Tao Te Ching – Rebel Quokka

1 *

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

That without a name is the source of heaven and earth.
That which can be named is the mother of the myriad things.

Free from the desire to name things we perceive the mystery.
Caught in the desire to name things we observe only the manifestations.

Although we refer to these as mystery and manifestations, there is no distinction between these at the source from which they arise. The source is darkness.

Darkness encircling darkness – the gateway to all mysterious wonders.

2 *

When everyone knows beauty as beauty, there is that which is ugly.
When everyone knows good as good, there is that which is bad.

Having and not having give life to each other
Difficult and easy complete each other
Long and short shape each other
Above and below support each other
Instrument and voice harmonize with each other
Before and after follow each other

The sage manages his affairs with no-action and teaches without speaking.
The myriad things arise and yet the sage does not dismiss them.
They come forth and the sage does not grasp at them.
They take action and the sage does not rely on what is done.
They conclude and the sage does not reside in their passing.
By not residing in their passing, the sage will never fade away.

3 *

Esteem the virtuous and people become contentious.
Value goods that are difficult to obtain and people begin to steal.
Display objects of desire and people’s hearts become confused.

The governance of the sage empties people’s minds and fills their core,
weakens their ambitions and strengthens their resolve.

Always govern so that the people are with no-knowing and no-desire and those of intelligence will not dare to interfere. Govern with no-action and everything will fall into place.

The Tao is empty, and yet it functions without expectation.
The unfathomable ancestor of the myriad things,
it blunts the sharpness, untangles the knots, softens the glare, merges the dust.

So profound, and yet its presence seems uncertain.
I do not know where it came from. It existed before everything came into being.

Heaven and earth are without humanity and regard the myriad things as if they were straw dogs. The sage is without humanity and regards the many people as if they were straw dogs.

The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows. Although empty, it continually produces more.

Numerous words hasten failure and cannot compare to staying in the center.

The spirit of the valley will never die. It can be likened to a dark mare whose womb gives life to heaven and earth. It is continuously flowing and yet its presence seems uncertain. It functions without ever being exhausted.

Heaven is enduring and earth is long-lasting. The reason heaven is enduring and earth is long-lasting is because they do not exist for the self. This is the means by which they will never perish.

Like heaven and earth, the sage is behind, yet remains in front. The sage is outside, yet remains in the center. Is it not by being selfless that the sage is able to attain completeness?

The highest good is like water. Water benefits the myriad things and yet it does not contend with them. It does not contend with them because it willing resides in places that are loathed by the people. Water is thereby a reflection of the Tao.

Like the Tao, reside close to the great earth, have a heart with great depth, act toward others with great tenderness, speak with great truth, lead with great equanimity, manage affairs with great capability, and move with great timing.

Do not contend and you will be above reproach.

Filling a vessel until it overflows is not as good as stopping short.
Continue to temper and sharpen a sword and the edge will not last for long.
When gold and jade fill the main hall there is no one who is able to keep watch over it.
Pursue wealth, honor, and pride and lose the self to misfortune.

Withdraw the self when your work is done. This is the way of heaven.

While nourishing the soul and embracing oneness,
are you able to stay connected?

While focusing the vital breath to attain softness,
are you able to be like an infant?

While cleansing the darkness of your mirror,
are you able to be without blemish?

While loving the people and governing the country,
are you able to avoid cleverness?

While opening and closing the gate of heaven,
are you able to embrace the female?

While moving toward the clarity of understanding,
are you able to be without knowledge?

Giving birth and raising them, giving life without possessing them, acting without relying on them, developing them without ruling over them. This is dark virtue.

Thirty spokes join in one hub.
The space within the hub allows the wheel to turn.

Clay is shaped into a vessel.
The space within the vessel allows one to carry water.

Doors and windows are cut to form a room.
The space within the room allows people to move about.

The physical form of an object provides benefit whereas space makes it useful.

The five colors blind the eyes, the five tones deafen the ears, the five flavors dull the palate.

Racing and hunting madden the mind.
Goods that are difficult to obtain hinder the journey.

This is why the sage cares for the core and not for the eyes.

Either having more favor or having less favor makes one fearful. To have more favor is considered high. To have less favor is considered low. Yet to move in either direction makes one fearful.

