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Tao Te King von Lao Tse |
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1
The DAO can be talked about, but that is not the ever-lasting DAO.
The NAME can be called, but that is not the ever-lasting NAME.
Nothingness is called the origin of the world.
Existence is called the root of everything.
Therefore,
you should stay in nothingness if you want to see the real essence of the world;
you should stay in existence if you want to see the different entities of the world.
They are from the same source but named differently: both are called XUAN.
Understanding the XUANs is the key to the kingdom of truth.
2
Everyone knows that beauty is good, but ugliness exists as well.
Everyone knows that kindness is good, but unkindness exists as well.
Therefore, nothingness and existence always coexist;
As do difficulty and easiness, long and short, high and low, and sound and hearing.
For this reason, the great men practiced WUWEI.
They wordlessly taught people and let the world develop by itself.
Create but do not control, nurture but do not own, accomplish but do not claim.
Only when you do not claim the accomplishment, will it never leave.
3
If you do not worship the nobility, there will be no fighting among people.
If you do not value scarce items, there will be no stealing.
If you do not show people temptations, their hearts will not be wild.
Therefore, the great men's ways of governing people were:
To remove their greed but fill their stomachs,
To weaken their ambition but strengthen their bodies.
Always keep them without knowledge and without desires,
And this prevents those clever manipulators from doing anything.
4
The DAO looks empty, but it can last forever.
It is so deep, it can be the ancestor of everything.
It dulls its sharpness, unties itself from the outside world,
Dims its brightness, and makes itself like dust.
It is so elusive, yet seems present.
I do not know its origin;
It should exist before the God that people worship.
5
Nature is not charitable; it neglects everything like a used grass-dog after sacrifice.
Great men were not charitable; they neglected people like a used grass-dog after sacrifice.
Between heaven and earth, is it not like a pair of bellows?
Empty, but always able to produce wind; the more you push, the more wind comes out.
Talking too much will lead to embarrassment: be like the bellows and keep the wind inside.
6
Nature's spirit never dies, so it is called the organ of reproducibility.
This organ functions as the root of the world.
It lasts forever and can never be used up.
7
The heavens and the earth last forever.
They can do so because they do not exist for themselves.
Therefore, great men always let other people go first, but ended up being first themselves.
They put their lives out of consideration, but always survived.
Is it not because they were selfless,
That they benefited themselves at the end?
8
The best is like water.
Water benefits everything without fighting for credit.
Only without fighting for credit, will water never get any trouble.
It flows to the lowest places where no one wants to stay,
So water is the closest to the DAO.
Therefore, one should have the traits of water:
Humble and lowly in his character,
Peaceful and deep in his heart,
Charitable in his treatment of everything,
Credible in his words,
Methodical in his ways of governing a country,
Capable of doing anything,
And able to catch opportunities when taking action.
Only without fighting for credit, will one never get any trouble.
9
To be overflowing is not as good as having just enough.
If a point is made too sharp, the sharpness will not last long.
A houseful of treasure is impossible to keep.
The rich and arrogant are destined for disaster.
When you are successful and famous, quickly back out, which is the heavens' way.
10
To devote your soul and body to the DAO, can you never leave it?
To focus your inner energy to the softest, can you be like a newborn?
To remove your inner dust and see the DAO, can your mind be as clean as a mirror?
To love your people and govern your country, can you practice WUWEI?
To control your desires, can you be as humble as a female?
To understand everything, can you stay without knowledge?
Create and nurture but do not own,
Do things but do not claim credit,
Lead but do not control.
These are real DE.
11
A wooden wheel has thirty spokes:
Carve out the center to make it useful for a carriage.
A piece of clay is used to make a container:
Take out some clay from the middle to form a pot.
A house has four walls:
Empty the inside to make a room.
Therefore, having materials provides the resources,
But getting rid of some of it makes the materials useful.
12
Too much color makes one blind;
Too much sound makes one deaf;
Too much flavor makes one lose his appetite.
Horse racing and hunting makes one's heart wild;
Scarce and valuable things makes one want to steal.
Therefore, great men made people value basic needs, not luxuries.
So, they kept the former and threw away the latter.
13
Mundane people say: "Patronage and insults are shocking;
Be extremely careful of big disasters that can fall on you."
What is "Patronage and insults are shocking"?
They believe that patronage is great and insults are horrible.
Therefore, when they receive patronage, they are shocked and delighted;
When they receive insults, they are shocked and frightened.
So they say, "Patronage and insults are shocking."
How can we comment on "Be extremely careful of big disasters that can fall on you"?
