The softest
of all things
Wears down
the hardest of all things.
Only No thing
can enter into
no-space.
I know the
advantages of
doing everything at
its own speed.
Few things
under heaven
teach as much as the
lessons of Silence,
Or are as
helpful as
the fruits of
proper timing.
44
Your name and
your body,
which is more valuable?
Your body and
your wealth,
which is more prized?
Gain and
loss,
which is more painful?
Too much
love for anything
will cost you
a lot in the end.
The storing up of
too much worldly goods
will mean
a big loss.
Know when
you have enough and
be immune
from disgrace.
Know when
to stop and
be protected
from dangers.
Only this way
can you
last long.
45
The greatest perfection
is never completed,
So its use
never runs out.
The greatest fullness
has always room for more,
So its use
goes on forever.
The greatest straightness
is curved.
The greatest skill
is looks effortless.
The greatest speaking
is slow.
Moving around
overcomes cold,
Calm
overcomes heat.
The peaceful and
calm
Is the Normal
of the World.
46
When the world is
in possession of
the Tao ( the Laws of the Universe ),
The galloping horses
are led to fertilize
the fields
with their droppings.
( People create goods for exchange and
contend with each other in sport.)
When the world
has become
Taoless ( without the Laws of the Universe ),
War horses
breed themselves in the suburbs.
(People create tools of destruction and
contend with each other over the ownership of countries.)
There is no disaster
like not knowing
what is enough.
There is no evil
like greed.
They
who know
what
is enough
will
always
have enough.
47
Without
going out of
your door,
You
can know
the ways
of the world.
Without
looking through
your window,
You
can see
the Tao
(the Laws of the Universe).
You can travel far,
And know very little.
The Complete Thinker
knows
without traveling,
Sees
without looking,
And achieves
without Effort.
(Because they understand
the Laws of the Universe and
the Power of their application.)
48
Rote Learning
involves daily
getting more;
The practice of Tao
(the Laws of the Universe)
involves daily
getting rid of.
Keep on
getting rid of and
getting rid of,
Until you reach
the state of Effortlessness.
Effortlessness and
nothing is
left undone.
To win the world,
give up all.
If you
still have
private goals,
You
will never
win
the world.
49
The Complete Thinker
has no interests
of their own,
But takes
the interests
of the people
as their own.
They are kind
to the kind;
They are also kind
to the not kind:
Kindness is Power.
They are faithful
to the faithful
They are also faithful
to the not faithful:
Faithfulness is Power.
In the middle of the world,
the Complete Thinker
is shy and
does not brag.
For the world
they keep their heart
in its largest state.
All the people
try to listen and see:
The Complete Thinker
acts without prejudice.
50
When one is out of Life,
one is in Death.
The partners of
Life are thirteen;
the partners of
Death are thirteen;
When a living person
moves into
the Realm of Death,
his partners are also thirteen.
How is this?
Because they draws upon
the property of
Life too heavily.
They who knows well how to live
meets no tigers
or wild buffaloes on their road,
comes out
from the battle-ground
not touched by the soldiers of war.
For, in them,
a buffalo would
find no target for his horns,
a tiger
nothing to put
his claws upon,
and a soldier of war
no place for its tool to enter.
How is this?
Because there is
no room for Death
in them.
51
TAO ( THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE )
gives them life,
Virtue (Power)
nurses them,
Matter
shapes them,
Environment
completes them.
All things worship Tao ( the Laws of the Universe )
and pray to Virtue (Power).
They have not been commanded to worship Tao ( the Laws of the Universe)
and pray to Virtue (Power),
But they always do so automatically.
It is Tao ( the Laws of the Universe )
that gives them life:
Its Virtue (Power)
that nurses them,
grows them,
raises them,
shelters them,
comforts them,
feeds them
and covers them under her wings.
To give life but to demand nothing,
To do your work
but to set no importance to it,
To be a leader,
not a rule maker,
This is called
Hidden Virtue (Power).
52
All-under Heaven
have a common Beginning
This Beginning is
the Mother of the world.
Having known the Mother,
We may proceed to know her children.
Having known the children,
We should go back and hold on to the Mother
In so doing, you will take no risk
Even though your body be destroyed.
Block all the passage ways!
t all the doors!
And to the end of your days
you will not be worn out.
Open the passages!
Multiply your activities!
And to the end of your days you will remain helpless.
To see the small is
to have insight.
To hold on to flexibility is
to be strong.
If, in using your factual intelligence
You return to your insight.
You will not bring destruction
upon yourself.
This is the way of learning the Changeless.
53
If I had the smallest seed of wisdom,
I would walk the Great Way,
And my only fear
would be to lose my way from it.
The Great Way is very smooth and straight;
And yet the people like better the complicated paths.
The courtyard is very clean and well decorated,
( Their cities appear powerful. )
But the fields are very weedy and wild,
And the grain silo's are very empty!
( But they have lost the skill to feed themselves. )
They wear beautiful clothes,
( They value appearances over substance.)
They carry destructive weapons,
( They use the tools of destruction to get their needs. )
They over fill themselves with food and drink,
( They indulge themselves in the fruits of the conquered. )
They own more riches than they can use!
