3 The Way that can be experienced is not true;
4 The world that can be constructed is not real.
5 The Way manifests all that happens and may happen;
6 The world represents all that exists and may exist.
7 To experience without abstraction is to sense the world;
8 To experience with abstraction is to know the world.
9 These two experiences are indistinguishable;
10 Their construction differs but their effect is the same.
11 Beyond the gate of experience flows the Way,
12 Which is ever greater and more subtle than the world.
13 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
17 When beauty is abstracted
18 Then ugliness has been implied;
19 When good is abstracted
20 Then evil has been implied.
21 So alive and dead are abstracted from nature,
22 Difficult and easy abstracted from progress,
23 Long and short abstracted from contrast,
24 High and low abstracted from depth,
25 Song and speech abstracted from melody,
26 After and before abstracted from sequence.
27 The sage experiences without abstraction,
28 And accomplishes without action;
29 He accepts the ebb and flow of things,
30 Nurtures them, but does not own them,
31 And lives, but does not dwell.
32 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
36 Not praising the worthy prevents contention,
37 Not esteeming the valuable prevents theft,
38 Not displaying the beautiful prevents desire.
39 In this manner the sage governs people:
41 Filling their bellies,
42 Weakening their ambitions,
43 And strengthening their bones.
44 If people lack knowledge and desire
45 Then they can not act;
48 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
52 The Way is a limitless vessel;
53 Used by the self, it is not filled by the world;
54 It cannot be cut, knotted, dimmed or stilled;
55 Its depths are hidden, ubiquitous and eternal;
56 I don't know where it comes from;
57 It comes before nature.
58 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
63 It treats all things impartially.
65 And treats all people impartially.
66 Nature is like a bellows,
67 Empty, yet never ceasing its supply.
68 The more it moves, the more it yields;
69 So the sage draws upon experience
70 And cannot be exhausted.
71 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
75 Experience is a riverbed,
76 Its source hidden, forever flowing:
77 Its entrance, the root of the world,
78 The Way moves within it:
79 Draw upon it; it will not run dry.
80 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
84 Nature is complete because it does not serve itself.
85 The sage places himself after and finds himself before,
86 Ignores his desire and finds himself content.
87 He is complete because he does not serve himself.
88 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
92 The best of man is like water,
93 Which benefits all things, and does not contend with them,
94 Which flows in places that others disdain,
95 Where it is in harmony with the Way.
98 Thinks within the deep,
99 Gives within impartiality,
101 Governs within order,
102 Crafts within ability,
103 Acts within opportunity.
104 He does not contend, and none contend against him.
105 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
109 Fill a cup to its brim and it is easily spilled;
110 Temper a sword to its hardest and it is easily broken;
111 Amass the greatest treasure and it is easily stolen;
112 Claim credit and honour and you easily fall;
113 Retire once your purpose is achieved - this is natural.
114 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
118 Embracing the Way, you become embraced;
119 Breathing gently, you become newborn;
120 Clearing your mind, you become clear;
121 Nurturing your children, you become impartial;
122 Opening your heart, you become accepted;
123 Accepting the world, you embrace the Way.
124 Bearing and nurturing,
125 Creating but not owning,
126 Giving without demanding,
128 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
132 Thirty spokes meet at a nave;
133 Because of the hole we may use the wheel.
134 Clay is moulded into a vessel;
135 Because of the hollow we may use the cup.
136 Walls are built around a hearth;
137 Because of the doors we may use the house.
138 Thus tools come from what exists,
139 But use from what does not.
140 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
144 Too much colour blinds the eye,
145 Too much music deafens the ear,
146 Too much taste dulls the palate,
147 Too much play maddens the mind,
148 Too much desire tears the heart.
149 In this manner the sage cares for people:
150 He provides for the belly, not for the senses;
151 He ignores abstraction and holds fast to substance.
152 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
156 Both praise and blame cause concern,
157 For they bring people hope and fear.
158 The object of hope and fear is the self -
159 For, without self, to whom may fortune and disaster occur?
161 Who distinguishes himself from the world may be given the world,
162 But who regards himself as the world may accept the world.
163 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
167 Looked at but cannot be seen - it is beneath form;