Disaster can fall on me only when I think of myself.
If I do not think about myself, what am I afraid of?
Therefore, those who value giving themselves to society the most can govern society.
Those who devote themselves to society can take care of society.
14
If you look at it but cannot see it, this is called YI.
If you listen to it but cannot hear it, this is called XI.
If you touch it but cannot feel it, this is called WEI.
These three things cannot be fully understood.
Therefore, they are mixed into one thing: the DAO.
Its top is not bright, its bottom is not dark;
It is so elusive it cannot be described.
It is not a physical entity,
Having a shape that is shapeless and an image without an object.
This is why it is so elusive and dynamic.
When you look at the front, it has no beginning.
When you look behind, it has no end.
It allows you to apply the real knowledge of the past to the present.
Therefore, if you understand the real knowledge of the past,
You understand the principles of the DAO.
15
People in the past who practiced the DAO understood the real essence of the world so deeply that the ordinary people could not appreciate them.
Because these people cannot be appreciated and understood,
I will try to give you a rough sketch of them.
They acted very cautiously, like walking on thin ice.
They behaved very carefully, like being watched by everybody.
They looked very dignified, like going to a banquet.
They were very warm and kind, like being able to melt ice.
They were very plain, like a block of uncarved wood.
They had a very big heart, like a deep valley.
They were very tolerant, like a flooding river that contains everything.
Who can get clear water from mud by letting the mud settle slowly?
Who can create new things gradually from stillness by taking the initiative?
These people who kept the DAO were never conceited.
Only because they were not conceited,
Were they able to create the future while preserving the past.
16
Be humble to the utmost and be peaceful wholeheartedly.
Everything in the world is functioning, and I see the cycle of life and death.
Everything in the world will eventually go back to the root.
Going back to the root means peace, or going to destiny.
Going to destiny means following nature's way.
Understanding nature's way makes your mind clear.
If you do not understand nature's way and you violate it,
You will meet with disaster.
Understanding nature's way makes you tolerant;
Tolerance makes you fair,
Fairness makes you a good ruler,
Being a good ruler makes you conform to nature,
Conformity with nature leads you to the DAO.
The DAO lets you last long and never be defeated in your lifetime.
17
The best ruler, the people do not feel his presence.
The second best, the people love and praise him.
The third best, the people fear him.
The worst, the people insult him.
If a ruler does not fully trust his people,
The people will not trust him.
A good ruler lets his people be free and rarely gives orders.
So, when things are accomplished, the people say,
"This is what we are suppose to do."
18
When the DAO is thrown away, charity and righteousness have to be used to govern people.
When simplicity is replaced by smartness and calculations, there will be a lot of wicked people.
Only when a family is not in harmony, will a good son or father become precious;
Only when a country is in ruins, will heroes appear.
19
Get rid of the government and laws, and people will benefit a hundred times more.
Get rid of charity and righteousness, and people will return to the original human love.
Get rid of cleverness and materialism, and there will be no thieves and robbers.
In order to govern a country, it is not enough to just get rid of these three things;
Also let the people be simple on the outside and plain on the inside, selfless and desireless.
20
Whether people listen to me or ignore me, what difference does it make?
Whether people treat me well or not well, what difference does it make?
Although things that others are afraid of I have to be afraid of too,
How big the difference is between them and me!
When everyone is excited, like going to a festival or spring outing,
Only I am quiet, like nothing has happened.
I am like a newborn infant that does not know how to laugh,
Bored and tired, that has no home to return to.
When everyone has so much excess energy, only I am left behind.
I have a fool's heart, so dumb!
Everyone seems bright, only I am dull.
Everyone seems to know everything, only I am confused.
My heart spreads like an endless ocean.
My mind wanders like a boundless wind.
Everyone seems competent, only I am slow and stupid.
I am so different from the others, because I am devoted to the DAO.
21
Only the DAO has the behavior of the most magnificent DE.
The DAO looks elusive and vague.
It seems abstract, but it has the world as its foundation.
It appears intangible and far away, but it contains the basic elements of the world.
These elements are present everywhere, making its existence known.
From the beginning to the present, the name of the DAO has always existed,
Experiencing all generations.
How do I know everything in the past? Because I know the DAO.
22
If you can bear unfairness, you can make yourself a complete person.
If you can bear overbending, you can be straightened out.
If you can bear the old, you can gain the new.
When you have too little, you will gain;
When you have too much, you will lose.
Therefore, the great men kept the DAO and made themselves the models for the world.
They were not stubborn, so they knew the right and the wrong.
