The image of imagelessness.
The oneness remains nameless.
Meeting it, it has no part which is front.
Following it, it has no behind.
Encompassing the ancient Tao,
Present affairs are mastered.
Knowing the primal nature of mankind
and the universe,
Is to know the essence of Tao.
15
ANCIENT MASTERS
The ancient masters and rulers,
So subtle and mysterious,
profound and penetrating,
Too deep to directly comprehend -
May be known by their appearance,
Cautious - As if crossing a frozen stream.
Watchful - As if fearing danger all around.
Courteous - As if a visiting guest.
Yielding - As if ice about to melt.
Genuine - As if a piece of uncarved wood.
Receptive - As if an open valley.
Opaque - As if in muddy waters.
Waiting quietly while the mud settles,
Remaining still until the moment for action,
They, who embrace this Tao,
Obtaining just that which is sufficient,
AlI needs are satisfied.
Thus they long endure.
16
THE CYCLE OF ALL THINGS
Let the mind be empty of preconceptions and distraction -
Permit a meditative quietness to prevail.
Observe the cycle of All Things -
Their birth and rise to activity,
A flourishing,
And ultimate return to their generative roots.
Quietness, repose and tranquility characterize the return to the roots of creation.
Knowing it as the destiny of All Things -
An unchanging cycle, An eternal law of nature -
Is to be enlightened.
To know it not, is to court misfortune.
Knowing the eternal law is to be all embracing.
All embracing is to be impartial.
Impartial is to be noble.
Being noble is to be one with nature.
Being one with nature is to be in accord with the Tao.
Being in accord with the Tao -
Essence is everlasting.
Tho' body/self demise, the self is eternal.
17
GREAT LEADER
The greatest leader is barely known to exist.
Next is one who is loved and acclaimed.
Then one who is feared.
Finally one who is despised.
The great leaders,
Having faith and confidence in others,
Receive faith and confidence in return.
In a quiet and calm manner, with few words,
See the task accomplished,
See the work complete.
A measure of great leadership -
When all feel the task was completed
of its own accord.
18
FORGOTTEN TAO
When the natural Tao is forgotten,
- Doctrines of humanity and codes of justice arise.
- Knowledge and wisdom appear with artifice
and hypocrisy close behind.
- Harmony departs from family relationships,
and deeds of filial piety and devoted
parenthood replace natural instincts.
- Civil disorder prevails and loyal politicians
become models of dutiful behavior.
19
SIMPLICITY
Discard and abandon formalized wisdom and knowledge,
And hundredfold benefits accrue.
Discard and abandon conventionalized righteousness, duty and morality,
And be graced with natural harmony.
Discard and abandon cunning skills - legalized profiteering,
And robbery as well as deception disappear
These three, of themselves insufficient -
Consider then,
- Original simplicity.
- Unadorned nature.
- Selflessness.
- Limited desire.
20
POOR ME ?
End the study of pretentiousness and surface formality,
And much sorrow, trouble and nuisance will cease.
The distinctions between yes and no, good and evil,
Between what people fear and fail to fear:
- Are often semantic.
- Are often contradictory.
- Are often false.
- Are often superficial.
While many may be content -
Partaking of party and feast,
Viewing the land from a-high in the springtime,
I alone am inert, without animation,
Like an infant who has yet to learn to smile.
Alas ! I am alone, with nowhere to go.
While others appear to have abundant possessions and grace,
I alone appear to have nothing.
I feel inferior, foolish and left out.
While others are clear, bright and confident,
I alone feel muddled, dull and confused.
While others look lively, penetrating and self assured,
I alone feel depressed, aimlessly adrift in sea
Blown by the winds on an ever changing course
While others seemingly have a purpose,
I alone feel awkward.
Wherein am I so different?
I alone value drawing my sustenance from the
mysterious Mother of Nature.
21
ESSENCE OF TAO
From Tao alone, follows Te,
The absolute manifestation of virtue.
