Tao Te Ching
Verses 50-81
Lao Tzu's 'The Book of the Way' &
How It Manifests Itself in the World
Fifty
The Master gives himself up
to whatever the moment brings.
He knows that he is going to die,
and he has nothing left to hold on to:
no illusions in his mind,
no resistances in his body.
He doesn't think about his actions;
they flow from the core of his being.
He holds nothing back from life;
therefore he is ready for death,
as a man is ready for sleep
after a good day's work.
Fifty One
Every being in the universe
is an expression of the Tao.
It springs into existence,
unconscious, perfect, free,
takes on a physical body,
let's circumstances complete it.
That is why every being
spontaneously honors the Tao.
The Tao gives birth to all beings,
nourishes them, maintains them,
cares for them, comforts them, protects them,
takes them back to itself,
creating without possessing,
acting without expecting,
guiding without interfering.
That is why love of the Tao
is in the very nature of things.
Fifty Two
In the beginning was the Tao,
All things issue from it;
all things return to it.
To find the origin,
trace back the manifestations.
When you recognize the children
and find the mother,
you will be free of sorrow.
If you close your mind in judgments
and traffic with desires,
your heart will be troubled.
If you keep your mind from judging
and aren't led by the senses,
your heart will find peace.
Seeing into darkness is clarity.
Knowing how to yield is strength.
Use your own light
and return to the source of light.
This is called practicing eternity.
Fifty Three
The great Way is easy,
yet people prefer the side paths.
Be aware when things are out of balance.
Stay centered within the Tao.
When rich speculators prosper
while farmers lose their land;
when government officials spend money
on weapons instead of cures;
when the upper class is extravagant and
irresponsible
while the poor have nowhere to turn -
all this is robbery and chaos.
It is not keeping with the Tao.
Fifty Four
Whoever is planted in the Tao
will not be rooted up.
Whoever embraces the Tao
will not slip away.
Her name will be held in honor
from generation to generation.
Let the Tao be present in your life
and you will become genuine.
Let it be present in your family
and your family will flourish.
Let it be present in your country
and your country will be an example
to all countries in the world.
Let it be present in the universe
and the universe will sing.
How do I know this true?
By looking inside myself.
Fifty Five
She who is filled with goodness
is like a newborn child:
wasps and snakes will not bite it,
fierce beasts will not attack it,
birds of prey will not pounce on it.
Its bones are soft and its muscles weak.
but its grip is firm.
It hasn't yet known the union of male and female,
yet its organ stirs with vitality.
It can howl all day without becoming hoarse,
so perfect is its harmony.
To know harmony is to know the eternal.
To know the eternal is to be illuminated.
Prolonging life is not harmonious.
Coercing the breath is unnatural.
Things that are overdeveloped must decay.
All this is contrary to Tao, and whatever
is contrary to Tao soon ceases to be.
Fifty Six
Those who know don't talk.
Those who talk don't know.
Close your mouth.
Block the door.
Quiet your senses.
Blunt the sharpness.
Untie the tangles.
Soften the brightness.
Be one with the dust,
and enter the primal oneness.
One who has merged with Tao in this way
can't be courted,
can't be bought,
can't be harmed,
can't be honored,
can't be humiliated.
He is the treasure of the world.
Fifty Seven
Govern a nation by following nature.
Fight a war with unexpected moves.
Win the world by letting go.
How do I know this? From seeing these:
The more prohibitions there are,
the poorer people become.
The more weapons there are,
the darker things become.
The more cunning and cleverness there is,
the crazier things become.
The more laws there are,
the greater the number of scoundrels.
Therefore the sage says:
I take no action,
and people transform themselves.
I love tranquility,
and people naturally do what is right.
I don't interfere,
and people prosper on their own.
I have no desires,
and people return to simplicity.
Fifty Eight
When the government is dull and sleepy,
people are wholesome and good.
When the government is sharp and exacting,
people are cunning and mean.
Good rests on bad.
Bad hides within good.
Who knows where the turning point is?
Whether government or person,
If you aren't tranquil and honest,
the normal flips to the abnormal,
the auspicious reverts to the bizarre,
and your bewilderment lasts for a long time.
Therefore the sage does what is right
without acting righteous,
points without piercing,
straightens without straining,
enlightens without dazzling.
Fifty Nine
In governing people and serving heaven,
there is nothing better than moderation.