168 Listened to but cannot be heard - it is beneath sound;
169 Held but cannot be touched - it is beneath feeling;
170 These depthless things evade definition,
171 And blend into a single mystery.
172 In its rising there is no light,
173 In its falling there is no darkness,
174 A continuous thread beyond description,
175 Lining what does not exist;
179 Follow it, it has no back,
180 Meet it, it has no face.
181 Attend the present to deal with the past;
182 Thus you grasp the continuity of the Way,
183 Which is its essence.
184 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
188 The enlightened possess understanding
189 So profound they can not be understood.
190 Because they cannot be understood
191 I can only describe their appearance:
192 Cautious as one crossing thin ice,
193 Undecided as one surrounded by danger,
194 Modest as one who is a guest,
195 Unbounded as melting ice,
196 Genuine as unshaped wood,
198 Seamless as muddy water.
199 Who stills the water that the mud may settle,
200 Who seeks to stop that he may travel on,
201 Who desires less than what may transpire,
202 Decays, but will not renew.
203 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
207 Empty the self completely;
208 Embrace perfect peace.
209 The world will rise and move;
210 Watch it return to rest.
211 All the flourishing things
212 Will return to their source.
213 This return is peaceful;
214 It is the flow of nature,
215 An eternal decay and renewal.
216 Accepting this brings enlightenment,
217 Ignoring this brings misery.
218 Who accepts nature's flow becomes all-cherishing;
219 Being all-cherishing he becomes impartial;
220 Being impartial he becomes magnanimous;
221 Being magnanimous he becomes natural;
222 Being natural he becomes one with the Way;
223 Being one with the Way he becomes immortal:
224 Though his body will decay, the Way will not.
225 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
229 The best rulers are scarcely known by their subjects;
230 The next best are loved and praised;
233 They have no faith in their people,
234 And their people become unfaithful to them.
235 When the best rulers achieve their purpose
236 Their subjects claim the achievement as their own.
237 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
241 When the Way is forgotten
242 Duty and justice appear;
243 Then knowledge and wisdom are born
244 Along with hypocrisy.
245 When harmonious relationships dissolve
246 Then respect and devotion arise;
247 When a nation falls to chaos
248 Then loyalty and patriotism are born.
249 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
253 If we could discard knowledge and wisdom
254 Then people would profit a hundredfold;
255 If we could discard duty and justice
256 Then harmonious relationships would form;
257 If we could discard artifice and profit
258 Then waste and theft would disappear.
259 Yet such remedies treat only symptoms
260 And so they are inadequate.
261 People need personal remedies:
262 Reveal your naked self and embrace your original nature;
263 Bind your self-interest and control your ambition;
264 Forget your habits and simplify your affairs.
265 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
269 What is the difference between assent and denial?
270 What is the difference between beautiful and ugly?
271 What is the difference between fearsome and afraid?
272 The people are merry as if at a magnificent party
273 Or playing in the park at springtime,
274 But I am tranquil and wandering,
275 Like a newborn before it learns to smile,
276 Alone, with no true home.
277 The people have enough and to spare,
278 Where I have nothing,
279 And my heart is foolish,
281 The people are bright and certain,
282 Where I am dim and confused;
283 The people are clever and wise,
284 Where I am dull and ignorant;
285 Aimless as a wave drifting over the sea,
287 The people are busy with purpose,
288 Where I am impractical and rough;
289 I do not share the peoples' cares
290 But I am fed at nature's breast.
291 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
295 Harmony is only in following the Way.
296 The Way is without form or quality,
297 But expresses all forms and qualities;
298 The Way is hidden and implicate,
299 But expresses all of nature;
300 The Way is unchanging,
301 But expresses all motion.
302 Beneath sensation and memory
303 The Way is the source of all the world.
304 How can I understand the source of the world?
306 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
310 Accept and you become whole,
311 Bend and you straighten,
314 Want and you acquire,
315 Fulfill and you become confused.
316 The sage accepts the world
317 As the world accepts the Way;
318 He does not display himself, so is clearly seen,
319 Does not justify himself, so is recognized,
320 Does not boast, so is credited,
321 Does not pride himself, so endures,
322 Does not contend, so none contend against him.
323 The ancients said, "Accept and you become whole",
324 Once whole, the world is as your home.
325 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
