33
With intellect, you have knowledge of others. Enlightened there is no self. With force you can master others. By yielding you master the Tao. In striving to accumulate wealth, you become poor. In accepting what you have, you become rich. Do only what needs to be done and relax. If you accept death, you will live in eternity.
34
The Tao flows constantly like a river. All things arise in it, but are not separate. It brings about the natural sequence of things, but makes no effort. It nourishes the whole universe, but claims no reward. Everything relies on it, but it does not rely on anything. All things come and go, but it alone is; that is its greatness. It has no desire to be great, so its greatness is complete.
35
The master being at one with the Tao doesn抰 feel threatened when in danger. Even if surrounded by misery he is perfectly peaceful. People are excited by the sound of music or the taste of food. But they find words which try to point out the Tao flavourless. If you try to look for it, it cannot be seen. If you try to listen for it, it cannot be heard. Experience it, and it never ceases.
36
For something to expand, first it must shrink. To strengthen something, first it must be weakened. To raise something, first it must be lowered. To receive something, first you must give. This subtlety can be seen in all matters. The soft overcomes the hard. The subtle penetrates the obvious. Keep your inner development a secret, and the results will be clear.
37
The Tao never does anything, yet there is nothing it doesn抰 do. If a father instills this virtue into his being, the children will be transformed by themselves, in accordance with their nature. Following their nature, their contentment is total and no desires would arise. When no desire arises, bliss and tranquility abide.
38
The master needs no satisfaction, so his acts are always pure. An ordinary man demands satisfaction, so his acts are always tainted. The master is not a doer, so nothing is to be done. An ordinary man is a doer, so many things need doing. A man who tries to do the right thing creates more problems. A man who tries to do the moral thing will use force. If people can抰 act naturally, they may try to be good. If they can抰 be good, they may try to be moral. If they can抰 be moral, they may try to be fair. If they can抰 be fair they will conform. Conformity appears to be politeness and sincerity, but is really the realm of confusion and folly. The master dwells in the depths of reality. He considers the use of occult powers as foolishness. The miracle is the flower. The Tao is the fruit. Dwell in the fruit, for nourishment can only be found there.
39
The Tao is not separate from mind, body and spirit. But mind, body and spirit can separate from the Tao. A clear mind and you are as open as the sky. A healthy body and you are as vital as the earth. A free spirit and you are bound to nothing. A mind which is divided by thoughts lacks clarity. A body which indulges the senses becomes ill. A spirit which is chained to the world will break. The master serves his mind, body and spirit all they require, and asks not a thing in return. With no will of his own, the Tao leads him to an unknown destination. How could this not be the greatest journey of man?
40
All things return to the Tao. The Tao yields to receive them all. Everything appears to be something. Something arises out of nothing.
41
One, who upon hearing of the Tao is immediately transformed, is superior. One, who upon hearing of the Tao, half doubts it, is average. One, who upon hearing of the Tao laughs at it, is inferior. If fools didn抰 scoff at it, it wouldn抰 be great. Thus it is said: Light seems to arise out of darkness. To go forward appears to be going in reverse. To be simple seems complicated. Real compassion seems harsh. Real strength seems weak. The unchanged seems to change. Great love seems indifferent. The master seems like a fool. The Tao is nothing, but through it everything is.
42
The Tao gave birth to the universe. The universe gave birth to the earth. The earth gave birth to man. Man gave birth to everything. Everything is experience, but receives a name. There is total harmony when name and experience combine. An ordinary man seeks a name in the eyes of others, but at their expense. The master experiences for himself. A violent man will not enjoy a natural death.
43
The softest overcomes the hardest, by yielding. Emptiness can enter where there is no space. The value of non-action is in acting naturally. Therefore the master teaches of what is beyond words. And his acts carry no expectations.
44
Is fame more important than living? Is money more important than happiness? What do you consider success or failure? Fame fulfils the lives of others. Happiness cannot be bought. Living is a celebration of the way things are. Happiness is wanting no more.
