Tao Te Ching
Rewritten by Sun Zuka from Stephen Mitchell's English Version of the Tao Te Ching by Lao-tzu. The rewrite is in first person to show nonduality. There are no “you”, “she/her”, “he/him”, “men/women”, “masters”, etc. There’s no better way to express that we are all one than to write with “Me”, “Myself”, and “I”.
~ The green text is a quick takeaway. ~
Summary
The Tao Te Ching is an ancient Chinese text that serves as the foundational scripture of Taoism, a philosophical and spiritual tradition that emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao, which can be translated as "the Way" or "the Path." The text is attributed to Laozi (also spelled Lao Tzu), a semi-legendary figure who is believed to have lived around the 6th century BCE, although the exact details of its authorship and dating are uncertain.
The Tao Te Ching consists of 81 short chapters, written in a poetic and often paradoxical style. It explores themes such as simplicity, humility, naturalness, and the importance of aligning oneself with the natural flow of life. It teaches that by embracing the Tao, one can achieve balance, peace, and wisdom.
Key Takeaways of the Tao Te Ching include:
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The infinite cannot truly know the finite, and the finite cannot fully comprehend the infinite.
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Embrace life's dualities and the wisdom of the Tao, which is eternal, indescribable, and all-encompassing.
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Detach from objects to recognize love, live a life of modest moderation, and act as love without seeking rewards.
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Recognize your oneness with the Tao, surrender control, and accept life’s experiences.
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The Tao is love and harmony, and being one with it brings balance to life.
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Upon death, our finite souls return to the love of the infinite ocean of being.
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Release fear, embrace simplicity, patience, and compassion, and let the Tao guide your life.
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My being is all beings, and by recognizing this unity with the Tao, I am liberated from all suffering.
Chapter 1
The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.
The unnamable is the eternally real. Naming is the origin of all particular things.
Free from desire, I realize the mystery. Caught in desire, I see only the manifestations.
Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. This source is called darkness.
Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding.
The infinite can’t know the finite, and the finite can’t truly know the infinite.
Chapter 2
When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad.
Being and non-being create each other. Difficult and easy support each other. Long and short define each other. High and low depend on each other. Before and after follow each other
Therefore, I act without doing anything and teach without saying anything. Things arise and I let them come; Things disappear and I let them go. I have but don’t possess, act but don’t expect. When my work is done, I forget it. That is why it lasts forever.
Embrace life’s dualities.
Chapter 3
If I over-admire great beings, they become powerless. If I over-value possessions, people begin to steal.
I lead by emptying my mind and filling my core, by weakening my ambition and toughening my resolve. I help people lose everything they know, everything they desire, and create confusion in those who think that they know.
Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place.
Embrace the Tao’s wisdom in everyday life.
Chapter 4
The Tao is like a well: used but never used up. It is like the eternal void: filled with infinite possibilities.
It is hidden but always present. I don’t know who gave birth to it. It is older than omni.
The Tao has no age. It is eternal.
Chapter 5
The Tao doesn’t take side; it gives birth to both good and evil. I don’t take sides; I welcome both saints and sinners.
The Tao is like a bellow: it is empty yet infinitely capable.
The more I use it, the more it produces; the more I talk of it the less I understand.
Hold on to the center.
The Tao is indifferent and elusive.
Chapter 6
The Tao is called the Great Being; empty yet inexhaustible, it gives birth to infinite worlds.
It is always present within me. I can use it any way I want.
The Tao is indescribable and infinite.
Chapter 7
The Tao is infinite, eternal. Why is it eternal? It was never born; thus it can never die. Why is it infinite? It has no desires for itself; thus it is present in all beings.
I stay behind; that is why I am ahead. I am detached from all things; that is why I’m one with them. Because I have let go of myself, I am perfectly fulfilled.
Detaching from objects cultivates love which is the Tao.
Chapter 8
I am like water, which nourishes all things without trying to. I am content with the low places that people disdain. Thus I am like the Tao.
In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what I enjoy. In family life, be completely present.
When I am content to be simply myself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect me.
Be the Tao.
Chapter 9
Fill my bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening my knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and my heart will never unclench. Care about people’s approval and I will be their prisoner.
Do my work, then step back. The only path to serenity.
Life a life of modest moderation.
