Written by Lao-tzu
From a translation by S. Mitchell
Last updated
20 July 1995
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!"
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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