To be moderate is to follow Tao without straying.
To follow Tao without straying is to
become filled with good energy.
To become filled with good energy is to overcome all things.
To overcome all things is to know that
all things are possible.
She who knows that all things are possible
is fit to govern people.
Because she is one with the mother,
her roots go deep,
her foundation stands firm,
her life lasts long,
her vision endures.
Sixty
Governing a large country
is like frying a small fish.
You spoil it with too much poking.
Center your country in the Tao
and evil will have no power.
Not that it isn't there,
but you'll be able to step out of its way.
Give evil nothing to oppose
and it will disappear by itself.
Sixty One
When a country obtains great power,
it becomes like the sea:
all streams run downward into it.
The more powerful it grows,
the greater the need for humility.
Humility means trusting the Tao,
thus never needing to be defensive.
A great nation is like a great man:
When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.
Having realized it, he admits it.
Having admitted it, he corrects it.
He considers those who point out his faults
as his most benevolent teachers.
He thinks of his enemy
as the shadow that he himself casts.
If a nation is created in the Tao,
if it nourishes its own people
and doesn't meddle in the affairs of others,
it will be a light to all nations in the world.
Sixty Two
The Tao is the center of the universe,
the good man's treasure,
the bad man's refuge.
Honors can be bought with fine words,
respect can be won with good deeds,
but the Tao is beyond all value,
and no one can achieve it.
Thus, when a new leader is chosen,
don't offer to help him
with your wealth or your expertise.
Offer instead
to teach him about the Tao.
Why did the ancient Masters esteem the Tao?
Because, being one with the Tao
when you seek, you find,
and when you make a mistake, you are forgiven.
That is why everybody loves it.
Sixty Three
Act without doing;
work without effort.
Think of the small as large
and the few as many.
Confront the difficult
while it is still easy;
accomplish the great task
by a series of small acts.
The Master never reaches for the great;
thus she achieves greatness.
When she runs into a difficulty,
she stops and gives herself to it.
She doesn't cling to her own comfort;
thus problems are no problem for her.
Sixty Four
What is rooted is easy to nourish.
What is recent is easy to correct.
What is brittle is easy to break.
What is small is easy to scatter.
Prevent trouble before it arises.
Put things in order before they exist.
The giant pine tree
grows from a tiny sprout.
The journey of a thousand miles
starts from beneath your feet.
Rushing into action, you fail.
Trying to grasp things, you lose them.
Forcing a project to completion,
you ruin what was almost ripe.
Therefore the Master takes action
by letting things take their course.
He remains as calm
at the end as at the beginning.
He has nothing,
thus has nothing to lose.
What he desires is non-desire.
What he learns is to unlearn.
He simply reminds people
of who they have always been.
He cares about nothing but the Tao.
Thus he can care for all things.
Sixty Five
In ancient times those who practiced Tao
didn't want to enlighten people,
but to keep them natural and simple.
When cleverness and intellect abound,
people don't do well.
A leader who governs with cleverness
cheats his people.
A leader who governs with simplicity
is a blessing to his people.
These are the two alternatives.
Understanding them is subtle insight.
The use of subtle insight brings
all things back into the oneness.
Sixty Six
The sea is king of the valleys and streams
because it is willing to be beneath them.
One who wishes to guide the people
should be humble in her speech toward them.
One who wishes to lead the people
must learn the art of following them.
The sage is above the people,
but they don't feel her weight.
She stays ahead of the people,
and no harm comes to them.
She has the affection of the whole world.
Because she contends with no one,
no one can contend with her.
Sixty Seven
Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.
Sixty Eight
A good general doesn't show off his power.
A good warrior doesn't get angry.
A good conqueror doesn't attack people.
A good employer puts himself below his employees.
This is called the power of noncontention.
This is called using the strength of others.
This is called perfect emulation of heaven.
Sixty Nine
In conflict it is better to be receptive
than aggressive, better to retreat a foot
than advance an inch.
This is called moving ahead without advancing,
capturing the enemy without attacking him.
There is no greater misfortune than
underestimating your opponent.
To underestimate your opponent is to
forsake your three treasures.
When your forces are engaged in conflict,
the one who fights with sorrow will triumph.
Seventy
My teachings are easy to understand,
and easy to put into practice.
Yet your intellect will never grasp them,
and if you try to practice them, you'll fail.
My teachings are older than the world.
How can you grasp their meaning?