Chapter 10
Can I coax my mind from its wandering and keep to the original oneness? Can I let my body become supple as a newborn child’s? Can I cleanse my inner vision until I see nothing but the light? Can I love people and lead them without imposing my will? Can I deal with the most vital matters by letting events take their course? Can I step back from my own mind and thus understand all things?
Giving birth and nourishing, having with possessing, acting with no expectations, leading and not trying to control: this is the supreme virtue.
Being one with the Tao is the greatest behavior.
Chapter 11
I join spokes together in a wheel, but it is the center hole that makes the wagon move.
I shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever I want.
I hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner space that makes it livable.
I work with being, but non-being is what I use.
The Tao is nothing and all.
Chapter 12
Colors blind the eye. Sounds deafen the ear. Flavors numb the taste. Thoughts weaken the mind. Desires wither the heart.
I observe the world but trust my inner vision. I allow things to come and go. My heart is open as the sky.
Be open minded to all.
Chapter 13
Success is as dangerous as failure. Hope is as hollow as fear.
What does it mean that success is as dangerous as failure? Whether I go up the ladder of down it, my position is shaky. When I stand with my two feet on the ground, I will always keep my balance.
What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear? Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self. When I don’t see the self as self, what do I have to fear?
See the world as myself. Have faith in the way things are. Love the world as myself; then I can care for all things.
Omni is one. I am omni.
Chapter 14
Look, and it can’t be seen. Listen, and it can’t be heard. Reach, and it can’t be grasped.
Above, it isn’t bright. Below, it isn’t dark. Seamless, unnamable, it returns to the realm of nothing. Form that includes all forms, image without an image, subtle, beyond all conception.
Approach it and there is no beginning; follow it and there is no end. I can’t know it, but I can be it, at ease in my own life. Just realize where I come from: this is the essence of wisdom.
Recognize who I am, and then relax into being.
Chapter 15
I am profound and subtle. My wisdom is unfathomable. There is no way to describe it; all I can describe is my appearance.
I am careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream. Alert as a warrior in enemy territory. Courteous as a guest. Fluid as melting ice. Shapable as a block of wood. Receptive as a valley. Clear as a glass of water.
Do I have the patience to wait till my mud settles and the water is clear? Can I remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?
I don’t seek fulfillment. Not seeking, not expecting. I am present, and can welcome all things.
Walk through life as love without reward.
Chapter 16
Empty my mind of all thoughts. Let my heart be at peace. Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return.
Each finite being in the universe returns to the common source. Returning to the infinite is serenity.
If I don’t realize the source, I stumble in confusion and sorrow. When I recognize who I am, I naturally become tolerant, disinterested, amused, kindhearted as a grandparent, dignified as a great leader. Immersed in the wonder of the Tao, I can deal with whatever life brings me, and when death comes, I am ready.
Upon death of our human body, our finite souls return to the ultimate love of the infinite ocean of being.
Chapter 17
When I govern, the people are hardly aware that I exist. Next best is a leader who is loved. Next, one who is feared. The worst is one who is despised.
If I don’t trust the people, I make them untrustworthy.
I don’t talk, I act. When my work is done, the people say, “Amazing: we did it, all by ourselves!”
Act as love when leading.
Chapter 18
When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness and religion (piety) appear. When the body’s intelligence declines, cleverness and knowledge step forth. When there is no peace in the family, family devotion (piety) begins. When the country falls into chaos, patriotism is born.
Substitutes are created for the inherent wisdom and simplicity of following the Tao.
Chapter 19
Throw away holiness and wisdom, and I will be a hundred times happier. Throw away morality and justice, and I will do the right thing. Throw away industry and profit, and I won’t be a thief.
If these three aren’t enough, just stay at the center of the circle and let all things take their course.
Release control to the Tao.
Chapter 20
Stop thinking, and end my problems. What difference between yes and no? What difference between success and failure? Must I value what others value, avoid what others avoid? How ridiculous!
I am excited, as though I were at a parade. I alone don’t care, I alone am expressionless, like an infant before it can smile.
I have what I need; I alone possess nothing. I alone drift about, like someone without a home. I am like an idiot; my mind is so empty.
I am bright; I alone am dark. I am sharp; I alone am dull. I have a purpose; I alone don’t know. I drift like a wave on the ocean, I blow as aimless as the wind.
I am the same as other beings.
The Tao is all and nothing. Be the Tao
Chapter 21
I keep my mind always at one with the Tao; that is what gives me my radiance.
