The greatest chaos was once orderly
The tallest tree was once a hidden seed
The tallest tower a pile of dirt
The longest journey, but one step, then another
Those who act, ruin; those who cling, lose
Things always seem to fall apart just at completion
Because you think they're done, and act carelessly
So the taoist never acts, never clings, never tries to complete
He is as aware at the end as at the beginning
Though she could bring all things into perfect harmony
She doesn't, because she knows what's enough
65
The ancient leaders who followed the way
Were not trying to enlighten the people
But instead to give them no cause to have knowledge
If you use knowledge to rule you will be accused of thievery
Of protecting one against the interests of another
And everyone will want to know the laws to protect themselves
Avoid this, and your actions will be closer to the way
If you keep this always in mind and practice it
You will lead a virtuous state
The effects of this are subtle and far reaching
And will always bring the people back
66
A river makes a valley lush and fertile because it's content to settleto the lowest place
All things can draw what they need from it, without drowning in it
To be a leader, then, you must sink and be still
And let the people gather around you
You must follow the contours of people's hearts
And spill into their lives as little as possible
When you are quiet, the people will not see you as a weight on theirshoulders
When you keep to your banks, the people will not be threatened by you
There will be no reason to build dykes or damns to limit your power
And the people will delight in your presence
67
The whole world hears these words and says they are beautiful, but oversimplified
But it's precisely because they're simple that they can be great
If they tried to be detailed and precise, what use would they be?
There are only three compasses to steer by;?treasure them
Compassion, frugality, and genuineness
Compassion leads to courage
But courage without compassion is pure violence
Frugality leads to affluence
But affluence without frugality is pure extravagance
Genuineness brings honor and respect
But honor and respect gained hypocritically is pure disaster
Attack with these qualities and you'll never lose
Defend with them, and you'll never fall
Whoever wraps himself in the tao
Finds in it a shield and a sanctuary that will never fail
68
Therefore a good leader, like a good soldier
Sees no need to flaunt her might
Never lets his passions sway him out of balance
Allows her opponents to overextend themselves
And in all things places himself below others
If you don't compete, then you're dealing with men correctly
And the tao, in all its antiquity, is on your side
69
Consider the phrases 'discretion is the better part of valor'
And 'fall back a foot rather than struggle for an inch'
Moving forward sometimes means stepping backwards
Strength sometimes means letting yourself be weak
Hold to your center or any weapon is useless
Be open to all, and let opponents come to you
It's arrogance that leads you to think no one can defeat you
And arrogance can only lead to tragedy for one or the other
If you have to fight, you'll do better to forget about the victory
And strive, instead, to contain everyone's loses
70
These words are easy to remember and easy to practice
Yet few remember them when they are needed, and fewer practice them
This is because these words are rooted in principles that go beyondwords
Saying them is not enough
For those few who practice them, though, they are of great value
They may look plain, but they lead to the wealth of the heart
71
People are odd
They think they know what they don't
They think they don't know what they do
Excellence does not come, however, from knowing everything or knowingnothing
But merely from knowing that you don't know
72
When people don't fear your power, then you have found true power
You can only constrain people by making them fear you
Limit their actions and their potentials by making them fear the consequences
But if they fear like this they will feel cheated and be discontent
Know where you want to the nation to go, but don't worry about how toget there
Know your worth, but let others find it for themselves
73
There are two kinds of bravery
That which takes death lightly and that which takes life seriously
Where one needs to be brave either will suffice
But they are not both in line with the tao
The tao honors what can win without belligerence
What can respond without speaking
For such, everything needed comes on its own without being called
Everything desired is achieved without being planned
It pays to remember that the tao casts its net far and wide
Its cord may look flimsy and its mesh coarse, but nothing escapes it
74
If people were content with their own deaths
You could not use force on them;?they would be immune
But this is not the way the world is
If you threaten them with death to make them behave
You must assign someone to kill them, or do it yourself
Who, then, kills:?you, or the executioner, or the state?
Someone must take the responsibility
Whoever is responsible for death has put his way above the tao
Yet though he can end a life, the tao will by its nature find a wayto return
Any sane man would find in that cause for worry
75
The more the leader fills his coffers, the more people go hungry
The more he rules on this or that, the more people are discontent
People who avidly seek to experience life take death lightly
Those who do not try to live life to its fullest are truly alive
76
When people are born they are supple and soft
When they die they are stiff and hard
What is full of life is lithe and moist and resilient
What is drained of it is brittle, withered, dry
The former are the marks of life
While the latter are the marks of death
If a soldier is stiff, whether with fear or pride, he will be defeated
If a tree is stiff, it will fall to the next wind
If you become stiff to raise yourself above others, you will fall
Let yourself fall, be supple and responsive, and you will be lifted
77
The way is like the bending of a bow
To achieve its ends the top must bend down and the bottom rise up
It takes from that which has much, adds to that which has little
And keeps a still, quiet center
Men, however, always seek to add more, regardless of their place
How can anything be accomplished that way?
The taoist way is to pull the bowstring and let it go
Accomplish the task and move on to the next
Doing is profit enough
78
There is nothing softer and more yielding than water
Yet nothing hard and rigid can withstand it
Everyone knows this
That water can defeat the unyielding, that the weak can overcome thestrong
Yet no one is willing to put it into practice
If you would be a leader, you must claim every disgrace of the state
Take all the offenses of the state as your own burden
How can you be honored if you run from dishonor?