If you want to know me,
look inside your heart.
Seventy One
Not-knowing is true knowledge.
Presuming to know is a disease.
First realize that you are sick;
then you can move toward health.
The Master is her own physician.
She has healed herself of all knowing.
Thus she is truly whole.
Seventy Two (twice for comparison)
If people fear your power,
then you don't really have any.
Leave them alone in their homes.
Respect them in their lives,
and they won't grow weary of you.
The sage knows herself,
but doesn't dwell on herself;
Loves herself, but no more than
she loves everyone else.
She adopts the concerns of heaven
as her own.
Seventy Two
When they lose their sense of awe,
people turn to religion.
When they no longer trust themselves,
they begin to depend upon authority.
Therefore the Master steps back
so that people won't be confused.
He teaches without a teaching,
so that people will have nothing to learn.
Seventy Three
The Tao is always at ease.
It overcomes without competing,
answering without speaking a word,
arrives without being summoned,
accomplishes without a plan.
Its net covers the whole universe.
And though its meshes are wide,
it doesn't let a thing slip through.
Seventy Three (again for comparison)
Those who are courageous out of daring are killed.
Those who are courageous out of love survive.
The first is harmful, the second beneficial.
Heaven prohibits some things,
but who knows the reason?
Not even the sage knows the answer to this.
This is the way of heaven:
It doesn't contend, but easily overcomes.
it doesn't speak, but always responds.
It can't be summoned, but comes of its own volition.
Utterly without haste, it plans for everything.
The net of heaven is vast.
Though its meshes are wide,
nothing slips through.
Seventy Four
If people don't love life,
they won't fear death,
and threatening them with it won't work.
if people have lives worth living,
then the threat of death is meaningful,
and they'll do what is right to avoid it.
But killing itself should be the province of the great executioner alone.
Trying to take his place and kill
is like cutting wood in the place
of the master carpenter:
The odds are that you'll hurt your own hand.
Seventy Five
When taxes are too high,
people go hungry.
When the government is too intrusive,
people lose their spirit.
Act for the people's benefit.
Trust them; leave them alone.
Seventy Six
At birth a person is soft and yielding,
at death stiff and hard.
All beings, the grass, the trees:
alive, soft, and yielding;
dead, stiff, and hard.
Therefore the hard and inflexible
are friends of death.
The soft and yielding
are friends of life.
An unyielding army is destroyed.
An unbending tree breaks.
The hard must humble itself
or be otherwise humbled.
The soft will ultimately ascend.
Seventy Seven
The way of heaven is like the bending
of a bow.
What is high up gets pulled down.
What is low down gets pulled up.
Heaven takes from what has too much and
gives to what doesn't have enough.
Man is different:
he takes from those who have too little
and gives to those who have too much.
Who has genuine abundance to give to the world?
Only a person of the Tao.
He acts without expectation,
accomplishes without taking credit,
and has no desire to display his merit.
Seventy Eight
Nothing under heaven is as
soft and yielding as water.
Yet for attacking the hard and strong,
nothing can compare with it.
The weak overcomes the strong.
The soft overcomes the hard.
Everyone knows this, but none
have the ability to practice it.
Therefore the sage says:
One who accepts the dung of the nation
becomes the master of soil and sustenance.
One who deals with the evils of the nation
become king under heaven.
True words seem paradoxical.
Seventy Nine
Failure is an opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end to the blame.
Therefore the Master
fulfills her obligations
and corrects her own mistakes.
She does what she needs to do
and demands nothing of others.
Eighty
If a country is governed wisely,
its inhabitants will be content.
They enjoy the labor of their hands
and don 't waste time inventing
labor-saving machines.
Since they dearly love their homes,
they aren't interested in travel.
There may be a few wagons and boats,
but they don't go anywhere.
There may be an arsenal of weapons,
but nobody ever uses them.
People enjoy their food,
take pleasure in being with their families,
spend weekends working in their gardens,
delight in the doings of the neighborhood.
And even though the next country is so close that people can hear its roosters crowing and its dogs barking,
they are content to die of old age
without ever having gone to see it.
Eighty One
True words aren't eloquent;
eloquent words aren't true.
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
men who need to prove their point aren't wise.
The Master has no possessions.
The more he does for others,
the happier he is.
The more he gives to others,
the wealthier he is.
The Tao nourishes by not forcing.
By not dominating, the Master leads.