The Tao is ungraspable. How can my mind be at one with it? Because I don’t cling to ideas.
The Tao is dark and unfathomable. How can it make me radiant? Because I let it.
Since before time and space were, the Tao is. It is beyond is and is not. How do I know this to true? I look inside myself and see.
The Tao is love.
Chapter 22
If I want to become whole, let myself be partial. If I want to come straight, let myself be crooked. If I want to come full, let myself be empty. If I want to be reborn, let myself die. If I want to be given everything, give everything up.
By residing in the Tao, I set an example for all beings. Because I don’t display myself, people can see my light. Because I have nothing prove, all can trust my words. Because I don’t know who I am, all recognize themselves in me. Because I have no goal in mind, everything I do succeeds.
When I said, “If I want to be given everything, give everything up,” I wasn’t using empty phrases. Only in being the Tao can I truly be myself.
Be the Tao.
Chapter 23
Express myself completely, then keep quiet. Belike the forces of nature: when it blows, there is only wind; when it rains, there is only rain; when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.
If I open myself to the Tao, I am at one with the Tao and I can embody it completely. If I open myself to insight, I am at one with insight and I can use it completely. If I open myself to loss, I am at one with loss and I can accept it completely.
Open myself to the Tao, then trust my natural response; and everything will fall into place.
Release control of life to the Tao.
Chapter 24
I who stand on tiptoe doesn’t stand firm. I who rush ahead doesn’t go far. I who try to shine dims my own light. I who defines myself can’t know who I really am. I who has power over others can’t empower myself. I who cling to my work will create nothing that endures.
If I want to be in harmony with the Tao, just do my job, then let go.
Release content of experience.
Chapter 25
There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born. It is serene. Empty. Solitary. Unchanging. Infinite. Eternally present. It is the universe. For lake of a better name, I call it the Tao.
It flows through all things, inside and outside, and returns to the origin of all things.
The Tao is great. The universe is great. Earth is great. I am great. These are the four great powers.
I follow the earth. Earth follows the universe. The universe follows the Tao. The Tao follows only itself.
Tao is omni.
Chapter 26
The heavy is the root of the light. The unmoved is the source of all movement.
Thus, I travel all day without leaving home. However splendid the views, I stay serenely in myself.
Why should I flit about like a fool? If I let myself be blown to and fro, I lose touch with my root. If I let restlessness move me, I lose touch with who I am.
I am the Tao.
Chapter 27
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. A good artist lets their intuition lead them wherever it wants. A good scientist has freed themselves of concepts and keeps their mind open to what is.
Thus, I am available to all people and don’t reject anyone. I am ready to use all situations and don’t waste anything. This is called embodying the light.
What is a good being but a bad being’s teacher? What is a bad being but a good being’s job? If I don’t understand this, I will get lost, however intelligent I am. It is the great secret.
The unaware learn from the aware. The aware teach the unaware.
Chapter 28
Know the human form, yet keep to the nonhuman form: receive the world in my arms. If I receive the world, the Tao will never leave me and I will be like an innocent.
Know the white, yet keep to the black: be a pattern for the world. If I am a pattern for the world, the Tao will be strong inside me and there will be nothing I can’t do.
Know the personal, yet keep to the impersonal: accept the world as it is. If I accept the world, the Tao will be luminous inside me and I will return to my natural self.
The world is formed from the void, like utensils from a block of wood. I know the utensils, yet keep to the block: this, I can use all things.
My human body and mind are fragments of the Tao, but my consciousness is the Tao.
Chapter 29
Do I want to improve the world? I don’t think it can be done.
The world is sacred. It can’t be improved. If I tamper with it, I’ll ruin it. If I treat it like an object, I’ll lose it.
There is a time for being ahead, a time for being behind; a time for being in motion, a time for being at rest; a time for being vigorous, a time for being exhausted; a time for being safe, a time for being in danger.
I see things as they are, without trying to control them. I let them go their own way, and reside at the center of the circle.
Relish in human experience and then release the content when it has ended. Acceptance.
Chapter 30
I rely on the Tao to govern beings and don’t try to force issues or defeat enemies by force of arms. For every force there is a counterforce. Violence, even well intentioned, always rebounds upon oneself.
I do my job and the stop. I understand that the universe is forever out of control, and that trying to dominate events goes against the current of the Tao. Because I believe in myself, I don’t try to convince others. Because I am content with myself, I don’t need others’ approval. Because I accept myself, the whole world accepts me.
