The world's hardest work begins when it is easy;
The world's largest effort begins where it is small.
Evolved Individuals, finally, take no great action,
And in that way the great is achieved.
Those who commit easily, inspire little trust,
How easy to inspire hardness!
Therefore Evolved Individuals view all as difficult.
Finally they have no difficulty!
64
The Power at the Beginning
What is at rest is easy to hold;
What is not yet begun is easy to plan.
What is thin is easy to melt;
What is minute is easy to disperse.
Deal with things before they emerge;
Put them in order before there is disorder.
A tree of many arm spans is produced from a tiny sprout.
A tower of nine stories is raised from a pile of earth.
A journey of a thousand miles begin with a footstep.
Those who act on things, spoil them;
Those who seize things, lose them.
Thus Evolved Individuals do nothing;
Hence they spoil nothing.
They seize nothing;
Hence they lose nothing.
People often spoil their work at the point of its completion.
With care at the end as well as the beginning,
No work will be spoiled.
Thus Evolved Individuals desire to be desireless
And do not treasure goods that are hard to get.
They learn without learning,
By returning to the place where the Collective Mind passes.
In this way they assist All Things naturally
Without venturing to act.
65
The Danger in Cleverness
Those skillful in the ancient Tao
Are not obvious to the people.
They appear to be simple-minded.
People are difficult to lead
Because they are too clever.
Hence, to lead the organization with cleverness
Will harm the organization.
To lead the organization without cleverness
Will benefit the organization.
Those who know these two things
Have investigated the patterns of the Absolute.
To know and investigate the patterns
Is called the Subtle Power.
The Subtle Power is profound and far-reaching.
Together wtih the Natural Law of polarity,
It leads to the Great Harmony.
66
The Power in Staying Low
The rivers and seas lead the hundred streams
Because they are skillful at staying low.
Thus they are able to lead the hundren streams.
Therefore, to rise above people,
One must, in speaking, stay below them.
To remain in front of people,
One must put onself behind them.
Therefore Evolved Individuals remain above,
And yet the people are not weighted down.
They remain in front,
And the people are not held back.
Therefore the world willingly elects them,
And yet it does not reject them.
Because they do not compete,
The world cannot compete with them.
67
The Power in Compassion
All the world thinks that my Tao is great;
And yet it seems inconceivable.
Only its greatness makes it seem inconceivable.
If it could be conceived of,
It would have become insignificant long ago.
I have Three Treasures that support and protect;
The first is compassion.
The second is moderation.
The third is daring not to be first in the world.
With compassion one becomes courageous;
With moderation one becomes expansive.
In daring not to be first in the world,
One becomes the instrument of leadership.
Now if one is courageous without compassion,
Or expansive without moderation,
Or first without holding back,
One is doomed!
Compassion always triumphs when attacked;
It brings security when maintained.
Nature aids its leaders
By arming them with compassion.
68
Nonaggressive Strength
A skillful leader does not use force.
A skillful fighter does not feel anger.
A skillful master does not engage the opponent.
A skillful employer remains low.
This is called the power in not contending.
This is called the strength to employ others.
This is called the highest emulation of Nature.
69
Neutralizing Escalation
The strategists have a saying:
"I dare not act as a host,
Yet I act as a guest,
I dare not advance an inch,
Yet I retreat a foot."
This is called
Traveling without moving,
Rising up without arms,
Projecting without resistance,
Capturing without strategies.
No misfortune is greater than underestimating resistance;
Underestimating resistance will destroy my Treasures.
Thus when mutually opposing strategies escalate,
The one who feels sorrow will triumph.
70
Knowing the Tao
My words are very easy to know,
Very easy to follow.
Yet the world is unable to know them,
Unable to follow them.
My words have a source,
My efforts have mastery.
Indeed, since none know this,
They do not know me.
The rare ones who know me
Must treasure me.
Therefore, Evolved Individuals
Wear a coarse cloth covering
With precious jade at the center.
71
Knowing the Disease
To know that you do not know is best.
To not know of knowing is a disease.
Indeed, to be sick of the disease,
Is the way to be free of the disease.
Evolved Individuals are free of the disease,
Because they are sick of the disease.
This is the way to be free of disease.
72
The Appropriate Perspective
If the people do not fear authority,
Then authority will expand.
Do not disrespect their position;
Do not reject their lives.
Since indeed they are not rejected,
They do not reject.
Therefore, enlightened people know themselves,
But do not display themselves.
They love themselves,
But do not treasure themselves.
Hence they discard one and receive the other.
73
Nature's Way
Those bold in daring will die;
Those bold in not daring will survive.
Of these two, either may benefit or harm.
Nature decides which is evil,
But who can know why?
Even Evolved Individuals regard this as difficult.
The Tao in Nature
Does not contend,
Yet skillfully triumphs.
Does not speak,
Yet skillfully responds.
Does not summon,
And yet attracts.
Does not hasten,
Yet skillfully designs.
Nature's network is vast, so vast,
Its mesh is coarse, yet nothing slips through.
74
Unnatural Authority
When people do not fear death,
How can they be threatened with death?
Suppose people fear death and still do not conform,
Who would dare seize them and put them to death?
There is always the Master Executioner who kills.
To substitute for the Master Executioner in killing
Is like substituting for the Master Carpenter who carves.
Whoever substitutes for the Master Carpenter in carving,
Rarely escapes injury to his hands.
75
Self-Destructive Leadership
People are hungry.
Because those above consume too much in taxes,
People are hungry.
People are difficult to lead.
Because those above interfere with them,
People are difficult to lead.
People make light of death.
Because those above deeply seek survival,
People make light of death.
Indeed, it is those who do not interfere with life
Who are capable of respecting life.