The Tao, tho' so evasive, elusive, intangible -
Subtly within it, deep and obscure,
- Appear images, forms, entities.
- Appear the mystical essence.
The essence - so subtle, yet so real.
From the beginning of time it mysteriously
manifests itself, Providing a fleeting sense of primal power.
How else may Te be known but through this
essence of the Tao ?
22
YIELDING
The yielding bend but do not break,
Overcoming all, they are preserved whole.
Being bent, permits straightening.
Being empty and hollow, permits filling.
Being torn, tattered and depleted, permits renewal.
Having little, permits gain and possession.
Having much, permits confusion.
Therefore the Sage embraces unity.
Holding fast to the absolute oneness,
Manifests this as an example to the world.
Not flaunting himself, He becomes luminous to all.
Not bestowing himself with self-importance, He becomes both prominent and illustrious.
Not boasting of himself, He receives both recognition and credit.
Disdaining pride, His works endure.
Not striving to contend nor compete,
He attracts no contention - no competition
Thus, the Sage confirms -
To yield is to overcome, to preserve whole.
To yield is to gain All Things.
23
ADMONITIONS
Nature is inaudible, yet it speaks distinctly -
A fierce storm lasts less than a morning,
Rain normally less than a day.
These, being of nature and short in duration,
Thus should the duration of violence in man
be no greater than these.
Hence: One who follows Tao, becomes one with Tao.
One who follows Te, becomes one with Te.
One who separates from Tao and Te,
becomes one with separation.
And:
When one adheres to Tao, Tao adheres to him
When one adheres to Te, Te adheres to him.
When one adheres to separation, Separation adheres to him.
Separating from faith in one's own nature,
Is to lose understanding of the true nature
of heaven and earth.
24
THE IMPERFECT
Standing on "tip toe", one stands not firmly.
Straining in stride, one cannot walk far.
Flaunting of deeds, one is unfavorably noticed.
Being self-righteous, one is not respected.
Boasting of self, one's merit is unrecognized.
Glorifying of self, one loses the opportunity for greatness.
From the viewpoint of Tao
These represent imperfect Te,
Valued as are filth or disease.
Thus: Those who value the Tao may permit
themselves to avoid these things.
25
OF HUMANITY, HEAVEN, EARTH AND TAO
Being formless, yet mysteriously complete:
- Existing for all time.
- Silent without substance.
- Standing alone, changing not.
- Pervading all and unfailing.
- Regarded as the Mother of all there is.
Not having a name, I call it the Tao.
If needing to identify its nature by granting it a name,
Call it "The Great".
Being great it flows, extending itself endlessly.
Thus flowing, it is called far-reaching.
Being far-reaching, it ultimately returns
whence it started.
Accordingly,
Just as Tao is great - the ultimate essence,
So, heaven is great - the creative essence, Clear and pure.
Earth is great - the receptive essence, Massive and stable.
Humanity is great - the harmonious essence,
Intelligent and sensitive.
Note then, that humanity is one of the four great essences.
While humanity is conditioned by earthly essence,
And earth is conditioned by heavenly essence,
And heaven is conditioned by the essence of Tao,
The Tao, conforms to its own nature.
26
HEAVY AND LIGHT CHARACTER
As heaviness of character, honesty and generosity
Are the root of lightness, frivolity and quick wit.
So motion and activity spring from
Serenity, tranquility and quietude.
Thus the Sage:
Even while traveling and moving about all day,
Never loses his poise,
Departs, not from his true nature.
Tho' presented with magnificence, beauty,
grace, glory, honor, splendor, and comfort,
He remains calm, leisurely,
quiet and dispassionate.
The leader with great responsibility,
Conducting himself with frivolity,
Imperils himself, and he will fail.
Exercising hasty restless action,
He will lose mastery over himself.
27
THE PERFECT
Running perfectly, Neither track nor trace is seen.
Speaking perfectly, Neither slip nor flaw.
Calculating perfectly, Neither tally nor counter is needed.
The perfect door, needing neither bolt nor bar, Cannot be opened.