Value the greatest misfortune as you value the self. Great misfortune arises from having a self. If I do not embrace the self then how can I be concerned about misfortune?

The value of the self comes from the actions of the world, and so you rely on the world. The love of the self also comes from the actions of the world, and so you entrust the world.

What is looked for and not seen is vanishingly dim. What is listened for and not heard is vanishingly faint. What one grasps for but cannot grasp is vanishingly small. For something to have these properties is beyond our comprehension. These merge together and become one.

The Tao rises and is not bright, it sets and is not dark. It continues endlessly and no words can describe it. It returns back to nothingness. It is the form of the formless and the image of emptiness. It is indistinct and unclear. Approaching it you cannot perceive its beginning. Following it you cannot perceive its end.

Hold to the ancient Tao and you will be able to contend with the existence of today. To know the ancient beginning is the essence of the Tao.

The ancient ones who embraced the Tao were subtle, mysterious, profound, and penetrating. Because their depth is beyond comprehension, we are only able to describe their actions.

They were as careful as one who is crossing a winter stream, as alert as one who is fearing attack from all sides. They were as reverent as a guest, as ungraspable as melting ice, as genuine as plain wood, as receptive as a valley, as obscure as muddy water.

Who is able to desist and wait for the water to clear?
Who is able to remain quiet until movement returns and one slowly comes to life?

Those who abide by the Tao do not desire to be filled.
Hence, they are able to be worn down and yet be renewed again.

Be devoted to the extremes of emptiness and abide by genuine tranquility and the myriad things will come forth and grow together. I perceive their return. Although the myriad things flourish, each one will eventually return to its source.

Returning to the source is tranquility, tranquility is returning to nature, returning to nature is the eternally constant. Knowing the eternally constant is clarity – not knowing the eternally constant leads to fear. Knowing the eternally constant leads to acceptance. Acceptance is control, control is completeness, completeness is divine nature, and divine nature is the Tao.

Embrace the Tao and live a long life. Achieve this, and the self will die without being endangered.

The very highest are those who are barely known to exist, followed by those who are loved and praised, followed by those who are feared, followed by those who are disgraced. You cannot be trusted when your trust is insufficient. By being distant and valuing words, tasks are completed and matters are settled. The people believe they accomplished everything themselves.

When the Tao is abandoned, there is humanity and righteousness.
When intelligence and wisdom arise, there is great deception.
When the six relations are not in harmony, there is filial piety and kindness.
When a nation is in a state of confusion, loyal ministers abound.

Eliminate sagacity and abandon cleverness and the people benefit a hundred-fold.
Eliminate humaneness and abandon righteousness and the people return to piety and kindness.
Eliminate cunning and abandon the pursuit of profit and thieves and traitors no longer exist.

To not follow these principles is deficient. Follow these principles and accept plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce thinking, and abandon desire.

Renounce knowledge and end your worries. How much difference is there really between yes and no? How much difference is there really between good and evil? Must I fear that which is feared by others? What nonsense!

The people seem jubilant as if attending a great spring feast on a high terrace. I am unattached, like an infant before it learns to smile. Humble in means, it may seem as if I have no place to call home. Other appear to have more than they need while I appear to be lacking. I appear to have the mind of a fool who is confused and uncertain. Those who are worldly seem to have clarity while I seem mysterious and opaque. Others appear to be observant and insightful while I seem subdued and dull. Others appear to have purpose while I seem stubborn in my humble ways

And yet I am tranquil like the waves of the sea and without limits like the high wind. Although I may not seem to fit in, I am fully nourished by the great mother.

The appearance of Te only follows from the Tao, and yet the Tao is unclear and indistinct. Although it is indistinct and unclear, within its core is form. Although it is unclear and indistinct, within its core is matter. Although it is obscure and dark, within its core is essence.

Its essence is supremely real and within its core is the ultimate truth. From ancient times until the present, its name has never been lost. It is evident in the origin of the many things. It is because of the above that I know this is so.

Crooked yet complete, bent yet straight, hollow yet filled, defeated yet renewed. Have little and receive much, have much and become confused.

The sage embraces oneness and thereby becomes a standard of the world. The sage possesses clarity by rejecting self-appearance, possesses distinction by rejecting self-justification, possesses merit by rejecting self-praise, possesses longevity by rejecting self-boasting. Because the sage does not contend, there is no one who can contend with them.

