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Tao Te Ching
Written by
Lao-tzu
From a translation by S.
Mitchell
1
The tao that can be
told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be
named
is not the eternal Name.
The unnamable is the
eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular
things.
Free from desire, you realize the
mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the
manifestations.
Yet mystery and manifestations
arise
from the same source.
This source is called
darkness.
Darkness within darkness.
The gateway to
all understanding.
2
When people see some
things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When
people see some things as good,
other things become
bad.
Being and non-being create each
other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and
short define each other.
High and low depend on each
other.
Before and after follow each other.
Therefore
the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches
without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them
come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but
doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When her work
is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts
forever.
3
If you overesteem
great men,
people become powerless.
If you overvalue
possessions,
people begin to steal.
The Master
leads
by emptying people's minds
and filling their
cores,
by weakening their ambition
and toughening their
resolve.
He helps people lose everything
they know,
everything they desire,
and creates confusion
in those
who think that they know.
Practice not-doing,
and
everything will fall into place.
4
The Tao is like a
well:
used but never used up.
It is like the eternal
void:
filled with infinite possibilities.
It is
hidden but always present.
I don't know who gave birth to
it.
It is older than God.
5
The Tao doesn't take
sides;
it gives birth to both good and evil.
The Master
doesn't take sides;
she welcomes both saints and
sinners.
The Tao is like a bellows:
it is empty yet
infinitely capable.
The more you use it, the more it
produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you
understand.
Hold on to the center.
6
The Tao is called the
Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to
infinite worlds.
It is always present within
you.
You can use it any way you want.
7
The Tao is infinite,
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 she is ahead.
She is
detached from all things;
that is why she is one with
them.
Because she has let go of herself,
she is
perfectly fulfilled.
8
The supreme good is
like water,
which nourishes all things without trying
to.
It is content with the low places that people
disdain.
Thus it is like the Tao.
In dwelling, live
close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In
conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to
control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be
completely present.
When you are content to be simply
yourself
and don't compare or compete,
everybody will
respect you.
9
Fill your bowl to the
brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your
knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and
security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about
people's approval
and you will be their prisoner.
Do
your work, then step back.
The only path to
serenity.
10
Can you coax your
mind from its wandering
and keep to the original
oneness?
Can you let your body become
supple as a
newborn child's?
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 you own mind
and thus
understand all things?
Giving birth and
nourishing,
having without possessing,
acting with no
expectations,
leading and not trying to control:
this is
the supreme virtue.
11
We join spokes
together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that
makes the wagon move.
We shape clay into a pot,
but
it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we
want.
We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the
inner space
that makes it livable.
We work with
being,
but non-being is what we use.
12
Colors blind the
eye.
Sounds deafen the ear.
Flavors numb the
taste.
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the
heart.
The Master observes the world
but trusts his
inner vision.
He allows things to come and go.
His heart
is open as the sky.
13
Success is as
dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as
fear.
What does it mean that success is a dangerous as
failure?
Whether you go up the ladder or down it,
you
position is shaky.
When you stand with your two feet on the
ground,
you will always keep your balance.
What does
it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?
Hope and fear are
both phantoms
that arise from thinking of the self.
When
we don't see the self as self,
what do we have to
fear?
See the world as your self.
Have faith in the
way things are.
Love the world as your self;
then you
can care for all things.
14
Look, and it can't be
seen.
Listen, and it can't be heard.
Reach, and it can't
be grasped.
Above, it isn't bright.
Below, it isn't
dark.
Seamless, unnamable,
it returns to the realm of
nothing.
Form that includes all forms,
image without an
image,
subtle, beyond all conception.
Approach it
and there is no beginning;
follow it and there is no
end.
You can't know it, but you can be it,
at ease in
your own life.
Just realize where you come from:
this is
the essence of wisdom.
15
The ancient Masters
were profound and subtle.
Their wisdom was
unfathomable.
There is no way to describe it;
all we can
describe is their appearance.
They were careful
as
someone crossing an iced-over stream.
Alert as a warrior in
enemy territory.
Courteous as a guest.
Fluid as melting
ice.
Shapable as a block of wood.
Receptive as a
valley.
Clear as a glass of water.
Do you have the
patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is
clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action
arises by itself?
The Master doesn't seek
fulfillment.