329 Nature says only a few words:
330 High wind does not last long,
332 If nature's words do not last
333 Why should those of man?
334 Who accepts harmony, becomes harmonious.
335 Who accepts loss, becomes lost.
336 For who accepts harmony, the Way harmonizes with him,
337 And who accepts loss, the Way cannot find.
338 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
342 Straighten yourself and you will not stand steady;
343 Display yourself and you will not be clearly seen;
344 Justify yourself and you will not be respected;
345 Promote yourself and you will not be believed;
346 Pride yourself and you will not endure.
347 These behaviours are wasteful, indulgent,
348 And so they attract disfavour;
350 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
358 Ubiquitous and liquid,
359 The mother of nature.
360 It has no name, but I call it "the Way";
361 It has no limit, but I call it "limitless".
362 Being limitless, it flows away forever;
363 Flowing away forever, it returns to my self:
364 The Way is limitless,
365 So nature is limitless,
366 So the world is limitless,
367 And so I am limitless.
368 For I am abstracted from the world,
369 The world from nature,
371 And the Way from what is beneath abstraction.
372 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
376 Gravity is the source of lightness,
377 Calm, the master of haste.
378 A lone traveller will journey all day, watching over his
380 Only safe in his own bed may he lose them in sleep.
381 So the captain of a great vessel should not act lightly or hastily.
382 Acting lightly, he loses sight of the world,
383 Acting hastily, he loses control of himself.
384 The captain can not treat his great ship as a small boat;
385 Rather than glitter like jade
386 He must stand like stone.
387 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
391 The perfect traveller leaves no trail to be followed;
392 The perfect speaker leaves no question to be answered;
393 The perfect accountant leaves no working to be completed;
394 The perfect container leaves no lock to be closed;
395 The perfect knot leaves no end to be ravelled.
396 So the sage nurtures all men
398 He accepts everything
400 He attends to the smallest details.
401 For the strong must guide the weak;
402 The weak are raw material to the strong.
403 If the guide is not respected,
404 Or the material is not cared for,
405 Confusion will result, no matter how clever one is.
406 This is the secret of perfection:
407 When raw wood is carved, it becomes a tool;
408 When a man is employed, he becomes a tool;
409 The perfect carpenter leaves no wood to be carved.
410 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
414 Using the male, being female,
415 Being the entrance of the world,
417 And become as a newborn.
418 Using strength, being weak,
419 Being the root of the world,
421 And become as unshaped wood.
422 Using the light, being dark,
425 And return to the Way.
426 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
430 Those who wish to change the world
431 According with their desire
433 The world is shaped by the Way;
434 It cannot be shaped by the self.
435 Trying to change it, you damage it;
436 Trying to possess it, you lose it.
437 So some will lead, while others follow.
438 Some will be warm, others cold
439 Some will be strong, others weak.
440 Some will get where they are going
441 While others fall by the side of the road.
442 So the sage will be neither extravagant nor violent.
443 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
447 Powerful men are well advised not to use violence,
448 For violence has a habit of returning;
449 Thorns and weeds grow wherever an army goes,
450 And lean years follow a great war.
451 A general is well advised
452 To achieve nothing more than his orders:
453 Not to take advantage of his victory.
454 Nor to glory, boast or pride himself;
455 To do what is dictated by necessity,
457 For even the strongest force will weaken with time,
458 And then its violence will return, and kill it.
459 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
463 Armies are tools of violence;
464 They cause men to hate and fear.
465 The sage will not join them.
466 His purpose is creation;
467 Their purpose is destruction.
468 Weapons are tools of violence,
470 He uses them only when there is no choice,
471 And then calmly, and with tact,
472 For he finds no beauty in them.
473 Whoever finds beauty in weapons
474 Delights in the slaughter of men;
475 And who delights in slaughter
476 Cannot content himself with peace.
477 So slaughters must be mourned
478 And conquest celebrated with a funeral.
479 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
483 The Way has no true shape,
484 And therefore none can control it.
485 If a ruler could control the Way
486 All things would follow
487 In harmony with his desire,
488 And sweet rain would fall,
489 Effortlessly slaking every thirst.
490 The Way is shaped by use,
491 But then the shape is lost.
492 Do not hold fast to shapes
493 But let sensation flow into the world
494 As a river courses down to the sea.
