Was once a tiny sprout.
A tower nine stories high
Was built on a lump of dirt.
A journey of a thousand miles
Begins right under your feet.
It's those who take action that fail.
It's those who hold on to things that lose them.
Therefore the sage takes no action,
And so he does not fail.
He doesn't hold on to things,
And so he doesn't lose them.
People always fail when their work is nearly done.
So be cautious when you start
And be cautious when you finish.
That is why the sage desires not to desire
And does not value rare things.
He learns what cannot be learnt
And returns to what others pass by.
He could help the myriad things
Follow their true nature
Yet he dares not do it.
65
The ancients who excelled at following Tao
Did not enlighten people
But kept them free from cleverness.
If people are too clever they are difficult to rule.
To rule the state with cleverness
Is to rob the state;
But to rule the state without cleverness
Is to benefit the state.
These are the two forms of rulership.
To remain aware of them is to have the secret virtue.
The secret virtue reaches far and touches all.
It leads all things back to the great accord.
66
How can rivers and oceans be king of one hundred valleys?
They excel in staying below them.
That is why they can become their king.
Thus if the sage wishes to be the people's master
He has to talk to them like their servant.
If he wishes to lead them
He has to follow behind them.
This way he can be their master
Without oppressing them.
He can precede them
Without blocking their way.
That is why the whole world is willing to praise him
And never tires of doing so.
He contends with no one,
So no one can contend with him.
67
The whole world says:
"What you teach is great yet unlike anything else."
It is its greatness that makes it unlike anything else.
Were it like everything else
It would have become trivial a long time ago.
I have three treasures which I hold and keep safe.
The first is compassion.
The second economy.
The third not daring to take the lead.
If you're compassionate you can be fearless.
If you're not wasteful you can be giving.
If you're afraid to lead you can attain the highest honors.
Today people renounce compassion and try to be brave.
They are wasteful in extreme and try to be giving.
They refuse to be follow and they try to take the lead.
They are certainly doomed.
Compassion gives you victory in battle
And strength in defense.
When heaven comes to your rescue
With its compassion it keeps you safe.
68
The best soldier is not violent.
The best fighter does not fly into rage.
The best winner does not engage the opponent.
The best employer does not put himself above others.
This is the virtue of non-contending.
This is the ability of managing people.
This is the finest way of matching heaven.
69
Experts in warfare have a saying:
"I dare not launch an attack.
I'd rather mount a defense.
I dare not advance a foot,
I'd rather retreat a mile."
This is called:
Moving forward without moving forward.
Removing the sleeves without baring the arms.
Being armed without holding a weapon.
Seizing the enemy without confronting him.
There is no worse disaster than to have no enemy.
If I have no enemy my treasure is as good as lost.
Thus when the battle begins
And the opponents are evenly matched
It is the grieving side that wins.
70
My words are easy to understand
And it is easy to follow them.
Yet they can be grasped by no one in the world
And there is no one who can follow them.
My words are of an ancient origin.
My actions are guided by reason.
Yet this remains unknown,
So I remain unknown, too.
Those who know me are few
This is what honors me.
The sage wears plain clothing.
His true wealth is concealed in his heart.
71
If you know that you're ignorant you are fine.
If you don't know that you're ignorant you are flawed.
Only when you recognize your flaws
Will you become flawless.
The sage is free from flaws.
He's flawless because he knows his flaws.
72
When people have no fear of what they should fear.
Something really fearsome will come on them.
Do not constrict their living space.
Do not reduce their means of livelihood.
If they抮e not pestered they will not get weary.
Therefore the sage knows himself
But does not flaunt himself.
He loves himself
But does not exalt himself.
He chooses what truly has value,
Spurns what only seems that way.
73
The one whose courage comes from being fearless
Gets killed.
The one whose courage comes from being fearful
Stays alive.
Both kinds of bravery lead to benefit or harm.
If one of them heaven detests who knows the reason why?
Even the sage is unable to explain this.
The Tao of heaven excels at overcoming without competing,
At responding without speaking,
At drawing to itself without beckoning,
At laying plans without hurrying.
Heaven's weapons are crude, its targets strewn wide
Yet when it takes aim it won't miss the mark.
74
If people have no fear of death
It's pointless to threaten them with it.
If people were in constant fear of death,
And if anyone acting deviously
Were to be seized and executed,
Who would dare to do so?
The Master Executioner is always there to kill.
If you attempt to play his role
It is like trying to do the work of a master lumberjack.
The one who has no skill to do this work
Seldom escapes with his hands unhurt.
75
Why are the people starving?
Because those above them put heavy taxes on them
And eat up their grain.
That's why the people are starving.
Why are the people difficult to rule?
Because those above them are meddlesome.
That's why the people are difficult to rule.
Why are the people are unconcerned about death?
Because those above them care too much about life.
That's why the people are unconcerned about death.
It is better to disregard life
Than to exalt it too much.
76
Living people are supple and soft.
When they're dead they are rigid and hard.
Living plants are pliant and green.
When they're dead they抮e unbending and dry.
Thus what's rigid and hard accompanies death
And what's pliant and soft accompanies life.
If a soldier's too strong, he will suffer defeat.
If a tree is too hard it will be cut down.
The strong and big go down.
The soft and weak go high.
77
The Tao of heaven is like the bending of a bow.
What is high is brought down.
