61
The Virtue of Humility
A great state, one that lowly flows, becomes the empire's union, and the empire's wife.
The wife always through quietude conquers her husband, and by quietude renders herself lowly.
Thus a great state through lowliness toward small states will conquer the small states, and small states through lowliness toward great states will conquer great states.
Therefore some render themselves lowly for the purpose of conquering; others are lowly and therefore conquer.
A great state desires no more than to unite and feed the people; a small state desires no more than to devote itself to the service of the people; but that both may obtain their wishes, the greater one must stoop.
62
Practise Reason
The man of Reason is the ten thousand creatures' refuge, the good man's wealth, the bad man's stay.
With beautiful words one can sell. With honest conduct one can do still more with the people.
If a man be bad, why should he be thrown away? Therefore, an emperor was elected and three ministers appointed; but better than holding before one's face the jade table [of the ministry] and riding with four horses, is sitting still and propounding the eternal Reason.
Why do the ancients prize this Reason? Is it not, say, because when sought it is obtained and the sinner thereby can be saved? Therefore it is world-honored.
63
Consider Beginnings
Assert non-assertion.
Practise non-practice.
Taste the tasteless.
Make great the small.
Make much the little.
Requite hatred with virtue.
Contemplate a difficulty when it is easy. Manage a great thing when it is small.
The world's most difficult undertakings necessarily originate while easy, and the world's greatest undertakings necessarily originate while small.
Therefore the holy man to the end does not venture to play the great, and thus he can accomplish his greatness.
Rash promises surely lack faith, and many easy things surely involve in many difficulties.
Therefore, the holy man regards everything as difficult, and thus to the end encounters no difficulties.
64
Mind the Insignificant
What is still at rest is easily kept quiet. What has not as yet appeared is easily prevented. What is still feeble is easily broken. What is still scant is easily dispersed.
Treat things before they exist. Regulate things before disorder begins. The stout tree has originated from a tiny rootlet. A tower of nine stories is raised by heaping up [bricks of] clay. A thousand miles' journey begins with a foot.
He that makes mars. He that grasps loses.
The holy man does not make; therefore he mars not. He does not grasp; therefore he loses not. The people when undertaking an enterprise are always near completion, and yet they fail.
Remain careful to the end as in the beginning and you will not fail in your enterprise.
Therefore the holy man desires to be desireless, and does not prize articles difficult to obtain. He learns, not to be learned, and seeks a home where multitudes of people pass by.
He assists the ten thousand things in their natural development, but he does not venture to interfere.
65
The Virtue of Simplicity
The ancients who were well versed in Reason did not thereby enlighten the people; they intended thereby to make them simple-hearted.
If people are difficult to govern, it is because they are too smart. To govern the country with smartness is the country's curse. To govern the country without smartness is the country's blessing. He who knows these two things is also a model [like the ancients]. Always to know the model is called profound virtue.
Spiritual virtue, verily, is profound. Verily, it is far-reaching. Verily, it is to everything reverse. But then it will procure great recognition.
66
Putting Oneself Behind
That rivers and oceans can of the hundred valleys be kings is due to their excelling in lowliness. Thus they can of the hundred valleys be the kings.
Therefore the holy man, when anxious to be above the people, must in his words keep underneath them. When anxious to lead the people, he must with his person keep behind them.
Therefore the holy man dwells above, but the people are not burdened. He is ahead, but the people suffer no harm.
Therefore the world rejoices in exalting him and does not tire. Because he strives not, no one in the world will strive with him.
67
The Three Treasures
All in the world call me great; but I resemble the unlikely. Now a man is great only because he resembles the unlikely. Did he resemble the likely, how lasting, indeed, would his mediocrity be!
1 have three treasures which I cherish and prize. The first is called compassion. The second is called economy. The third is called not daring to come to the front in the world.
The compassionate can be brave; the economical can be generous; those who dare not come to the front in the world can become perfect as chief vessels.
Now, if people discard compassion and are brave; if they discard economy and are generous; if they discard modesty and are ambitious, they will surely die.
Now, the compassionate will in attack be victorious, and in defence firm. Heaven when about to save one will with compassion protect him.
68
Complying With Heaven
He who excels as a warrior is not warlike. He who excels as a fighter is not wrathful. He who excels in conquering the enemy does not strive. He who excels in employing men is lowly.
This is called the virtue of not-striving. This is called utilizing men's ability. This is called complying with heaven-since olden times the highest.
69
The Function of the Mysterious
A military expert used to say: 'I dare not act as host [who takes the initiative] but act as guest [with reserve]. I dare not advance an inch, but I withdraw a foot."
This is called marching without marching, threatening without arms, charging without hostility, seizing without weapons.
No greater misfortune than making light of the enemy! When we make light of the enemy, it is almost as though we had lost our treasure--[compassion].
Thus, if matched armies encounter one another, the one who does so in sorrow is sure to conquer.
70
Difficult to Understand
My words are very easy to understand and very easy to practise, but in the world no one can understand, no one can practise them.
Words have an ancestor; Deeds have a master [viz., Reason]. Since he is not understood, therefore I am not understood. Those who understand me are few, and thus I am distinguished.
Therefore the holy man wears wool, and hides in his bosom his jewels.
71
The Disease of Knowledge
To know the unknowable, that is elevating. Not to know the knowable, that is sickness.
Only by becoming sick of sickness can we be without sickness.
The holy man is not sick. Because he is sick of sickness, therefore he is not sick.
72
Holding Oneself Dear
If the people do not fear the dreadful, the great dreadful will come, surely.
Let them not deem their lives narrow. Let them not deem their lot wearisome. When it is not deemed wearisome, then it will not be wearisome.