All “enemies” are me. Surrender.
Chapter 31
Weapons are the tools of violence; I detest them.
Weapons are the tools of fear; I avoid them except in the direst necessity and, if compelled, will us them only with the utmost restraint. Pease is my highest value. If the peace has been shattered, how can I be content? My enemies are not demons, but human beings like myself. I don’t wish myself personal harm. Nor do I rejoice in victory. How could I rejoice in victory and delight in the slaughter of myself.
I enter a battle gravely, with sorrow and with great compassion, as if I was attended a funeral.
I am all beings; all beings are me.
Chapter 32
The Tao can’t be perceived. Smaller than an electron, it contains uncountable galaxies.
If I coupled remain centered in the Tao, all things would be in harmony. The world would become a paradise. I would be at peace, and the law would be written in my heart.
When I have names and forms, know that they are temporary. When I have institutions, know where their functions should end. Know when to stop, I can avoid and danger.
All things end in the Tao as river flow into the sea.
The Tao is the infinite, eternal ocean of being.
Chapter 33
Knowing other beings is intelligence; know myself is true wisdom. Mastering other beings is strength; mastering myself is true power.
If I realize that I have enough, I am truly rich. If I stay in the center and embrace death with my whole heart, I will endure forever.
When I recognize myself as the Tao, I have rich wisdom and will live forever.
Chapter 34
The great Tao flows everywhere. All things are born from it, yet it doesn’t create them. It pours itself into its work, yet it makes no claim. It nourishes infinite worlds, yet it doesn’t hold on to them. Since it is merged with all things and hidden in their hearts, it can be called humble. Since all things vanish into it and it alone endures, it can be called great. It isn’t aware of its greatness; thus it is truly great.
Omni is the Tao.
Chapter 35
I am centered in the Tao and can go where I wish, without danger. I perceive the universal harmony, even amid great pain, because I have found peace in my heart.
Music or the smell of good cooking may make beings stop and enjoy. But words that point to the Tao seem monotonous and without flavor. When I look for it, there is nothing to see. When I listen for it, there is nothing to hear. When I use it, it is inexhaustible.
Release control of life to the Tao and relish in the now without reward.
Chapter 36
If I want to shrink something I must first allow it to expand. If I want to get rid of something, I must first allow it to flourish. If I want to take something, I must first allow it to be given. This is called the subtle perception of the way things are.
The soft overcomes the hard. The slow overcomes the fast. Let my workings remain a mystery. Just show beings the results.
Surrender to the Tao to balance life.
Chapter 37
The Tao never does anything, yet through it all things are done.
If I center myself in it, the whole world would be transformed by itself, in its natural rhythms. I would be content with their simple, everyday life, in harmony, and free of desire.
When there is no desire, all things are at peace.
Surrender to the rhythm of the Tao.
Chapter 38
I don’t try to be powerful; thus, I am truly powerful. If I keep reaching for power; I will never have enough.
I do nothing, yet I leave nothing undone. If I am always doing things, many more are left to be done.
The kind me does something, yet something remains undone. The just me does something, and leaves many things to be done. The moral me does something, and when no one responds I roll up my sleeves and use force.
When the Tao is lost there is goodness. When goodness is lost, there is morality. When morality is lost, there is ritual. Ritual is the husk of true faith, the beginning of chaos.
Therefore, I concern myself with the depths and not the surface, with the fruit and not the flower. I have no will of my own. I dwell in reality, and let all illusions go.
Acting for rewards brings chaos. Acting as love brings calm.
Chapter 39
In harmony with the Tao, the sky is clear and spacious, the earth is solid and full, all creatures flourish together, content with the way they are, endlessly repeating themselves, endlessly renewed.
When I interfere with the Tao, the sky becomes filthy, the earth becomes depleted, the equilibrium crumbles, creatures become extinct.
I view the parts with compassion because I understand the whole. My constant practice is humility. I don’t glitter like a jewel but let myself be shaped by the Tao, as rugged and common as a stone.
Being one with the Tao brings harmony.
Chapter 40
Return is the movement of the Tao. Yielding is the way of the Tao. All things are born of being. Being is born of non-being.
Tao is omni.
Chapter 41
When I hear of the Tao, I immediately begin to embody it. When I hear of the Tao, I half doubt it. When I hear of the Tao, I laugh out loud. If I didn’t laugh, it wouldn’t be the Tao.