What is low is sent high.
What's excessive is reduced.
What's insufficient is increased.
The Tao of heaven takes from those who have too much
And gives to those who are in want.
The people's way is not like that.
They take from those who are in want
And give to those who have too much.
Yet who is able to have enough to give it to the world?
Only the one who has Tao.
Therefore the sage toils but expects no praise.
He does his work but does not dwell on it.
He does not wish to make a display of his merit.
78
There is nothing in the world softer than water.
And there's nothing weaker.
Yet for attacking the hard and strong
There is nothing better.
There is no substitute for it.
What is weak defeats what's strong.
What is soft defeats what's hard.
This is something known to all.
Yet this knowledge is used by none.
That's why the sage declares:
"If you bear the country's dishonor
You become the lord of its shrines.
If you bear the country's misfortune
You become the king of the world."
True words seem to sound wrong.
79
When great enemies settle their quarrel
Some of their enmity will linger on.
Is there a way to set things right?
The sage abides by the agreement
And does not seek to assign blame.
People of virtue meet their obligations.
Those without virtue exact their claims.
The Tao of heaven does not take sides.
Yet it always stays with the good.
80
If a country is small its people are few.
Having tools in abundance, they're unwilling to use them.
Mindful of death, they do not venture far.
Having wagons and boats, they do not ride in them.
Having weapons and shields, they keep them out of sight.
To keep records they've returned to using knotted cords.
They relish their food,
Delight in their clothes,
Find peace in their homes,
And joy in their plain way of life.
Though the neighboring country is within sight,
And its roosters and dogs can be heard,
People live, grow old and die
Without ever leaving to visit their neighbors.
81
True words are not beautiful.
Beautiful words are not true.
Good people do not argue.
Those who argue are not good.
Those who know are not learned.
The learned do not know.
The sage accumulates nothing.
The more he does for others, the more he has.
The more he gives to others, the more he receives.
The Tao of heaven
Is to benefit, not harm.
The Tao of the sage
Is to act for others, not to contend with them.
English_Sorrell_TTK
Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse
Chinese - English by
Roderic & Amy M. Sorrell, 2003
1
The Nature of the Tao: Existence and emptiness
The Tao can be explained, but this is not the real Tao.
Names can be given, but these are only a designation.
The origin of Heaven and Earth is called Emptiness.
The mother of all things is called Existence.
When we focus on Emptiness,
we become aware of the wonder of it all.
When we focus on Existence,
we become aware of the nature of all things.
These both emerge together, but have different names.
Both are called a Mystery. Mystery within Mystery.
The doorway to all wonders.
2
Everything is Relative: The nature of opposites
Everyone in the world is aware of beauty;
and so there exists ugliness.
Everyone is aware of skill;
and so there exists awkwardness.
Existence and Emptiness give rise to each other.
Hardship and ease succeed each other.
Lasting and brief define each other.
High and low are the measure of each other.
Sound and tone harmonize each other.
Before and after follow each other.
And so there is balance.
This is how wise people effortlessly attend to their affairs.
Teaching without words, everything gets done in its own time.
Spontaneously arising. Acting without expectation.
Deeds are done and not dwelt upon.
Since they are not dwelt upon, nothing is lost.
3
Peace: From restless desire to effortless peace
Not rewarding talent keeps us from rivalry.
Not valuing rare goods keeps us from thievery.
Not seeing desirable things keeps us from anxiety.
That is why the wise rule others
by opening their hearts and filling their bellies,
tempering their ambition and strengthening their bones.
In this state, the mind is at peace, and desire is at an end.
For this reason issues are not forced.
Actions are done effortlessly, and yet nothing is left undone.
4
Endless Abundance: The Tao as an infinite resource
The Way flows freely,
yet however much it is used it can never be used up.
Vast! It seems to be the ancestor of all things.
It smoothes out sharp edges and straightens out tangles;
softens the glare and settles the dust.
Deep! It appears to have existed forever.
I do not know whose child it is.
It seems to precede even the ancestor of God.
5
Straw Dogs: Impermanence. All things will pass
Heaven and Earth are not biased;
they treat everything like straw dogs.
Wise people are not biased;
they treat all people like straw dogs.
Is not the space between heaven and earth like a bellows?
It is hollow, yet never collapses.
The more we pump it, the more it produces.
Too much talk leaves us exhausted.
It抯 not as good as staying within.
6
The Mystery Woman: The spirit of the world
The Valley Spirit never dies.
She is called the Mystery Woman.
The gate of the Mystery Woman is called
the Root of Heaven and Earth.
Effortlessly, she seems to have existed forever.
7
Eternal Life: The end of self concern
Heaven is eternal and Earth endures.
Heaven and Earth endure, because they exist for others.
Therefore, the universe persists.
That is why wise people put themselves last,
yet find themselves first.
They are detached from self-concern,
and yet are safe from harm.
Is this because they are unselfish,
and so can fulfill themselves?
8
The Good Life: Like water for Tao
The highest good is like water.
Water is capable of benefiting all things, because it does not struggle.
It is found in places avoided by most people,
and so it is close to the Tao.
The essence of conduct is its integrity.
The essence of the psyche is its sincerity.
The essence of giving is its benevolence.
The essence of speech is its truthfulness.
The essence of authority is in bringing order.
The essence of getting things done is in being competent.
The essence of taking action is in the timing.
