One who sees himself as everything is fit to be guardian of the world
One who loves himself as everyone is fit to be teacher of the world.
14
Eyes look but cannot see it
Ears listen but cannot hear it
Hands grasp but cannot touch it
Beyond the senses lies the great Unity ?invisible, inaudible, intangible
What rises up appears bright
What settles down appears dark
Yet there is neither darkness nor light just an unbroken dance of shadows
From nothingness to fullness and back again to nothingness
This formless form
This imageless image cannot be grasped by mind or might
Try to face it
In what place will you stand?
Try to follow it
To what place will you go?
Know That which is beyond all beginnings and you will know everything here and now
Know everything in this moment and you will know the Eternal Tao
15
The masters of this ancient path are mysterious and profound
Their inner states baffle all inquiry
Their depths go beyond all knowing
Thus, despite every effort, we can only tell of their outer signs ?br> Deliberate, as if treading over the stones of a winter brook
Watchful, as if meeting danger on all sides
Reverent, as if receiving an honoured guest
Selfless, like a melting block of ice
Pure, like an uncarved block of wood
Accepting, like an open valley
Through the course of Nature muddy water becomes clear
Through the unfolding of life man reaches perfection
Through sustained activity that supreme rest is naturally found
Those who have Tao want nothing else
Though seemingly empty they are ever full
Though seemingly old they are beyond the reach of birth and death
16
Become totally empty
Quiet the restlessness of the mind
Only then will you witness everything unfolding from emptiness
See all things flourish and dance in endless variation
And once again merge back into perfect emptiness ?br> Their true repose
Their true nature
Emerging. Flourishing, dissolving back again
This is the eternal process of return
To know this process brings enlightenment
To miss this process brings disaster
Be still
Stillness reveals the secret of eternity
Eternity embraces the all-possible
The all-possible leads to a vision of oneness
A vision of oneness brings about universal love
Universal love supports the great truth of Nature
The great truth of Nature is Tao
Whoever knows this truth lives forever
The body may perish, deeds may be forgotten
But he who has Tao has all eternity
17
To know Tao alone, without trace of your own existence, is the highest
Next comes loving and praising it
Then fearing it
Then despising it
If one doesn抰 trust himself how can he trust anyone else?
The great ruler speaks little and his words are priceless
He works without self-interest and leaves no trace
When all is finished, the people say, 揑t happened by itself?br>
18
When the greatness of Tao is present action arises from one抯 own heart
When the greatness of Tao is absent action comes from the rules of 搆indness?and 搄ustice?br> If you need rules to be kind and just, if you act virtuous, this is a sure sign that virtue is absent
Thus we see the great hypocrisy
Only when the family loses its harmony do we hear of 揹utiful sons?br> Only when the state is in chaos do we hear of 搇oyal ministers?br>
19
Abandon holiness
Discard cleverness and the people will benefit a hundredfold
Abandon the rules of 搆indness?br> Discard 搑ighteous?action and the people will return to their own natural affections
Abandon book learning
Discard the rules of behaviour and the people will have no worries
Abandon plots and schemes
Discard profit-seeking and the people will not become thieves
These lessons are mere elaborations
The essence of my teachings is this:
See with original purity
Embrace with original simplicity
Reduce what you have
Decrease what you want
20
The difference between a formal 搚es?and a casual 搚eah how slight!
The difference between knowing Truth and not knowing it ?how great!
Must I fear what others fear?
Should I fear desolation when there is abundance?
Should I fear darkness when that light is shining everywhere?
Nonsense!
The people of this world are steeped in their merrymaking as if gorging at a great feast or watching the sights of springtime
Yet here I sit, without a sign, staring blank-eyed like a child
I am but a guest in this world
While others rush about to get things done
I accept what is offered
Oh, my mind is like that of a fool aloof to the clamour of life around me
Everyone seems so bright and alive with the sharp distinctions of day
I appear dark and dull with the blending of differences by night
I am drifting like an ocean, floating like the winds
Everyone is so rooted in this world yet I have no place to lay my head
Indeed I am different. . . .
I have no treasures but the Eternal Mother
I have no food but what comes from her breast
21
Perfect action,
Rue virtue,
Supreme power,
This is how the Tao is revealed through those who follow it completely
Though formless and intangible
It gives rise to form
Though vague and elusive
It gives rise to shapes
Though dark and obscure
It is the spirit, the essence, the life-breath of all things
揃ut is it real you ask ?br> I say its evidence is all of creation!
From the first moment to the present
The Name has been sounding
It is the gate through which the universe enters
The witness by which the universe sees
How have I come to know all this?
That the very Name has told me,
That Name which is sounding tight here, right now
22
揝urrender brings perfection?br> The crooked become straight
The empty become full
The worn become new
Have little and gain much
Have much and be confused
So the Sage embraces the One and become a model for the world
Without showing himself, he shines forth
Without promoting himself, he is distinguished
Without claiming reward, he gains endless merit
Without seeking glory, his glory endures
The Sage knows how to follow so he comes to command
He does not compete so no one under Heaven can compete with him
The ancient saying, 揝urrender brings perfection,?is not just empty words
Truly, surrender brings perfection and perfection brings the whole universe
23
Speak little
Hold to your own nature
A strong wind does not blow all morning
A cloudburst does not last all day
The wind and the rain are form Heaven and Earth and even these do not last long
How much less so the efforts of man?