They were not narrow-minded, so everyone accepted their opinions.
They did not show off, so everyone recognized their accomplishments.
They were not conceited, so they were able to lead the people.
Only because they did not fight for the credit, was no one able to claim it.
Is the old saying "bearing the unfairness makes you a complete man" an empty joke?
No, because it is completely consistent with the DAO.
23
Talking little is the way of nature.
A blustering wind cannot last a whole morning;
A downpour cannot last a whole day.
Who can control this? Only nature.
Even nature cannot make a storm last long, so how can people?
Therefore, one who believes in the DAO receives the DAO,
One who pursues the DE has the DE,
One who does not believe in anything is lost.
The one who gets the DAO will receive the blessings of the DAO,
The one who has the DE will receive the blessings of the DE,
The one who is lost will receive nothing.
If you do not have faith in the DAO, the DAO will not have faith in you.
24
You cannot stand firm by standing on tiptoes.
You cannot go far by taking big steps.
If you are stubborn, you cannot know the right and the wrong.
If you are narrow-minded, no one will accept your opinions.
If you show off, no one will recognize your accomplishments.
If you are conceited, you will not be able to lead the people.
Speaking in terms of the DAO, these are useless extras that are very annoying.
Therefore, one who practices the DAO never behaves like this.
25
It started in chaos, before the heavens and the earth existed.
It makes no sound and has no shape,
But it is independent and never changes.
It is always functioning and never stops,
So it can be the root of the world.
I do not know its name, so I name it the DAO,
And I will also call it the BIG.
BIG means broad, broad means far-reaching,
Far-reaching means everywhere.
Therefore, the DAO is BIG, the heavens is BIG,
The earth is BIG, and people are BIG, too.
The universe has four BIGs, and people are only one of them.
People follow the earth, the earth follows the heavens,
The heavens follows the DAO, and the DAO follows nature.
26
Heaviness is the base of lightness,
Peace is the master of commotion.
Therefore, when the great men traveled,
They never let their carriages out of sight.
No matter how beautiful and entertaining the scenery was,
They acted as though they did not even see it.
How can the rulers of today behave more carelessly than anyone?
Lightness will cause the loss of the base,
Commotion will cause the loss of the master.
27
Skillful driving leaves no tracks.
Skillful talking contains no blunders.
Skillful calculating needs no instruments.
Skillful securing requires no lock, but cannot be opened.
Skillful tying uses no knots, but cannot be untied.
Therefore, the great men were always good at making all people useful, so no one was left out;
They were very good at making all other things useful, so nothing was wasted.
This is why they were considered to be genuinely wise.
So, the kind are the teachers of the unkind;
The unkind are the resources of the kind.
If a person does not value the teachers or the resources,
No matter how smart he is, he is completely lost.
Therefore, this is an extremely important wisdom.
28
Knowing you can be strong, but choosing to be weak,
Is like being the creeks and streams of the world.
If you can be the creeks and streams of the world,
The DE will never leave you, and you will return to the natural state of a newborn.
Knowing you can be bright, but choosing to be dull,
Is like being the model of perfection for the world.
If you can be the model of perfection for the world,
The DE will not stray from you, and you will return to the unlimited state.
Knowing you can be glorious, but choosing to be humiliated,
Is like being the valleys and canyons of the world.
If you can be the valleys and the canyons of the world,
The DE will always be sufficient for you, and you will return to the plain and simple state.
Being simple and relaxed makes things useful, so the great men used it to lead the people.
Therefore, a great system is one that does not hurt anything.
29
Whoever wants to fiddle with the world for his own purposes,
I expect that he will fail.
The world is something sacred that cannot be fiddled with.
Whoever fiddles with it will ruin it, whoever obtains it will lose it.
Therefore, among the things in the world, some go first,
some follow behind;
Some are slow, some are fast;
Some are strong, some are weak;
Some are helpful, some are destructive.
So, the great men removed the excess, the extra, and the extreme.
30
Those who use the DAO to assist their monarchs do not rely on force to conquer the world.
If you use force, it so easily comes back and haunts you.
Thorns will grow where the army camped,
A year of starvation will follow a big war.
A person who understands war will only fight to win a war,
Not to use force to conquer the world.
After winning a war, do not be self-satisfied.
After winning a war, do not show off.
After winning a war, do not be conceited.
After winning a war, treat it like you were forced to fight.
After winning a war, do not use force to conquer the world.
When things become too strong, they start to decay,
Which is against the DAO.
Being against the DAO will lead to an early destruction.
31
Weapons are not auspicious, but very annoying.
