control before confusion exists.
A tree with an arm-girth of trunk grows from a tiny spout; a nine-stoied terrace arises from a heap of dirt; a thousand-mile journey begins with the first step.
Action spoils; reaching loses. The truly wise are not active. Thus they do not spoil things. Do not reach so do not lose. Things are often spoiled very close to completion.
Be as careful at completion as you were at the beginning.
Thus the truly wise want the unwanted and do not prize what is rare. Study what is unstudied and preserve what is lost. Assist in the course of nature but never interfere in it.
65
Simplicity an Ancient Standard
The ancient followers of Tao did not use it to increase knowledge, but rather to preserve simplicity. People are difficult to govern when there is too much knowledge. Whoever rules a country by furthering knowledge is that nation抯 curse. Whoever rules a country by furthering simplicity is that nation抯 blessing. To know these two principles is to know the ancient standard. To know the ancient standard is to possess Teh of a certainty. Teh is deep and vast as infinity. It returns us to primal peace.
66
To Lead Appear to Follow
Why do rivers and seas have dominion over lowlands? Because the one lowers itself to the other. To be elevated by the people, speak like their inferior. To lead the people, walk behind them. Thus the truly wise are above, but people do not feel their weight. They walk in front, but people do not feel blocked. The whole world respects and never grows tired of such leadership. Because the truly wise are not aggressive, no one is aggressive toward them.
67
The world says: 擳ao is great but seems so foolish!?It seems foolish because it is great. If it did not seem so foolish it would have long since lost its value.
I have three treasures. Guard them and keep them safe! The first is love without which nothing is possible. The second is moderation which is to know the Mystic Balance. The third is humility, to know that you have come from nothing and that you return to nothing. Without these there is no hope.
Love conquers all. There is no defense against it. Tao arms with love those it would protect.
68
Victory in Tao
The most skilled soldier is not aggressive; the most proficient fighter never loses control; the most victorious commander does not bicker; the most efficient leader is humble before all. This is the virtue of serenity. This is the mastery of life. This is matching Teh to Tao.
69
Tao Strategy
Ancient military strategists said: 擨 would rather be invaded than be the invader; I would rather retreat one foot than advance one inch.?br>
This means not marching in formation; not appering prepared, with sleeves up; not charging in frontal assault; not arming with elaborate weapons.
There is no more fateful catastrophe than to understimate the enemy. To underestimate the enemy is to run the risk of losing treasures. Thus, when evenly matched armies battle, the passive, recessive one is the victor.
70
My teachings are easily understood and are readily put into practice yet everyone does not understand them, everyone does not practice them.
Words have specific meanings; actions have specific causes. Not being specific, people do not understand me. Being misunderstood, I understand. Understanding, true knowledge is mine. In this way, the truly wise wear common clothes and carry their jewels in their hearts.
71
On Intelligence
To know what you do not know is best. He who thinks he knows what he does not know is sick in mind.
One who sees this for what it is is not sick in mind.
The followers of Tao are not sick in mind because they know this.
72
Lead Humbly But Surely
When the people do not fear absolute rule, greater fear will yet descend on them.
Do not give them cramped quarters; do not make sacrifice of their children. If you do not dislike them you will not be disliked yourself. The truly wise know themselves but do not flaunt themselves. The truly wise love themselves but do not take pride in themselves. Therefore, they reject the one and accept the other.
73
One of courage, with audacity, will kill. One of courage, but gentle, spares life. From these two kinds of courage arise harm and benefit. Even if Tao dislikes certain people, who can say why? The truly wise regard this as a most difficult question. Tao does not content but it surely wins. It does not speak but it surely responds. It does not command but things come of themselves. It is empty yet contains the Master Plan. The net of Tao is all-encompassing, its meshes are wide, yet nothing is lost.
74
Capital Punishment
If the people do not fear death, why threaten them with it? If the people do fear death, and if the unlawful be killed, who would dare to execute them? Only the Supreme Executioner kills. To take his place is to set an unskilled man to wield the hatchet of a master carpenter: he rarely escapes chopping off his own hand!
75
Rule Without Interfering
The people starve when rulers impose heavy taxes. That is why people starve.
The people are rebellious when rulers meddle in their affairs. That is why people are rebellious.
The people do not fear death when they fight for a better life. That is why they do not fear death.
Those who do not interfere with life receive genuine value from it.
76
When living, man is supple and yielding; when dead, man is hard and stiff. When living, all animals and plants are soft and pliant; when dead, they are withered and brittle. Thus being inflexible and unyielding is part of dying; being flexible and yielding is part of living.
Thus, a headstrong legion will lose in war just as an unyielding tree will snap under the axe. The place of the strong is below; the place of the gentle is above.
77
Is not Tao like a drawn bow? The highest part is lowered, the lowest part is raised, overall length is shortened, overall depth is lengthened.
So Tao lowers the highest and raises the lowest. But the Tao of man increases the high and decreases the low.
Who can take from the high and give to the low? Only the true follower of Tao. Thus, the truly wise act but are not possessive, archieve but claim no credit because they have no desire for vain glory.
78
Nothing in the world is weaker or more yielding than water; yet nothing is its equal in wearing away the hard and strong. There is nothing quite like it.
Thus, the weak can overpower the strong; the flexible can overcome the rigid. The whole world can perceive this, but does not put it into practice.
And so the truly wise say: whoever bears the shame of a nation is fit to lead the nation; whoever bears the sins of the world is fit to lead the world.
