more he watereth, the more is he watered himself.
The Tao of Heaven is like an Arrow, yet it woundeth not; and the Wise
Man, in all his Works, maketh no contention.
English_Dicus_TTK
Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse
English interpolation by
John Dicus, 2002
1
The Tao that is spoken of, cannot be truly explained.
The grandest eloquence cannot define it.
It has no name, and is the creator of Heaven and Earth.
Forced to name it, we can call it the Tao (the Way), and accept that it is great.
When we are lost in desire we can see only the outer manifestations of this greatness.
If we free ourselves from desire we can experience the unfathomable depths,
and know the mystery of the great Tao.
The Mystery and the Manifestations are separate, yet they arise from the same source.
This source is deep; so deep its depths cannot be plumbed.
Within its depths is darkness. The Great Mystery within the darkness,
it is the gateway to all understanding.
2
It is the world of man that defines ugly by comparing it with that which man calls beautiful.
Skillful is considered such by comparison to that which is called 'without skill'.
Alive and non-alive are delineated by nature.
Difficult and easy are abstracted by our perception.
Long and short are defined by the one against the other.
High and low are reckoned so by the contrast of the one with the other.
Music is seen as pleasing if the notes and tones are recognized as being harmonious with each other.
One in front, and one behind are recognized as one following the other.
It is for this reason that the sage lives in the condition of wu-wei (unattached action, or; doing-not doing),
And teaches without words.
He knows that names and images are fleeting, and all things will transform.
One who seems to follow tonight might lead another time.
He sees all that is done as neither large nor small.
All things are neither grand nor miniscule.
Actions are neither difficult, nor done with ease. He acts without expectation.
Things spring up around him, and he accepts them, but does not possess them.
Things go away, and he recognizes their departure without grief or joy.
When the work is done he leaves it be.
Because he does not dwell in it, it will last.
3
If you glorify the worthy, you will bring forth strife.
Overvaluing possessions induces thievery.
If you desire the expensive, your heart will never loosen.
The master leads by clearing people's minds,
He fills their inner being, weakens their ambitions, and strengthens their bones.
He helps people lose all that they know.
If people lack cleverness and desire, then they will not presume to act, and harmony will reign.
By not striving, he maintains his inner harmony,
And remains at peace within himself.
4
The Tao is an inexhaustible container, as much of itself that it pours out, still there is more left.
It blunts the sharpness, untangles the knots and softens the glare.
Its depths are hidden, universal and eternal.
I don't know where it came from,
It existed before the beginning.
5
The Sage does not take sides,
He welcomes both saints and sinners.
The Tao works upon man as it works upon the grasses of the fields.
Sages act out of the need for rightness, not purely compassion.
The Tao is like a bellows, even though it appears empty, its workings are obvious,
Yet the more you use it the more it produces, it is inexhaustible.
Yet speaking of it will not increase the comprehension.
Hold to the center path.
6
The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet never-ending,
it gives birth to unlimited worlds.
It is always at hand within you.
Use it gently, and without force.
7
The Tao is infinite and eternal.
Why is it eternal?
It was never born;
thus it can never die.
Why is it infinite?
It has no desires for itself;
thus it is present for all beings.
The Master stays behind;
that is why he is ahead.
He is removed from all things;
that is why he is one with them.
Because he has let go of himself,
he is perfectly fulfilled.
8
The highest goodness is like water.
Water effortlessly benefits all things without struggling.
It is content to flow to the low places that people scorn.
In this way water is in accordance with the TAO.
Therefore:
In dwelling, live close to the Earth.
For the mind, depth should be sought.
In conflict, be fair and righteous.
In government, self-mastery, competence and timing is preferred.
The sage does not strive,
Therefore no one can strive against him.
9
Fill a cup to its brim and it is easily spilled.
Keep sharpening your knife,
and it will quickly dull.
When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them safe.
If you care about people's approval:
you will be their prisoner.
After finishing the work, depart.
This is the Way of Heaven.
10
Can you coax your mind from its wandering...and still yourself?:
Are you able to avoid separation from creation?
Focusing your energy on oneness with all:
Can you be like a child?
Can you cleanse your inner vision,
until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them,
without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters
by letting events take their course?
Can you step back from your own notions
and understand all things?
The Tao Gives birth and nourishes,
it produces, but it does not possess.
The Tao acts with no expectations.
Be like the Tao: surpass, but don't take charge.
This is called The Mysterious Virtue.
11
We join spokes together in a hub,
but it is the center hole that provides the utility of the wheel.
We form clay into a container,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want.
We build walls for a house,
But it is the empty space inside
that we live in.
Therefore: we work with being,
But it is in non-being that there is true usefulness.
12
Too many colors blind the eye,
Too much music deafens the ear,
Too many flavors dull the palate,
Racing and hunting madden the mind,
Too much desire withers the heart.
In this manner the sage cares for people:
He provides for the inner being,
not the insatiable longing of the mind.
He fulfills his needs,
not worldly temptations.
13
Success is as dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as fear.
What does it mean that success is a dangerous as failure?
Perceptions of success and failure both arise from concern for the self.
What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?
Hope and fear are both phantoms,
they also arise from thinking of the self.
When we don't see the self as self,
what do we have to fear?
Therefore, if you dedicate your life to the benefit of the world,
you can rely on the world.
To the likes of this, the world can be entrusted.
