Overcoming others requires force.
Overcoming yourself requires strength.
To know that you have enough is to be rich.
Push through and you may get your way,
but return home and you will endure.
Live out your days and you have had a long life.
34
The great Tao covers everything like a flood.
lt flows to the left and to the right.
The ten thousand things depend upon it
and it denies none of them.
It accomplishes its task yet claims no reward.
It clothes and feeds the ten thousand things
yet it does not attempt to control them.
Therefore, it may be called "the little."
The ten thousand things return to it,
even though it does not control them.
Therefore, it may be called "the great."
So it is that the True Person does not wish to be great
and therefore becomes truly great.
35
Hold on to the Great Image
and all under heaven will approach you.
Coming to you and not being harmed,
they will find rest, peace, and security.
A passing guest will pause at the sound of music
and the smell of fancy food.
By comparison the Tao is mild and flavorless.
It is not solid enough to be seen,
nor loud enough to be heard.
Yet, it lasts forever.
36
That which is to be shrunk
must first be stretched out.
That which is to be weakened
must first be strengthened.
That which is to be cast down
must first be raised up.
That which is to be taken
must first be given.
There is wisdom in dimming your light.
For the soft and gentle
will overcome the hard and powerful.
Fish are best left in deep waters.
And, weapons are best kept out of sight.
37
The Tao never strives,
yet nothing is left undone.
If leaders were able to adhere to it
the ten thousand things would develop
of their own accord.
If after they have developed
they experience desires to strive,
they can bury those desires
under the nameless Uncarved Block.
The nameless Uncarved Block can protect
against desire.
When desires are restrained there will be peace,
and then all under heaven will be at rest.
THE SECOND BOOK: Te (Virtue)
38
A person of high virtue is not conscious of virtue
and therefore possesses Virtue.
A person of little virtue tries to be virtuous
and therefore lacks Virtue.
A person of high vir-tue does not make a fuss
and is not seen.
A person of little virtue always makes a fuss
and is always seen.
A truly good person functions without ulterior motive.
A moralist acts out of private desires.
A ritualist acts and, when no one responds,
rolls up a sleeve and marches.
When we lose the Tao, we turn to Virtue.
When we lose Virtue, we turn to kindness.
When we lose kindness, we turn to morality.
When we lose morality, we turn to ritual.
Ritual is the mere husk of good faith and loyalty
and the beginning of disorder.
Knowledge of what is to come
may be a flower of the Tao,
but it is the beginning of folly.
Hence, the well-formed person relies on what is solid
and not on what is flimsy,
on the fruit and not the flower.
Therefore, such a person lets go of that without
and is cont:ent with this within.
39
From ancient times these things have arisen from the One:
Heaven is clear because of the One,
The earth is firm because of the One,
The Spirit is strong because of the One,
The valley is full because of thc One,
The ten thousand things reprodnce because of the One,
Leaders are able to lead because of the One.
All of this comes from the One.
If heaven were not clear it would soon split.
If the earth were not firm it would soon bend and break.
If the Spirit were not strong it would soon wear out.
If the valley were not full it would soon dry up.
If the ten thousand things did not reproduce
they would soon die out.
If leaders could not lead they would soon fall.
Therefore, greatness has its source in the little.
The low is the foundation of the high.
Princes call themselves "alone," "helpless," "worthless."
Is this not acknowledging a humble root~
Enumerate the parts of a carriage
and you have not defined a carriage.
Better to resound like stone chimes
than to tinkle like jade bells.
40
Returning is the direction of the Tao.
Yielding is the way of the Tao.
The ten thousand things are born of Being
and Being is born of Nonbeing.
41
The wise student on hearing the Tao
diligently puts it into practice.
The average student on hearing the Tao
keeps it one minute and loses it the next.
The mediocre student on hearing the Tao
laughs at it loudly.
If this student did not laugh it would not be the Tao.
Therefore, the ancient proverb says:
The bright path seems dull.
The path that goes torward seems to lead backward.
The even path seems up and down.
The greatest whiteness seems soiled.
High Virtue seems like a canyon.
Abundant Virtue seems deficient.
Vigorous Virtue seems limp.
Simple Virtue seems faded.
The greatest square has no corners.
The greatest vessel takes long to complete.
The greatest note is hard to hear.
The greatest image has no shape.
The Tao is hidden and narneless;
yet, it is the Tao alone that supports all thing?;
and brings them to completion.
42
The Tao gives birth to the One.
The One gives birth to two.
Two gives birth to three.
And three gives birth to the ten thousand things.
The ten thousand things have their backs in the shadow
while they embrace the light.
Harmony is achieved by blending
the breaths of these two forces.
People dislike the words "alone," "helpless," "worthless,"
yet this is how Princes describe them selves.
So it is that sometimes a thing is increased
by being diminished and
diminished by being increased.
What others teach I also teach:
"A violent person will not die a natural death."
I shall make this the basis of my teaching.
43
The most yielding of all things
overcomes the hardest of all things.
That which has no substance
enters where there is no crevice.
Hence, I know the value of action without striving.
Few things under heaven bring more benefit than
the lessons learned from silence and
the actions taken without striving.
44
Your integrity or your body:
Which is more important?
Your body or your possessions
Which is worth more?
Gain or loss:
Which is more harmful?
Thus it is that the miser will pay much.
The hoarder will suffer great loss.