79
If you have to make things bitter to get them settled,the bitternesswill remain
The taoist, then, holds the debt but doesn't demand repayment
Thus, when he is repaid, the debt is forgotten
Fail that, and you will be treated like a tax collector
And known as such even by those who owe you nothing
The tao plays no favorites
It supplies all who act with virtue
80
If the tao held sway, nations would be small and people few
There might be weapons enough, but no one would use them or displaythem
All would regard fighting as a serious, unpleasant affair
They might have boats and carriages enough, but no one would ride them
All would be content with what they see and know
There might be laws and contracts, but no one would write them
All would pay their debts as they could, because no one would careif they didn't
Such a land would delight in their food, their clothing, their traditions
And feel safe and secure in their homes
Though neighboring lands might be close enough that their songs areheard
One could grow old without ever having the urge to visit them
81
It is one thing to speak elegantly and another to speak sincerely
Knowledge and insight are different things
The first accumulates fine distinctions, precise statements
And the other, well, it sees all as essentially the same
Whoever follows the way hoards nothing
Life is too long a journey to carry excess weight
He uses what he has for others
And finds his spirit lighter and his heart enriched
The tao sustains all without fear of exhaustion
And virtue lies in letting it.
English_Wu_TTK
Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse
Chinese - English by
John C. H. Wu
1
TAO can be talked about, but not the Eternal Tao.
Names can be named, but not the Eternal Name.
As the origin of heaven-and-earth, it is nameless:
As "the Mother" of all things, it is nameable.
So, as ever hidden, we should look at its inner essence:
As always manifest, we should look at its outer aspects.
These two flow from the same source, though differently named;
And both are called mysteries.
The Mystery of mysteries is the Door of all essence.
2
WHEN all the world recognises beauty as beauty, this in itself is ugliness.
When all the world recognises good as good, this in itself is evil.
Indeed, the hidden and the manifest give birth to each other.
Difficult and easy complement each other.
Long and short exhibit each other.
High and low set measure to each other.
Voice and sound harmonize each other.
Back and front follow each other.
Therefore, the Sage manages his affairs without ado,
And spreads his teaching without talking.
He denies nothing to the teeming things.
He rears them, but lays no claim to them.
He does his work, but sets no store by it.
He accomplishes his task, but does not dwell upon it.
And yet it is just because he does not dwell on it
That nobody can ever take it away from him.
3
BY not exalting the talented you will cause the people to cease from rivalry and contention.
By not prizing goods hard to get, you will cause the people to cease from robbing and stealing.
By not displaying what is desirable, you will cause the people's hearts to remain undisturbed.
Therefore, the Sage's way of governing begins by
Emptying the heart of desires,
Filling the belly with food,
Weakening the ambitions,
Toughening the bones.
In this way he will cause the people to remain without knowledge and without desire, and prevent the knowing ones from any ado.
Practice Non-Ado, and everything will be in order.
4
THE Tao is like an empty bowl,
Which in being used can never be filled up.
Fathomless, it seems to be the origin of all things.
It blunts all sharp edges,
It unties all tangles,
It harmonizes all lights,
It unites the world into one whole.
Hidden in the deeps,
Yet it seems to exist for ever.
I do not know whose child it is;
It seems to be the common ancestor of all, the father of things.
5
HEAVEN-and-Earth is not sentimental;
It treats all things as straw-dogs.
The Sage is not sentimental;
He treats all his people as straw-dogs.
Between Heaven and Earth,
There seems to be a Bellows:
It is empty, and yet it is inexhaustible;
The more it works, the more comes out of it.
No amount of words can fathom it:
Better look for it within you.
6
THE Spirit of the Fountain dies not.
It is called the Mysterious Feminine.
The Doorway of the Mysterious Feminine
Is called the Root of Heaven-and-Earth.
Lingering like gossamer, it has only a hint of existence;
And yet when you draw upon it, it is inexhaustible.
7
HEAVEN lasts long, and Earth abides.
What is the secret of their durability?
Is it not because they do not live for themselves
That they can live so long?
Therefore, the Sage wants to remain behind,
But finds himself at the head of others;
Reckons himself out,
But finds himself safe and secure.
Is it not because he is selfless
That his Self is realised?
8
THE highest form of goodness is like water.
Water knows how to benefit all things without striving with them.
It stays in places loathed by all men.
Therefore, it comes near the Tao.
In choosing your dwelling, know how to keep to the ground.
In cultivating your mind, know how to dive in the hidden deeps.
In dealing with others, know how to be gentle and kind.
In speaking, know how to keep your words.
In governing, know how to maintain order.
In transacting business, know how to be efficient.
In making a move, know how to choose the right moment.
If you do not strive with others,
You will be free from blame.
9
As for holding to fullness,
Far better were it to stop in time!
Keep on beating and sharpening a sword,
And the edge cannot be preserved for long.
Fill your house with gold and jade,
And it can no longer be guarded.
Set store by your riches and honour,
And you will only reap a crop of calamities.
Here is the Way of Heaven:
When you have done your work, retire!
10
IN keeping the spirit and the vital soul together,
Are you able to maintain their perfect harmony?
In gathering your vital energy to attain suppleness,
Have you reached the state of a new-bom babe?