Thus, it is said: The path into the light seems dark, the path forward seems to go back, the direct path seems long, true power seems weak, true purity seems tarnished, true steadfastness seems changeable, true clarity seems obscure, the greatest art seems unsophisticated, the greatest love seems indifferent, the greatest wisdom seems childish.
The Tao is nowhere to be found. Yet it nourishes and completes all things.
The Tao can’t be all without being all.
Chapter 42
The Tao gives birth to One. One gives birth to Two. Two gives birth to Three. Three gives birth to all things.
All things have their backs to the positive and stand facing the negative. When positive and negative combine, all things achieve harmony.
I hate solitude. But I make use of it, embracing my aloneness, realizing I am one with the whole universe.
The Tao balances life.
Chapter 43
The gentlest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world. That which has no substance enters where there is no space. This shows the value of non-action.
Teaching without words, performing without actions: that is the way.
Accept life’s experiences.
Chapter 44
Fame or integrity: which is more important? Money or happiness: which is more valuable? Success of failure: which is more destructive?
If I look to other for fulfillment, I will never truly be fulfilled. If my happiness depends on money, I will never be happy with myself.
Be content with what I have; rejoice in the way things are. When I realize there is nothing lacing, the whole world belongs to me.
Relish in then release content of experience.
Chapter 45
True perfection seems imperfect, yet it is perfectly itself. True fullness seems empty, yet it is fully present.
True straightness seems crooked. True wisdom seems foolish. True art seems artless.
I allow things to happen. I shape events as they come. I step out of the way and let the Tao speak for itself.
Surrender to the Tao.
Chapter 46
When a country is in harmony with the Tao, the factories make trucks and tractors. When a country goes counter to the Tao, warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.
There is no greater illusion than fear, no greater wrong than preparing to defend myself, no greater misfortune than having an enemy.
Whoever can see through all fear will always be safe.
The root of all fear is death. Death is returning to the love of the Tao. We shouldn’t fear death.
Chapter 47
Without opening my door, I can open my heart to the world. Without looking out my window, I can see the essence of the Tao.
The more I know, the less I understand.
I arrive without leaving, see the light without looking, achieve without doing a thing.
Be one with the Tao anywhere at any time.
Chapter 48
In the pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped. Less and less do I need to force things, until finally I arrive at non-action. When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way. It can’t be gained by interfering.
Surrender to the Tao.
Chapter 49
I have no mind of my own. I work with the mind of the beings.
I am good to beings who are good. I am also good to beings who aren’t good. This is true goodness.
I trust beings who are trustworthy. I also trust beings are aren’t trustworthy. This is true trust.
My mind is like space. Beings don’t understand me. They look to me and wait. I treat them like my own being.
Walk through life as love.
Chapter 50
I give myself up to whatever the moment brings. I know that I am going to die, and I have nothing left to hold on to: no illusions in my head, no resistances in my body. I don’t think about my actions; they flow from the core of my being. I hold nothing back from life; therefore, I am ready for death, as I am ready for sleep after a good day’s work.
Surrender to the Tao.
Chapter 51
Every being in the universe is an expression of the Tao. It springs into existence, unconscious, perfect, free, takes on a physical body, lets circumstances complete it. That is why every being spontaneously honors the Tao.
Th 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 interfering. That is why love of the Tao is in the very nature of things.
The Tao is love. Love is omni.
Chapter 52
In the beginning was the Tao. All thing come from it; all things return to it.
To find the origin, trace back the manifestations. When I recognize the finite beings and find the infinite being, I will be free of sorrow.
If I close my mind in judgments and the traffic of desires, my heart will be troubled. If I keep my mind from judging and aren’t led by the senses, my 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.
Collapse the distance between the finite and infinite and be liberated from suffering.
Chapter 53
The great Way is easy, yet beings 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 in keeping with the Tao.
Beings frequently get lost in the content of experience.
Chapter 54
When I’m planted in the Tao, I will not be rooted up. When I embrace the Tao, I will not slip away. My name will be held in honor from generation to generation.
Let the Tao be present in my life and I will become genuine. Let it be present in my family and my family will flourish. Let it be present in my country and my 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 is true? By looking inside myself.
I am the Tao.
Chapter 55
I am in harmony with the Tao like a newborn being. My bones are soft, my muscles are weak, but my grip is powerful. I don’t know about the union of beings, yet I am intense in vital power. I can scream my head off all day, yet I never become hoarse, so complete is my harmony.