The perfect knot, needing neither rope nor twine
Cannot be untied.
Thus the Sage, Perfect in helping humankind, No one is rejected nor abandoned.
Perfect in caring for All Things, Nothing is laid waste nor discarded.
In so doing, cunningly secures knowledge of the laws of nature,
And uses this knowledge in a Wu-Wei manner
Therefore:
As the perfect is the teacher of the imperfect,
The imperfect is a valuable experience for the perfect.
Either teacher - either student,
Not honoring the teacher,
Not loving and caring for the student,
Though learned and wise,
Is deluded and deceived.
Such is the subtle mystery.
28
YIN POWER
She -
Knowing the Yang, yet keeping to the Yin,
Like a valley stream receives All Things under the heavens.
Never departing from the eternal Te,
Returns to the innocence of childhood.
She -
Knowing whiteness, lightness and glory, yet,
Keeping to blackness, darkness and humility,
becomes an example to the world.
Never deviating from the eternal Te,
Returns to the ultimate mysterious
primordial essence.
She -
Knowing honor and glory, yet,
Keeping to obscurity and humility,
becomes the receptive valley of the world.
Being proficient in the eternal Te,
Returns, as to an uncarved block.
As uncarved wood is cut -
The Tao is transformed into myriad things.
The Sage, in using it, attains awesome power.
A truly wise ruler is a careful carver,
Ruling as sparsely and carefully
as she carves.
29
FOLLY OF HARD CONTROL
Those who would conquer the world by making humankind and events
conform to their desire,
Never succeed -
For the sovereignty of the world is
subtle, sacred, spiritual.
Tampering with it, shaping or changing it,
Harms, mars, spoils and destroys it.
Reaching for it, grabbing or grasping at it,
It is gone - lost.
There exists constant alternation -
Advance - Retreat
Blowing Hot - Blowing Cold
Strength - Weakness
Rise - Fall
The Sage, therefore, avoids all extremes,
extravagances and excesses.
30
USE OF FORCE
The wise leader of people, in following ,the Tao,
Conquers without using force of arms,
For it is in the nature of direct force to rebound
- violence begetting violence,
repaying the wielder in kind.
Knowing that forceful conflict produces
a battleground of thorns and bramble extending far beyond the point of conflict,
It is inevitable that conflict be followed by great famine and deprivation.
A wise leader effects the purpose at hand, and stops -
Not continuing the use of power for its own sake.
Achieving the purpose:
- Does not brag about it.
- Does not boast of it.
- Does not take pride in it.
- Considers any conflict an unavoidable and regrettable necessity.
- Does not delight in domination
and violence.
Knowing that loss follows gain,
decay follows vigor
and that violence is not consistent with the Tao,
Then that which is inconsistent with the Tao,
Must in time, perish.
31
ARMS AND WEAPONS
Arms and weapons,
Being instruments of destruction, Are despised by all.
They are avoided by followers of the Tao.
As instruments of evil, they are spurned by good leaders,
Being used with calm restraint only when no other choice prevails.
A good leader does not regard victory with rejoicing,
For to delight in victory is to delight
in the slaughter of people.
To delight in slaughter is to fail
in one's purpose.
In ancient social custom -
The left is the place of honor
for ceremonies at home.
At war, the place of honor is at the right.
Thus,
Good omen and happy occasions favor the left.
Ill omen and such sad occasions as
funeral rites, favor the right.
Observe then with grief and sorrow the slaughter
accompanying victory of arms, for,
Victory of arms and funeral ceremony
truly share the same rite.
32
THE UNCARVED BLOCK
The Tao, eternal and nameless,
Is as an uncarved block -
Seemingly simple and insignificant,
Is inferior to nothing under the heavens.
If leaders were to embrace it within their own true natures,
Loyalty would come to them as effortlessly as
heaven and earth send the rains and dew.
There being no compulsion,
All would be in harmony.
Carving the block creates identity.
Identity causes names.
Names cause differentiation and distinction -
Harmony ceases.
