Download Tao Te Ching: A Translation and Commentary and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Dance in PDF only on Docsity!
TAO TE CHING
By Lao Tzu Translated by Jonathan Star
Verse 1
A way that can be walked is not the Way A name that can be named is not the Name Tao is both Named and Nameless As Nameless, it is the origin of all things As Named, it is the mother of all things A mind free of thought, merged within itself, beholds the essence of Tao A mind filled with thought, identified with its own perceptions, beholds the mere forms of this world Tao and this world seem different but in truth they are one and the same The only difference is in what we call them How deep and mysterious this unity is How profound, how great! It is the truth beyond the truth, the hidden within the hidden It is the path to all wonder, the gate to the essence of everything!
Verse 2
Everyone recognizes beauty only because of ugliness Everyone recognizes virtue only because of sin Life and death are born together Difficult and easy Long and short High and low – all these exist together arrive together Sound and silence blend together Before and after The Sage acts without action and teaches without talking All things flourish around him and he does not refuse any one of them He gives but not to receive
He works but not for reward He completes but not for results He does nothing for himself in this passing world so nothing he does ever passes.
Verse 3
Putting a value on status will cause people to compete Hoarding treasure will turn them into thieves Showing off possessions will disturb their daily lives. Thus the Sage rules by stilling minds and opening hearts by filling bellies and strengthening bones He shows people how to be simple and live without desires To be content and not look for other ways With the people so pure Who could trick them? What clever ideas could lead them astray? When action is pure and selfless everything settles into its own perfect place
Verse 4 Tao is empty yet it fills every vessel with an endless supply Tao is hidden yet it shines in every corner of the universe With it, the sharp edges become smooth the twisted knots loosen the sun is softened by a cloud the dust settles into place So deep, so pure, so still It has been this way forever You may ask, “Whose child is it?”- but I cannot say This child was here before the Great Ancestor
Verse 5 Heaven and Earth have no permanence A man may choose one over another but to Heaven and Earth all are the same The high, the low, the great, the small – all are given light all get a place to rest The Sage is like Heaven and Earth To him none are especially dear or is there anyone he disfavours He gives and gives without condition offering his treasure to everyone The universe is like a bellows It stays empty yet is never exhausted It gives out yet always brings forth more Man is not like this
Verse 8
The best way to life is to be like water For water benefits all things and goes against none of them It provides for all people and even cleanses those places a man is loath to go In this way it is just like Tao Live in accordance with the nature of things Build your house on solid ground Keep your mind still When giving, be kind When speaking, be truthful When ruling, be just When working, be one-pointed When acting, remember – timing is everything One who lives in accordance with nature does not go against the way of things He moves in harmony with the present moment always knowing the truth of just what to do
Verse 9
Grabbing and stuffing – there is no end to it Sharpen a blade too much and its edge will soon be lost Fill a house with gold and jade and no one can protect it Puff yourself with honour and pride and no one can save you from a fall Complete the task at had Be selfless in your actions This is the way of Heaven This is the way to Heaven
Verse 10
Hold fast to the Power of the One It will unify the body and merge it with the spirit It will cleanse the vision and reveal the world as flawless It will focus the life-force and make one supple as a newborn As you love the people and rule the state can you be free of self-interest? As the gates of Heaven open and close can you remain steadfast as the mother bird who sits on her nest? As your wisdom reaches he four corners of the world can you keep the innocence of
a beginner? Know this Primal Power that guides without forcing that serves without seeking that brings forth and sustains life yet does not own or possess it. One who holds this Power brings Tao to this very Earth He can triumph over a raging fire or the freeze of winter weather Yet when he comes to rule the world it’s with the gentleness of a feather
Verse 11
Wu is nothingness, emptiness, no-existence Thirty spokes of a wheel all join at at a common hub yet only the hole at the center allows the wheel to spin Clay is molded to form a cup yet only the space within allows the cup to hold water Walls are joined to make a room yet only by cutting out a door and a window can one enter the room and live there Thus, when a thing has existence alone it is mere dead-weight Only when it has wu, does it have life
Verse 12