Straight words (truth) can seem crooked (paradoxial).
79
Settling Disputes
Settling a great dispute leaves some hatred behind. Can this be good?
Therefore the truly wise defend the weak and do not seek vengeance.
The man with Teh fosters reconciliation; the man without Teh fosters raction. And so it is truly said: 擶hile Tao is impartial, it permeates good men.
80
The Ideal State
The ideal state is small with few people. It has abundance of goods, beyond possible use; understanding death, the people do not emigrate; though they have vessels and vehicles, they do not travel far in them; though they have armor and weapons, they have no need to display them.
Let them use knotted ropes for simple reckoning; be satisfied with their food; be attractive in their clothing; be comfortable in their homes; be happy with their customs. Though from other states dog抯 bark and cock抯 crow can clearly be heard, the people never leave the ideal state.
81
Words of truth are not high?sounding; high?sounding words are not truth. One who has Teh does not argue; so one who argues does not have Teh. The truly wise do not know many things; one who knows many things is not truly wise.
The truly wise do not selfishly crave. They live for other people and thereby grow richer. They give freely of themselves and thereby have great abundance.
The great Tao endows but does so unconditionally. The Tao of the wise accomplishes but does so unselfishly.
WITH TAO ... ... THERE IS NO END!
English_Maurer_TTK
Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse
English interpretation by
Herrymon Maurer, 1985
1
If Tao can be Taoed, it's not Tao.
If its name can be named , it's not its name.
Has no name: precedes heaven and earth.
Has a name: mother of ten thousand things.
For it is
Always dispassionate: see its inwardness;
Always passionate: see its outwardness.
The names are different but the source is the same.
Call the sameness mystery:
Mystery of mystery, the door to inwardness.
2
When all beneath heaven know beauty as beauty,
There is not beauty.
When all know good as good,
There is not good.
For what is and what is not beget each other;
Difficult and easy complete each other;
Long and short show each other;
High and low place each other:
Noise and sound harmonize each other;
Before and behind follow each other.
Therefore the sage
Manages without doing,
Teaches without talking.
He does not n the ten thousand things:
Rears them without owning them,
Works for them without claiming them,
Accomplishes but takes no credit.
Because he does no take credit,
It cannot be taken from him.
3
Don't exalt the worthy:
People then will not compete.
Don't prize rare goods:
People then will not steal.
Don't show what is covetable:
The people's hearts won't be upset.
Thus, when the sage rules,
He empties hearts
And fills bellies,
Weakens ambitions
And strengthens bones.
He leads the people
To not-know and not-want,
And the cunning ones dare not do.
By doing nothing-doing, everything is set in order.
4
Tao is empty! Use it
And it isn't used up.
Deep! It seems like
The forebear of the ten thousand things.
It blunts edges,
Unties tangles,
Harmonizes lights,
Unites all dust.
Existent and deep!
I don't know whose child it is.
It looks to be the source.
5
Heaven-and-earth is not humane:
It treats the ten thousand things like straw dogs.
The sage is not humane:
He treats the hundred families like straw dogs.
Heaven-and-earth and all between
Is like a bellows:
Empty but never used up.
The more it moves,
The more comes out of it.
Many words exhaust truth.
Keep to the empty center.
6
The spirit of low places does not die.
Call its mysteriousness feminine.
The gate of this mysteriousness
Is the source of heaven-and-earth.
Unceasingly, unceasingly, it seems to persist.
Use it and it won't wear out.
7
Heaven abides; earth lasts.
They last and abide
By not living for themselves.
Hence they live forever.
Therefore the sage
Puts himself last,
Finds himself first;
Abandons his self,
Preserves his self.
Is it not because he has no self
That he is able to realize his self?
8
True goodness is like water;
Water benefits the ten thousand things
But does not compete with them.
It stays in places disliked by man,
Therefore comes close to Tao.
For a dwelling keep to the ground.
In your heart keep to the deeps.
In dealing with others, keep to gentleness.
In speaking, keep to the truth.
In governing, keep to order.
In business, keep to efficiency.
In making moves, keep to the right pace.
If you do not compete,
You will not be faulted.
9
Hold onto fullness?
It's better to stop.
Handle sharp edges?
They can't long be kept.
When gold and jade fill a house,
No one can protect it.
Pride in wealth and fame
Breeds its own collapse.
Do your work, retire:
This is the Tao of heaven.
10
In maintaining the vital spirit,
Can you hold to oneness
And not come apart
In developing the vital senses,
Can you be like an infant child?
In loving the people and ruling the state,
Can you hold to nothing-knowing?
In opening and closing heaven's gate,
Can you act like a mother bird?
While seeing clearly in the four directions,
Can you hold to nothing-doing?
Rear the people,
Feed the people.
Rear them but don't own them.
Work but don't claim;
Lead but don't butcher.
Call this inward virtue.
11
Thirty spokes share one hub;
In emptiness lies the wheel's utility.
Kneading clay makes a pot;
In emptiness lies the pot's utility.
Cutting doors and windows makes a room;
In emptiness lies the room's utility.
Gain can be had from somethingness,
But use can be had from nothingness.
12
The five colors blind the eye.
The five notes deafen the ear.
The five flavors dull the taste.
Racing an hunting madden the heart.
Rare goods make men falter.
Therefore the sage
Tends to the belly not the eye.
He rejects the outward,
Clasps the inward.
13
Favor and disgrace: same fear.
Honor and distress: same self.
What is meant by
"Favor and disgrace: same fear"?
Favor make the lowly