76
The Power in Flexibility
A man living is yielding and receptive.
Dying, he is rigid and inflexible.
All Things, the grass and trees:
Living, they are yielding and fragile;
Dying, they are dry and withered.
Thus those who are firm and inflexible
Are in harmony with dying.
Those who are yielding and receptive
Are in harmony with living.
Therefore an inflexible strategy will not triumph;
An inflexible tree will be attacked.
The position of the highly inflexible will descend;
The position of the yielding and receptive will ascend.
77
Directing the Power
The Tao in Nature
Is like a bow that is stretched.
The top is pulled down,
The bottom is raised up.
What is excessive is reduced,
What is insufficient is supplemented.
The Tao in Nature
Reduces the excessive
And supplements the insufficient.
The Tao in Man is not so;
He reduces the insufficient,
Because he serves the excessive.
Who then can use excess to serve the world?
Those who possess the Tao.
Therefore Evolved Individuals
Act without expectation,
Succeed without taking credit,
And have no desire to display their excellence.
78
Accepting the Blame
Nothing in the world,
Is as yielding and receptive as water;
Yet in attacking the firm and inflexible,
Nothing triumphs so well.
Because of what it is not,
This becomes easy.
The receptive triumphs over the inflexible;
The yielding triumphs over the rigid.
None in the world do not know this.
None have the ability to practice it.
Therefore Evolved Individuals say:
One who accepts the disgrace of the organization
Can be called the leader of the grain shrine.
One who accepts the misfortunes of the organization
Can be called the leader of the world.
Right words appear to reverse themselves.
79
The Power In Not Taking Advantage
Even when a great resentment is reconciled,
Some resentment must linger,
How can this be made good?
That is why Evolved Individuals
Hold the left side of the contract
And do not censure others.
Those with Power are in charge of the contract;
Those without Power are in charge of resolving it.
The Tao in Nature has no favorites.
It always works through the good person.
80
Fulfilling Independence
In a small organization with a few people;
Let there be ten or a hundred times
More tools than they can use.
Let the people value their lives
And yet not move far away.
Even though there are boats and carriages,
There is no occasion to use them.
Even though there are armor and weapons,
There is no occasion to display them.
Let the people again knot cords and use them.
Their food will be pleasing.
Their clothes will be fine.
Their homes will be secure.
Their customs will be joyful.
Nearby organizations may watch each other;
Their crowing and barking may be heard.
Yet the people may grow old and die
Without coming or going between them.
81
The Evolved Way
Sincere words are not embellished;
Embellished words are not sincere.
Those who are good are not defensive;
Those who are defensive are not good.
Those who know are not erudite;
Those who are erudite do not know.
Evolved Individuals do not accumulate.
The more they do for others, the more they gain;
The more they give to others, the more they possess.
The Tao of Nature
Is to serve without spoiling.
The Tao of Evolved Individuals
Is to act wihtout contending.
English_Wisdom_TTK
Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse
Englische Version von
Shrine of Wisdom
This translation is not divided into 81 chapters.
"The Mystery of Tao"
The TAO that can be expressed in words is not the all-embracing and immutable TAO: the Name that can be spoken is not the eternal Name. Without a name, It is the Beginning of The Universe and Our World: conceived as having a name, It is the Progenitrix of all things. Those alone who are free from earthly passions can perceive the deep mystery of the Unmanifested One: those who are possessed by desires can only behold the Manifest's outward form. These two, the Manifest and the Unmanifest, although differing in name, in essence are identical. This sameness is the mystery, the deep within the deep, the door of many mysteries.
"The Unfathomable."
How unfathomable is TAO! An infinite depth, the Source of all that is, the Ancient Progenitor, before all things. Yet, how pure and still is TAO! It smoothes the rough, unravels the entangled, tempers excessive lights, clarifies the obscure. It is everlasting. I do not know what gave it birth; TAO is before the Manifested.
"The Showing Forth of the Mystery."
Looking at It, It eludes the eyes; therefore It is called Invisible. Listening to It, It eludes the ears; therefore It is called Inaudible. Touching It, It eludes the grasp; therefore it is called Intangible. These three cannot be described, but they blend in unity, the TAO! Above, It is not bright: below, It is not dim. It is Ineffable.
Unceasing in Its action, It appears to do all things: returning to Itself, It appears to do nothing. It may be called the Form of the Formless, the Image of the Imageless, the Fleeting, the Indeterminate. Advancing towards It, we cannot see Its beginning: following after it, we cannot see its end. To find the Ancient TAO is to control the affairs of the present day; to know the Ancient Beginning is to have found the Path of TAO.
"The Eluding Source."
The mightiest manifestations of Providence flow solely from TAO, the Inscrutable , the Impalpable.
Eluding sight, eluding touch, yet within it there is Form.
Eluding sight, eluding touch, yet within it there is Substance.
How profound, and how obscure! Within it is the Vital Essence whereby all things forever endure.
These essences of the truth enfold, immutably the same as of old.
From the Old until Now, its name remains unchanged.
Through its portals emerges the stream of manifested things.
How do I know the origin of things that pass to consummation?
Through TAO!
The "Forms"of TAO are Eternal and Archetypal Ideas.
The Substance of TAO is the Divine Ground or Root of all Creation.
"The Mysterious Virtue."
They who know the TAO, tell it not: they who tell it, know it not. They who know, close their lips, t the doors of their senses, subdue the impulses, and checks irregularities. They who diffuse the Light, gather people into unity, and descend to the level of dust. This is the Mysterious Virtue. Such people are beyond familiarity and reserve: gain and loss do not affect them: praise and blame are regarded by them alike. Therefore they are honored above all.
