Indeed, the high-placed stem from teh humble;
The elevated are based upon the lowly.
This is why leaders call themselves
Alone, lonely, and unfavored.
Is this not because they stem form the humble and common?
Is it not?
Therefore, attain honor without being honored.
Do not desire to shine like jade; wear ornaments as if they were stone.
40
The Way
Polarity is the movement of the Tao.
Receptivity is the way it is used.
The world and All Things were produced from its existence.
Its existence was produced from nonexistence.
41
Mastering the Paradox
When superior leaders hear of the Tao,
They diligently try to practice it.
When average leaders hear of the Tao,
They appear both aware and unaware of it.
When inferior leaders hear of the Tao,
They roar with laughter.
Without sufficient laughter, it could not be the Tao;
Hence the long-established sayings:
The Tao illuminated appears to be obscure;
The Tao advancing apperaas to be retreating;
The Tao leveled appears to be uneven.
Superior Power appears to be low;
Great clarity appears to be spotted;
Extensive Power appears to be insufficient;
Established Power appers to be stolen;
Substantial Power appears to be spurious.
The greatest space has no corners;
The greatest talents are slowly mastered;
The greatest music has the rarest sound;
The Great Image has no form.
The Tao is hidden and nameless,
Yet it is the Tao that skillfully supports and completes.
42
Knowing Polarity
The Tao produced the One.
The One produced the Two.
The Two produced the Three.
The Three produced All Things.
All Things carry Yin and hold to Yang;
Their blended Influence brings Harmony.
People hate to be alone, lonely, and unfavored;
And yet leaders take these names.
Thus in Natural Law
Some lose and in this way profit.
Some profit and in this way lose.
What others have taught, I also teach:
Those who are violent do not die naturally.
I will make this my chief teaching.
43
Subtle Powers
The most yielding parts of the world
Overtake the most rigid parts of the world.
The insubstantial can penetrate continually.
Therefore I know that wihtout action there is advantage.
This philosophy wtihout words,
This advantage wtihout action -
It is rare, in the world, to attain them.
44
The Power in Needing Less
Which is dearer,
Name or life?
Which means more,
Life or wealth?
Which is worse,
Gain or loss?
The stronger the attachments,
The greater the cost.
The more that is hoarded,
The deeper the loss.
Know what is enough;
Be without disgrace.
Know when to stop;
Be without danger.
In this way one lasts for a very long time.
45
Using Emptiness
If the greatest achievement is incomplete,
Then its usefulness is unimpaired.
If the greatest fullness is empty,
Then its usefulness is inexhaustible.
The greatest directness is flexible.
The greatest skillfulness is awkward.
The greatest eloquence is hesitant.
Agitation triumphs over the cold.
Stillness triumphs over the heated.
Clarity and stillness bring order to the world.
46
Knowing Enough
When the world possesses the Tao,
Even fast horses are used for their dung.
When the world is without the Tao,
War-horses are raised in the suburbs.
There is no greater misfortune
Than not knowing what is enough.
There is no greater fault
Than desiring to acquire.
Therefore know that enough is enough.
There will always be enough.
47
Cultivating Inner-Knowledge
Without going out of doors,
Know the world.
Without looking through the window,
See the Tao in Nature.
One may travel very far,
And know very little.
Therefore, Evolved Individuals
Know without going about,
Recognize without looking,
Achieve without acting.
48
The Art of Nonaction
To pursue the academic, add to it daily.
To pursue the Tao, subtract from it daily.
Subtract and subtract again,
To arrive at nonaction.
Through nonaction nothing is left undone.
The world is always held wtihout effort.
The moment there is effort,
The world is beyond holding.
49
Opening the Mind
Evolved Individuals have no fixed mind;
They make the mind of the People their mind.
To those who are good, I am good;
To those who are not good, I am also good.
Goodness is Power.
Of those who trust, I am trusting;
Of those who do not trust, I am also trusting.
Trust is Power.
The Evolved Individuals in the world
Attract the world and merge with its mind.
The People all focus their eyes and ears;
Evolved Individuals all act as infants.
50
The Art of Survival
As life goes out, death comes in.
Life has thirteen paths;
Death has thirteen paths.
Human life arrives at the realm of death
Also in thirteen moves.
Why is this so?
Because life is lived lavishly.
Now, as it is well known,
Those skilled in attracting life
Can travel across the land
And not meet a rhinoceros or tiger.
When the military comes in,
Their defence cannot be attacked.
The rhinoceros is without a place to thrust its horn.
The tiger is without a place to affix its claw.
The military is without a place to admit its blade.
Why is this so?
Because they are without the realm of death.
51
The Power of Impartial Support
The Tao produces;
Its Power supports;
Its Natural Law forms;
Its influence completes.
Thus All Things without exception
Respect the Tao and value its Power.
To respect teh Tao and value its Power -
No one demands this, and it comes naturally.
Therefore the Tao produces and its Power supports;
It advances, cultivates, comforts, matures, nourishes, and protects.
Produce but do not possess.
Act without expectation.
Advance without dominating.
These are called the Subtle Powers.
52
Returning to Insight
The beginning of the world
May be regarded as the Mother of the world.
To apprehend the Mother,
Know the offspring.
To know the offspring
Is to remain close to the Mother,
And free from harm throughout life.
Block the passages,
Close the doors;
In the end, life is idle.
Open the pasages,
Increase undertakings;
In the end, life is hopeless.
To perceive the small is called insight.
To remain yielding is called strength.
