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Tao Te Ching | |
A New English Version, | |
with Foreword and Notes, | |
by Stephen Mitchell | |
HARPERPERENNIAL | |
MODERNCLASSICS | |
NEW YORK • LONDON • TORONTO • SYDNEY | |
HflH | |
HARPERPERENN | |
AL^ | |
MODERNCLASSICS | |
A hardcover edition of this book was published in 1988 by Harper & Row. | |
P.S.™ is a trademark of HarperColiins Publishers. | |
TAO TE CHING. Translation copyright © 1988 by Stephen Mitchell. All | |
rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this | |
book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without writ¬ | |
ten permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical | |
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First Harper Perennial edition published 1991. | |
First Perennial Classics edition published 2000. | |
First Harper Perennial Modern Classics edition published 2006. | |
Designed by David Bullen | |
The Library of Congress has catalogued the hardcover edition as follows: | |
Lao-tzu. | |
Tao te ching. | |
Translation of: Tao te ching. | |
ISBN 978-0-06-016001-2 | |
I. Mitchell, Stephen. | |
II. Title. | |
BL1900.L26E5 1988 299’.51482 88-45123 | |
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-114266-6 (pbk.) | |
09 RRD 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 | |
TO VICKI | |
Who can find a good woman? | |
She is precious beyond all things. | |
PROV. 31:10 | |
Foreword | |
Tao Te Ching (pronounced, more or less, Dow Deh Jing) can | |
be translated as The Book of the Immanence of the Way or The | |
Book of the Way and of How It Manifests Itself in the World or, | |
simply, The Book of the Way. Since it is already well known | |
by its Chinese title, I have let that stand. | |
About Lao-tzu, its author, there is practically nothing to | |
be said. He may have been an older contemporary of Confu¬ | |
cius (551-479 B.C.E.) and may have held the position of | |
archive-keeper in one of the petty kingdoms of the time. But | |
all the information that has come down to us is highly sus¬ | |
pect. Even the meaning of his name is uncertain (the most | |
likely interpretations: “the Old Master" or, more pictur¬ | |
esquely, “the Old Boy”). Like an Iroquois woodsman, he left | |
no traces. All he left us is his book: the classic manual on | |
the art of living, written in style of gemlike lucidity, radiant | |
with humor and grace and largeheartedness and deep wis¬ | |
dom: one of the wonders of the world. | |
People usually think of Lao-tzu as a hermit, a dropout | |
from society, dwelling serenely in some mountain hut, unvis¬ | |
ited except perhaps by the occasional traveler arriving from | |
a '60s joke to ask, “What is the meaning of life?” But it's | |
clear from his teachings that he deeply cared about society, | |
if society means the welfare of one’s fellow human beings; | |
his book is, among other things, a treatise on the art of | |
government, whether of a country or of a child. The misper¬ | |
ception may arise from his insistence on wet wu wei, literally | |
“doing not-doing,” which has been seen as passivity. Noth¬ | |
ing could be further from the truth. | |
/ | |
/ | |
A good athlete can enter a state of body-awareness in | |
which the right stroke or the right movement happens by | |
itself, effortlessly, without any interference of the conscious | |
will. This is a paradigm for non-action: the purest and most | |
effective form of action. The game plays the game; the poem | |
writes the poem; we can’t tell the dancer from the dance. | |
Less and less do you need to force things, | |
until finally you arrive at non-action. | |
When nothing is done, | |
nothing is left undone. | |
Nothing is done because the doer has wholeheartedly van¬ | |
ished into the deed; the fuel has been completely trans¬ | |
formed into flame. This "nothing" is, in fact, everything. It | |
happens when we trust the intelligence of the universe in | |
the same way that an athlete or a dancer trusts the superior | |
intelligence of the body. Hence Lao-tzu’s emphasis on soft¬ | |
ness. Softness means the opposite of rigidity, and is synony¬ | |
mous with suppleness, adaptability, endurance. Anyone who | |
has seen a t’ai chi or aikido master doing not-doing will | |
know how powerful this softness is. | |
Lao-tzu’s central figure is a man or woman whose life is | |
in perfect harmony with the way things are. This is not an | |
idea; it is a reality; I have seen it. The Master has mastered | |
Nature; not in the sense of conquering it, but of becoming | |
it. In surrendering to the Tao, in giving up all concepts, | |
judgments, and desires, her mind has grown naturally com¬ | |
passionate. She finds deep in her own experience the central | |
truths of the art of living, which are paradoxical only on | |
the surface: that the more truly solitary we are, the more | |
compassionate we can be; the more we let go of what we | |
viii | |
love, the more present our love becomes; the clearer our | |
insight into what is beyond good and evil, the more we can | |
embody the good. Until finally she is able to say, in all hu¬ | |
mility, "I am the Tao, the Truth, the Life.” | |
The teaching of the Tao Te Ching is moral in the deepest | |
sense. Unencumbered by any concept of sin, the Master | |
doesn’t see evil as a force to resist, but simply as an opaque¬ | |
ness, a state of self-absorption which is in disharmony with | |
the universal process, so that, as with a dirty window, the | |
light can t shine through. This freedom from moral catego¬ | |
ries allows him his great compassion for the wicked and the | |
selfish. | |
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. | |
The reader will notice that in the many passages where | |
Lao-tzu describes the Master, I have used the pronoun "she" | |
at least as often as "he." The Chinese language doesn’t make | |
this kind of distinction; in English we have to choose. But | |
since we are all, potentially, the Master (since the Master is, | |
essentially, us), I felt it would be untrue to present a male | |
archetype, as other versions have, ironically, done. Ironically, | |
because of all the great world religions the teaching of | |
Lao-tzu is by far the most female. Of course, you should feel | |
free, throughout the book, to substitute “he” for ’’she” or | |
vice versa. | |
As to method: I worked from Paul Carus’s literal version, | |
which provides English equivalents (often very quaint ones) | |
alongside each of the Chinese ideograms. I also consulted | |
dozens of translations into English, German, and French. | |
But the most essential preparation for my work was a four¬ | |
teen-year-long course of Zen training, which brought me | |
face to face with Lao-tzu and his true disciples and heirs, the | |
early Chinese Zen Masters. | |
With great poetry, the freest translation is sometimes the | |
most faithful. “We must try its effect as an English poem,” | |
Dr. Johnson said; “that is the way to judge of the merit of a | |
translation.” I have often been fairly literal—or as literal as | |
one can be with such a subtle, kaleidoscopic book as the Tao | |
Te Ching. But I have also paraphrased, expanded, con¬ | |
tracted, interpreted, worked with the text, played with it, | |
until it became embodied in a language that felt genuine to | |
me. If 1 haven’t always translated Lao-tzu’s words, my inten¬ | |
tion has always been to translate his mind. | |
TaoTe Ching | |
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. | |
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. | |
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. | |
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 your 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. | |
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 as dangerous as failure? | |
Whether you go up the ladder or down it, | |
your 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 sharp; | |
1 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 tor 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 goal 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 firm. | |
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 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 center 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 creatures 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 a 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 art seems unsophisticated, | |
the greatest love seems indifferent, | |
the greatest wisdom seems childish. | |
The Tao is nowhere to be found. | |
Yet it nourishes and completes ail 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. | |
I | |
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 or 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 the 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 he 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 judgments | |
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. | |
Jf 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 them 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 yourself. | |
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. | |
Plants 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 gives 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. | |