The five colours blind the eye The five tones deafen the ear The five flavours dull the palate Racing, hunting, and galloping about only disturb the mind Wasting energy to obtain rare objects only impedes one’s growth So the Sage is led by his inner truth not his outer eye He holds to what is deep and not what lies on the surface
Verse 13
“Be wary of both honour and disgrace” “Endless affliction is bound to the body” What does it mean, “Be wary of both honour and disgrace?” Honour is founded on disgrace and disgrace is rooted in honour Both should be avoided Both bind a man to this world That’s why it says, “Be wary of both honour and disgrace” What does it mean, “Endless affliction is bound to the body?” Man’s true self is eternal, yet he thinks, “I am this body, I will soon die”
Through the unfolding of life man reaches perfection Through sustained activity that supreme rest is naturally found Those who have Tao want nothing else Though seemingly empty they are ever full Though seemingly old they are beyond the reach of birth and death
Verse 16
Become totally empty Quiet the restlessness of the mind Only then will you witness everything unfolding from emptiness See all things flourish and dance in endless variation And once again merge back into perfect emptiness – Their true repose Their true nature Emerging. Flourishing, dissolving back again This is the eternal process of return To know this process brings enlightenment To miss this process brings disaster Be still Stillness reveals the secret of eternity Eternity embraces the all-possible The all-possible leads to a vision of oneness A vision of oneness brings about universal love Universal love supports the great truth of Nature The great truth of Nature is Tao Whoever knows this truth lives forever The body may perish, deeds may be forgotten But he who has Tao has all eternity
Verse 17
To know Tao alone, without trace of your own existence, is the highest Next comes loving and praising it Then fearing it Then despising it If one doesn’t trust himself how can he trust anyone else? The great ruler speaks little and his words are priceless
He works without self-interest and leaves no trace When all is finished, the people say, “It happened by itself”
Verse 18
When the greatness of Tao is present action arises from one’s own heart When the greatness of Tao is absent action comes from the rules of “kindness” and “justice” If you need rules to be kind and just, if you act virtuous, this is a sure sign that virtue is absent Thus we see the great hypocrisy Only when the family loses its harmony do we hear of “dutiful sons” Only when the state is in chaos do we hear of “loyal ministers”
Verse 19
Abandon holiness Discard cleverness and the people will benefit a hundredfold Abandon the rules of “kindness” Discard “righteous” action and the people will return to their own natural affections Abandon book learning Discard the rules of behaviour and the people will have no worries Abandon plots and schemes Discard profit-seeking and the people will not become thieves These lessons are mere elaborations The essence of my teachings is this: See with original purity Embrace with original simplicity Reduce what you have Decrease what you want
Verse 20
The difference between a formal “yes” and a casual “yeah” – how slight! The difference between knowing Truth and not knowing it – how great! Must I fear what others fear? Should I fear desolation when there is abundance? Should I fear darkness when that light is shining everywhere? Nonsense!
“Surrender brings perfection” The crooked become straight The empty become full The worn become new Have little and gain much Have much and be confused So the Sage embraces the One and become a model for the world Without showing himself, he shines forth Without promoting himself, he is distinguished Without claiming reward, he gains endless merit Without seeking glory, his glory endures The Sage knows how to follow so he comes to command He does not compete so no one under Heaven can compete with him The ancient saying, “Surrender brings perfection,” is not just empty words Truly, surrender brings perfection and perfection brings the whole universe
Verse 23
Speak little Hold to your own nature A strong wind does not blow all morning A cloudburst does not last all day The wind and the rain are form Heaven and Earth and even these do not last long How much less so the efforts of man? One who lives in accordance with the Truth becomes an embodiment of Tao His actions become those of Nature his ways those of Heaven It is through such a one that Heaven rejoices that Earth rejoices that all of life rejoices
Verse 24
On his tiptoes a man is not steady Taking long strides he cannot keep pace To the self-serving, nothing shines forth To the self-promoting, nothing is distinguished To the self-appointing, nothing bears fruit To the self-righteous, nothing endures From the viewpoint of Tao, this self-indulgence is like rotting food and painful
growths on the body – Things that all creatures despise So why hold onto them? When walking the paths of Tao this is the very stuff that must be uprooted, thrown out, and left behind
Verse 25