So, people who follow the DAO do not use them.
Noble men value their left side in daily life and their right side in battle.
Weapons are not auspicious, not something noble men like to use.
They use them only when they have to, and they treat them like they do not matter.
After winning a war, do not be delighted.
Those who are delighted love to kill.
The people who love to kill cannot be allowed to control the country.
At celebrations, the left side is respected; at funerals, the right side is respected.
In a war, the subordinate is on the left side and the commander is on the right side.
Therefore, a war should be talked about like a funeral.
When many are killed, people should cry to show sadness.
Winning a war should be treated like a funeral.
32
The DAO has no name, but it is always present.
It is simple and small, but no one can conquer it.
If the kings are able to practice it, everybody will come and obey by themselves.
The heavens and the earth will be in harmony,
And rain will pour down from the sky.
People will take care of themselves without need of the law.
Since there were names, everything got its own place.
People should know when to stop;
If they know when to stop, they can avoid disasters.
The world comes to the DAO like every stream and river comes to the ocean.
33
If you can understand others, you are wise;
If you can understand yourself, your mind is clear.
If you can overcome others, you are powerful;
If you can overcome yourself, you are strong.
If you can be satisfied, you are rich;
If you can be persistent, you are determined.
If you never lose your goals, you can last long;
If you die but you are not forgotten, then you live forever.
34
The big DAO is like a flood, going everywhere.
Everything depends on it to grow, but it never refuses to help.
When things are accomplished, it never claims credit.
It nurtures everything, but never tries to control them.
It never has desires, so it can be called the SMALL.
Everything depends on it, but it never tries to be their master, so it can be called the BIG.
Only because it never wants to be the BIG, so it becomes the BIG.
35
If you have the DAO, everything will come to you.
They come to you because they will not be hurt anymore, and they will become secure and peaceful.
Pleasant music and tasteful food will make even the passerby stop.
When being talked about, the DAO is tasteless.
When you look at it, you will not see it; when you listen to it, you will not hear it;
However, when you use it, it will never run out.
36
If it wants to shrink something, it always first expands it.
If it wants to weaken something, it always first strengthens it.
If it wants to get rid of something, it always first promotes it.
If it wants to take something, it always first gives it away.
These are delicate wisdoms, which is that the weak overcome the strong.
Big fish cannot leave deep water;
National security secrets cannot be shown to outsiders.
37
The DAO always practices WUWEI, but there is nothing that it cannot do.
If the kings can use the DAO, people will take care of themselves.
When people get freedom, they begin to have desires;
I will then use this nameless and simple DAO to guide them.
This nameless and simple DAO will make them have no desires.
Without desires, they will be peaceful, and the country will keep stability by itself.
38
The people who have high DE do not purposely show the DE, but ultimately have the DE.
The people who have low DE are always afraid of not showing the DE, but ultimately lose the DE.
The people who have high DE practice WUWEI, but ultimately get everything done.
The people who have low DE do things purposely, but ultimately fail in many things.
The kind people do not do things purposely, but get everything done well.
The highly righteous people do things purposely, but ultimately fail in many things.
The people who follow courtesy and orders do everything purposely, but when no one follows them, they rudely force people to do so.
Therefore, when the DAO is lost, charity appears;
When charity is lost, righteousness appears;
When righteousness is lost, courtesy and order appear.
Courtesy and order have little loyalty and faith, and they are the source of chaos.
Therefore, they are the end of the DAO and the beginning of a dark age.
Noble men always stay sturdy, not shallow; solid, not flimsy.
So one should keep the former and get rid of the latter.
39
From the beginning, everything has needed to become natural and harmonic, which is called ONE.
When the sky becomes ONE, it is clear;
When the earth becomes ONE, it is peaceful;
When the spirits become ONE, they grant all wishes;
When the riverbeds and valleys become ONE, they fill with water;
When all living things become ONE, they grow;
When the kings become ONE, they can govern their countries.
This is because of the DAO.
If the sky is not clear, it will collapse;
If the earth is not peaceful, it will explode;
If spirits cannot grant wishes, they will disappear;
If all living things cannot grow, they will die;
If kings cannot govern their countries, they will be overthrown.
Therefore, the cheap is the base of the noble; the low is the foundation of the high.
So the kings always called themselves bad names like the single, the widower, and the unkind.
Is this proof that the cheap is the base of the noble? Is it not?
Therefore, pursuing fame will get you no fame.
Do not be like a beautiful jade; be instead like a plain stone.
40
Cycling is how the DAO moves;
The weak is where the DAO functions.