Not seeking, not expecting,
she is present,
and can welcome all things.
16
Empty your mind of
all thoughts.
Let your heart be at peace.
Watch the
turmoil of beings,
but contemplate their
return.
Each separate being in the universe
returns
to the common source.
Returning to the source is
serenity.
If you don't realize the source,
you
stumble in confusion and sorrow.
When you realize where you
come from,
you naturally become tolerant,
disinterested,
amused,
kindhearted as a grandmother,
dignified as a
king.
Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,
you can deal
with whatever life brings you,
and when death comes, you
are ready.
17
When the Master
governs, the people
are hardly aware that he
exists.
Next best is a leader who is loved.
Next, one
who is feared.
The worst is one who is despised.
If
you don't trust the people,
you make them
untrustworthy.
The Master doesn't talk, he
acts.
When his work is done,
the people say,
"Amazing:
we did it, all by
ourselves!"
18
When the great Tao is
forgotten,
goodness and piety appear.
When the body's
intelligence declines,
cleverness and knowledge step
forth.
When there is no peace in the family,
filial
piety begins.
When the country falls into
chaos,
patriotism is born.
19
Throw away holiness
and wisdom,
and people will be a hundred times
happier.
Throw away morality and justice,
and people
will do the right thing.
Throw away industry and
profit,
and there won't be any thieves.
If these
three aren't enough,
just stay at the center of the
circle
and let all things take their
course.
20
Stop thinking, and
end your problems.
What difference between yes and
no?
What difference between success and failure?
Must
you value what others value,
avoid what others
avoid?
How ridiculous!
Other people are
excited,
as though they were at a parade.
I alone don't
care,
I alone am expressionless,
like an infant before
it can smile.
Other people have what they need;
I
alone possess nothing.
I alone drift about,
like someone
without a home.
I am like an idiot, my mind is so
empty.
Other people are bright;
I alone am
dark.
Other people are sharper;
I alone am
dull.
Other people have a purpose;
I alone don't
know.
I drift like a wave on the ocean,
I blow as
aimless as the wind.
I am different from ordinary
people.
I drink from the Great Mother's
breasts.
21
The Master keeps her
mind
always at one with the Tao;
that is what gives her
her radiance.
The Tao is ungraspable.
How can her
mind be at one with it?
Because she doesn't cling to
ideas.
The Tao is dark and unfathomable.
How can it
make her radiant?
Because she lets it.
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
If you want to become
whole,
let yourself be partial.
If you want to become
straight,
let yourself be crooked.
If you want to become
full,
let yourself be empty.
If you want to be
reborn,
let yourself die.
If you want to be given
everything,
give everything up.
The Master, by
residing in the Tao,
sets an example for all
beings.
Because he doesn't display himself,
people can
see his light.
Because he has nothing to prove,
people
can trust his words.
Because he doesn't know who he
is,
people recognize themselves in him.
Because he has
no goad in mind,
everything he does succeeds.
When
the ancient Masters said,
"If you want to be given
everything,
give everything up,"
they weren't using
empty phrases.
Only in being lived by the Tao can you be
truly yourself.
23
Express yourself
completely,
then keep quiet.
Be like the forces of
nature:
when it blows, there is only wind;
when it
rains, there is only rain;
when the clouds pass, the sun
shines through.
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.
Open yourself to the
Tao,
then trust your natural responses;
and everything
will fall into place.
24
He who stands on
tiptoe
doesn't stand form.
He who rushes
ahead
doesn't go far.
He who tries to shine
dims his
own light.
He who defines himself
can't know who he
really is.
He who has power over others
can't empower
himself.
He who clings to his work
will create nothing
that endures.
If you want to accord with the
Tao,
just do your job, then let go.
25
There was something
formless and perfect
before the universe was born.
It is
serene. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite. Eternally
present.
It is the mother of the universe.
For lack of a
better name,
I call it the Tao.
It flows through all
things,
inside and outside, and 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 earth.
Earth
follows the universe.
The universe follows the Tao.
The
Tao follows only itself.
26
The heavy is the root
of the light.
The unmoved is the source of all
movement.
Thus the Master travels all day
without
leaving home.
However splendid the views,
she stays
serenely in herself.
Why should the lord of the
country
flit about like a fool?
If you let yourself be
blown to and fro,
you lose touch with your root.