45
Although things appear imperfect, herein lies their perfection. Fullness appears empty, herein lies its fullness. That which is straight appears bent. The wise appear foolish. The talented appear unskilled. That which is still appears to move. By not moving, the master can move into any situation.
46
With the Tao, everything serves a natural creative function. With man, weapons are made to destroy. Desire creates fear and violence. Without desire there is no fear. Free from fear you are eternal.
47
You cannot go anywhere to experience the Tao. It can only be experienced here. The more knowledge you have, the less you know. The master knows without knowledge, and sees without eyes. Without thinking of success is his eternal success.
48
You learn something everyday through knowledge. You unlearn something everyday experiencing the Tao. Unlearn more and more until you know. Then there is no doer, thus nothing to do. Doing nothing, let things take their natural course. Try to do something and you will miss.
49
The master has no fixed ideas, but accepts whatever comes his way. His is an unbending trust in existence, so he treats all the same. He trusts that a good man is doing the right thing. He also trusts that a bad man is doing the right thing. He keeps his trust a secret, knowing others cannot understand. He appears to be like a child.
50
Ordinary people revolve in the misery of birth and death. The master is free from birth and death. A person is not born of existence, but born of societal conditioning. Ordinary people are like water which fears the death of freezing. The master is like H2O and welcomes the movement of one state to another as the natural course of things. Because he accepts death, he is always safe. Wild beasts or weapons cannot harm him.
51
For every being, the Tao is. Conscious existence comes naturally. Physical appearance is determined by circumstances. Therefore, the Tao is honoured by all without effort. All are born of it, and it provides their livelihood. It is the safe haven of life and the destination of death. It produces everything, but possesses nothing. Through it all opportunities arise, but it isn抰 involved. Its virtue is total, and its function is mysterious.
52
Everything begins with the Tao and ends with the Tao. To know it retrace the steps of your life. When you reach back to the beginning, the Tao lies herein. Then you will realise there is no death. Without desire your heart is at peace. Without judgment your mind is clear. See who it is that sees. Witness thoughts come and go. Turn the light around and find its source. Practicing this leads to enlightenment.
53
Freedom lies in the Tao. Habits are binding. There is freedom in moderation, and bondage in excess. When the wealthy thrive at the expense of others, is this not theft? Is it not chaotic for a rich man to flaunt his money, when those around have barely enough? The violence of excess will end in disaster.
54
If you are rooted in the Tao, you cannot be moved. If you hold to the Tao, time won抰 pass. You endlessly abide in the virtue of the Tao. When your life isn?t separate from the Tao, your true self is. When your family isn抰 separate, they will flower. When the earth isn抰 separate, it is abundant. When the universe isn?t separate, it is harmonious. From an atom, to the universe, there is no inside or outside. How do I know? By hearing with my eyes.
55
The master抯 virtue is to be like a newborn child. Its connection to the physical body is weak, but its hold on the Tao is strong. Therefore it is free from all physical dangers. It hasn抰 been conditioned, so its energy is whole. At one with nature, it can scream all day and never becomes hoarse. If you follow the natural flow there will be no desire. Without desire there is no expectation. Without expectation there is no disappointment. Without disappointment there is serenity. In serenity abides the true breath, which is the gateway to enlightenment.
56
If you know, you don抰 talk. If you talk, you don抰 know. Don抰 speak of the Tao. Don抰 indulge your senses. Don抰 be arrogant. Drop all beliefs. Lose self-importance. Dismiss all knowledge. Here you reach non-duality. Once enlightened, you have no friends or enemies. You cannot be rewarded or punished. You cannot be honoured or disgraced. Detached from self, you can be called a real human.
57
To be a good father, you must follow the natural way. There can be no static ideas. The children are allowed to follow their own course. The more rules you have, the less they will obey. The more punishment you give, the less happy they will be. The more you interfere, the less self-reliant they are. Therefore a master says: I do not create rules and the children act truthfully. I do not punish, and the children are happy. I do not interfere, and the children develop naturally. If a father has no desires for his children, their fulfilment is guaranteed.
