no one in the world is able to strive with him.
When the ancient Masters said,
"If you want to be given everything, give everything up,"
they weren't mouthing empty phrases.
Only in being lived by the Tao can you be truly complete.
23
Nature says only a few words:
To speak little is natural.
Express yourself completely,
and then keep quiet.
Be like the forces of nature:
a gale seldom blows the whole morning,
nor does a downpour last a whole day.
When the clouds pass, the sun shines through.
If nature's words do not last,
why should those of man?
If you open yourself to the Tao,
you are at one with the Tao
and you can embody it completely.
If you open yourself to insight,
you are at one with insight
and you can use it completely.
If you open yourself to loss,
you are at one with loss
and you can accept it completely.
The Tao accepts this accordance gladly.
Virtue accepts this accordance gladly.
Loss also accepts this accordance gladly.
He who does not have trust in others
should not himself be trusted.
24
He who stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm
he who travels at a speed beyond his means,
cannot maintain his pace.
He who tries to shine dims his own light.
If you boast, you will have no merit.
Pride yourself and you will not endure.
These behaviors are wasteful and indulgent,
so they attract disfavor;
therefore those who pursue
the Tao do not accept and allow them.
25
There is a mystery, something formless and perfect
before the universe was born.
It is tranquil. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite. Eternally present.
It is the mother of everything.
I don't know its name.
Hence, when forced to name it, I call it "Tao." (the Way).
When attempting to categorize it, I call it "great."
Being great it flows through all things,inside and outside.
And being limitless it returns to the origin of all things.
The Tao is great.
The universe is great.
Earth is great.
Man is great.
These are the four great powers.
Man follows the laws of the earth.
Earth follows the laws of the universe.
The universe follows the laws of the Tao.
The law of the Tao is in being what it is.
26
The heavy is the root of the light.
Composure is the ruler of instability.
An experienced traveler will journey all day, watching over his belongings;
Though there may be spectacles to see
He easily passes them by.
However splendid the views,
he stays serenely in himself.
Why should the lord of the country
flit about like a fool?
If he is unstable, he will lose his rulership.
Rather than glitter like jade
He must stand like common stone.
27
The sage follows the natural way.
Like an experienced tracker...he himself leaves no tracks.
Like a good speaker...his language lacks flaws and rebuke.
Like an experienced counter he needs no calculator.
He is like a well-made door, which needs no lock.
He is the perfect knot, leaving no end to be unraveled.
He attends to every detail.
It is in this way that the sage is skilful at saving men,
and so he does not cast away any man.
He is always skilful at saving things, and so he does not cast away anything.
This is called embodying the light.
It is in this way that the skillful master is the teacher of the one without skill.
And the one without skill is the charge and responsibility of the master.
From the teachings of the master, all might learn who wish to listen.
Not respecting the teacher, nor valuing the student, you will see confusion, no matter how intelligent you are.
This is called the Essential Subtlety.
28
Know your male qualities,
Yet know how to use the female abilities.
Be like a channel for the world's waters;
Open and flowing, like the mind of a child.
Full of virtue, harmony and excellence.
Know the light,
But understand the dark.
Be an example for the world.
Act with honor, and retain humility.
Return to the state of the uncarved wooden block.
29
Do you wish to change the world?
If you wish to change the world
and adjust it to your desires,
you cannot succeed.
The world is shaped by the Way;
the self cannot shape it.
If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.
The world is as it is, so;
Some will be leaders;
while others will be followers.
Some will be warm, others cold.
Some will be strong, others weak.
Some will get where they are going,
While others will fall by the side of the road.
The Master sees things as they are,
without trying to control them.
He lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the path.
30
If you guide your nation by use of the Tao,
You will not rule it by use of military arms.
For even well-intentioned aggression
Has a way of returning to oneself.
Thorns and brambles grow thickly where an army has camped.
And years of destitution are likely after a great war.
When necessary; the skillful leader will strike a decisive blow and achieve a lasting victory.
He will guard against vain, boastful or arrogant thoughts in the aftermath of the destruction.
He will accomplish only the killing and destruction that is necessary,
and not the least bit more.
Things flourish, and then they decline,
This is the way of the Tao.
31
Instruments of war, however splendidly built can cause destruction and horror.
They should be regarded as inauspicious instruments, the use of which should be avoided in all but the direst necessity, and utilized with the utmost restraint.
The King looks to His minister of Peace on His left, and leans to His General on His right.
On happy occasions the left is the prized position, in times of war the right is honored.
Peace and stillness are dear to the heart of the followers of Tao,
Therefore:
Do not rejoice in victory, for such is to delight in the slaughter of men.
Enter a battle gravely, for the dead come from the people, and deep and great will be their lamentation.
A battle should be regarded as the beginning of the funeral.
32
The Tao is forever nameless, formless and shapeless.
Being so, it is like the uncarved wooden block; its value is not easily perceived.
No King can make the wooden block His subject;
yet if the King and the people were to embody the Tao,
the Earth would be like a paradise, all would live in harmony, and the equilibrium would flow without surcease.
But man cannot let the block sit; they divide it and number each piece, carving it and naming the functions.
Know when to stop the carving and naming, this will prevent you from carving into perilous territory.
Do not force the carving; let the functions of the Tao flow of their own accord as the rivers of the Earth flow to the sea.
33
Understanding the world is knowledge,
Understanding yourself is enlightenment.