Something formless, complete in itself There before Heaven and Earth Tranquil, vast, standing alone, unchanging It provide for all things yet cannot be exhausted It is the mother of the universe I do not know its name so I call it “Tao” Forced to name it further I call it “The greatness of all things” “The end of all endings” I call it “That which is beyond the beyond” “That to which all things return” From Tao comes all greatness – I makes Heaven great It makes Earth great It makes man great Mankind depends on the laws of the Earth Earth depends on the laws of Heaven Heaven depends on the laws of Tao But Tao depends on itself alone Supremely free, self-so, it rests in its own nature
Verse 26
The inner is foundation of the outer The still is the master of the restless The Sage travels all day yet never leaves his inner treasure Though the views are captivating and beg attention he remains calm and uninvolved Tell me, does the lord of a great empire go out begging for rice? One who seeks his treasure in the outer world is cut off from his own roots Without roots, he becomes restless Being restless, his mind is weak And with a mind such as this he loses all command below Heaven
But this is a plan I’ve always seen fail The world is Tao’s own vessel It is perfection manifest It cannot be changed It cannot be improved For those who go on tampering, it’s ruined For those who try to grasp, it’s gone Allow your life to unfold naturally Know that it too is a vessel of perfection Just as you breathe in and out Sometimes you’re ahead and other times behind Sometimes you’re strong and other times weak Sometimes you’re with people and other times alone To the Sage all of life is a movement toward perfection So what need has he for the excessive, the extravagant, or the extreme?
Verse 30
Those who rule in accordance with Tao do not use force against the world For that which is forced is likely to return – Where armies settle Nature offers nothing but briars and thorns After a great battle has been fought, the land is cursed, the crops fail, the Earth lies stripped of its motherhood A knower of the Truth does what is called for then stops He uses his strength but does not force things In the same way complete your task seek no reward make no claims Without faltering fully choose to do what you must do This is to live without forcing to overcome without conquering Things that gain a place by force will flourish for a time but then fade away They are not in keeping with Tao Whatever is not in keeping with Tao will come to an early end
Verse 31
Even the finest warrior is defeated when he goes against natural law By his own hand he is doomed and all creatures are likely to despise him One who knows Tao never turns from life’s calling When at home he honours the side of rest
When at war he honours the side of action Peace and tranquility are what he holds most dear so he does not obtain weapons But when their use is unavoidable he employs them with fortitude and zeal Do not flaunt your excellence Do not rejoice over victory With the loss of others weep with sorrow and grief After winning a battle, do not celebrate, observe the rites of a funeral One who is bound to action, proud of victory, and delights in the misfortune of others will never gain a thing from this world below Heaven
Verse 32
Tao is eternal, one without a second Simple indeed yet so subtle that no one can master it If princes and kings could jus hold it All things would flock to their kingdom Heaven and Earth would rejoice with the dripping of sweet dew Everyone would live in harmony, not by official decree, but by their own inner goodness This world is nothing but the glory of Tao expressed through different names and forms One who sees the things of this world as being real and self-existent has lost sight of the truth To him, every word becomes a trap every thing becomes a prison One who knows the truth that underlies all things lives in this world without danger To him, every word reflects the universe every moment brings enlightenment Rivers and streams are born of the ocean All creation is born of Tao Just as all water flows back to become the ocean All creation flows back to become Tao
Verse 33
One who knows others is intelligent One who knows himself is enlightened One who conquers others is strong One who conquers himself is all-powerful One who approaches life with force surely gets something
The lesson here is called “The wisdom of obscurity” – The gentle outlast the strong The obscure outlast the obvious Hence, a fish that ventures from deep water is soon snagged by a net A country that reveals its strength is soon conquered by an enemy
Verse 37
Tao does not act yet it is the root of all action Tao does not move yet it is the source of all creation If princes and kings could hold it everyone under them would naturally turn within Should a doubt or old desire rise up The Nameless Simplicity would push it down The Nameless Simplicity frees the heart of desire and reveals its inner silence When there is silence one finds peace When there is silence one finds the anchor of the universe within himself
Verse 38