Everything comes from existence;
Existence comes from nothingness.
41
When people who have high DE learn about the DAO, they practice it diligently;
When people who have medium DE learn about the DAO, they sometimes treat it seriously, sometimes do not;
When people who have low DE learn about the DAO, they give it a big laugh.
If they do not laugh, the DAO is not the DAO.
Therefore, the great men once said,
"People who understand the DAO look dull;
The more you learn about the DAO, the more you feel like you are retreating;
The DAO looks like a smooth road, but when you walk on it, it is rough."
The people who have high DE always look as low as the valleys and riverbeds.
The people who have broad DE always look incomplete.
The people who have strong DE always look lazy.
The people who have real DE always look empty.
The whitest looks tainted,
The squarest looks like it has no right angle,
The greatest piece takes the longest time,
The biggest sound has no sound,
The biggest shape has no shape.
The DAO likes to hide and be anonymous.
Because the DAO always gives, it accomplishes everything.
42
The DAO produces ONE;
ONE produces the YIN and YANG (TWO),
the YIN and YANG produce harmonic spirit (THREE),
harmonic spirit produces everything.
Everything is based on the YIN-YANG and is filled with harmonic spirit.
The things people dislike the most are the singles, the widowers, and the unkind.
However, the kings call themselves these bad names.
So, things sometimes get hurt but benefit, sometimes benefit but get hurt.
What others taught me I will now teach you: The bullies will die unnaturally.
I treat this as the base of my teaching.
43
The DAO is the softest thing in the world,
But it can ride freely into the hardest places,
And there is nowhere it cannot go.
I thus know the benefits of WUWEI.
The DAO educates without lecturing, benefits with WUWEI;
There is nothing in the world that can compare with the DAO.
44
Fame or health, which is dearer to you?
Health or wealth, which is more important to you?
Gain or loss, which hurts you more?
The more you love something, the more you have to pay.
The more wealth you accumulate, the more likely you will lose it.
If you know when to be satisfied, you will not be insulted,
If you know when to stop, you will not be hurt,
This is how you last long.
45
The greatest accomplishment seems incomplete, but when you use it, it never has trouble.
The completely filled object seems empty, but when you use it, it never runs out.
The straightest looks crooked;
The cleverest looks clumsy;
The best debater sounds awkward.
Tranquility overcomes commotion, coolness overcomes hotness.
Coolness and tranquility are the real essence of the world.
46
When the DAO rules, even the great war horses are used to plow the field,
When the DAO is overruled, even the pregnant horses are used in battle.
The biggest disaster is not knowing when to be satisfied,
The biggest mistake is to always want more.
Therefore, knowing when to be satisfied is the ever-lasting satisfaction.
47
Without traveling, you can know what happens in the world.
Without looking out the window, you can know what happens in the universe.
The more you travel, the less you know.
Therefore, the great men knew everything without traveling,
Recognized everything without seeing it personally,
Accomplished everything by WUWEI.
48
The more you study a subject, the more you know;
the more you study the DAO, the less you know;
Less and less, until at the end you achieve WUWEI.
By WUWEI, you can accomplish everything.
If you want to govern a country, always try to let nothing happen;
If you make things happen, you are not suitable for governing the country.
49
The great men did not have a fixed will;
they made the people's will their own.
When people are kind, I treat them kindly;
when people are unkind, I still treat them kindly;
this is called the kindness of DE.
When people are credible, I have faith in them;
when people are not credible, I still have faith in them;
this is called the faith of DE.
The great men were very cautious when governing their country;
They made the people simple and plain.
The people focused on their every movement, and the great men treated them like their children.
50
Of people's lives from beginning to end,
One-third live long,
One-third die young,
And one-third live in the beginning, but cause their deaths half way by themselves.
Why do people die in the middle of their lives?
Because they live too well and do not cherish their lives.
It is said that those who know how to live long never come across a rhinoceros or a tiger;
When they are in battle, they never get hurt.
The rhinoceros has no place to impale them with its horn,
The tiger has no place to attack them with its claws,
And the weapon has no place to hurt them with its blade.
Why is this? Because they never get themselves into these deadly places.
51
The DAO gives birth to everything, the DE looks after everything,
The elements give a shape to everything, and nature makes everything grow and mature.
Therefore, everything respects the DAO and values the DE.
The dignity of the DAO and the nobleness of the DE are not forced upon anything, but allow everything to be natural.
So, the DAO gives birth to everything, the DE looks after everything;
They grow and cultivate everything, making them complete and mature;
They bring everything up and protect them.
