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The Tao Te Ching
by Lao Tzu
Translated
by John Louis Albert Trottier
http://soli.com/dao1.htm
TAO (THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE) can be talked about,
but not the Eternal Tao (Laws of the Universe).
Names can be named,
but not the Eternal Name.
(You cannot name the unknown.)
As the origin of heaven-and-earth,
it is not describable:
As "the Mother" of all things,
it is describable.
(You cannot describe the unknown origin.)
As it is always hidden,
We should look at its Inner Sum and Substance (through philosophy
and poetry):
As always visible,
We should look at its Outer Form (through science and obsevation).
These two flow from the same source
(the Laws of the Universe,)
though differently named;
And both are called mysteries.
The Mystery of mysteries is the Gate of all sum and substance.
(Beyond the gate of experience is the Way.
It
is in all ways greater and more subtle than the world.)
When all the world recognizes beauty as beauty,
this in itself is ugliness,
(for it lacks a seeing of the Truth.)
(When all of humankind abstracts beauty there is no beauty).
When all the world recognizes good as good, this in itself is
destruction.,
(for it lacks a seeing of the Truth.)
(What is good in one circumstance is bad in another).
Indeed, the hidden and the visible give birth to each other.
Hard and easy balance each other.
Long and short give measure to each other.
High and low set measure to each other.
Voice and sound give wholeness each other.
Back and front follow each other.
Therefore, the Complete Thinker
experiences without abstraction
and accomplishes without visible action;
Yet spreads their teaching by actions.
Accepting the ebb and flow of
the many living things.
Raises them,
but makes no claim of them.
Does his work,
but does not brag about it.
Finishing tasks,
and moves on.
And yet it is just because
of moving on.
That nobody can take
works away.
By not making great the worthy
you will cause the people
to stop from having enemies and fighting.
(When everyone is equal, each is rewarded fairly.)
By not giving value to
goods hard to get,
you will cause the people
to stop from robbing and stealing.
(When material goods have no value there is no temptation to steal.)
By not showing
what people would like to have,
you will cause the people's hearts
to remain undisturbed.
(When people are not tempted to own things they do not desire things.)
Therefore, the Complete Thinker's way of governing begins by
Emptying the heart of wants,
Filling the belly with food,
Relaxing the ambitions, (not creating a temptation),
Toughening the bones, (guiding a healthful life).
In this way will cause
the people to remain
without strategy
and without desire,
and prevent the knowing ones
from causing any trouble.
Practice doing things at the Proper Speed, and everything
will
be in order.
The Tao (the Law of the Universe) is like
an empty bowl.
Which in being used
can never be filled up
. So deep it
cannot be measured,
it is the
origin of all things.
It blurs
all sharp edges,
It unties
all tangles,
It blends
all lights,
It unites the world
into one whole.
Hidden
in the depths,
Yet it seems to
exist for ever.
I do not know
whose child it is;
It is the common ancestor
of all,
the father of all things.
(It is the Universal Laws from the beginning of our Universe),
To live by these Laws is to
live in harmony with our
True
Nature.
Heaven-and-Earth is
not sentimental;
It treats all things
like straw dogs
(equal).
The Complete Thinker is
not sentimental;
Treats all people
as straw dogs
( equally).
Between Heaven and Earth,
There seems to be
a Bellows:
It is empty,
yet it can
not be emptied;
The more it works,
the more comes
out of it.
The Complete Thinker
draws upon the universal experience
thus cannot be exhausted.
Better look for it
within you.
The Tao (the Laws of the Universe) is
in
all that exists.
The Spirit of
the Valley dies not.
It is called
the Secret
which is Filled with
womanly qualities.
The Gateway of the
Secret is
Filled with womanly qualities
Is called
the Womb of Heaven-and-Earth.
Staying like
a fog,
it has only a
hint that it is there;
And yet when you
use it,
it is always there
without
end.
Heaven lasts long, and
Earth lasts.
What is the secret of
their lasting?
Is it not because
they do not live for themselves
That they can
live so long?
The Complete Thinker wants to
remain behind,
But is found at
the head of others;
Ignores his desires,
But is found
content.