( They are greedy. )
They are the messengers of lawlessness!
As for Tao ( the Laws of the Universe ),
what do they know about it?
54
What is well planted
cannot be uprooted.
What is well accepted
cannot slip away.
Your descendants
will pray for you
for ages without end.
Feed Virtue (Power)
in your own person,
And it becomes
a real part of you.
Feed Power in the family,
And it will stay.
Feed Power in the community,
And it will live and grow.
Feed Power in the state,
And it will be generously successful.
Feed Power in the World,
And it will become total.
A person must be judged as a person;
A family must be judged as family;
A community must be judged as a community;
A state must be judged as a state;
The world must be judged as a world.
How do I know about the world?
By what is within me.
55
One who is high in Virtue (Power)
is like the new-born babe.
Wasps and poisonous snakes don't sting,
Murderous beasts do not seize,
Birds who hunt do not beat,
Its bones are flexible, its muscles relaxed,
Its grip is strong.
It does not know the sex,
Growing in its wholeness,
and keeping its spirit
in its Life Force is at its greatest.
It screams
all day long
without getting hoarse,
Because of its perfect harmony.
To know harmony
is to know the Changeless.
To know the Changeless
is to have understanding.
To hurry the growth of life
is dangerous.
To control the breath by choice
is to over force it.
To be overgrown is to rot.
This is against Tao ( the Laws of the Universe ),
Whatever is
against Tao ( the Laws of the Universe )
soon ceases to be.
56
They who know may not speak.
They who speak may not know.
Block all the passage ways!
( Be content with your position. )
t all the doors!
( Remove all distractions. )
Unsharpen all edges!
( Be kind not sharp in your dealings with life. )
Untie all knots!
(Understand the the root of all problems.)
Blend all lights!
( View all you see based on the Laws of the Universe.)
Bring the world together
into one completeness!
( Understand the oneness of the World. )
This is called
the Beyond Understanding Completeness,
Which you cannot attract
or push away,
Benefit or hurt,
Honor or reduce.
It is the Highest Truth of the world.
57
You lead a group with correctness;
You fight a war by moves not thought of by your enemies;
You win the world by not using effort.
How do I know this is so?
By what is within me!
The more things that are forbidden
and limited in the world,
The poorer the people become.
(Freedom for the people is required for a full life.)
The more destructive the weapons
the people possess,
The greater confusion controls the land.
(People are dangerous to other people and the greater the tools of
destruction in their hands the more they will destroy.)
The more clever and tricky the men,
The more often strange things happen.
(People who cheat the Laws of the Universe cause a lack of balance which
can not last.)
The more well spoken the laws and rulings,
The more robbers and thieves there are.
(The more rules there are, the more likely people will break them in the
course of life.
Then after breaking some rules the other rules are less respected and
criminals are considered normal citizens.)
The Complete Thinker says:
I live a simple life,
and the people change themselves.
I love quiet,
and the people settle down in their regular jobs.
I look to effortlessness,
and the people grow rich.
I have no desires,
and the people return to Simplicity.
58
Where the leader is quiet, quiet,
The people are simple and happy.
Where the leader is dishonest, dishonest,
The people are tricky and unhappy.
Bad fortune is what
good fortune leans on,
Good fortune is what
bad fortune hides in.
Who knows the final end of this process?
Is there not a normal of right?
What is normal, soon
becomes not normal,
And what is good soon
turns bad.
Long indeed have the
people been in difficulty.
The Complete Thinker:
makes even without cutting,
Is honest without hurting,
Is direct without effort,
Teaches without causing the mind to be excited.
59
In governing a people
and in serving Heaven,
There is nothing like
not being wasteful.
To not be wasteful
is to return before
going away from the path.
To return
before going away
from the path
is to have
a double supply of Virtue (Power).
To have
a double supply of Virtue (Power)
is to overcome everything.
To overcome everything
is to have no limits.
Only they who have no limits can have a kingdom.
Only they who have the true understanding of the Tao can last long.
This is the way
to be deep-rooted and
firm-planted
in the Tao ( the Laws of the Universe ).
This is the secret of
long life and
lasting understanding.
60
Ruling a big kingdom
is like cooking
a small fish.
( You have to be
careful not to burn it.)
When a person of
Tao ( the Laws of the Universe )
rules over the world,
demons have
no spiritual powers.
Not that the demons
have no spiritual powers,
but the spirits themselves
do no harm to humans.
Not that the spirits
do no harm to humans,
but the Complete Thinker
does no harm to the people.
If only
the leader and
people
would stop
from hurting
each other,
all the good things
of life
would
get together
in the kingdom.
61
A great Country
is like the lowland
to which all streams flow.
It is the lake
of all under heaven,
the Feminine of the world.
The Feminine
always conquers
the Masculine
by her quietness,
by lowering herself
through her quietness.
If a great country
can lower itself
before a small country,
it will win over
the small country;
and if a small country
can lower itself
before a great country,
it will win over
the great country.
The one wins
by lowering itself;