Giving birth to everything but not owning them,
Taking care of everything but not claiming the credit,
Leading everything but not controlling them;
This is called real DE.
52
Since the beginning of the world, the DAO has been the mother of everything.
If you know the mother, the DAO, you know the child, the world.
Knowing the world, but also keeping the DAO, will prevent disasters throughout your life.
If you shut off your senses and desires, you will not have any trouble throughout your life;
If you open your senses and you do things for your own purposes, you cannot be saved throughout your life.
By focusing on the minor and subtle, your vision is clear;
By staying on the side of weak, you are strong.
Using the "light" of the world, but also keeping the "light source" of the DAO,
Will bring no harm to you and make you natural and long-lasting.
53
If one day I am to have desires,
As I am walking along a big road, I am only afraid of straying into the small alleys.
The big road is so smooth, but people prefer to take the small alleys.
The government is a mess, the fields are barren, and the barns are empty,
But they wear bright and colorful clothing, carrying sharp swords, overeat and overdrink;
They steal countless treasures, so they are the heads of thieves.
This is completely against the DAO!
54
The people who are good at building things do not budge,
The people who are good at protecting thing do not lose any part,
So their descendents can celebrate and remember them forever.
If a person can build such a DE, the DE will be real;
If a family can build such a DE, the DE will be plentiful;
If a town can build such a DE, the DE will last long;
If a country can build such a DE, the DE will be bountiful;
If the entire world can build such a DE, the DE will be everywhere.
Therefore, you know others by looking at yourself;
You know other families by looking at your family;
You know other towns by looking at your town;
You know other countries by looking at your country;
You know the past and future by looking at the present.
How do I know everything in the world? This is how.
55
The people who have the thickest DE are like a naked newborn boy.
The snake does not sting him, the wild animal does not bite him, and the fierce bird does not claw him.
His bones are soft and his muscles are weak, but his grip is very strong.
He has no idea of making love, but his manhood is always rigid,
Because his body is in the purest state.
He cries all day, but does not go hoarse,
Because his body is in the most harmonic state.
Understanding this harmonic state makes you natural,
Understanding the natural way makes your mind clear.
Trying hard to make your life last longer only brings you bad luck,
Trying to be strong-willed against nature only makes you lifeless.
When things become strong, they start to break down,
Which is not in accordance with the DAO.
Not being in accordance with the DAO leads to an early death.
56
People who have knowledge do not talk about it;
people who like to talk about it do not have knowledge.
Shut off your senses, block your desires,
Dull your sharpness, untie your knots with the outside world,
Dim your brightness, and make yourself as low as dust;
This will lead you to the world of the DAO.
Therefore, no one can own the DAO,
No one can cast it away,
No one can benefit it,
No one can hurt it,
No one can make it noble,
No one can make it low;
This is why the DAO is the noblest.
57
When governing a country you must be fair and just;
When fighting a battle, you must use tricks;
When taking over the world, you must practice WUWEI.
How do I know everything in this world? This is how.
The more restrictions the government sets, the more people become poor;
The more people have dangerous weapons, the more the country falls into chaos;
The more people become clever, the more bizarre things happen;
The more severe the law becomes, the more thieves there are.
So the great men said: "If I practice WUWEI, the people will govern themselves;
If I am always peaceful, the people will be upright by themselves;
If I do not initiate things for my own purposes, the people will become rich by themselves;
If I do not have desires, the people will become simple and plain by themselves."
58
When the government is low-key, the people are sturdy and simple;
When the government is harsh, the people are selfish and heartless.
Fortune is followed by disaster,
Disaster is followed by fortune.
Who knows the ultimate outcome of this cycle? No one knows.
The straight can become crooked; the kind can become wicked.
People have not figured out this puzzle for a long time.
So the great men were square but not rigid, self-abstaining but did not hurt people, upright but not blunt, glowing but not blinding.
59
The best thing in life is to be thrifty.
Only when you are thrifty, can you be prepared ahead of time.
Preparing ahead of time allows you to accumulate more DE.
Accumulating more DE allows you to overcome everything.
Overcoming everything allows you to have unmeasurable limits.
Having unmeasurable limits allows you to control a country.
When a country has the DAO, it can last long.
This is how you deepen and secure your roots, live long and last forever.
60
Governing a big country is like carefully cooking a small fish.
When the DAO rules, ghosts will not show their spirits.
Not only will the ghosts not show their spirits, but also the spirits will not hurt people.
Not only will the spirits not hurt people, but also the great men will not hurt people.
When neither the spirits nor the great men hurt people, the DE becomes natural and lasts long.