14
Looked at it cannot be seen - it is beyond form; and is seen as remote.
Listened to it cannot be heard - it is beyond sound; it is indistinct.
Reach for it, and you cannot grasp it. It is beyond reach and is ephemeral.
These unknowable things evade definition,
And blend into a single mystery,
called The Tao.
Its top is not bright;
Its bottom is not dark;
faultless, unnamable,
it returns to the realm of nothing.
Thus, it is called the formless form,
The image with nothing to see,
something subtle, beyond all conception.
Draw near it and there is no beginning;
chase after it and there is no end.
By holding to the ancient Tao
You can manage current existence
And know the ancient beginnings.
This is called the very beginning thread of the Tao.
15
The ancient masters of the Tao
had a subtle, perceptive, penetration.
Their wisdom was unfathomable and cannot be comprehended.
It is because they were unknowable that we can only describe the way they appeared.
They were as careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream,
They were as aware as a warrior in hostile territory.
They were as considerate and humble as a guest,
as changeable as melting ice.
They were as unpretentious as an un-carved block of wood,
and as approachable as a wide open valley.
They were as clear as a glass of water.
Do you have the patience to wait...
till the mud settles and your water is clear?
Can you remain motionless...
till the right action arises by itself?
The Master doesn't seek fulfillment.
Not seeking, not expecting,
He is at hand in every moment,
His vigor will not be easily exhausted,
And his need for renewal will be reduced.
16
Empty the self completely; Embrace perfect peace.
Realize that all beings alike go through their processes of activity and life,
and then they return to the original source.
Returning to the source brings peacefulness and stillness.
This stillness is the flow of nature, and signifies that the beings have lived their allotted span of life.
Accepting this brings enlightenment and tranquility,
ignoring this brings confusion and sorrow
If one can accept this flow of nature; one can cherish all things.
Being all-cherishing you become impartial;
Being impartial you become magnanimous;
Being magnanimous you become natural;
Being natural you become one with The Way;
Being one with The Way you become immortal:
Though the body will decay, the Way will not.
17
When the Master governs, the people
are hardly aware that he exists.
Second best is a leader who is loved.
Next, is one who is feared.
The worst is one who is despised.
Such as these have no faith in their people,
and the people in turn become unfaithful to them.
The Master doesn't talk; he acts.
How sparing he is with his words!
When his work is complete and the purpose is achieved,
the people regard the triumph as their own.
18
When the way of the Tao is forgotten,
morality and ethics need to be stressed.
When the body's innate intelligence is not heeded,
deception becomes routine, and men learn to pretend to be wise and good.
When genuine peace among people is not regarded;
filial piety and compassion are made apparent.
When a nation falls into chaos; loyalty and patriotism are renewed.
19
If we could discard knowledge and wisdom,
then the people would be a hundred times happier.
If we could renounce our kindness and discard our righteousness;
the people's harmonious relationships and love would form of their own accord.
If cunning and profit were renounced, stealing and fraud would disappear.
Since the above three are merely words and slogans, they are not sufficient as they are lost in the world of man.
Therefore we must look to that to which they belong:
Cultivate simplicity and be like the uncarved wooden block.
Reduce your selfishness and diminish desire and ambition.
Stop worthless learning and you will reduce vexations of the spirit.
20
Discard relentless learning, and put an end to the anxiety in your harried mind.
What is the difference between yes and no?
What is the distinction between success and failure?
Must the sage fear what all others fear?
How preposterous, these questions can be asked for as long as one seeks enlightenment.
It is to the sage's advantage that he need not fear what others fear.
But it is to the advantage of most that they can enjoy the feast,
and celebrate in the terraced parks in the springtime.
I alone seem tranquil and still amidst the smiling revelers.
I am as expressionless as an infant before it learns to smile.
I do not know the minds of other people,
My mind is that of a fool, muddied and cloudy.
I am alone, with no true home.
Other people have enough and to spare,
I alone seem to have lost everything.
Other people enjoy all they need and more,
I alone have left everything behind.
Other people appear bright;
I alone seem wrapped in darkness.
Other people seem razor-sharp;
I alone am dull.
Other people are lucid,
I alone am obscure.
Everyone seems to know everything,
I alone have no knowledge.
I am like a wave on the ocean;
blowing as aimlessly as the wind, with no place to rest.
Others have purpose, taste and a sphere of action:
I alone am purposeless, unrefined and uncentered.
I do not share the fears of the people,
For creation nourishes me.
21
The form of great virtue is something that only the Tao can follow.
The Tao as a "thing" is vague and obscure.
How obscure! How vague! Yet in it there is form.
How vague! How obscure! But in it there are things.
How deep! How dark! In it there is an essence.
The essence is so real--therein is belief.
Since before time and space were,
the Tao IS.
It is beyond is and is not.
How do I know this is true?
I look inside myself and see.
22
Yield, and maintain integrity.
If you want to become whole; let yourself become partial.
If you want to become straight; let yourself become crooked.
If you want to become full; let yourself become empty.
If you want to be reborn; you must let yourself die.
If you want to be given everything; you must give everything up.
The sage accepts the world as the world accepts the Way.
He is free from self-display; and therefore he shines.
Freed from self-assertion; he is distinguished.
Removed from self-boasting; his merit is acknowledged.
removed from self-complacency; he acquires superiority.
It is because he is free from striving that