495 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
499 Who understands the world is learned;
500 Who understands the self is enlightened.
501 Who conquers the world has strength;
502 Who conquers the self has harmony;
503 Who is determined has purpose.
504 Who is contented has wealth;
505 Who defends his home may long endure;
506 Who surrenders his home may long survive it.
507 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
511 The Way flows and ebbs, creating and destroying,
512 Implementing all the world, attending to the tiniest details,
513 Claiming nothing in return.
514 It nurtures all things,
515 Though it does not control them;
517 So it seems inconsequential.
518 It is the substance of all things;
519 Though it does not control them;
521 So it seems all-important.
522 The sage would not control the world;
523 He is in harmony with the world.
524 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
528 If you offer music and food
529 Strangers may stop with you;
530 But if you accord with the Way
531 All the people of the world will keep you
532 In safety, health, community, and peace.
533 The Way lacks art and flavour;
534 It can neither be seen nor heard,
535 But its benefit cannot be exhausted.
536 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
540 To reduce someone's influence, first expand it;
541 To reduce someone's force, first increase it;
542 To overthrow someone, first exalt them;
543 To take from someone, first give to them.
544 This is the subtlety by which the weak overcome the strong:
545 Fish should not leave their depths,
546 And swords should not leave their scabbards.
547 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
551 The Way takes no action, but leaves nothing undone.
553 The world will flourish,
554 In harmony with nature.
555 Nature does not possess desire;
556 Without desire, the heart becomes quiet;
557 In this manner the whole world is made tranquil.
558 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
562 Well established hierarchies are not easily uprooted;
563 Closely held beliefs are not easily released;
564 So ritual enthralls generation after generation.
565 Harmony does not care for harmony, and so is naturally attained;
566 But ritual is intent upon harmony, and so can not attain it.
567 Harmony neither acts nor reasons;
568 Love acts, but without reason;
569 Justice acts to serve reason;
570 But ritual acts to enforce reason.
571 When the Way is lost, there remains harmony;
572 When harmony is lost, there remains love;
573 When love is lost, there remains justice;
574 And when justice is lost, there remains ritual.
575 Ritual is the end of compassion and honesty,
576 The beginning of confusion;
577 Belief is a colourful hope or fear,
578 The beginning of folly.
579 The sage goes by harmony, not by hope;
580 He dwells in the fruit, not the flower;
581 He accepts substance, and ignores abstraction.
582 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
586 In mythical times all things were whole:
587 All the sky was clear,
588 All the earth was stable,
589 All the mountains were firm,
590 All the riverbeds were full,
591 All of nature was fertile,
592 And all the rulers were supported.
593 But, losing clarity, the sky tore;
594 Losing stability, the earth split;
595 Losing strength, the mountains sank;
596 Losing water, the riverbeds cracked;
597 Losing fertility, nature disappeared;
598 And losing support, the rulers fell.
599 Rulers depend upon their subjects,
600 The noble depend upon the humble;
601 So rulers call themselves orphaned, hungry and alone,
602 To win the people's support.
603 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
607 The motion of the Way is to return;
608 The use of the Way is to accept;
609 All things come from the Way,
610 And the Way comes from nothing.
611 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
615 When the great man learns the Way, he follows it with diligence;
616 When the common man learns the Way, he follows it on occasion;
617 When the mean man learns the Way, he laughs out loud;
618 Those who do not laugh, do not learn at all.
619 Therefore it is said:
620 Who understands the Way seems foolish;
621 Who progresses on the Way seems to fail;
622 Who follows the Way seems to wander.
623 For the finest harmony appears plain;
624 The brightest truth appears coloured;
625 The richest character appears incomplete;
626 The bravest heart appears meek;
627 The simplest nature appears inconstant.
628 The square, perfected, has no corner;
629 Music, perfected, has no melody;
630 Love, perfected, has no climax;
631 Art, perfected, has no meaning.
632 The Way can be neither sensed nor known:
633 It transmits sensation and transcends knowledge.
634 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
638 The Way bears sensation,
639 Sensation bears memory,
640 Sensation and memory bear abstraction,
641 And abstraction bears all the world;
642 Each thing in the world bears feeling and doing,
643 And, imbued with mind, harmony with the Way.
644 As others have taught, so do I teach,
645 "Who loses harmony opposes nature";