These were not empty words when the ancient ones spoke of being crooked yet complete. By abiding in this, the sage becomes complete and returns.

Nature speaks little. A strong wind cannot last all morning. A shower cannot last all day. Even the actions of heaven and earth cannot endure, and so how is it possible for the actions of people to do so?

Those who follow the Tao merge with the Tao. Those who follow Te merge with Te, those who follow loss merge with loss. Those who merge with the Tao, the Tao is also glad to accept them. Those who merge with Te, Te is also glad to accept them. Those who merge with loss, loss is also glad to accept them.

You cannot be trusted when your trust is insufficient.

Those who stand on tiptoes cannot be established.
Those who straddle cannot advance.

Those who embrace self-appearance are without clarity.
Those who embrace self-justification are without distinction.
Those who embrace self-praise are without merit.
Those who embrace self-importance are without longevity.

To the Tao, such things are superfluous and should be despised.
Embrace the Tao and do not reside in these.

There was something nebulous that existed before heaven and earth were born. Silent and empty, it stood alone and was unchanging. Circulating endlessly without exhaustion, it can be regarded as the mother of all under heaven. I do not know what to call it. Compelled to name it, I will call it the Tao. Compelled to characterize it, I will speak of it as being great.

To say that it is great means that it is receding. To say that it is receding means that it is distant. To say that it is distant means that it is returning.

The Tao is great, heaven is great, the earth is great, and the people are great. There are four greats in the realm, and the people are one of them.

People abide by the laws of the earth, earth abides by the laws of heaven, heaven abides by the laws of the Tao, the Tao abides by the laws of its own nature.

The heavy is the root of the light. The tranquil is the master of the restless.

The sage travels all day without leaving his supply cart behind. Although there are glorious things to behold, the sage avoids the tempting places.

How can the lord of ten thousand chariots conduct himself lightly? To conduct oneself lightly is to lose the root. To be restless is to lose the master.

One who is good at traveling leaves no signs of passing.
One who is good at speaking is without fault or blame.
One who is good at reckoning does not require a counting rod.

A good closure is one with no lock and yet it cannot be opened.
A good binding is one with no rope and yet it cannot be loosened.

The sage is always good at saving people and does not reject anyone.
The sage is always good at saving living things and does not reject any of them.
The one who abides by these achieves the state of divine clarity.

The good person is the teacher of the bad person.
The bad person is the charge of the good person.

Those who do not honor their teacher and those who are not fond of their student, although they are intelligent, they are greatly confused. This is the essential mystery.

Know the male and abide by the female and become the river of the world. Being the river of the world, and not departing from the eternal virtue, return to the state of the infant.

Know the white and abide by the black and become the standard of the world. Being the standard of the world, and not deviating from the eternal virtue, return to the state of the unbounded.

Know the exalted and abide by the obscure and become the valley of the world. Being the valley of the world, and with the sufficiency of the eternal virtue, return to the state of uncarved wood.

Uncarved wood may be carved to provide the benefit of a vessel. The sage may apply this principle in his official capacity. In this manner the greater whole remains undivided.

Those who desire to take the world and impose their will upon it, I can see that it is not possible. The world is a divine vessel that cannot be acted upon. Those who try to take it will be repelled. Those who try to grasp it will lose their hold on it. Things either lead or follow, blow hot air or cold air. They are either strong or weak, supported or destroyed. This is why the sage discards the extreme and excessive.

Those who advise the rulers to act in accordance with the Tao do not advise them to use force to overcome the world. Such methods will return in the form of negative consequences.

Thorn bushes will grow where soldiers have resided. An inauspicious year will follow after the passing of a great army. Therefore, the good ruler is steadfast in their ways and knows when to stop. They do not use force to achieve their ambitions.

Be steadfast yet do not become boastful, be steadfast yet do not attack, be steadfast yet do not become arrogant, be steadfast yet do not advance farther than necessary, be steadfast yet do not use force.

That which uses force to achieve its aims will grow old. This is contrary to the Tao. That which is contrary to the Tao will soon cease to exist.

Soldiers do not delight in employing instruments of misfortune. Such actions are despised by all things. Those who are with the Tao do not abide by such actions.