If you
let restlessness move you,
you lose touch with who you
are.
27
A good traveler has
no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good
artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A
good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his
mind open to what is.
Thus the Master is available to
all people
and doesn't reject anyone.
He is ready to use
all situations
and doesn't waste anything.
This is
called embodying the light.
What is a good man but a
bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's
job?
If you don't understand this, you will get
lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great
secret.
28
Know the male,
yet
keep to the female:
receive the world in your arms.
If
you receive the world,
the Tao will never leave you
and
you will be like a little child.
Know the white,
yet
keep to the black:
be a pattern for the world.
If you
are a pattern for the world,
the Tao will be strong inside
you
and there will be nothing you can't do.
Know the
personal,
yet keep to the impersonal:
accept the world
as it is.
If you accept the world,
the Tao will be
luminous inside you
and you will return to your primal
self.
The world is formed from the void,
like
utensils from a block of wood.
The Master knows the
utensils,
yet keeps to the the block:
thus she can use
all things.
29
Do you want to
improve the world?
I don't think it can be done.
The
world is sacred.
It can't be improved.
If you tamper
with it, you'll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object,
you'll lose it.
There is a time for being ahead,
a
time for being behind;
a time for being in motion,
a
time for being at rest;
a time for being vigorous,
a
time for being exhausted;
a time for being safe,
a time
for being in danger.
The Master sees things as they
are,
without trying to control them.
She lets them go
their own way,
and resides at the center of the
circle.
30
Whoever relies on the
Tao in governing men
doesn't try to force issues
or
defeat enemies by force of arms.
For every force there is a
counterforce.
Violence, even well intentioned,
always
rebounds upon oneself.
The Master does his job
and
then stops.
He understands that the universe
is forever
out of control,
and that trying to dominate events
goes
against the current of the Tao.
Because he believes in
himself,
he doesn't try to convince others.
Because he
is content with himself,
he doesn't need others'
approval.
Because he accepts himself,
the whole world
accepts him.
31
Weapons are the tools
of violence;
all decent men detest them.
Weapons are
the tools of fear;
a decent man will avoid them
except
in the direst necessity
and, if compelled, will use
them
only with the utmost restraint.
Peace is his
highest value.
If the peace has been shattered,
how can
he be content?
His enemies are not demons,
but human
beings like himself.
He doesn't wish them personal
harm.
Nor does he rejoice in victory.
How could he
rejoice in victory
and delight in the slaughter of
men?
He enters a battle gravely,
with sorrow and
with great compassion,
as if he were attending a
funeral.
32
The Tao can't be
perceived.
Smaller than an electron,
it contains
uncountable galaxies.
If powerful men and
women
could remain centered in the Tao,
all things would
be in harmony.
The world would become a paradise.
All
people would be at peace,
and the law would be written in
their hearts.
When you have names and forms,
know
that they are provisional.
When you have
institutions,
know where their functions should
end.
Knowing when to stop,
you can avoid any
danger.
All things end in the Tao
as rivers flow
into the sea.
33
Knowing others is
intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering
others is strength;
mastering yourself is true
power.
If you realize that you have enough,
you are
truly rich.
If you stay in the center
and embrace death
with your whole heart,
you will endure
forever.
34
The great Tao flows
everywhere.
All things are born from it,
yet it doesn't
create them.
It pours itself into its work,
yet it makes
no claim.
It nourishes infinite worlds,
yet it doesn't
hold on to them.
Since it is merged with all things
and
hidden in their hearts,
it can be called humble.
Since
all things vanish into it
and it alone endures,
it can
be called great.
It isn't aware of its greatness;
thus
it is truly great.
35
She who is centered
in the Tao
can go where she wishes, without danger.
She
perceives the universal harmony,
even amid great
pain,
because she has found peace in her
heart.
Music or the smell of good cooking
may make
people stop and enjoy.
But words that point to the
Tao
seem monotonous and without flavor.
When you look
for it, there is nothing to see.
When you listen for it,
there is nothing to hear.
When you use it, it is
inexhaustible.
36
If you want to shrink
something,
you must first allow it to expand.
If you
want to get rid of something,
you must first allow it to
flourish.
If you want to take something,
you must first
allow it to be given.
This is called the subtle
perception
of the way things are.
The soft overcomes
the hard.
The slow overcomes the fast.