If, in using one's brightness,
One returns to insight,
Life will be free of misfortune.
This is called learning the Absolute.
53
The Undivided Path
Using only a little knowledge,
I would travel the Great Way
And fear only of letting go.
The Great Way is very even;
Yet people love the byways.
When an organization is divided,
Fields are overgrown,
Stores are empty,
Clothes are extravagant,
Sharp swords are worn,
Food and drink are excessive,
Wealth and treasure are hoarded.
This is called stealing and exaggeration
And certainly not the Way!
54
Establishing a Universal View
What is skillfully established will not be uprooted;
What is skillfully grasped will not slip away.
Thus it is honored for generations.
Cultivate the inner self;
Its Power becomes real.
Cultivate the home;
Its Power becomes abundant.
Cultivate the community;
Its Power becomes greater.
Cultivate the organization;
Its Power becomes prolific.
Cultivate the world;
Its Power becomes universal.
Therefore through the inner self,
The inner self is conceived.
Through the home,
The home is conceived.
Through the community,
The community is conceived.
Through the organization,
The organization is conceived.
Through the world,
The world is conceived.
How do I know the world?
Through this.
55
The Power in Not Contending
To possess Power that runs deep
Is to be like a newborn child.
Poisonous insects do not sting it,
Fierce beasts do not seize it,
Birds of prey do not strike it.
Its bones are yielding,
Its muscles are relaxed,
Its grip is strong.
It does not yet know the union of male and female,
Yet its virility is active.
Its Life Force is at its greatest.
It can scream all day,
Yet it does not become hoarse.
Its Harmony is at its greatest.
To know Harmony is called the Absolute.
To know the Absolute is called insight.
To enhance life is called propitious.
To be conscious of Influence is called strength.
Things overgrown must decline.
This is not the Tao.
What is not the Tao will soon end.
56
Gaining Oneness
Those who know do not speak.
Those who speak do not know.
Block the passages.
Close the door.
Blunt the sharpness.
Untie the tangles.
Harmonize the brightness.
Identify wtih the ways of the world.
This is called Profound Identification.
It cannot be gained through attachment.
It cannot be gained through detachment.
It cannot be gained through advantage.
It cannot be gained through disadvantage.
It cannot be gained through esteem.
It cannot be gained through humility.
Hence it is the treasure of the world.
57
The Power in Effortlessness
Lead the organization with correctness.
Direct the military with surprise tactics.
Take hold of the world with effortlessness.
How do I know it is so?
Through this:
Too many prohibitions in the world,
And people become insufficient.
Too many sharp weapons among people,
And the nation grows confused.
Too much cunning strategy among people,
And strange things start to happen.
Too obvious a growth in laws and regulations,
And too many criminals emerge.
Thus Evolved Individuals say:
Look to nonaction,
And people will be naturally influenced.
Look to refined tranquillity,
And peopel will be naturally correct.
Look to effortlessness,
And people will be naturally affluent.
Look to nondesire,
And people will be naturally simple.
58
Cultivating the Center
If the administration is subdued,
The people are sincere.
If the administration is exacting,
The people are deficient.
Misfortune! Good fortune supports it.
Good Fortune! Misfortune hides within.
Who knows where it ends?
Is there no order?
Order can revert to the unusual;
Good can revert to teh abnormal;
And people indeed are bewildered
For a long, long time.
Thus Evolved INdividuals are
Square without dividing;
Honest without offending;
Straightforward without straining;
Bright without dazzling.
59
The Way of Moderation
In leading people and serving Nature,
There is nothing better than moderation.
Since, indeed, moderation means yielding early;
Yielding early means accumulating Power.
When Power is accumulated,
Nothing is impossible.
When nothing is impossible,
One knows no limits.
One who knows no limits
Can possess the organization.
An organization that possesses the Mother
Can endure and advance.
This means deep roots and firm foundation:
Durability and longevity through observation of the Tao.
60
Holding the Position
Leading a large organization is like cooking a small fish.
If the Tao is present in the world,
The cunning are not mysterious.
Not only are the cunning not mysterious,
Their mystery does not harm others.
Not only does their mystery not harm others,
The Evolved also do not harm others.
Since together they do no harm,
The Power returns and accumulates.
61
The Power in Modesty
A large organization should flow downward
To intersect with the world.
It is the female of the world.
The female always overcomes the male by stillness;
Through stillness, she makes herself low.
Thus if a large organization
Is lower than a small organization,
It can receive the small organization.
And if the small organization
Stays lower than a large organization,
It can receive the large organization.
Therefore one receives by becoming low;
Another receives by being low.
Yet what a large organization desires
Is to unite and support others.
And what a small organization desires
Is to join and serve others.
So for both to gain the position they desire,
The larger should place itself low.
62
The Tao in Leaders
The Tao is a refuge for All Things,
The treasure of the good,
The protector of the not good.
Honor can be bought with fine words;
Others can be joined with fine conduct.
So if some are not good,
Why waste them?
In this way the Emperor is established;
The three officials are installed.
And although the large jade disc
Is preceded by a team of horses,
This is not as good as sitting,
Advancing in the Tao.
Why did those of old treasure the Tao?
Did they not say:
Seek it and it is attained;
Posses faults and they are released?
Thus it is the treasure of the world.
63
The Path of Least Resistance
Act without action; work without effort.
Taste without savoring.
Magnify the small; increase the few.
Repay ill-will with kindness.
Plan the difficult when it is easy;
Handle the big where it is small.