The person of noble character values the left. Those who use weapons value the right. Soldiers should not employ instruments of misfortune. The person who employs weapons is not of noble character.

Those who are indifferent to fame or gain are higher. They achieve victory but do not rejoice. Those who rejoice in victory take joy in killing people. Those who take joy in killing people cannot achieve their ambitions in the world. Value the left during auspicious occasions. Value the right during inauspicious occasions. While the deputy general may reside on the right, the general resides on the left. What is spoken at such occasions should reflect the following. The death of many people should be mourned with great sadness. A great victory must be observed as a somber event.

The constant and eternal Tao cannot be described. It is imperceptible and formless, and yet nothing is able to overcome and subdue it. Assuming that the rulers were able to abide by this, then the myriad things would be like guests and heaven and earth would be united by the falling of sweet dew. Without command by the people, the Tao will fall like rain on all things without preference.

Naming arose from trying to control things and has become commonplace. One should know when to stop naming. Doing so will avert danger.

The existence of the Tao in the world is like the stream of the valley that flows to the rivers and oceans.

Those who know others are intelligent.
Those who know themselves are enlightened.
Those who conquer others are strong.
Those who conquer themselves have true power.

Those who are content have wealth.
Those who persevere in their practice have discipline.
Those who lose their place will not endure.
Those who die without perishing will live a long life.

The great Tao is like a flood that flows in all directions. The myriad things rely on it to give them life and yet it does not reject them. It does not take credit for what it accomplishes and provides for the myriad things without acting as their master. Constant and without desire, it seems insignificant, and yet the myriad things return to it.

By not acting as their master, the Tao can be considered great. The Tao is great and yet it does not regard itself as being great. This is why it is able to fulfill its greatness.

Hold on to the great image and the world comes forth, coming forth without fear of harm, with great tranquility and peace. Music and food entice travelers to stop, and yet the Tao that is spoken is bland and without flavor. Look for it, and it cannot be seen. Listen for it, and it cannot be heard. Yet in function it is never exhausted.

When you wish to reduce something you must first allow it to expand.
When you wish to weaken something you must first allow it to strengthen.
When you wish to abolish something you must first allow it to flourish.
When you wish to take something you must first allow it to be given.

This is the method of subtle clarity.

The soft and weak overcome the hard and strong.
Fish should not leave the depths.
The sharp instruments of the state must not be displayed.

The Tao always abides by no-action and yet nothing is left undone. If the rulers were to abide by this, then the myriad things would transform by their own nature. Although the myriad things transform by their own nature, the rulers may still desire to interfere. I would restrain their desire with the simplicity of the nameless. In this manner the rulers will abide by no-desire. There will be tranquility, and the world will be in a state of natural order.

High Te is not Te. This is the means by which one has Te. Low Te is not to lose Te. This is the means by which one does not have Te.

Those with high Te embrace do not take action because they have no reason to take action. Those of high humanity take action, but they have no reason to take action. Those of high righteousness take action because they search for a reason to take action. Those who are highly ritualistic takes action and, when nothing happens, proceed to bare their arms and use force to achieve their ambitions.

When the Tao is lost, there is Te. When Te is lost, there is humanity. When humanity is lost, there is righteousness. When righteousness is lost, there is ritualistic action. Those of ritualistic action are neither loyal nor sincere. This is beginning of disorder.

Those with foreknowledge are the flowers of the Tao and represent the beginning of stupidity. The true person dwells on that which has substance and not on the frivolous. They dwell on the fruit and not on the flower. The sage leaves these and chooses the Tao.

Having attained divine unity in the past, heaven thus had clarity, the earth thus had tranquility, the spirits thus had divinity, the valley thus had abundance, the myriad things thus had life, and the rulers thus had exaltation. All of these emerged from divine unity.

Without these qualities, heaven would break open, the earth would be abandoned, the spirits would cease to exist, the valley would become exhausted, the myriad things would become extinct, and the rulers would be overthrown.

Therefore, the humble is the root of the exalted and the low is the foundation of the high. The rulers embrace being alone, bereft, and unworthy so as to embrace the root. Those who accumulate reputation have no reputation. Therefore, do not desire to shine like jade. Instead, desire to be as dull as a stone.