Is it not because
of selflessness
That
True Self is realized?
The highest form of
goodness is like water.
Water knows how to
benefit all things
without contention.
It flows to places
others disdain.
It comes near the Tao (the Laws of the Universe).
In choosing your dwelling,
know how to keep the ground.
In cultivating your mind,
know how to dive
in the hidden depths.
In dealing with others,
know how to be
gentle and kind.
Speak within
trust.
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 contend,
none contend
against
you.
Fill a cup
to its brim,
it is easy
to spill.
Do not
over do the task,
close it.
Temper a sword throughout
to its hardest,
and it is easily broken.
Fill your house
with gold and
jade,
it can not
be guarded.
(Do not tempt
others for
someone will
give in to temptation.)
Set store
by your riches and
honor,
you easily fall.
This is the Tao
(the Laws of the Universe):
When
your purpose is achieved retire.
In keeping the spirit
and the vital soul
together,
Are you able to
maintain their perfect blending?
Breath gently
and become newborn.
Clear your inner vision,
and become clear.
In loving your people and
governing your state,
Are you able to
be impartial?
In opening and shutting
of heaven's gate(your heart),
you become
accepted.
Enlightened and
seeing
far into all directions,
Can you at the same time
remain not involved and
not interfere?
Raise your people with care!
Feed your people!
Raise them without saying
they are your own!
Do your work
without setting
any value to it!
Be one to be followed,
not one who commands!
This is called Hidden Powers.
This
is true harmony.
Thirty Spokes
converge upon a single hub;
It is on
the hole in the center
that the use
of the cart hinges.
We make a bowl or cup
from a lump of clay;
It is the empty space
within the vessel
that makes it useful.
We make doors
and windows
for a room;
It is the
empty spaces
that make the
room livable.
Thus,
Take advantage of
what is visible,
By making use of
What
is not visible.
The five colors
blind the eye.
The five tones
deafen the ear
. The five flavors
stick to the palate.
Racing and hunting
make crazy the mind.
Temptations make men do wrong.
The Complete Thinker
takes care of
the hunger,
not the senses.
Prefers
the substance within
not
the illusion.
"Welcome disgrace
as a pleasant surprise.
Prize misfortunes
as your own body."
Why should we
"welcome disgrace
as a pleasant surprise"?
Because a lowly state is a boon:
Getting it is a pleasant surprise,
And so is losing it!
That is why we should
"welcome disgrace
as a pleasant surprise."
Why should we
"prize misfortunes
as our own body"?
Because our body
is the very source
of our misfortunes
. If we have no body,
what misfortunes
can we have?
Only he
who is willing to
give their body
for the sake of the world
is fit to be
entrusted
with the world.
Only they
who can do it
with love
and regard themselves
as the world
are worthy of being
the steward of the world.
This lesson is known
by
all Complete Thinkers.
Look at it
but you cannot see it!
Its name is Formless.
Listen to it
but you cannot hear it!
Its name is Soundless
. Try to hold it
but you cannot get it!
Its name is Incorporeal.
These three attributes
are to deep to measure;
They mix together
into one.
Its upper side is not bright:
Its under side is not dim.
Always the Not Namable
moves on,
Until it returns
beyond the world of things.
We call it
the formless Form,
the imageless Image.
We call it
the not describable
and unimaginable.
Confront it and
you do not see its face!
Follow it and
you do not see its back!
Yet equipped with this
timeless Tao (the Laws of the Universe),
You can control
present realities and deal with the past.
To know the ancient origins
( the beginning of the Universe ) is
to
know the true Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
In times past
the Complete Thinkers of the Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
were not obvious
about what they did and
could change to
meet the circumstance,
Their minds,
strong and
widespread,
were too deep to be measured.
Because their minds
are unmeasurable,
One can only describe them
unclearly by their appearance.
Slow to start
like one crossing thin ice;
Shy as if surrounded by danger
on all sides;
Careful and polite like a guest;
Unbouded like ice on the point of melting;
Genuine like an
uncarved block;
Hollow like
a cave;
Disordered like
a muddy pool;
And yet who else could
quietly and gradually
change from the muddy to the clear?