Let your workings
remain a mystery.
Just show people the
results.
37
The Tao never does
anything,
yet through it all things are done.
If
powerful men and women
could venter themselves in
it,
the whole world would be transformed
by itself, in
its natural rhythms.
People would be content
with their
simple, everyday lives,
in harmony, and free of
desire.
When there is no desire,
all things are at
peace.
38
The Master doesn't
try to be powerful;
thus he is truly powerful.
The
ordinary man keeps reaching for power;
thus he never has
enough.
The Master does nothing,
yet he leaves
nothing undone.
The ordinary man is always doing
things,
yet many more are left to be done.
The kind
man does something,
yet something remains undone.
The
just man does something,
and leaves many things to be
done.
The moral man does something,
and when no one
responds
he rolls up his sleeves and uses
force.
When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When
goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost,
there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
the
beginning of chaos.
Therefore the Master concerns
himself
with the depths and not the surface,
with the
fruit and not the flower.
He has no will of his own.
He
dwells in reality,
and lets all illusions
go.
39
In harmony with the
Tao,
the sky is clear and spacious,
the earth is solid
and full,
all creature flourish together,
content with
the way they are,
endlessly repeating
themselves,
endlessly renewed.
When man interferes
with the Tao,
the sky becomes filthy,
the earth becomes
depleted,
the equilibrium crumbles,
creatures become
extinct.
The Master views the parts with
compassion,
because he understands the whole.
His
constant practice is humility.
He doesn't glitter like a
jewel
but lets himself be shaped by the Tao,
as rugged
and common as stone.
40
Return is the
movement of the Tao.
Yielding is the way of the
Tao.
All things are born of being.
Being is born of
non-being.
41
When a superior man
hears of the Tao,
he immediately begins to embody
it.
When an average man hears of the Tao,
he half
believes it, half doubts it.
When a foolish man hears of
the Tao,
he laughs out loud.
If he didn't laugh,
it
wouldn't be the Tao.
Thus it is said:
The path into
the light seems dark,
the path forward seems to go
back,
the direct path seems long,
true power seems
weak,
true purity seems tarnished,
true steadfastness
seems changeable,
true clarity seems obscure,
the
greatest are seems unsophisticated,
the greatest love seems
indifferent,
the greatest wisdom seems childish.
The
Tao is nowhere to be found.
Yet it nourishes and completes
all things.
42
The Tao gives birth
to One.
One gives birth to Two.
Two gives birth to
Three.
Three gives birth to all things.
All things
have their backs to the female
and stand facing the
male.
When male and female combine,
all things achieve
harmony.
Ordinary men hate solitude.
But the Master
makes use of it,
embracing his aloneness, realizing
he
is one with the whole universe.
43
The gentlest thing in
the world
overcomes the hardest thing in the world.
That
which has no substance
enters where there is no
space.
This shows the value of non-action.
Teaching
without words,
performing without actions:
that is the
Master's way.
44
Fame or integrity:
which is more important?
Money or happiness: which is more
valuable?
Success of failure: which is more
destructive?
If you look to others for
fulfillment,
you will never truly be fulfilled.
If your
happiness depends on money,
you will never be happy with
yourself.
Be content with what you have;
rejoice in
the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing
lacking,
the whole world belongs to
you.
45
True perfection seems
imperfect,
yet it is perfectly itself.
True fullness
seems empty,
yet it is fully present.
True
straightness seems crooked.
True wisdom seems
foolish.
True art seems artless.
The Master allows
things to happen.
She shapes events as they come.
She
steps out of the way
and lets the Tao speak for
itself.
46
When a country is in
harmony with the Tao,
the factories make trucks and
tractors.
When a country goes counter to the
Tao,
warheads are stockpiled outside the
cities.
There is no greater illusion than fear,
no
greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself,
no greater
misfortune than having an enemy.
Whoever can see
through all fear
will always be safe.
47
Without opening your
door,
you can open your heart to the world.
Without
looking out your window,
you can see the essence of the
Tao.
The more you know,
the less you
understand.
The Master arrives without leaving,
sees
the light without looking,
achieves without doing a
thing.
48
In pursuit of
knowledge,
every day something is added.
In the practice
of the Tao,
every day something is dropped.
Less and
less do you need to force things,
until finally you arrive
at non-action.