61
When governing a big country, you should be humble,
Like the lowest point where water meets, or like the females of the world.
Females always overcome males by being peaceful; being peaceful is humble.
Therefore, if a big country humbles itself to a small country, it can lead the small country;
If a small country humbles itself to a big country, it can get help from the big country.
So, humbleness leads either to leading a small country or to getting help from a big country.
A big country always wants to lead a small country,
A small country always wants to get help from a big country;
They can achieve their goals by being humble.
So the big should be humble.
62
The DAO is the protector of everything.
Kind people treat it like a treasure;
Unkind people also seek its protection.
The DAO makes people say nice words, and thus, they are respected.
The DAO makes people do good deeds, and thus, they are greater.
Even for the unkind people, have you ever seen the DAO neglect them?
Therefore, being an emperor or a minister, receiving jade gifts, or being equipped with fast carriers are not as precious as having the DAO.
Why did the ancient people value the DAO?
Did they not say that it is for gaining things and redeeming sins?
So the DAO is the most valuable thing in the world.
63
Treat lack of achievement as the achievement,
treat lack of accomplishment as the accomplishment,
treat lack of flavor as the flavor.
Make the small big, make the less more, return hatred with DE.
Solve problems while they are simple; accomplish big things while they are small.
The most difficult tasks in the world can only be finished if you attack them while they are simple;
The most important things in the world can only be accomplished if you start them while they are small.
Therefore, the great men never started with big things, so they accomplished big things.
Promises made easily have no credibility; if you view everything as easy, you will meet many difficulties.
So, the great men tried to find as many difficulties as possible, so they never had difficulties.
64
When the situation is peaceful, it is easy to control;
when nothing has happened, it is easy to plan;
Brittle things are easily broken, thin things are easily dispersed.
Do things when they have not yet happened, control things when they are not yet out of control.
A full-grown tree began as a sapling;
A nine-story building began with a bucket of dirt;
A thousand-mile trip began with the first step.
If you fiddle with something for your own purposes, you will ruin it;
If you are stubborn, you will fail.
Therefore, the great men practiced WUWEI, so they did not fail anything;
They were not stubborn, so they did not make mistakes.
People often fail at the last step to success.
Be cautious at the end like you are at the beginning; then you will never fail.
Therefore, the great men treated having no desire as their desire, and did not value things that were precious.
They treated not learning as learning, and repaired the mistakes people had made.
They helped everything and made them natural, but did not dare to do things for their own purposes.
65
The ancient people who knew the DAO did not make people smart, but made them simple.
People are not easy to govern when they are too smart.
So, those who govern a country based on smartness are a disaster to the country.
Those who do not govern the country based on smartness are a fortune to the country.
These two ways are the long-lasting policies for governing a country.
Keeping these two policies is called real DE.
Real DE is so deep and far-reaching; it is opposite to what we know today.
However, it will eventually lead to the ultimate harmonic and natural state.
66
The great rivers and oceans can hold the water of all the streams.
Because they are lower, the water flows to them.
Therefore, if you want to be the head of the people, you must first humble yourself;
If you want to lead the people, you must first put yourself behind.
This is why the great men were above the people, but the people did not feel burdened;
They were in front of the people, but the people did not feel harmed.
So, the people were happy to make the great men their leaders, and did not feel tired of them.
Only because the great men did not fight, was there no one who could compete with them.
67
Everyone says my DAO is so great that it does not look like anything.
I say because it is so great, it does not look like anything.
If it were like anything, it would have disappeared long ago.
I have three treasures to keep and protect:
The first is kindness, the second is thrift, and the third is not fighting to be first.
Only if you are kind, can you be brave;
Only if you are thrifty, can you be generous;
Only if you do not fight to be first, can you be a leader.
However, the people today are not kind but brave,
Are not thrifty but generous,
Are not humble but want to be leaders.
These people are destined for failure.
With kindness, when you fight, you will win; when you defend, you will be strong.
If the heavens wants to save someone, it will always give him kindness as his defense.
68
A good general does not look intimidating,
A good fighter does not look fierce,
A good conqueror does not squabble,
A good leader is always humble.
This is the DE of not fighting with people;
This is the strength of using the power of others;
This is the state of being the most harmonic with nature.
69
There is a saying in the military:
"I dare not attack but would rather retreat;
I dare not move forward an inch but would rather move back a foot."
This is called advancing without appearing to advance,
Making a resolution without rolling up your sleeves,
Carrying a weapon without revealing the weapon,
Preparing to fight without showing the preparation.