Mastering others is strength,
Mastering yourself is true power.
Having many things is affluence,
Being content with what you have is satisfaction.
Will power will increase perseverance,
But tranquility with the Tao brings eternal endurance.
34
The Tao flows all around like a great river,
To the left and to the right it surrounds all.
It gives rise to all, and nourishes and clothes them, but lays no intention on control.
It is merged in all things, and hidden in their inner being;
Thus it may be termed small.
All things return to it at the end of life;
Thus it is called great.
The sage models himself after the Tao,
Unburdened, not striving, content with what is.
35
The wise seek solace in the Tao,
Wherever they go they find comfort and succor that may be extended to others who seek.
A feast with roasting foods and spirited music may detain a traveler.
But words speaking of the Tao seem bland and dull.
Looked for nothing will be seen,
Listened for, nothing will be heard.
But when you use it, it will never diminish.
36
It is the way of the Tao that:
To reduce the influence of something,
first allow it undue influence.
To reduce something, it must first be allowed to expand.
That which will be torn down, must first be raised up.
This is the subtle way the weak can overcome the strong.
A fish should not leave the water.
And one should not display ones weapons.
37
The Tao does not do anything purely for the sake of action.
Yet all it does is perfect and complete.
If the ruler of a land were to be able to center in the Tao,
all would work in accord and harmony.
People would be content with simple lives, free from desire and conflict.
38
True virtue is itself virtuous, and does not need to try to appear virtuous.
The common man may try to show the semblance of virtue, but this showing is in itself a revealing of the lack of virtue.
Those of high virtue never accomplish any act out of need for show, or ulterior motive.
The 'seemingly virtuous' will make a big show of the virtuous acts they perform.
A virtuous person will act according to what is right regardless of the situation at all times.
A common person will act according to the results he expects from the action, if the results are not to his benefit he will not do them.
A low person will act and expect response from others, if he does not secure his riches he will use force to extract it.
When the Tao is lost in a person or land one must resort to righteousness to rule society.
When righteousness is lost one has to use morality.
When morality has been abandoned there is only ritual to conduct society.
But ritual is only the outer clothing of true belief; this is nearing chaos.
39
In the beginning of being, there were those that attained harmony with the Tao.
Heaven attained harmony and became clear.
Earth attained harmony and found peace.
The ancients attained harmony and were replenished.
The valleys attained harmony and became fertile.
All of nature embraced harmony with the Tao and became fruitful.
The ancient Sage-Kings sought harmony with the Tao and became natural leaders.
Without the blessings of the Tao, heaven itself might be riven.
Without the glue of the Tao the Earth might shake apart.
Without the guiding of the Tao mankind's spirit becomes confused, and disharmonious.
If the blessings of the Tao were withheld the valleys would become parched and barren,
Nature would be reduced to meager remnants and finally disappear,
And the leaders would become corrupt and strive to bring conflict and war to nations.
Therefore; humility is the root and treasure of the great,
And all great things are built on the foundation of the lowly.
It is for this reason that the truly great think of themselves as 'unworthy', 'abased' and 'low', for are these not the root of humility?
Count and describe the parts of a chariot, but without being whole what is its use?
Don't glitter like jade, keep your riches in your heart, while retaining an outward appearance as simple and rugged as a common stone.
40
The Tao moves, and returns again. It functions with a soft gentleness.
Its use is realized through humility and quiet softness.
All of creation is made from tangible being; Tao created all being from nothing.
41
When a deep person hears of the Tao, they study and put it into practice, embodying the practice of Tao in their life.
When a common person hears of the Tao, they half follow it, but half forget it in their daily life.
When a shallow person hears of the Tao, they laugh out loud. If they did not laugh out loud it would not be the Way.
Thus it is that the wise sages said:
Those understanding the brightness of Tao seem dim,
Those who walk the Way of Tao seem to go backward,
Those walking the direct path of Tao seem to wander long.
This is because the brightest light voluntarily dims itself,
The highest virtue is as deep as a valley,
And the Tao in its straightness seems rough and difficult.
The greatest caution can seem as cowardice,
The most insightful clarity can seem as opacity,
The greatest square can seem to have no apparent corner.
The greatest wisdom seems unsophisticated,
And the greatest form has no shape.
The Tao is great but hidden,
It is known by all, but remains nameless,
Yet it is the Tao alone that gives rise to all, and completes all.
42
The Way creates one,
One gives birth to two,
Two gives rise to three,
And three produce all things.
All things are composed of yin and yang,
The proper blending of these attributes will ensure harmony.
The common man hates to be small, powerless and unworthy;
but this is how the masters describe themselves.
Thus it is that in gaining is oftentimes much lost,
And in the most profound loss can be found the most gain.
What others have taught I teach also, 'a violent man will lead himself to a violent death',
This is the essence and cornerstone of my teachings.
43
The softest things in the world can with quietude, subtly and perfectly penetrate and wear away the hardest material.
Insubstantial, yielding, it enters where there is no place for entry.
From this one can see and value softness, subtlety, and non-action.
Yet few are the ones who can grasp the concept of teaching without words.
Nor are there many in the world who understand the great gains to be had by non-action.
44
Fame or integrity, which do you hold most dear?
Your wealth or your life, to which will you cling?
Gain or loss, which one increases your anxiety?
In fame and wealth and gain can be found the seeds of failure,