When nothing is done,
nothing is left
undone.
True mastery can be gained
by letting things
go their own way.
It can't be gained by
interfering.
49
The Master has no
mind of her own.
She works with the mind of the
people.
She is good to people who are good.
She is
also good to people who aren't good.
This is true
goodness.
She trusts people who are trustworthy.
She
also trusts people who aren't trustworthy.
This is true
trust.
The Master's mind is like space.
People don't
understand her.
They look to her and wait.
She treats
them like her own children.
50
The Master gives
himself up
to whatever the moment brings.
He knows that
he is going to die,
and her has nothing left to hold on
to:
no illusions in his mind,
no resistances in his
body.
He doesn't think about his actions;
they flow from
the core of his being.
He holds nothing back from
life;
therefore he is ready for death,
as a man is ready
for sleep
after a good day's work.
51
Every being in the
universe
is an expression of the Tao.
It springs into
existence,
unconscious, perfect, free,
takes on a
physical body,
lets circumstances complete it.
That is
why every being
spontaneously honors the Tao.
The
Tao gives birth to all beings,
nourishes them, maintains
them,
cares for them, comforts them, protects
them,
takes them back to itself,
creating without
possessing,
acting without expecting,
guiding without
interfering.
That is why love of the Tao
is in the very
nature of things.
52
In the beginning was
the Tao.
All things issue from it;
all things return to
it.
To find the origin,
trace back the
manifestations.
When you recognize the children
and find
the mother,
you will be free of sorrow.
If you close
your mind in judgements
and traffic with desires,
your
heart will be troubled.
If you keep your mind from
judging
and aren't led by the senses,
your heart will
find peace.
Seeing into darkness is clarity.
Knowing
how to yield is strength.
Use your own light
and return
to the source of light.
This is called practicing
eternity.
53
The great Way is
easy,
yet people prefer the side paths.
Be aware when
things are out of balance.
Stay centered within the
Tao.
When rich speculators prosper
While farmers
lose their land;
when government officials spend
money
on weapons instead of cures;
when the upper class
is extravagant and irresponsible
while the poor have
nowhere to turn-
all this is robbery and chaos.
It is
not in keeping with the Tao.
54
Whoever is planted in
the Tao
will not be rooted up.
Whoever embraces the
Tao
will not slip away.
Her name will be held in
honor
from generation to generation.
Let the Tao be
present in your life
and you will become genuine.
Let it
be present in your family
and your family will
flourish.
Let it be present in your country
and your
country will be an example
to all countries in the
world.
Let it be present in the universe
and the
universe will sing.
How do I know this is true?
By
looking inside myself.
55
He who is in harmony
with the Tao
is like a newborn child.
Its bones are
soft, its muscles are weak,
but its grip is powerful.
It
doesn't know about the union
of male and female,
yet its
penis can stand erect,
so intense is its vital power.
It
can scream its head off all day,
yet it never becomes
hoarse,
so complete is its harmony.
The Master's
power is like this.
He lets all things come and
go
effortlessly, without desire.
He never expects
results;
thus he is never disappointed.
He is never
disappointed;
thus his spirit never grows
old.
56
Those who know don't
talk.
Those who talk don't know.
Close your
mouth,
block off your senses,
blunt your
sharpness,
untie your knots,
soften your
glare,
settle your dust.
This is the primal
identity.
Be like the Tao.
It can't be approached or
withdrawn from,
benefited or harmed,
honored or brought
into disgrace.
It gives itself up continually.
That is
why it endures.
57
If you want to be a
great leader,
you must learn to follow the Tao.
Stop
trying to control.
Let go of fixed plans and
concepts,
and the world will govern itself.
The more
prohibitions you have,
the less virtuous people will
be.
The more weapons you have,
the less secure people
will be.
The more subsidies you have,
the less
self-reliant people will be.
Therefore the Master
says:
I let go of the law,
and people become
honest.
I let go of economics,
and people become
prosperous.
I let go of religion,
and people become
serene.
I let go of all desire for the common good,
and
the good becomes common as grass.
58
If a country is
governed with tolerance,
the people are comfortable and
honest.
If a country is governed with repression,
the
people are depressed and crafty.
When the will to power
is in charge,
the higher the ideals, the lower the
results.
Try to make people happy,
and you lay the
groundwork for misery.