646 This is the root of my teaching.
647 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
651 Water overcomes the stone;
652 Without substance it requires no opening;
653 This is the benefit of taking no action.
654 Yet benefit without action,
655 And experience without abstraction,
656 Are practiced by very few.
657 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
661 Health or reputation: which is held dearer?
662 Health or possessions: which has more worth?
663 Profit or loss: which is more troublesome?
664 Great love incurs great expense,
665 And great wealth incurs great fear,
666 But contentment comes at no cost.
667 For who knows when to stop
668 Does not continue into danger,
669 And so may long endure.
670 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
674 Great perfection seems incomplete,
676 Great abundance seems empty,
678 Great truth seems contradictory;
679 Great cleverness seems stupid;
680 Great eloquence seems awkward.
681 As spring overcomes the cold,
682 And autumn overcomes the heat,
683 So calm and quiet overcome the world.
684 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
688 When a nation follows the Way,
689 Horses bear manure through its fields;
690 When a nation ignores the Way,
691 Horses bear soldiers through its streets.
692 There is no greater mistake than following desire;
693 There is no greater disaster than forgetting contentment;
694 There is no greater sickness than seeking attainment;
695 But one who is content to satisfy his needs
696 Finds that contentment endures.
697 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
701 Without taking a step outdoors
702 You know the whole world;
703 Without taking a peep out the window
704 You know the colour of the sky.
705 The more you experience,
707 The sage wanders without knowing,
708 Looks without seeing,
709 Accomplishes without acting.
710 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
714 The follower of knowledge learns as much as he can every day;
715 The follower of the Way forgets as much as he can every day.
716 By attrition he reaches a state of inaction
717 Wherein he does nothing, but nothing remains undone.
718 To conquer the world, accomplish nothing;
719 If you must accomplish something,
720 The world remains beyond conquest.
721 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
725 The sage does not distinguish between himself and the world;
726 The needs of other people are as his own.
727 He is good to those who are good;
728 He is also good to those who are not good,
730 He trusts those who are trustworthy;
731 He also trusts those who are not trustworthy,
732 Thereby he is trustworthy.
733 The sage lives in harmony with the world,
734 And his mind is the world's mind.
735 So he nurtures the worlds of others
736 As a mother does her children.
737 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
741 Men flow into life, and ebb into death.
742 Some are filled with life;
743 Some are empty with death;
744 Some hold fast to life, and thereby perish,
745 For life is an abstraction.
746 Those who are filled with life
747 Need not fear tigers and rhinos in the wilds,
748 Nor wear armour and shields in battle;
749 The rhinoceros finds no place in them for its horn,
750 The tiger no place for its claw,
751 The soldier no place for a weapon,
752 For death finds no place in them.
753 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
757 The Way bears all things;
758 Harmony nurtures them;
761 Each follows the Way and honours harmony,
764 The Way bears, nurtures, shapes, completes,
765 Shelters, comforts, and makes a home for them.
766 Bearing without possessing,
767 Nurturing without taming,
768 Shaping without forcing,
770 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
774 The origin of the world is its mother;
775 Understand the mother, and you understand the child;
776 Embrace the child, and you embrace the mother,
777 Who will not perish when you die.
778 Reserve your judgments and words
779 And you maintain your influence;
780 Speak your mind and take positions
781 And nothing will save you.
782 As observing detail is clarity,
783 So maintaining flexibility is strength;
784 Use the light but shed no light,
785 So that you do yourself no harm,
787 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
791 With but a small understanding
792 One may follow the Way like a main road,
793 Fearing only to leave it;
794 Following a main road is easy,
795 Yet people delight in difficult paths.
796 When palaces are kept up
797 Fields are left to weeds
799 Wearing fine clothes,
800 Bearing sharp swords,
801 Glutting with food and drink,
802 Hoarding wealth and possessions -
803 These are the ways of theft,
804 And far from the Way.
805 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
809 Cultivate harmony within yourself, and harmony becomes real;
810 Cultivate harmony within your family, and harmony becomes fertile;