Therefore the holy man knows himself but does not display himself. He holds himself dear but does not honor himself. Thus he discards the latter and chooses the former.
73
Daring to Act
Courage, if carried to daring, leads to death; courage, if not carried to daring, leads to life. Either of these two things is sometimes beneficial, sometimes harmful.
"Why 抰 is by heaven rejected,
Who has the reason detected?"
Therefore the holy man also regards it as difficult.
The Heavenly Reason strives not, but it is sure to conquer. It speaks not, but it is sure to respond. It summons not, but it comes of itself. It works patiently, but is sure in its designs.
Heaven's net is vast, so vast. It is wide-meshed, but it loses nothing.
74
Overcome Delusion
If the people do not fear death, how can they be frightened by death? If we make people fear death, and supposing some would [still] venture to rebel, if we seize them for capital punishment, who will dare?
There is always an executioner who kills. Now to take the place of the executioner who kills is taking the place of the great carpenter who hews. If a man takes the place of the great carpenter who hews, he will rarely, indeed, fail to injure his hand.
75
Harmed Through Greed
The people hunger because their superiors consume too many taxes; therefore they hunger. The people are difficult to govern because their superiors are too meddlesome; therefore they are difficult to govern. The people make light of death on account of the intensity of their clinging to life; therefore they make light of death.
He who is not bent on life is worthier than he who esteems life.
76
Beware of Strength
Man during life is tender and delicate. When he dies he is stiff and stark.
The ten thousand things, the grass as well as the trees, while they live are tender and supple. When they die they are rigid and dry.
Thus the hard and the strong are the companions of death. The tender and the delicate are the companions of life.
Therefore he who in arms is strong will not conquer.
When a tree has grown strong it is doomed.
The strong and the great stay below. The tender and the delicate stay above.
77
Heaven's Reason
Is not Heaven's Reason truly like stretching a bow? The high it brings down, the lowly it lifts up. Those who have abundance it depleteth; those who are deficient it augmenteth.
Such is Heaven's Reason. It depleteth those who have abundance but completeth the deficient.
Man's Reason is not so. He depleteth the deficient in order to serve those who have abundance.
Where is he who would have abundance for serving the world?
Indeed, it is the holy man who acts but claims not; merit he acquires but he does not dwell upon it, and does he ever show any anxiety to display his excellence?
78
Trust in Faith
In the world nothing is tenderer and more delicate than water. In attacking the hard and the strong nothing will surpass it. There is nothing that herein takes its place.
The weak conquer the strong, the tender conquer the rigid. In the world there is no one who does not know it, but no one will practise it.
Therefore the holy man says:
"Him who the country's sin makes his,
We hail as priest at the great sacrifice.
Him who the curse bears of the country's failing.
As king of the empire we are hailing."
True words seem paradoxical.
79
Keep Your Obligations
When a great hatred is reconciled, naturally some hatred will remain. How can this be made good?
Therefore the sage keeps the obligations of his contract and exacts not from others. Those who have virtue attend to their obligations; those who have no virtue attend to their claims.
Heaven's Reason shows no preference but always assists the good man.
80
Remaining in Isolation
In a small country with few people let there be aldermen and mayors who are possessed of power over men but would not use it. Induce people to grieve at death but do not cause them to move to a distance. Although they had ships and carriages, they should find no occasion to ride in them. Although they had armours and weapons, they should find no occasion to don them.
2 Induce people to return to [the old custom of] knotted cords and to use them [in the place of writing], to delight in their food, to be proud of their clothes, to be content with their homes, and to rejoice in their customs: then in a neighboring state within sight, the voices of the cocks and dogs would be within hearing, yet the people might grow old and die before they visited one another.
81
Propounding the Essential
True words are not pleasant; pleasant words are not true. The good are not contentious; the contentious are not good. The wise are not learned; the learned are not wise.
The holy man hoards not. The more he does for others, the more he owns himself. The more he gives to others, the more will he himself lay up an abundance.
Heaven's Reason is to benefit but not to injure; the holy man's Reason is to accomplish but not to strive.
English_TaKao_TTK
Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse
Chinese - English by
Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904
1
The Tao that can be expressed is not the eternal Tao; The name that can be defined is not the unchanging name.
Non-existence is called the antecedent of heaven and earth; Existence is the mother of all things.
From eternal non-existence, therefore, we serenely observe the mysterious beginning of the Universe; From eternal existence we clearly see the apparent distinctions.
These two are the same in source and become different when manifested.
This sameness is called profundity. Infinite profundity is the gate whence comes the beginning of all parts of the Universe.
2
When all in the world understand beauty to be beautiful, then ugliness exists.
When all understand goodness to be good, then evil exists.
Thus existence suggests non-existence; Easy gives rise to difficult; Short is derived from long by comparison;
Low is distinguished from high by position; Resonance harmonizes sound; After follows before.
Therefore, the Sage carries on his business without action, and gives his teaching without words.
3
Not exalting the worthy keeps the people from emulation.
Not valuing rare things keeps them from theft.
Not showing what is desirable keeps their hearts from confusion.
Therefore the Sage rules By emptying their hearts, Filling their stomachs, Weakening their ambitions And strengthening their bones.
He always keeps them from knowing what is evil and desiring what is good; thus he gives the crafty ones no chance to act.
He governs by non-action; consequently there is nothing un-governed.
4
Tao, when put in use for its hollowness, is not likely to be filled.
In its profundity it seems to be the origin of all things.
In its depth it seems ever to remain.
I do not know whose offspring it is; But it looks like the predecessor of Nature.
5
Heaven and earth do not own their benevolence, To them all things are straw dogs
The Sage does not own his benevolence; To him the people are straw dogs.