Try to make people moral,
and you
lay the groundwork for vice.
Thus the Master is
content
to serve as an example
and not to impose her
will.
She is pointed, but doesn't
pierce.
Straightforward, but supple.
Radiant, but easy
on the eyes.
59
For governing a
country well
there is nothing better than
moderation.
The mark of a moderate man
is freedom
from his own ideas.
Tolerant like the sky,
all-pervading
like sunlight,
firm like a mountain,
supple like a tree
in the wind,
he has no destination in view
and makes use
of anything
life happens to bring his way.
Nothing
is impossible for him.
Because he has let go,
he can
care for the people's welfare
as a mother cares for her
child.
60
Governing a large
country
is like frying a small fish.
You spoil it with
too much poking.
Center your country in the Tao
and
evil will have no power.
Not that it isn't there,
but
you'll be able to step out of its way.
Give evil
nothing to oppose
and it will disappear by
itself.
61
When a country
obtains great power,
it becomes like the sea:
all
streams run downward into it.
The more powerful it
grows,
the greater the need for humility.
Humility means
trusting the Tao,
thus never needing to be
defensive.
A great nation is like a great man:
When
he makes a mistake, he realizes it.
Having realized it, he
admits it.
Having admitted it, he corrects it.
He
considers those who point out his faults
as his most
benevolent teachers.
He thinks of his enemy
as the
shadow that he himself casts.
If a nation is centered
in the Tao,
if it nourishes its own people
and doesn't
meddle in the affairs of others,
it will be a light to all
nations in the world.
62
The Tao is the center
of the universe,
the good man's treasure,
the bad man's
refuge.
Honors can be bought with fine
words,
respect can be won with good deeds;
but the Tao
is beyond all value,
and no one can achieve
it.
Thus, when a new leader is chosen,
don't offer
to help him
with your wealth or your expertise.
Offer
instead
to teach him about the Tao.
Why did the
ancient Masters esteem the Tao?
Because, being one with the
Tao,
when you seek, you find;
and when you make a
mistake, you are forgiven.
That is why everybody loves
it.
63
Act without
doing;
work without effort.
Think of the small as
large
and the few as many.
Confront the
difficult
while it is still easy;
accomplish the great
task
by a series of small acts.
The Master never
reaches for the great;
thus she achieves greatness.
When
she runs into a difficulty,
she stops and gives herself to
it.
She doesn't cling to her own comfort;
thus problems
are no problem for her.
64
What is rooted is
easy to nourish.
What is recent is easy to correct.
What
is brittle is easy to break.
What is small is easy to
scatter.
Prevent trouble before it arises.
Put
things in order before they exist.
The giant pine
tree
grows from a tiny sprout.
The journey of a thousand
miles
starts from beneath your feet.
Rushing into
action, you fail.
Trying to grasp things, you lose
them.
Forcing a project to completion,
you ruin what was
almost ripe.
Therefore the Master takes action
by
letting things take their course.
He remains as calm
at
the end as at the beginning.
He has nothing,
thus has
nothing to lose.
What he desires is non-desire;
what he
learns is to unlearn.
He simply reminds people
of who
they have always been.
He cares about nothing but the
Tao.
Thus he can care for all things.
65
The ancient
Masters
didn't try to educate the people,
but kindly
taught them to not-know.
When they think that they know
the answers,
people are difficult to guide.
When they
know that they don't know,
people can find their own
way.
If you want to learn how to govern,
avoid being
clever or rich.
The simplest pattern is the
clearest.
Content with an ordinary life,
you can show
all people the way
back to their own true
nature.
66
All streams flow to
the sea
because it is lower than they are.
Humility
gives it its power.
If you want to govern the
people,
you must place yourself below them.
If you want
to lead the people,
you must learn how to follow
them.
The Master is above the people,
and no one
feels oppressed.
She goes ahead of the people,
and no
one feels manipulated.
The whole world is grateful to
her.
Because she competes with no one,
no one can
compete with her.
67
Some say that my
teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but
impractical.
But to those who have looked inside
themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to
those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots
that go deep.
I have just three things to
teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are
your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in
thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient
with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way
things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile
all beings in the world.
68
The best
athlete
wants his opponent at his best.
The best
general
enters the mind of his enemy.
The best
businessman
serves the communal good.
The best
leader
follows the will of the people.