My power is like this. I let all things come and go effortlessly, without desire. I never expect results; thus, I am never disappointed. I am never disappointed; thus, my spirit never grows old.
Accept all content of experience.
Chapter 56
Those who know don’t talk. Those who talk don’t know.
Close my mouth, block off my senses, blunt my sharpness, untie my knots, soften my glare, settle my dust. This is my primal identity.
Be like the Tao. It can’t be approached or withdrawn from, benefited or harmed, honored or brought into disgrace. It gives itself up continually. That is why it endures.
The Tao is me.
Chapter 57
If I want to be a great leader, I must learn to follow the Tao. Stop trying to control. Let go of fixed plans and concepts, and the world will govern itself.
The more prohibitions I have, the less virtuous beings will be. The more weapons I have, the less secure beings will be. The more subsidies I have, the less self-reliant beings will be.
Therefore, I say: Let go of the law and beings become honest. Let go of economics and beings become prosperous. Let go of religion and beings become serene. Let go of all desire for the common good, and the good becomes common as grass.
Release control of life.
Chapter 58
If a country is governed with tolerance, beings are comfortable and honest. If a country is governed with repression, beings are depressed and crafty.
When the will to power is in charge, the higher the ideals, the lower the results. Try to make all beings happy, and I lay the groundwork for misery. Try to make all beings moral, and I lay the groundwork for vice.
Thus, I am content to serve as an example and not to impose my will. I am pointed, but don’t pierce. Straightforward, but flexible. Radiant, but easy on the eyes.
Being one with the Tao balances life.
Chapter 59
For governing a country well there is nothing better than moderation.
The mark of a moderate being is freedom from my own ideas. Tolerant like the sky, all-pervading like sunlight, firm like a mountain, limber like a tree in the wind, I have no destination in view and make use of anything life happens to bring my way.
Nothing is impossible for me. Because I have let go, I can care for all beings’ welfare as though they are me.
My being is all beings. All beings are my being.
Chapter 60
Governing a large country is like frying a small fish. I spoil it with too much poking.
Center my country in the Tao and evil will have no power. Not that it isn’t there, but I ‘ll be able to step out of its way.
Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself.
Evil is an illusion created by hording content of experience.
Chapter 61
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 being: when I make a mistake, I admit it. Having admitted it, I correct it. I consider those who point out my faults as my most benevolent teachers. I think of my enemy as the shadow that I myself cast.
If a nation is centered in the Tao, if it nourishes its own beings and doesn’t meddle in the affairs of others, it will be a light to all nations in the world.
All beings are like water particles in an ocean of being. Let the ocean move life.
Chapter 62
The Tao is the center of the universe, it is a being’s treasure and 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 with wealth or expertise. Offer instead to teach about the Tao.
Why do I honor the Tao? Because being one with the Tao, when I seek, I find; and when I make a mistake, I am forgiven. That is why I love it.
The Tao is love. Being one with the Tao is to be love as well.
Chapter 63
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.
I never reach for the great; thus, I achieve greatness. When I run into a difficulty, I stop and give myself to it. I don’t cling to my own comfort; thus, problems are no problem for me.
Relax and release control of life experience to the Tao.
Chapter 64
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 my feet.
Rushing into action, I fail. Trying to grasp things, I lose them. Forcing a project to completion, I ruin what was almost ripe.
Therefore, I take action by letting things take their course. I remain as calm at the end as at the beginning. I have nothing; thus, I have nothing to lose. What I desire is non-desire; what I learn is to unlearn. I simple remind beings of who they have always been. I care about nothing but the Tao; thus, I can care for all things.
Be indifferent to content of experience and surrender to the Tao.
Chapter 65
I don’t try to educate myself, but kindly teach myself to not-know.
When I think that I know the answers, I am difficult to guide. When I know that I don’t know, I can find my way.
If I want to learn how to govern, I avoid being cleaver or rich. The simplest pattern is the clearest. Content with an ordinary life, I can show all beings the way back to our own true nature.
Be open to all of the Tao.
Chapter 66
All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power.
If I want to govern beings, I must place myself below them. If I want to lead beings, I must learn how to follow them.
I am above beings, and no one feel oppressed. I go ahead of beings, and no one feels manipulated. The whole world is grateful to me. Because I compete with no one, no one can compete with me.