To give without seeking reward To help without thinking it is virtuous – therein lies the great virtue To keep account of your action To help with the hope of gaining merit – therein lies no virtue The highest virtue is to act without a sense of self The highest kindness is to give without condition The highest justice is to see without preference When Tao is lost one must learn the rules of virtue When virtue is lost, the rules of kindness When kindness is lost, the rules of justice When justice is lost, the rules of conduct And when the high-blown rules of conduct are not followed people are seized by the arm and it is forced on them The rules of conduct are just an outer show of devotion and loyalty – quite confusing to the heart And when men rely on these rules for guidance – Oh, what ignorance abounds! The great master follows his own nature and not the trappings of life It is said, “He stays with the fruit and not the fluff” “He stays with the firm and not
the flimsy” “He stays with the true and not the false”
Verse 39
From ancient times till now the One has been the source of all attainments By realizing One Heaven becomes clear, Earth becomes still spirits gain power and hearts fill up with joy By realizing the One kings and lords become instruments of peace and creatures live joyfully upon this earth Without the One Heaven ahs no clarity and would crack Earth has no peace and would crumble spirits have no power and would lose their charm Without the One hearts would dry up, empires would fall, all things would go lifelessly upon this earth Long ago kings and lords called themselves “orphaned,” “lonely,” and “unworthy” What honour can there be without humility? What heights can be reached without being low? The pieces of a chariot are useless unless they work in accordance with the whole A man’s life brings nothing unless he lives in accordance with the whole universe Playing one’s part in accordance with the universe is true humility So whether you’re a gem in the royal court or a stone on the common path If you accept your part with humility the glory of the universe will be yours
Verse 40
The movement of Tao is to return The way of Tao is to yield Heaven, Earth, and all things are born of the existent world The existent world is born of the nothingness of Tao
Verse 41
When the best seeker hears of Tao he strives with great effort to know it When an average seeker hears of Tao he thinks of it now and again When the poorest seeker hears of Tao he laughs out loud Tao is always becoming what we have need for it to become If it could not do this it would not be Tao There is an old saying, The clear way seems clouded
Rare indeed are those who are still Rare indeed are those who are silent And so I say, Rare indeed are those who obtain the bounty of this world
Verse 44
One’s own reputation – why the fuss? One’s own wealth – why the concern? I say, what you gain is more trouble than what you lose Love is the fruit of sacrifice Wealth is the fruit of generosity Be content, rest in your own fullness – You will not suffer from loss You’ll avoid the snare of this world You’ll have long life and endless blessings
Verse 45
The Great Perfection seems imperfect yet this world it creates is never impaired The Great Fullness seems empty yet this world it creates is never lacking Great truth seems false Great skill seems clumsy Great eloquence seems like babble Keep moving and you’ll miss the cold Keep silent and you’ll beat the heat Be tranquil like the rain of spring Be pure like the sheen of silk Then the Great Perfection will be perfect and the Great Fullness will be full
Verse 46
When Tao is present in the empire men follow their own nature and riding horses work the fields When Tao is absent from the empire men go astray and war horses breed on sacred ground There is no greater loss than losing Tao No greater curse than desire
No greater tragedy than discontentment No greater fault than selfishness
Verse 47
Without going outside one can know the whole world Without looking out the window one can see the ways of Heaven The farther one goes the less one knows Thus the Sage does not go, yet he knows He does not look, yet he sees He does not do, yet all is done
Verse 48
To become learned, gain daily To obtain Tao, reduce daily Reduce and reduce again until all action is reduced to non-action Then no one is left Nothing is done yet nothing is left undone One who gives freely and without attachment gets a full life in return One who gives with the secret hope of getting is merely engaged in business Truly, they neither give nor receive any of the treasure from this world below Heaven
Verse 49
The Sage has no fixed heart of his own Those who look at him see their own hearts Those who are good he treats with goodness Those who are bad he also treats with goodness because the nature of his being is good Those who are truthful he treats with truth Those who are not truthful he also treats with truth because the nature of his being is truthful The Sage lives in harmony with all below Heaven He sees everything as his own self He loves everyone as his own child All people are drawn to him every eye and ear is turned toward him