One who lives in accordance with the Truth becomes an embodiment of Tao
His actions become those of Nature his ways those of Heaven
It is through such a one that Heaven rejoices that Earth rejoices that all of life rejoices
24
On his tiptoes a man is not steady
Taking long strides he cannot keep pace
To the self-serving, nothing shines forth
To the self-promoting, nothing is distinguished
To the self-appointing, nothing bears fruit
To the self-righteous, nothing endures
From the viewpoint of Tao, this self-indulgence is like rotting food and painful growths on the body ?br> Things that all creatures despise
So why hold onto them?
When walking the paths of Tao this is the very stuff that must be uprooted, thrown out, and left behind
25
Something formless, complete in itself
There before Heaven and Earth
Tranquil, vast, standing alone, unchanging
It provide for all things yet cannot be exhausted
It is the mother of the universe
I do not know its name so I call it 揟ao?br> Forced to name it further
I call it 揟he greatness of all things?揟he end of all endings?br> I call it 揟hat which is beyond the beyond?揟hat to which all things return?br> From Tao comes all greatness ?br> I makes Heaven great
It makes Earth great
It makes man great
Mankind depends on the laws of the Earth
Earth depends on the laws of Heaven
Heaven depends on the laws of Tao
But Tao depends on itself alone
Supremely free, self-so, it rests in its own nature
26
The inner is foundation of the outer
The still is the master of the restless
The Sage travels all day yet never leaves his inner treasure
Though the views are captivating and beg attention he remains calm and uninvolved
Tell me, does the lord of a great empire go out begging for rice?
One who seeks his treasure in the outer world is cut off from his own roots
Without roots, he becomes restless
Being restless, his mind is weak
And with a mind such as this he loses all command below Heaven
27
A knower of the Truth travels without leaving a trace speaks without causing harm gives without keeping an account
The doors he ts, though having no lock, cannot be opened
The know he ties, though using no cord, cannot be undone
The Sage is always on the side of virtue so everyone around him prospers
He is always on the side of truth so everything around him is fulfilled
The path of the Sage is called 揟he Path of Illumination?br> He who gives himself to this path is like a block of wood that gives itself to the chisel ?br> Cut by cut it is honed to perfection
Only a student who gives himself can receive the master抯 gift
If you think otherwise, despite your knowledge, you have blundered
Giving and receiving are one
This is called, 揟he great wonder?揟he essential mystery?揟he very heart of all that is true?br>
28
Hold your male side with your female side
Hold your bright side with your dull side
Hold your high side with your low side
Then you will be able to hold the whole world
When the opposing forces unite within there comes a power abundant in its giving and unerring in its effect
Flowing through everything It returns one to the First Breath
Guiding everything It returns one to No Limits
Embracing everything It returns one to the Uncarved Block
When the block is divided it becomes something useful and leaders can rule with a few pieces of it
But the Sage holds the Block complete
Holding all things within himself he preserves the Great Unity which cannot be ruled or divided
29
Those who look down upon this world will surely take hold and try to change things
But this is a plan I抳e always seen fail
The world is Tao抯 own vessel
It is perfection manifest
It cannot be changed
It cannot be improved
For those who go on tampering, it抯 ruined
For those who try to grasp, it抯 gone
Allow your life to unfold naturally
Know that it too is a vessel of perfection
Just as you breathe in and out
Sometimes you抮e ahead and other times behind
Sometimes you抮e strong and other times weak
Sometimes you抮e with people and other times alone
To the Sage all of life is a movement toward perfection
So what need has he for the excessive, the extravagant, or the extreme?
30
Those who rule in accordance with Tao do not use force against the world
For that which is forced is likely to return ?br> Where armies settle
Nature offers nothing but briars and thorns
After a great battle has been fought, the land is cursed, the crops fail, the Earth lies
stripped of its motherhood
A knower of the Truth does what is called for then stops
He uses his strength but does not force things
In the same way complete your task seek no reward make no claims
Without faltering fully choose to do what you must do
This is to live without forcing to overcome without conquering
Things that gain a place by force will flourish for a time but then fade away
They are not in keeping with Tao
Whatever is not in keeping with Tao will come to an early end
31
Even the finest warrior is defeated when he goes against natural law
By his own hand he is doomed and all creatures are likely to despise him
One who knows Tao never turns from life抯 calling
When at home he honours the side of rest
When at war he honours the side of action
Peace and tranquility are what he holds most dear so he does not obtain weapons
But when their use is unavoidable he employs them with fortitude and zeal
Do not flaunt your excellence
Do not rejoice over victory
With the loss of others weep with sorrow and grief
After winning a battle, do not celebrate, observe the rites of a funeral
One who is bound to action, proud of victory, and delights in the misfortune of others
will never gain a thing from this world below Heaven
32
Tao is eternal, one without a second
Simple indeed yet so subtle that no one can master it
If princes and kings could jus hold it
All things would flock to their kingdom
Heaven and Earth would rejoice with the dripping of sweet dew
Everyone would live in harmony, not by official decree, but by their own inner goodness
This world is nothing but the glory of Tao expressed through different names and forms
One who sees the things of this world as being real and self-existent has lost sight of the truth
To him, every word becomes a trap every thing becomes a prison
One who knows the truth that underlies all things lives in this world without danger
To him, every word reflects the universe every moment brings enlightenment
Rivers and streams are born of the ocean
All creation is born of Tao
Just as all water flows back to become the ocean
All creation flows back to become Tao
33
One who knows others is intelligent
One who knows himself is enlightened
One who conquers others is strong
One who conquers himself is all-powerful
One who approaches life with force surely gets something
One who remains content where he is surely gets everything