The biggest disaster is to underestimate the enemy;
Underestimating the enemy will cause you to lose all your armies.
When two fighting armies have similar strength, the side that is sorrowful and cautious will win.
70
My teaching is very easy to understand and very easy to practice.
However, in this world, no one understands it and no one practices it.
Your speech must be based on facts, your actions must follow principles.
Only because people do not understand the DAO, do they not understand me.
Few people know my teaching; even fewer people follow my cause.
Therefore, the great men wore coarse clothing, but hid treasures inside.
71
If you have knowledge, but you feel like you do not have knowledge, this is super.
If you do not have knowledge, but you feel like you have knowledge, this is sick.
The great men were not sick because they knew what the sickness is.
Only when you know what the sickness is, will you not be sick.
72
When the people are not afraid of the ruler, the ruler is in the most danger.
Do not bother the people, do not suppress the people.
Only when you do not suppress the people, will they not be annoyed with you.
So, the great men understood everything but did not let themselves be known.
They valued their lives but did not let themselves be worshipped.
Therefore, keep the former and discard the latter.
73
If you have the courage to be strong, you will fail;
If you have the courage to be weak, you will succeed.
These two courages have completely opposite results.
Who knows why the heavens does not like the strong?
Even the great men found this question difficult to answer.
The law of the heavens never fights but always wins,
Never speaks but always gets a response,
Never calls but always gets an answer,
Moves slowly but has everything arranged perfectly.
The law of the heavens is like a huge net; the net holes are large, but nothing can escape.
74
The people are not afraid of death; what is the purpose of using death to frighten them?
However, if the people are afraid of death, and very few people violate the law, catch and execute these criminals, and who will dare to do it again?
Killing people is the job of the heavens.
If you take over the job of the heavens, it is like carving wood for the carpenter.
If you carve wood for the carpenter, it is rare that you will not hurt your own hand.
75
The people are hungry because the ruler taxes them too heavily, so they are hungry.
The people are difficult to control because the ruler is doing too many useless things, so they are difficult to control.
The people are not afraid of death because the ruler enjoys himself too much, so they are not afraid of death.
The ruler who does not care for his life is superior to the ruler who enjoys his life.
76
When people are alive, they are soft; when dead, they are hard.
When every living thing is alive, it is soft; when dead, it is hard.
So, the strong and hard have no vitality; the soft and weak have vitality.
Therefore, when an army is too strong and rigid, it will be extinguished;
when a tree is too stiff, it will break.
The strong and hard are inferior; the weak and soft are superior.
77
Isn't the law of heavens like using a bow and arrow?
When it is aimed too high, it is lowered; when it is aimed too low, it is raised;
When it is aimed too far, it is loosened; when it is aimed too close, it is tightened.
The law of the heavens is to reduce the wealthy and give to the needy.
But the law of present-day people is just the opposite: they take from the needy to give to the wealthy.
Who can contribute the surplus to the needy?
Only the people who follow the DAO.
So the great men do not do things for themselves and do not claim credit when things are accomplished.
They just do not want to show their goodness.
78
Nothing in this world is softer than water;
However, nothing in this world is more powerful than water in breaking the hardest things,
And nothing in this world can replace water.
Everyone knows this, but no one acts according to it.
So, the great men said:
"Those who can share the humiliation of the country can be the masters of the country;
Those who can share the disasters of the country can be the rulers of the country."
These truthful words sound like nonsense to present-day people.
79
If you have a big feud, no matter how much you make peace, the resentment still lingers.
How can this make you a nice person?
Therefore, the great men did not push and harass people.
Those who have DE do not harass people; those who do not have DE always push and harass people.
The law of the heavens does not practice nepotism; it gives the benefit to the nice people.
80
The most ideal country has little land and few people;
The people have many technologies but do not use them;
They are afraid of death and do not migrate far.
Even though they have boats and carriages, they do not use them;
Even though they have weapons and soldiers, they do not fight battles.
People go back to the ancient ways of life.
They enjoy their own food, admire their own clothes,
Appreciate their own peaceful lives, and love their own traditions.
Even if the people can see neighboring countries and hear the sounds of their cocks and dogs,
Up to their deaths, they never go there.
81
Credible words do not sound pretty, pretty words are not credible.
A nice person is not good at arguing, a person who is good at arguing is not nice.
A person who has real knowledge does not show off,
A person who shows off does not have real knowledge.
Great men do not accumulate things for themselves.
The more they do for others, the more they have,
The more they give to others, the more they get.
The law of the heavens is to benefit everything without harming it,
The law of great men is to do things for the world without fighting for the credit.