Who else could
slowly but steadily
move from the lifeless to the living?
The who keep the Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
does not want to be full.
But precisely because they are never full,
They can always
remain open in thought,
They
do not become rigid in thought.
Achieve the utmost Emptiness.
Cling single-heartedly to
interior peace.
Become a part
of all things,
In this way
see the pattern.
Flourish they do,
Each of them will
return to its root.
To return to
the root is
to find peace.
To find peace is
to fulfill one's destiny.
To fulfill one's destiny is
to be unchanging.
To know the Unchanging is
called Insight.
If one does not
know the Unchanging,
One runs blindly
into disasters.
If one knows
the Unchanging,
One can understand and
embrace all.
If one understands and
embraces all,
One is capable of
doing justice.
To be just is
to be a leader;
To be a leader is
to be one with nature;
To be one with nature is
to be one with the Tao (the Laws of the Universe);
To be one with
the Tao (the Laws of the Universe) is to become immortal.
Such a one will be safe and whole,
Even after the death of body.
The
Tao does not decay.
The best type of leader
is one of whose existence
the people are barely aware.
Next comes one
whom they love and praise.
Next comes one
whom they fear.
Next comes one
whom they despise and defy.
When you are
lacking in faith,
Others will be
unfaithful to you.
The Complete Thinker is
quiet and uses few words.
When tasks have been
accomplished and
things have been completed,
All the people say,
"We
ourselves have achieved it!"
When the Great Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
was abandoned,
There appeared
duty and justice.
When intelligence
and jokes arose,
There appeared people
who said they were one way but lived the opposite.
When the family
lost their compatibility,
There appeared respectful devotion
and fatherly kindness.
When darkness and disorder
began to control a country,
There appeared
the
loyal and trustworthy patriots.
Drop wisdom,
abandon cleverness,
And the people will be
benefited a hundred fold.
Drop humanity,
abandon morality,
And the people will
return to their natural affections.
Drop cleverness,
abandon greed,
And robbers and thieves
will cease to be.
These three are a
pattern of Tao (the Laws of the Universe),
And are not sufficient in themselves
they are only symptoms.
They should be subordinated
to a Higher principle;
People need
personal remedies.
See the simple True Self
and embrace
your original nature.
Forget you habits and desires,
simplify
you life.
Have done with rote learning,
And you will have no more frustration.
How great is the difference between agreement and being the servant?
What is the difference between "construction" and "destruction"?
Must I fear what others fear?
What difficult stupidity this is
! All are joyous and beaming,
As though feasting upon a sacrificial ox, As though mounting the Spring Garden;
I alone am peaceful and give no sign, Like a babe which has not yet smiled.
I alone am forgotten as one who has no home to return to.
All have enough and more:
I alone appear to possess nothing.
What a not knowing person I am!
What a confused mind I have!
All are bright,
bright:
I alone am dim,
dim.
All are sharp,
sharp:
I alone am silent, silent!
Tasteless like the ocean,
Aimless like the drifting wind.
All settle in their paths:
I alone am stubborn and remain outside.
I am most different from others
In knowing
to take support from
my
Eternal Mother!
It lies in the nature of
Power
To follow the Tao (the Laws of the Universe) and
the Tao (the Laws of the Universe) alone.
Now what is the Tao (the Laws of the Universe)?
It is Something slippery and shifty. Shifty and slippery!
And yet It contains within Itself a Form. Shifty and slippery!
And yet It contains within Itself a Substance.
Shadowy and dim!
And yet It contains within Itself a Core of Energy ( the Force of Life ).
The Core of Energy ( Force of Life ) is very real,
It contains within Itself an unfailing Honesty.
Throughout the ages
Its Name has been preserved
In order to recall the
Beginning of all things.
(We can see and hear the background radiation that was the Big Bang the beginning of
our Universe.)
How do I know the ways of all things at the Beginning?
By what is within me.
(For
are we not made of recycled Star Stuff.)
Accept and you will be whole.
Bend and you will straighten.
Empty and you will fill.
Grow old and you will be renewed.