Returning is the movement of the Tao.
Yielding is how it functions.

The myriad things emanate from being.
Being emanates from non-being.

Upon hearing of the Tao, the person who perceives its value is diligent in his practice, the person who is uncertain of its value is not consistent in his practice, and the person who is unable to perceive its value laughs out loud. If they did not laugh, then it would not be the Tao.

The bright Tao seems obscure, the advancing Tao seems to retreat, the smooth Tao seems uneven. High Te seems low, excessive Te seems insufficient, strong Te seems weak. The unchanging seems to change, the greatest enlightenment seems disgraceful, the greatest square has no corners, the greatest vessel is not quickly completed, the greatest sound is barely heard, the greatest form has no shape.

The Tao is hidden and nameless, and yet it is good at all times.

The Tao gave birth to one, one gave birth to two, two gave birth to three, three gave birth to the myriad things. The myriad things carry yin on their back and embrace yang in their front, blending the two vital breaths to achieve harmony.

People loathe being alone, bereft, and unworthy and yet the rulers abide in these. The rulers ensures that things are either decreased so as to be increased or increased so as to be decreased.

What others teach, I also teach: those who are strong and violent do not die a natural death. This is the basis of my teachings.

The very softest overcomes the very hardest.
That without substance enters where there is no space.
I thereby know the benefits of no-action.

Wordless teaching and the benefits of no-action are rarely achieved in this world.

Your name or your body, which is dearer?
Your body or your possessions, which is worth more?
Gain or loss, which is more painful?

The excessive desire for gain must lead to great expense.
Hoarding must lead to substantial loses.
To know what is sufficient is to be without disgrace.
To know when to stop avoids danger.
In this manner one is able to endure forever.

Great completeness seems deficient, and yet it functions without detriment. Great fullness seems empty, and yet it functions without exhaustion. Great straightness seems crooked, great skill seems unrefined, great eloquence seems inarticulate.

Agitation brings forth the cold. Tranquility brings forth the hot. Therefore, tranquility is the guiding principle of the world.

When the world embraces the Tao, fast horses are returned to the fields to produce fertilizer.
When the world rejects the Tao, war horses give birth on the borderlands.

There is no calamity greater than not knowing contentment.
No misfortune greater than the desire for gain.
The contentment of knowing contentment is the eternal contentment.

Without going out the door, know the world.
Without looking out the window, see the Tao of heaven.
The further one travels, the less one understands.

The sage does not move, and therefore has understanding.
Does not look and therefore has clarity.
Does not act and therefore completes his work.

In the pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added.
In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped.

Decreasing and decreasing again until arriving at no-action.
Achieve no-action and nothing is left undone.

Win over the world without doing anything.
Taking action to interfere with its affairs is not sufficient to do so.

The sage has no set mind, so the sage accepts the mind of the people as his mind.

Those who are good, the sage is good to them. Those who are not good, the sage is also good to them. This is the Te of being good.

Those who are faithful, the sage has faith in them. Those who are not faithful, the sage also has faith in them. This is the Te of having faith.

The mind of the sage is present and united with the world. Everyone else concentrates with their eyes and ears, and yet the sage remains like a child.

From birth to death, the disciples of life are three in ten, the disciples of death are three in ten, and those who are moving toward the place of death are also three in ten. Why are people like this? Because of the burdens of their lives.

The one who is good at cultivating life can walk abroad without fear of encountering rhinoceroses or tigers and can enter battle without armor or weapons. For rhinoceroses can find no place to thrust their horn, tigers can find no place to clasp their claws, and soldiers can find no place to lodge their blades. How is this possible? Because such a person has no space for death.

The Tao gives birth to the myriad things, Te raises them, matter gives them shape, and forces complete them. Therefore, among the myriad things, there are none that do not respect the Tao and honor Te. There are none who do so by command – each does so by its constant and eternal self-nature.

Although the Tao gives birth to the myriad things, Te raises them, develops them, educates them, perfects them, matures them, completes them, and returns them.

The Tao gives life to the myriad things without possessing them, acts without relying on them, develops them without ruling over them. This is the darkest form of Te.

The world was born of the actions of its mother. The world accepts its mother so that it can know her children. By knowing her children, the world returns to and abides by its mother. In this way the world gives up the self without risk.