Be content with what you have
and you will not be disgraced.
Know when to stop
and you will be preserved from danger.
Only in this way will you long endure.
45
Great accomplishment seems incomplete,
yet its use is not impaired.
Great filllness seems empty,
yet it will never be drained.
Great straightness looks crooked.
Great skill appears clumsy.
Great eloquence sounds like stammering.
Movement overcomes cold,
stillness overcomes heat.
The calm and quiet set right
everything under heaven.
46
When the Tao prevails in the world
swift horses are used to fertilize the fields.
When the Tao is unheeded
war horses are bred on the border lands.
There is no greater offense than harboring desires.
There is no greater disaster than discontent.
There is no greater misfortune than wanting more.
Hence, if you are content
You will always have enough.
47
Without going outside
you can know the ways of the world.
Without looking through the window
you can see the way of heaven.
The farther you go
the less you know.
Therefore, the Trne Person
arrives without traveling,
perceives without looking,
and acts without striving.
48
In the pursuit of learning,
every day something isadded.
In the pursuit of the Tao,
every day something is dropped.
Less and less is done
until you come to action with striving.
When you follow this practice,
nothing remains undone.
All under heaven is won by
letting things take their cuurse.
Nothing can be gained by interfering.
49
The True Person does not have an individual heart
but uses the heart of the people.
I am kind to those who are kind.
I am also kind to those who are not kind.
Thus, there is an increase in kindness.
I keep faith with those who are in good faith.
I also keep faith with those WhO lack good faith.
Thus, there is an increase of good faith.
The True Person is detached and humble
and to the world appears confusing.
The people all strain their eyes and ears, yet the True Person remainschildlike.
50
When going off one way means living
and going off the other way means dying,
three in ten are companions of Life,
three in ten are companions of Death, and
three in ten value Life but drift toward Death.
Why is all this so?
Because, these people are too greedy about living.
It is said:
People who are skillful in caring
for the life that has been given to them
travel abroad without fear of wild ox or tiger,
and enter a battle without concern for sharp weapons.
There is no place for the wild ox to thrust its horns,
there is no place for the tiger to put its claws,
there is no place for a weapon to lodge.
How is this so?
Because, there is no place for Death to enter in!
51
The Tao gives life to all things,
and its Virtue nourishes them,
forms each according to its nature
and gives to each its inner strengrth.
Therefore, the ten thousand things all venerate the Tao
and honor its Virtue.
It has never bccn decreed that the Tao be venerated
and its Virtue be honored;
they have always been so treated spontaneously.
Thus, the Tao gives life to all things;
and its Virtue raises them, nourishes them,
brings them to their full growth,
feeds, shelters, and protects them.
Giving life without claiming authority,
benefiting without demanding gratitude,
guiding without control.
This is called hidden Virtue.
52
All things under heaven had a common beginning,
and that beginning could be considered
the Mother of all things.
When you know the Mother
you will also know the children.
Know the children, yet hold fast to the Mother,
and to the end of your days
you will be free from danger.
Block the passages!
t the doors!
And, to the end of your days
your strength will not fail you.
Open the passages!
Increase your activities!
And, to the end of your days
you will be beyond help.
See the small and develop clear vision.
Practice yielding and develop strength.
Use the outer light to return to the inner light,
and save yourself from harm.
This is known as following the Always-so.
53
If I have even little sense,
I will walk upon the great path of Tao
and only fear straying from it.
This Great Way is straight and smooth
yet people often prefer the side roads.
The courtyard is well kept
but the fields are full of weeds,
and the granaries stand empty.
Still, there are those of us
who wear elegant clothes, carry sharp swords,
pamper ourselvcs with food and drink
and have more possessions than we can use.
These are the actions of robbers.
This is certainly far from the Tao.
54
What is well rooted cannot be pulled up.
What is firmly grasped will not slip loose.
It will be honored from generatlon to generation.
When cultivated in your person, Virtue will be real.
When cultivated in your household, Virtue will be plentiful.
When cultivated in your village, Virtue will endure.
When cultivated in your country, Virtue will abound.
When cultivated in your world, Virtue will be universal.
Hence, through yourself look at Self.
Through your household look at Household.
Through your community look at Community.
Through yonr country look at Country.
Through your world look at World.
How do I know that the world is like this?
Because of what is within me.
55
A person who is filled with Virtue
is like a newborn child.
Poisonons insects will not sting,
wild animals will not pounce,
birds of prey will not swoop down.
Although bones are soft and sinews weak,
a child's grip is firm.
The union of man and woman is not known,
yet there is completeness,
because a child's vital force is at its height.
Crying all day will not produce hoarseness,
because there is perfect harmony.
To know harmony is to know the Always-so.
To know the Always-so is to be awakened.
Trying to fill life to the brim invites a curse.
For the mind to Inake demands upon the breath of life
brings strain.
Whatever has been forced to a peak of vigor
approaches its decay.
This is not the way of Tao.
And that which goes against the Tao
will quickly pass away.
56
Those who know do not speak.
Those who speak do not know.
Block the passages!
t the doors!
Blunt the sharpness!
Untangle the knots!
Soften the glare!
Settle with the dust!
This is the Mystery of Evenness.
Those who have achieved this cannot be enclosed
nor kept at a distance;
they cannot be bene fited nor harmed,
honored nor disgraced.