Have little and you will gain.
Have much and you will be confused.
The Complete Thinker
embraces the One,
Becomes a Pattern to
all under Heaven.
Does not make a show,
Then shines;
Does not justify self,
Then becomes known;
Does not brag of ability,
Then gets credit;
Does not show success,
Then lasts;
Does not compete with anyone,
Then no one can compete with the Complete Thinker.
Indeed, the ancient saying:
"Accept and you will remain whole"
is no idle word.
Once whole,
Turn within and concentrate your Power.
The
world is as your home.
Only simple and
quiet words will
ripen of themselves.
For a whirlwind
does not last a
whole morning.
A sudden rain
does not last
a whole day.
Who is their creator?
Heaven-and-Earth!
Even Heaven-and-Earth
cannot make such
violent things
last long;
The same is true of the
reckless efforts of humans.
Who helps the Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
is one with the Tao (the Laws of the Universe);
Who thinks with Power
is one with Power;
And who seeks the hand of loss
is one with Loss.
To be one with
the Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
is to be a welcome addition to
the Tao (the Laws of the Universe);
To be one with Power
is to be a welcome addition
to Power;
To be one with Loss
is to be a welcome addition
to Loss.
Failure of faith
on your part
Creates faithlessness
on
the part of others.
One on tip-toe
cannot stand solid.
Sitting on a horse
you cannot walk.
Who shows off
does not shine
. Who brags
has no glory.
Who boasts of ability
has no merit.
Who parades success
will not last.
In Tao (the Laws of the Universe) these things are called
"unwanted food and
extra growths,"
Are rejected
by all things
. A person of the Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
does not want them.
They
turn away from them.
There was Something undefined and complete in itself,
Born before Heaven-and-Earth.
Silent and
endless,
Standing alone
without change,
Being within all,
It may be thought of as
the Mother of the world.
I do not know its name;
I write it
"Tao (the Laws of the Universe)";
Without a better word,
call it
"The Great."
To be great is
to go on,
To go on is
to go far,
To go far is
to return.
Therefore,
"Tao (the Laws of the Universe) is great,
Heaven is great,
Earth is great,
The Leader is great"
Thus the Leader is
one of the great four in the Universe.
Humans follows
the ways of the Earth.
Earth follows
the ways of Heaven,
Heaven follows
the ways of Tao (the Laws of the Universe),
Tao (the Laws of the Universe) follows
its
own ways.
Heaviness is
the root of lightness.
Peace of mind is
the master of restlessness.
The Complete Thinker,
traveling all day,
Does not leave
the baggage-wagon;
There may be
gorgeous sights to see,
But stays
peacefully at home.
How can a leader
Have a light hearted position in the world?
To be light hearted
is to be separated from one's root;
To be restless
is
to lose one's self-mastery.
Good walking leaves
no track behind it,
but the walking was true;
Good speech leaves
no mark to be picked at,
but the speech was true;
Good calculation makes
no use of counting-slips,
yet the counting is true;
Good shutting makes
no use of bolt and bar,
And yet nobody can undo it;
Good tying makes
no use of rope and knot,
And yet nobody can untie it.
The Complete Thinker is
always good at saving humans,
And nobody is abandoned;
Always good at savings things,
And nothing is wasted.
This is called
"following the guidance of the Insight."
Good humans are the
teachers of destructive humans,
Destructive humans
depend on constructive humans.
Not to honor one's teacher,
Not to value one's dependent,
Is to be on the wrong road,
however intelligent one may be.
This
is call the Important Not Obvious .
Know the masculine,
Keep to the feminine,
And be the
Brook of the World.
To be the Brook of the World is
To move unchanging
in the path of Power
Without swerving from it,
And to return again to infancy.
Know the white,
Keep to the black,
And be the Pattern of the World.
To be the Pattern of the World is
To move unchanging in the path of Power
Without making a single wrong step, And to return again to the Infinite.
Know the glorious,
Keep to the lowly,
And be the Fountain of
the World.
To be the Fountain of
the World is
To live the
life of Virute (Power) ,
And to return again to
the First Simplicity.