Closing its mouth and shutting the door and for its entire life the world has existed without striving. Opening its mouth and meddling in affairs and for its entire life the world could not have been saved.

Seeing the small is clarity, abiding by the soft is strength. Use the light of the mother to return to clarity and do not lose the self to calamity. This is practicing the constant and eternal.

Possessing any knowledge while walking the great path of the Tao would only bring fear.
The great path is broad and level, and yet people stray onto the narrow paths.

The courtyard is well kept, and yet the fields are overgrown with weeds and the granaries stand empty. Officials wear elegant clothing with sharp swords hanging from their belt. They indulge in drink and food and have an excess of wealth and material possessions.

These are the actions of thieves and are not consistent with the Tao!

The one who is well established cannot be surpassed. The one who firmly embraces the Tao cannot escape. The offspring of such a person shall perform sacrifices without interruption.

Cultivate this in yourself and your Te will be genuine. Cultivate this in the family and the family’s Te will be more than enough. Cultivate this in the village and the village’s Te will be enduring. Cultivate this in the country and the country’s Te will be abundant. Cultivate this in the world and the world’s Te will be ubiquitous.

It is best if the self observes the self, the family observes the family, the village observes the village, the country observes the country, and the world observes the world. This is means by which the sage is able to know the world.

Those who keep an abundance of Te are like a newborn infant. They are neither stung by poisonous insects, attacked by savage beasts, nor seized by birds of prey.

An infant’s bones are weak and its muscles are soft and yet its grasp is firm. It does not know the union of male and female, and yet it can manifest arousal.

The vital essence of the infant is complete. Although the infant can cry all day, it does not become hoarse. The harmony of the infant is also complete. To know harmony is to know the constant. To know the constant is to have clarity.

Excessive wandering is ill-fated. Use the mind to focus the vital breath and gain strength.

That which uses force to achieve its aims will grow old. This is contrary to the Tao. That which is contrary to the Tao will soon cease to exist.

Those who know do not speak.
Those who speak do not know.

Those who know close the windows, shut the doors, blunt the sharpness, untangle the knots, soften the glare, merge with dust. Those who achieve this attain the state of profound unity. Those who attain a state of profound unity can neither be close nor distant, benefited nor harmed, honored nor disgraced. Such an individual has an honored place under heaven.

It is by means of the following principles that one should govern a country.

When governing a country, the use of force should rarely be considered. It is always better to take the world by means of no-interference. How do I know this is so? Because of what I observe.

When there are numerous regulations, the people become impoverished. When the people have many sharp weapons, the nation is in a state of chaos. When the people have excessive ingenuity, many strange things happen. When more ordinances are enacted, thieves and traitors abound.

Embrace no-action and the people are self-transforming. Embrace tranquility and the people are self-principled. Embrace non-interference and the people are self-enriching. Embrace no-desire and the people are self-reducing.

When governing with a light touch, the people are honest and happy. When governing in a manner that is burdensome, the people are deceitful and discontented.

What would seem to lead to good fortune leads to misfortune. What would seem to lead to misfortune leads to good fortune. Who knows the ultimate outcome? What seems normal becomes that which is abnormal. What seems good becomes that which is bad. The confusion of people has lasted for too long.

The sage is direct without being injurious, disciplined without being restrained, determined without being inflexible, and radiant without being blinding.

When governing the people and serving heaven there is nothing that compares to governing with restraint. To show restraint is to return to the path. Returning to the path leads to an abundance of Te. With an abundance of Te, there is nothing that cannot be overcome. Being able to overcome anything means there are no limits. Those without limits are fit to be ruler.

Those who keep to this fundamental principle will rule for a long time. Such a ruler has deep roots and a firm foundation. This is the way to longevity and eternal vision.

Governing a great country is like cooking a small fish. Attend to the world by means of the Tao and its spirits are without divine power. Not that such spirits are without divine power, but they are unable to use their divine power to harm the people. The sage also does not harm the people. Neither are mutually harmful. Therefore, their Te merges and is returned to the people.

A great country, like the lowest river, is the converging point where the world unites. It is the receptive female under heaven.

The female always overcomes the male with tranquility by means of taking the lower position. Because the great country takes a lower position, it will win over the lesser country. The lesser country will then be willing to take a lower position and allow itself to be won over by the great country. The great country uses a lower position to overcome and the lesser country uses a lower position to be overcome.