All of the
embody
the virtue of non-competition.
Not that they
don't love to compete,
but they do it in the spirit of
play.
In this they are like children
and in harmony with
the Tao.
69
The generals have a
saying:
"Rather than make the first move
it is better to
wait and see.
Rather than advance an inch
it is better
to retreat a yard."
This is called
going forward
without advancing,
pushing back without using
weapons.
There is no greater misfortune
than
underestimating your enemy.
Underestimating your
enemy
means thinking that he is evil.
Thus you destroy
your three treasures
and become an enemy
yourself.
When two great forces oppose each
other,
the victory will go
to the one that knows how to
yield.
70
My teachings are easy
to understand
and easy to put into practice.
Yet your
intellect will never grasp them,
and if you try to practice
them, you'll fail.
My teachings are older than the
world.
How can you grasp their meaning?
If you want
to know me,
look inside your heart.
71
Not-knowing is true
knowledge.
Presuming to know is a disease.
First realize
that you are sick;
then you can move toward
health.
The Master is her own physician.
She has
healed herself of all knowing.
Thus she is truly
whole.
72
When they lose their
sense of awe,
people turn to religion.
When they no
longer trust themselves,
they begin to depend upon
authority.
Therefore the Master steps back
so that
people won't be confused.
He teaches without a
teaching,
so that people will have nothing to
learn.
73
The Tao is always at
ease.
It overcomes without competing,
answers without
speaking a word,
arrives without being
summoned,
accomplishes without a plan.
Its net
covers the whole universe.
And though its meshes are
wide,
it doesn't let a thing slip
through.
74
If you realize that
all things change,
there is nothing you will try to hold on
to.
If you aren't afraid of dying,
there is nothing you
can't achieve.
Trying to control the future
is like
trying to take the master carpenter's place.
When you
handle the master carpenter's tools,
chances are that
you'll cut your hand.
75
When taxes are too
high,
people go hungry.
When the government is too
intrusive,
people lose their spirit.
Act for the
people's benefit.
Trust them; leave them
alone.
76
Men are born soft and
supple;
dead, they are stiff and hard.
Plats are born
tender and pliant;
dead, they are brittle and
dry.
Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible
is a
disciple of death.
Whoever is soft and yielding
is a
disciple of life.
The hard and stiff will be
broken.
The soft and supple will
prevail.
77
As it acts in the
world, the Tao
is like the bending of a bow.
The top is
bent downward;
the bottom is bent up.
It adjusts excess
and deficiency
so that there is perfect balance.
It
takes from what is too much
and give to what isn't
enough.
Those who try to control,
who use force to
protect their power,
go against the direction of the
Tao.
They take from those who don't have enough
and give
to those who have far too much.
The Master can keep
giving
because there is no end to her wealth.
She acts
without expectation,
succeeds without taking credit,
and
doesn't think that she is better
than anyone
else.
78
Nothing in the
world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for
dissolving the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass
it.
The soft overcomes the hard;
the gentle
overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but
few can put it into practice.
Therefore the Master
remains
serene in the midst of sorrow.
Evil cannot enter
his heart.
Because he has given up helping,
he is
people's greatest help.
True words seem
paradoxical.
79
Failure is an
opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end
to the blame.
Therefore the Master
fulfills her own
obligations
and corrects her own mistakes.
She does what
she needs to do
and demands nothing of
others.
80
If a country is
governed wisely,
its inhabitants will be content.
They
enjoy the labor of their hands
and don't waste time
inventing
labor-saving machines.
Since they dearly love
their homes,
they aren't interested in travel.
There may
be a few wagons and boats,
but these don't go
anywhere.
There may be an arsenal of weapons,
but nobody
ever uses them.
People enjoy their food,
take pleasure
in being with their families,
spend weekends working in
their gardens,
delight in the doings of the
neighborhood.
And even though the next country is so
close
that people can hear its roosters crowing and its
dogs barking,
they are content to die of old age
without
ever having gone to see it.
81
True words aren't
eloquent;
eloquent words aren't true.
Wise men don't
need to prove their point;
men who need to prove their
point aren't wise.
The Master has no
possessions.
The more he does for others,
the happier he
is.
The more he gives to others,
the wealthier he
is.
The Tao nourishes by not forcing.
By not
dominating, the Master leads.
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