58
A father that is understanding and kind has children who are honest and content. A father that is strict and harsh has children who are deceitful and cunning. The higher the standard a farther expects, the lower the results for the child. Try to make a child happy and you will bring about his misery. Force morals on a child, and he will become immoral. Realise that every coin has two sides. All a father can do is set an example which he would be happy for his children to mimic.
59
A father who is moderate is able to be a genuine support. Because he doesn抰 consider himself, his acts are full of virtue. Having no vision of the future, he is totally present. Without fixed ideas, he can fit perfectly to any situation.
The master has no self, therefore knows no limits. Even death cannot stop him.
60
In fathering, care must be taken not to spoil a child. If you give more than is asked, this is excessive. When you follow the natural way, good or bad cannot sway you. You realise that which is considered bad, may be good, and visa versa. Dropping ideas of good or bad, your actions are natural.
61
A great master is prepared for nothing, so is ready for anything. He trusts in the Tao and accepts he cannot control its movement. Realising its greatness, he serves it. Thus he is humble and feminine. Humble and feminine, he allows himself to be nourished by the Tao. Being nourished by the Tao, he himself becomes great. Greatness can only be achieved through humility.
62
Everything springs from the Tao. It shelters both the good and the bad. Men may try to succeed through their words and actions, but they are of benefit only if they lead to the Tao. There is little value in travelling a lifetime gathering wealth. Ultimately value can only be found in the Tao. Why did the ancient masters value the Tao so highly? Because with the Tao, what you need, you get. Acting in accord with the Tao you are infallible. That is why its value is beyond measure.
63
Act without expecting results. Let the Tao do your work. Taste without tasting. Look at the big as small; think of the many as few. Have compassion for petty tyrants. Deal with things when they arise. Complete great works by gradually fulfilling them. To become a master of the Tao, take one step at a time. When your foothold is firm, the next step will come naturally. The master never aspires to greatness, but is immersed in every step. This is his greatness. Promises can be broken. What is easy can become difficult. The master realises he must ground his step before he can take another. For this reason, he never falls.
64
A tall tree requires deep roots, otherwise it will topple. If a problem is prevented, it doesn抰 arise. If your attainment is brittle it will easily shatter. Small things are easily lost. Don抰 take short cuts, but deal with everything fully before moving on. If you do this your progress will be steady. A mighty oak rises out of an acorn. A human develops out of a microscopic egg. A thousand mile journey starts with one step. These processes cannot be completed in one act. If you try to make something great happen and overlook the processes involved, you will fail. Only by letting the process play out naturally can you achieve the Tao. Therefore the master doesn抰 try to achieve. He simply follows the process calmly from start to finish. Death is stalking him, so he has nothing to cling to. His only desire is non-desire; his only learning is to unlearn. He shows people what they have always been. He loves nothing except the Tao. Therefore he can love everything.
65
A master doesn抰 teach, but shows his disciples that what they think they know, they don抰. If a person thinks they know, they are trapped in that knowledge. Once the master shows them not-knowing, they can guide themselves. At this stage the master抯 task is completed. The master doesn抰 try to show his prowess, but lets his disciples discover theirs. Therefore his disciples never resent him and simple allow him to point out their true essence.
66
The ocean is the destination of all rivers. Why? Because it is placed below them. This shows the value of humility. A father, who parents his children with humility, follows them. By following them they will never feel oppressed and can develop naturally. His humility allows them to express themselves fully. He is beyond gratitude.
67
The Tao may appear to be idealistic, but if you can put it into practice, you realise its greatness. There are three traits which are required. 1. Compassion. 2. Patience. 3. Humility Compassionate and you can face things the way they are. Thus you can forgive yourself of any mistake. Patient and you remain unmoved until the right opportunity arises. Humble and you overcome self-importance, thus the ego. In following the Tao, these are your three most valuable treasures.
68
The best warrior isn抰 intent on killing. The best sportsman isn抰 concerned about winning. The best tactician enters the mind of his opponent. A true businessman works for the good of the community, not to rape them of their wealth and destroy the earth. A true leader has no agenda. Competition breeds violence. Peace can only be had by doing away with it.