811 Cultivate harmony within your community, and harmony becomes
813 Cultivate harmony within your culture, and harmony becomes
815 Cultivate harmony within the world, and harmony becomes ubiquitous.
816 Live with a person to understand that person;
817 Live with a family to understand that family;
818 Live with a community to understand that community;
819 Live with a culture to understand that culture;
820 Live with the world to understand the world.
821 How can I live with the world?
823 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
827 Who is filled with harmony is like a newborn.
828 Wasps and snakes will not bite him;
829 Hawks and tigers will not claw him.
830 His bones are soft yet his grasp is sure,
831 For his flesh is supple;
832 His mind is innocent yet his body is virile,
833 For his vigour is plentiful;
834 His song is long-lasting yet his voice is sweet,
835 For his grace is perfect.
836 But knowing harmony creates abstraction,
837 And following abstraction creates ritual.
838 Exceeding nature creates calamity,
839 And controlling nature creates violence.
840 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
844 Who understands does not preach;
845 Who preaches does not understand.
846 Reserve your judgments and words;
847 Smooth differences and forgive disagreements;
848 Dull your wit and simplify your purpose;
851 Friendship and enmity,
855 The world will accept you.
856 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
858 Conquer with Inaction
860 Do not control the people with laws,
861 Nor violence nor espionage,
862 But conquer them with inaction.
864 The more morals and taboos there are,
865 The more cruelty afflicts people;
866 The more guns and knives there are,
867 The more factions divide people;
868 The more arts and skills there are,
869 The more change obsoletes people;
870 The more laws and taxes there are,
871 The more theft corrupts people.
872 Yet take no action, and the people nurture eachother;
873 Make no laws, and the people deal fairly with eachother;
874 Own no interest, and the people cooperate with eachother;
875 Express no desire, and the people harmonize with eachother.
876 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
880 When government is lazy and informal
881 The people are kind and honest;
882 When government is efficient and severe
883 The people are discontented and deceitful.
884 Good fortune follows upon disaster;
885 Disaster lurks within good fortune;
886 Who can say how things will end?
887 Perhaps there is no end.
888 Honesty is ever deceived;
889 Kindness is ever seduced;
890 Men have been like this for a long time.
891 So the sage is firm but not cutting,
892 Pointed but not piercing,
893 Straight but not rigid,
894 Bright but not blinding.
895 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
899 Manage a great nation as you would cook a delicate fish.
900 To govern men in accord with nature
901 It is best to be restrained;
902 Restraint makes agreement easy to attain,
903 And easy agreement builds harmonious relationships;
904 With sufficient harmony no resistance will arise;
905 When no resistance arises, then you possess the heart of the
907 And when you possess the nation's heart, your influence will long
909 Deeply rooted and firmly established.
910 This is the method of far sight and long life.
911 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
915 When you use the Way to conquer the world,
916 Your demons will lose their power to harm.
917 It is not that they lose their power as such,
918 But that they will not harm others;
919 Because they will not harm others,
920 You will not harm others:
921 When neither you nor your demons can do harm,
922 You will be at peace with them.
923 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
927 A nation is like a hierarchy, a marketplace, and a maiden.
928 A maiden wins her husband by submitting to his advances;
929 Submission is a means of union.
930 So when a large country submits to a small country
931 It will adopt the small country;
932 When a small country submits to a large country
933 It will be adopted by the large country;
934 The one submits and adopts;
935 The other submits and is adopted.
936 It is in the interest of a large country to unite and gain service,
937 And in the interest of a small country to unite and gain patronage;
938 If both would serve their interests,
940 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
944 The Way is the fate of men,
945 The treasure of the saint,
946 And the refuge of the sinner.
947 Fine words are often borrowed,
948 And great deeds are often appropriated;
949 Therefore, when a man falls, do not abandon him,
950 And when a man gains power, do not honour him;
951 Only remain impartial and show him the Way.
952 Why should someone appreciate the Way?
953 The ancients said, "By it, those who seek may easily find,
954 And those who regret may easily absolve"
955 So it is the most precious gift.