The great country desires only to unite and provide for the people. The lesser country desires only to serve the people. For both to obtain what they desire, the greater country must first assume a lower position.

The Tao is the wonder of the myriad things – the treasure of the good person and the place of care for the unkind person.

Beautiful words may win the public’s respect. Respectful conduct may improve a person’s reputation. But how can one abandon the unkind person?

When establishing the new emperor and appointing three ministers, although there is the offering of ornamental jade before a team of four horses, none of it can compare to being still and offering the Tao.

Why did those in ancient times value the Tao? They did not do so to gain advantage, but to be free from fault. Hence their actions were valued under heaven.

Act without taking action. Manage affairs without managing. Know without knowing.

Regard the great as small. Regard the many as few. Respond to injury with Te. Manage the difficult as if it were easy. Approach the great as if it were small.

Difficult matters must be regarded as easy. Great affairs must be regarded as small. The sage does not try to accomplish anything great, and so what the sage accomplishes is great.

One who makes promises lightly must abandon trust. One who takes the numerous to be easy will encounter many difficulties. The sage regards all tasks as difficult. The sage is therefore able to complete them without difficulty.

It is easy to maintain what is peaceful, to plan when there is no omen, to break what is brittle, to disperse what is small.

Act on that which has not yet begun. Manage that which is not yet in a state of disorder.

A tree thick enough to embrace grows from a tiny sapling. A tower of nine levels rises from the earth. A journey of a thousand miles begins beneath the feet.

Those who accomplish by taking action will be defeated. Those who grasp at something will lose it. The sage embraces no-action. This is why the sage cannot be defeated. The sage does not grasp at things. This is why the sage cannot not lose anything.

People who engage in a task usually fail when they are close to completion. If they are as careful at the end as they are at the beginning, then they would not fail.

This is why the sages desires to be without desire, does not value goods that are difficult to obtain, and learns to be without learning. The sage returns to the place of dwelling of the many people. The sage facilitates the nature of the myriad things by not daring to interfere.

The ancient ones who embraced the Tao did not use it to increase the understanding of the people, but used it to simplify the lives of the people.

People are difficult to govern due to the ruler’s excessive cleverness. Using cleverness to govern the country is deceitful whereas not ruling with cleverness brings good fortune. Know that these are principles of heaven. Abiding by these is called dark Te. The dark Te seems profound and distant and yet it always returns. When it does so, the great congruence arises.

It is by means of where they dwell that the rivers and oceans are kings of the hundred valleys. It is because they are good at being below them that they are able to rule over them.

If the sage desires to be above the people, his words must be below the people. If the sage desires to be in front of the people, his must place himself behind the people. In this manner, the sage is above the people, and yet they do not feel burdened. The sage resides in front of the people, and yet they are not harmed. This is why the world is delighted and unwearied with them. Because the sage does not contend there is no one who can contend with them.

Everyone asks why my great Tao seems unworthy. Yet it is only because of its greatness that it seems unworthy. Its worthiness is enduring, and yet it is barely noticed.

I possess three treasures that I hold and protect. The first is compassion, the second is frugality, the third is not daring to be at the front of the world.

Because of compassion, I am able to have courage. Because of frugality, I am able to reach widely. Not daring to be at the front of the world, I am able to be an enduring vessel.

To abandon compassion and yet try to have courage, to abandon frugality and yet try to reach widely, to abandon staying behind and yet try to remain at the front – any of these will lead to your end!

Those who embrace compassion will be victorious in battle and invulnerable in defense. Heaven will save them and protect them with compassion.

The greatest generals are not warlike. The greatest warriors do not get angry. Those who are good at defeating the enemy do not engage them in battle. The greatest commanders place themselves below their soldiers.

Following these principles is the Te of non-contention and the effectiveness of those who have true power. To abide by these is to be one with heaven. This is the ultimate principle of ancient times.

There is a saying that applies when commanding an army. I dare not be the host but prefer to be the guest. I dare not advance an inch but prefer to retreat a foot. This is marching without advancing, seizing without using force, engaging in battle without an enemy, attacking without weapons.