When the First Simplicity
splits apart,
It becomes useful tools,
Then in the hands
of a Complete Thinker,
make them leaders.
"a
great tailor does little cutting."
Does anyone want to take the world
and do what he wants with it?
I do not see how they can succeed.
The world
is a sacred vessel,
which must not be
tampered with
or grabbed after.
To tamper with it
is to spoil it,
and to grasp
is to lose it.
For all things
there is a time for going ahead,
and a time for following behind;
A time for slow-breathing
and a time for fast-breathing;
A time to grow in strength
and a time to decay;
time to be up
and a time to be down.
The Complete Thinker
avoids all extremes,
excesses
and luxuries.
Travels
the
middle path.
Who knows how to guide a leader in the path of Tao (the Laws of the Universe),
Does not try to conquer the world
with military force.
It is in the nature of a military force to turn against its user.
(Economic Force stregthens the Society)
Wherever armies are stationed,
thorny bushes grow.
After a great war,
bad years always follow.
(Over spending for military might only overtaxes the people)
Protect efficiently your own state,
But not to aim at selfishness.
After you have attained your purpose,
You must not show off your success,
You must not brag of your ability,
You must not feel proud,
You must rather regret that you had not been able to prevent the war.
You must never think of taking control of others by force.
To be over-developed is to quicken decay,
And this is against Tao (the Laws of the Universe),
And what is against Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
will
soon end.
Soldiers of war predict destruction.
And are for use against Life.
A person of Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
does not set his heart upon them.( A person of Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
does not build armies to fight and take control of others land.)
In ordinary life, a gentle person regards
the left side (omen of the future) as the place of honor:
In war, the right side (omen of the past) is the place of honor.
As soldiers are tools of destruction, They are not properly
a gentle person's tools;
On necessity will they will use them,
(having them and knowing their use).
With calm control.
Even winning is
no cause for rejoicing.
To rejoice over a war won is
to rejoice over the slaughter of humans!
So a person who rejoices
over the slaughter of humans
cannot expect to do well
in the world of humans.
On happy occasions the left side (omen of the future) is preferred:
On sad occasions the right side (omen of the past) .
In the army, the Lieutenant Commander stands on the left,
While the Commander-in-Chief stands on the right.
This means that war is treated as equal to a funeral service (rememberance of the past).
Because many people have been killed,
it is only correct that living should be sad at the loss of them.
Hence,
even in a victory is a funeral.
Tao (the Laws of the Universe) is always nameless.
Small as it is in its First Simplicity,
It is less than nothing in the world.
If only a leader could stick to it, Everything will give respect
to them.
Heaven and Earth
will be harmonized
And send down sweet dew.
Peace and order
will reign among the people
Without any command from above.
When once
the Primal Simplicity broke up,
(at the Time of the Big Bang,)
Different names appeared.
Are there not enough names now?
Is this not the time to stop?
To know where to stop is to preserve ourselves from danger.
The Tao (the Laws of the Universe) is to the world
what a great river or an ocean is to the streams and brooks.
The Tao is manifest into a shape, but then the shape is lost.
Do
not be rigid about shapes, but only about ability to change.
Who knows people is clever;
Who knows self has enlightenment.
Who conquers a people has force;
Who conquers self is truly strong.
Who knows when they have enough are rich,
And who follows carefully
the path of Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
is a person of steady purpose.
Who stays
where they have found their true home
lasts long,
And
who dies but is not forgotten enjoys real longevity.
The Great Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
is universal like a flood.
How can it be turned
to the right
or to the left?
All creatures depend on it,
and it denies nothing to anyone.
It does its work,
But it makes no claims for itself.
It clothes and feeds all,
But it does not rule them
: Thus, it may be called
"the Little."
All things return to it
as to their home,
But it does not rule them:
It may be called
"the Great."
It is just because it
does not wish to be great
That its greatness
is fully realized.
The Complete Thinker
would not control the world;
They are in harmony
with
the world.
Who holds to the Great Pattern
will attract all things to them.
They go to them and
receive no harm,
in them they find
peace,
security and
happiness.
Music and
snacks can only
make a passing guest pause.