956 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
961 Attend to do-nothing;
962 Taste the flavorless,
965 Return love for hate.
966 Deal with the difficult while it is yet easy;
967 Deal with the great while it is yet small;
968 The difficult develops naturally from the easy,
969 And the great from the small;
970 So the sage, by dealing with the small,
972 Who finds it easy to promise finds it hard to be trusted;
973 Who takes things lightly finds things difficult;
974 The sage recognizes difficulty, and so has none.
975 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
977 Care at the Beginning
979 What lies still is easy to grasp;
980 What lies far off is easy to anticipate;
981 What is brittle is easy to shatter;
982 What is small is easy to disperse.
983 Yet a tree broader than a man can embrace is born of a tiny shoot;
984 A dam greater than a river can overflow starts with a clod of
986 A journey of a thousand miles begins at the spot under one's feet.
987 Therefore deal with things before they happen;
988 Create order before there is confusion.
989 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
994 He who grasps, loses.
995 People often fail on the verge of success;
996 Take care at the end as at the beginning,
997 So that you may avoid failure.
998 The sage desires no-desire,
1001 And returns to the places that people have forgotten;
1002 He would help all people to become natural,
1003 But then he would not be natural.
1004 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1008 The ancients did not seek to rule people with knowledge,
1009 But to help them become natural.
1010 It is difficult for knowledgeable people to become natural.
1011 To use law to control a nation weakens the nation.
1012 But to use nature to control a nation strengthens the nation.
1013 Understanding these two paths is understanding subtlety;
1014 Subtlety runs deep, ranges wide,
1015 Resolves confusion and preserves peace.
1016 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1020 The river carves out the valley by flowing beneath it.
1021 Thereby the river is the master of the valley.
1022 In order to master people
1023 One must speak as their servant;
1024 In order to lead people
1025 One must follow them.
1026 So when the sage rises above the people,
1027 They do not feel oppressed;
1028 And when the sage stands before the people,
1029 They do not feel hindered.
1030 So the popularity of the sage does not fail,
1031 He does not contend, and no one contends against him.
1032 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1038 I am separate from all the world.
1039 I am important because I am separate,
1040 Were I the same, I could never be important."
1041 Yet here are three treasures
1042 That I cherish and commend to you:
1043 The first is compassion,
1044 By which one finds courage.
1045 The second is restraint,
1046 By which one finds strength.
1047 And the third is unimportance,
1048 By which one finds influence.
1049 Those who are fearless, but without compassion,
1050 Powerful, but without restraint,
1051 Or influential, yet important,
1053 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1057 Compassion is the finest weapon and best defence.
1058 If you would establish harmony,
1059 Compassion must surround you like a fortress.
1061 A good soldier does not inspire fear;
1062 A good fighter does not display aggression;
1063 A good conqueror does not engage in battle;
1064 A good leader does not exercise authority.
1065 This is the value of unimportance;
1066 This is how to win the cooperation of others;
1067 This to how to build the same harmony that is in nature.
1068 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1072 There is a saying among soldiers:
1073 It is easier to lose a yard than take an inch.
1074 In this manner one may deploy troops without marshalling them,
1075 Bring weapons to bear without exposing them,
1076 Engage the foe without invading them,
1077 And exhaust their strength without fighting them.
1078 There is no worse disaster than misunderstanding your enemy;
1079 To do so endangers all of my treasures;
1080 So when two well matched forces oppose eachother,
1081 The general who maintains compassion will win.
1082 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1086 My words are easy to understand
1087 And my actions are easy to perform
1088 Yet no other can understand or perform them.
1089 My words have meaning; my actions have reason;
1090 Yet these cannot be known and I cannot be known.
1091 We are each unique, and therefore valuable;
1092 Though the sage wears coarse clothes, his heart is jade.
1093 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1097 Who recognizes his limitations is healthy;
1098 Who ignores his limitations is sick.
1099 The sage recognizes this sickness as a limitation.
1100 And so becomes immune.
1101 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1105 When people have nothing more to lose,