There is no calamity greater than underestimating the enemy. To do so will cost you your fortune. When armies engage each other in battle, victory will go to the side with greater reverence for their enemy.

My words are very easy to understand. My principles are very easy to put into practice. Yet no one is able to understand them and no one is able to put them into practice.

Although words seem to have meaning and deeds seem to have purpose, these do not lead to understanding. Few are those who understand my words. Precious are those who are able to abide by my ways.

The sage wears plain clothes and carries a heart of jade within.

Knowing to not-knowing is highest. Not-knowing to knowing is sickness. Only by being sick of sickness can there be no sickness. This is means by which the sage has no sickness.

When the people do not fear power, then great power has arrived.

Do not disrespect the place where the people reside. Do not reject the way in which they live. Only those who do not reject the people are not rejected by them. This is why the sage embraces self-knowing but not self-appearance, embraces self-love but not self-value.

Of those who have courage, those who dare to take unnecessary risks will be killed and those who avoid risks will survive. One is of benefit whereas the other is harmful and is not favored by heaven. Who can understand why? The sage is also uncertain.

The Tao of heaven does not contend, and yet it always prevails. Does not speak, and yet it always responds. Is not summoned, and yet it always comes forth. Is not quick to promise, and yet it always provides.

The net of heaven is vast. Although its mesh is course, nothing can escape.

When people no longer fear death, what is the necessity of threatening them with death? Yet when people constantly fear death, and those who do wrong are captured and killed, it would seem that no one would dare to break the law.

There forever exists an executioner of those who do wrong. To take the place of this executioners is like taking the place of the master wood carver. Those who do so are certain to injure their own hand.

The hunger of the people is due to excessive grain tax. Governing the people is difficult due to the interference of their leaders. The people make light of death because of the burden of their lives. Those who do not need to take action to achieve fulfillment are wiser than those who value their life.

In life, the human body is soft and flexible.
In death, it is hard and inflexible.

In life, the grass and trees are soft and flexible.
In death, they are dry and brittle.

Therefore, the hard and inflexible is a disciple of death and the soft and flexible is a disciple of life. This is why an inflexible army can be defeated and an inflexible branch can be broken. The hard and inflexible occupy a lower place whereas the soft and flexible occupy a higher place.

The actions of the Tao are like the flexing of a bow.
What is higher is pulled down, what is lower is raised up.

The Tao of heaven takes away from that which has too much and provides to that which does not have enough. The way of people is not like this. They take away from that which does not have enough to offer to that which has too much.

Yet who has a surplus because of what they offer to the world? Only those who abide by the Tao. This is why the sage acts without expectations and completes his work without residing in what is done. The sage has no desire to be seen as virtuous.

Nothing is as gentle and forgiving as water, and yet nothing is better for overcoming the hard and inflexible – there is nothing that can surpass it. It is by means of non-being that it can easily achieve this.

The gentle overcomes the hard. The forgiving overcomes the inflexible. There is no one who does not know this to be true. Yet no one can put this into practice.

The leader who bears the disgrace of the country becomes the master of the alter of earth and grain. The leader who bears the misfortune of the country becomes king of the world.

Principled words may often seem contradictory.

Once an agreement is reached after a great dispute, some resentment must remain. Can such an outcome be considered good? This is why the sage holds the left part of the contract without expectations of the other person.

Those who possess Te take responsibility for the contract while those who do not possess Te take responsibility for the collections.

The Tao of heaven is impartial. Yet it constantly provides for the good person.

A small country with few people may have a small army and yet it has no use for its weapons. The people take death seriously and do not move far from home. The people have boats and carriages and yet there are no places to make use of them. The people have armor and weapons and yet there are no occasions to display them.

The people return to binding ropes, savoring their food, finding beauty in their clothing, being content in their homes, and being happy in their custom.

Neighboring countries are within sight of each other. Each can hear the sounds of roosters and dogs from across their borders. Yet people grow old and die without leaving home.

True words are not beautiful.
Beautiful words are not true.

Those who are good do not dispute.
Those who dispute are not good.

Those who know do not accumulate.
Those who accumulate do not know.

The sage does not accumulate.
By acting for others the sage possesses even more.
By giving to others the sage increases his abundance.

The way of heaven is to benefit without harming.
The way of the sage is to take action without contending.