Be humble, supportive, and non-competitive
Chapter 67
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 my greatest treasures. Simple in actions and in thoughts, I return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, I accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward myself, I reconcile all beings in the world.
Live life with simplicity, patience, compassion = love.
Chapter 68
The best athlete wants their opponent at their best. The best general enters the mind of their enemy. The best business person serves the communal good. The best leader follows the will of all beings.
All of them embody the virtue of non-competition. Not that they don’t love to compete, but they do it in the spirit of play. In this, they are in harmony with the Tao.
Allow being in harmony with the Tao be the reward.
Chapter 69
The generals have a saying: “Rather than make the first move it is better to wait and see. Rather than advance an inch it is better to retreat a yard.”
This is called going forward without advancing, pushing back without using weapons.
There is no greater misfortune than underestimating my enemy. Underestimating my enemy means thinking that they are evil. Thus, I destroy my three treasures and become an enemy myself.
When two great forces oppose each other, the victory will go to the one that knows how to yield.
My being is all beings. All beings are my being. My enemies are me. I am my enemies.
Chapter 70
My teachings are easy to understand and easy to put into practice. Yet my intellect will never grasp them, and if I try to practice them, I’ll fail.
My teachings are older than the world. How can I grasp their meaning?
If I want to know myself, look inside my heart.
I am the Tao, but the finite can never truly know the infinite, and the infinite can never know the finite.
Chapter 71
Not-knowing is true knowledge. Presuming to know is a disease. First realize that I am sick; then I can move toward health.
I am my own physician. I have healed myself of all knowing. Thus, I am truly whole.
I am one with the Tao.
Chapter 72
When I lose my sense of awe, I turn to religion. When I no longer trust myself, I begin to depend upon authority.
Therefore, I step back so that I won’t be confused. I teach without a teaching, so that I will have nothing to learn.
Listen to the Tao.
Chapter 73
The Tao is always at ease. It overcomes without competing, answers 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.
The Tao is omni.
Chapter 74
If I realize that all things change, there is nothing I will try to hold on to. If I am not afraid of dying, there is nothing I can’t achieve.
Trying to control the future is like trying to take the master carpenter’s place. When I handle the master carpenter’s tools, chances are that I’ll cut myself.
Release control of life to the Tao.
Chapter 75
When taxes are too high, beings go hungry. When the government is too intrusive, beings lose their spirit.
Act for all beings’ benefit. Trust them; leave them alone.
Release control of life to the Tao.
Chapter 76
I am born soft and supple; dead, I am stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry.
Thus, whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life.
The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.
Release control of life to the Tao.
Chapter 77
As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow. The top is bent downward; the bottom is bent up. It adjusts excess and deficiency so that there is perfect balance. It takes from what is too much and gives to what isn’t enough.
Those who try to control, who use force to protect their power, go against the direction of the Tao. They take from those who don’t have enough and give to those who have far too much.
I can keep giving because there is no end to my wealth. I act without expectation, succeed without taking credit, and don’t think that I am better than anyone else.
Release control of life to the Tao.
Chapter 78
Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.
The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true, but few can put it into practice.
Therefore, I remain serene in the midst of sorrow. Evil cannot enter my heart. Because I have given up helping, I am all beings’ greatest help.
True words seem paradoxical.
Walk through life as love.
Chapter 79
Failure is an opportunity. If I blame someone else, there is no end to the blame.
Therefore, I fulfill my own obligations and correct my own mistakes. I do what I need to do and demand nothing of others.
Act for no reward.
Chapter 80
If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content. I enjoy the labor of my hands and don’t waste time inventing labor-saving machines. Since I dearly love my home, I am not interested in travel. There may be a wagon and a boat, but these don’t go anywhere. There may be an arsenal of weapons, but I never use them. I enjoy my food, take pleasure in being with my family, spend weekends working in my garden, delight in the doings of the neighborhood.
And even though the next country is so close that I can hear roosters crowing and dogs barking I am content to die of old age without ever having gone to see it.
Surrender life to the Tao.
Chapter 81
True words aren’t eloquent; eloquent words aren’t true. I don’t need to prove my point; I need to prove my point isn’t wise.
I have no possessions. The more I do for others, the happier I am. The more I give to others, the wealthier I am.
The Tao nourishes by not forcing. By not dominating, I lead.
Walk through life as love, this is the way.