1106 Then revolution will result.
1107 Do not take away their lands,
1108 And do not destroy their livelihoods;
1109 If your burden is not heavy then they will not shirk it.
1110 The sage maintains himself but exacts no tribute,
1111 Values himself but requires no honours;
1112 He ignores abstraction and accepts substance.
1113 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1117 Who is brave and bold will perish;
1118 Who is brave and subtle will benefit.
1119 The subtle profit where the bold perish
1120 For Fate does not honour daring.
1121 And even the sage dares not tempt fate.
1122 Fate does not attack, yet all things are conquered by it;
1123 It does not ask, yet all things answer to it;
1124 It does not call, yet all things meet it;
1125 It does not plan, yet all things are determined by it.
1126 Fate's net is vast and its mesh is coarse,
1128 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1132 If people were not afraid of death,
1133 Then what would be the use of an executioner?
1134 If people were only afraid of death,
1135 And you executed everyone who did not obey,
1136 No one would dare to disobey you.
1137 Then what would be the use of an executioner?
1138 People fear death because death is an instrument of fate.
1139 When people are killed by execution rather than by fate,
1140 This is like carving wood in the place of a carpenter.
1141 Those who carve wood in place of a carpenter
1142 Often injure their hands.
1143 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1147 When rulers take grain so that they may feast,
1148 Their people become hungry;
1149 When rulers take action to serve their own interests,
1150 Their people become rebellious;
1151 When rulers take lives so that their own lives are maintained,
1152 Their people no longer fear death.
1153 When people act without regard for their own lives
1154 They overcome those who value only their own lives.
1155 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1159 A newborn is soft and tender,
1160 A crone, hard and stiff.
1161 Plants and animals, in life, are supple and succulent;
1162 In death, withered and dry.
1163 So softness and tenderness are attributes of life,
1164 And hardness and stiffness, attributes of death.
1165 Just as a sapless tree will split and decay
1166 So an inflexible force will meet defeat;
1167 The hard and mighty lie beneath the ground
1168 While the tender and weak dance on the breeze above.
1169 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1173 Is the action of nature not unlike drawing a bow?
1174 What is higher is pulled down, and what is lower is raised up;
1175 What is taller is shortened, and what is thinner is broadened;
1176 Nature's motion decreases those who have more than they need
1177 And increases those who need more than they have.
1178 It is not so with Man.
1179 Man decreases those who need more than they have
1180 And increases those who have more than they need.
1181 To give away what you do not need is to follow the Way.
1182 So the sage gives without expectation,
1183 Accomplishes without claiming credit,
1184 And has no desire for ostentation.
1185 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1189 Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water,
1190 Yet nothing can better overcome the hard and strong,
1191 For they can neither control nor do away with it.
1192 The soft overcomes the hard,
1193 The yielding overcomes the strong;
1194 Every person knows this,
1195 But no one can practice it.
1196 Who attends to the people would control the land and grain;
1197 Who attends to the state would control the whole world;
1198 Truth is easily hidden by rhetoric.
1199 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1203 When conflict is reconciled, some hard feelings remain;
1205 The sage accepts less than is due
1206 And does not blame or punish;
1207 For harmony seeks agreement
1208 Where justice seeks payment.
1209 The ancients said: "nature is impartial;
1210 Therefore it serves those who serve all."
1211 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1215 Let your community be small, with only a few people;
1216 Keep tools in abundance, but do not depend upon them;
1217 Appreciate your life and be content with your home;
1218 Sail boats and ride horses, but don't go too far;
1219 Keep weapons and armour, but do not employ them;
1220 Let everyone read and write,
1221 Eat well and make beautiful things.
1222 Live peacefully and delight in your own society;
1223 Dwell within cock-crow of your neighbours,
1224 But maintain your independence from them.
1225 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"
1229 Honest people use no rhetoric;
1230 Rhetoric is not honesty.
1231 Enlightened people are not cultured;
1232 Culture is not enlightenment.
1233 Content people are not wealthy;
1234 Wealth is not contentment.
1235 So the sage does not serve himself;
1236 The more he does for others, the more he is satisfied;
1237 The more he gives, the more he receives.
1238 Nature flourishes at the expense of no one;
1239 So the sage benefits all men and contends with none.
1240 -- Lao Tse, "Tao Te Ching"