by Lao Tzu
bandits and thieves will be no more.”
These three statements
are inadequate as a civilizing doctrine;
Therefore,
Let something be added to them:
Evince the plainness of undyed silk,
Embrace the simplicity of the unhewn log;
Lessen selfishness,
Diminish desires;
Abolish learning
and you will be without worries.
64
(20)
Between “yes sir” and “certainly not!”
how much difference is there?
Between beauty and ugliness,
how great is the distinction?
He whom others fear,
likewise cannot but fear others.
How confusing,
there is no end to it all!
Joyful are the masses,
as though feasting after the great sacrifice of oxen,
or mounting a terrace in spring.
Motionless am I,
without any sign,
as a baby that has yet to gurgle.
How dejected!
as though having nowhere to return.
The masses all have more than enough;
I alone am bereft.
I have the heart of a fool.
How muddled!
The ordinary man is luminously clear,
I alone seem confused.
The ordinary man is searchingly exact,
I alone am vague and uncertain.
How nebulous!
as the ocean;
How blurred!
as though without boundary.
The masses all have a purpose,
I alone am stubborn and uncouth.
I desire to be uniquely different from others
by honoring the mother who nourishes.
65
(21)
The appearance of grand integrity
is that it follows the Way alone.
The Way objectified
is blurred and nebulous.
How nebulous and blurred!
Yet within it there are images.
How blurred and nebulous!
Yet within it there are objects.
How cavernous and dark!
Yet within it there is an essence.
Its essence is quite real;
Within it there are tokens.
From the present back to the past,
Its name has been imperishable.
Through it we conform to the father of the masses.
How do I know what the father of the masses is like?
Through this.
66
(24)
Who is puffed up cannot stand,
Who is self-absorbed has no distinction,
Who is self-revealing does not shine,
Who is self-assertive has no merit,
Who is self-praising does not last long.
As for the Way, we may say these are
“excess provisions and extra baggage.”
Creation abhors such extravagances.
Therefore,
One who aspires to the Way,
does not abide in them.
67
(22)
If it
is bent,
it will be preserved intact;
is crooked,
it will be straightened;
is sunken,
it will be filled;
is worn-out,
it will be renewed;
has little,
it will gain;
has much,
it will be confused.
For these reasons,
The sage holds on to unity
and serves as the shepherd of all under heaven.
He is not self-absorbed,
therefore he shines forth;
He is not self-revealing,
therefore he is distinguished;
He is not self-assertive,
therefore he has merit;
He does not praise himself,
therefore he is long-lasting.
Now,
Simply because he does not compete,
No one can compete with him.
The old saying about the bent being preserved intact
is indeed close to the mark!
Truly, he shall be returned intact.
68
(23)
To be sparing of speech is natural.
A whirlwind does not last the whole morning,
A downpour does not last the whole day.
Who causes them?
If even heaven and earth cannot cause them to persist,
how much less can human beings?
Therefore,
In pursuing his affairs,
a man of the Way identifies with the Way,
a man of integrity identifies with integrity,
a man who fails identifies with failure.
To him who identifies with integrity,
the Way awards integrity;
To him who identifies with failure,
the Way awards failure.
69
(25)
There was something featureless yet complete,
born before heaven and earth;
Silent—amorphous—
it stood alone and unchanging.
We may regard it as the mother of heaven and earth.
Not knowing its name,
I style it the “Way.”
If forced to give it a name,
/> I would call it “great.”
Being great implies flowing ever onward,
Flowing ever onward implies far-reaching,
Far-reaching implies reversal.
The Way is great,
Heaven is great,
Earth is great,
The king, too, is great.
Within the realm there are four greats,
and the king is one among them.
Man
patterns himself on earth,
Earth
patterns itself on heaven,
Heaven
patterns itself on the Way,
The Way
patterns itself on nature.
70
(26)
Heavy is the root of light;
Calm is the ruler of haste.
For these reasons,
The superior man may travel the whole day
without leaving his heavy baggage cart.
Though inside the courtyard walls of a noisy inn,
he placidly rises above it all.
How then should a king with ten thousand chariots
conduct himself lightly before all under heaven?
If he treats himself lightly,
he will lose the taproot;
If he is hasty,
he will lose the rulership.
71
(27)
He who is skilled at traveling
leaves neither tracks nor traces;
He who is skilled at speaking
is flawless in his delivery;
He who is skilled in computation
uses neither tallies nor counters;
He who is skilled at closing things tightly
has neither lock nor key,
but what he closes cannot be opened;
He who is good at binding
has neither cord nor string,
but what he binds cannot be untied.
For these reasons,
The sage
is always skilled at saving others
and does not abandon them,
nor does he abandon resources.
This is called “inner intelligence.”
Therefore,
Good men are teachers for the good man,
Bad men are foils for the good man.
He who values not his teacher
and loves not his foil,
Though he be knowledgeable,
is greatly deluded.
This is called “the wondrous essential.”
72
(28)
Know masculinity,
Maintain femininity,
and be a ravine for all under heaven.
By being a ravine for all under heaven,
Eternal integrity will never desert you.
If eternal integrity never deserts you,
You will return to the state of infancy.
Know you are innocent,
Remain steadfast when insulted,
and be a valley for all under heaven.
By being a valley for all under heaven,
Eternal integrity will suffice.
If eternal integrity suffices,
You will return to the simplicity of the unhewn log.
Know whiteness,
Maintain blackness,
and be a model for all under heaven.
By being a model for all under heaven,
Eternal integrity will not err.
If eternal integrity does not err,
You will return to infinity.
When the unhewn log is sawn apart,
it is made into tools;
When the sage is put to use,
he becomes the chief of officials.
For
Great carving does no cutting.
73
(29)
Of those who wish to take hold of all-under-heaven
and act upon it,
I have seen that they do not succeed.
Now,
All-under-heaven is a sacred vessel,
Not something that can be acted upon;
Who acts upon it will be defeated,
Who grasps it will lose it.
Of creatures,
some march forward, others follow behind;
some are shiveringly silent, others are all puffed up;
some are strong, others are meek;
some pile up, others collapse.
For these reasons,
The sage
rejects extremes,
rejects excess,
rejects extravagance.
74
(30)
One who assists the ruler of men with the Way
does not use force of arms against all under heaven;
Such a course is likely to boomerang.
Where armies have been stationed,
briars and brambles will grow.
A good general fulfills his purpose
and that is all.
He does not use force
to seize for himself.
He fulfills his purpose,
but is not proud;
He fulfills his purpose,
but is not boastful;
He fulfills his purpose,
but does not brag;
He fulfills his purpose
only because he has no other c
hoice.
This is called “fulfilling one’s purpose without using force.”
If something grows old while still in its prime,
This is called “not being in accord with the Way.”
Not being in accord with the Way
leads to an early demise.
75
(31)
Now,
Weapons are instruments of evil omen;
Creation abhors them.
Therefore,
One who aspires to the Way
does not abide in them.
The superior man
at home honors the left,
on the battlefield honors the right.
Therefore,
Weapons are not instruments of the superior man;
Weapons are instruments of evil omen,
to be used only when there is no other choice.
He places placidity above all
and refuses to prettify weapons;
If one prettifies weapons,
this is to delight in the killing of others.
Now,