Tao Te Ching 39

 Tao Te Ching 39

The masters of old attained unity with the Tao.

Heaven attained unity and became pure.

The earth attained unity and found peace.

The spirits attained unity so they could minister.

The valleys attained unity that they might be full.

Humanity attained unity that they might flourish.

Their leaders attained unity that they might set the example.

This is the power of unity.

Without unity, they sky becomes filthy.

Without unity, the earth becomes unstable.

Without unity, the spiits become unresponsive and disappear.

Without unity, the valleys become dry as a desert.

Without unity, human kind can't reproduce and becomes extinct.

Without unity, our leaders become corrupt and fall.

The great view the small as their source, and the high take the low as their foundation.

Their greatest asset becomes their humility.

They speak of themselves as orphans and widows, thus they truly seek humility.

Do not shine like the precious gem, but be as dull as a common stone.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching 38

 Tao Te Ching 38

The highest good is not to seek to do good, but to allow yourself to become it.

The ordinary person seeks to do good things, and finds that they can not do them continually.

The Master does not force virtue on others, thus she is able to accomplish her task.

The ordinary person who uses force, will find that they accomplish nothing.

The kind person acts from the heart, and accomplishes a multitude of things.

The righteous person acts out of pity, yet leaves many things undone.

The moral person will act out of duty, and when no one responds will roll up his sleeves and use force.

When the Tao is forgotten, there is righteousness.

When righteousness is forgotten, there is morality.

When morality is forgotten, there is the law.

The law is the husk of faith, and trust is the beginning of chaos.

Our basic understandings are not from the Tao because they come from the depths of our misunderstanding.

The Master abides in the fruit and not in the husk.

She dwells in the Tao, and not with the things that hide it.

This is how she increases in wisdom.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching 37

 Tao Te Ching 37

The Tao never acts with force, yet there is nothing that it can not do.

If rulers could follow the way of the Tao, then all of creation would willingly follow their example.

If selfish desires were to arise after their transformation, I would erase them with the power of the Uncarved Block.

By the power of the Uncarved Block, future generations would lose their selfish desires.

By losing their selfish desires, the world would naturally settle into peace.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching 36

 Tao Te Ching 36

If you want something to return to the source, you must first allow it to spread out.

If you want something to weaken, you must first allow it to become strong.

If you want something to be removed, you must first allow it to flourish.

If you want to possess something, you must first give it away.

This is called the subtle understanding of how things are meant to be.

The soft and pliable overcomes the hard and inflexible.

Just as fish remain hidden in deep waters, it is best to keep weapons out of sight.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching 35

 Tao Te Ching 35

She who follows the way of the Tao will draw the world to her steps.

She can go without fear of being injured, because she has found peace and tranquility in her heart.

Where there is music and good food, people will stop to enjoy it.

But words spoken of the Tao seem to them boring and stale.

When looked at, there is nothing for them to see.

When listened for, there is nothing for them to hear.

Yet if they put it to use, it would never be exhausted.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching 34

 Tao Te Ching 34

The great Tao flows unobstructed in every direction.

All things rely on it to conceive and be born, and it does not deny even the smallest of creation.

When it has accomplished great wonders, it does not claim them for itself.

It nourishes infinite worlds, yet it doesn't seek to master the smallest creature.

Since it is without wants and desires, it can be considered humble.

All of creation seeks it for refuge yet it does not seek to master or control.

Because it does not seek greatness, it is able to accomplish truly great things.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching 33

 Tao Te Ching 33

Those who know others are intelligent; those who know themselves are truly wise.

Those who master others are strong; those who master themselves have true power.

Those who know they have enough are truly wealthy.

Those who persist will reach their goal.

Those who keep their course have a strong will.

Those who embrace death will not perish, but have life everlasting.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching 32

 Tao Te Ching 32

The Tao is nameless and unchanging.

Although it appears insignificant, nothing in the world can contain it.

If a ruler abides by its principles, then her people will willingly follow.

Heaven would then reign on earth, like sweet rain falling on paradise.

People would have no need for laws, because the law would be written on their hearts.

Naming is a necessity for order, but naming cannot order all things.

Naming often makes things impersonal, so we should know when naming should end.

Knowing when to stop naming, you can avoid the pitfalls it brings.

All things end in the Tao just as the small streams and the largest rivers flow through valleys to the sea.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching 31

 Tao Te Ching 31

Weapons are the bearers of bad news; all people should detest them.

Th man values the left side, and in time of war he values the right.

Weapons are meant for destruction, and thus are avoided by the wise.

Only as a last resort will a wise person use a deadly weapon.

If peace is her true objective, how can she rejoice in the victory of war?

Those who rejoice in victory delight in the slaughter of humanity.

Those who resort to violence will never bring peace to the world.

The left side is a place of honour on happy occasions.

The right side is reserved for mourning at a funeral.

When the lieutenants take the left side to prepare for war, the general should be on the right side, because he knows the outcome will be death.

The death of many should be greeted with great sorrow, and the victory celebration should honour those who have died.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching 30

 Tao Te Ching 30

Those who lead people by following the Tao don't use weapons to enforce their will.

Using force always leads to unseen troubles.

In the places where armies march, thorns and briars bloom and grow.

After armies take to war, bad years must always follow.

The skillful commander strikes a decisive blow then stops.

When victory is won over the enemy through war it is not a thing of great pride.

When the battle is over, arrogance is the new enemy.

War can result when no other alternative is given, so the one who overcomes an enemy should not dominate them.

The strong are always weakened with time.

This is not the way of the Tao.

That which is not of the Tao will soon end.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching 29

 Tao Te Ching 29

Do you want to rule the world and control it?

I don't think it can ever be done.

The world is a sacred vessel and it can not be controlled.

You will only make it worse if you try.

It may slip through your fingers and disappear.

Some are meant to lead, and others are meant to follow; some must always strain, and others have an easy time; some are naturally big and strong, and others will always be small; some will be protected and nurtured, and others will meet with destruction.

The Master accepts things as they are, and out of compassion avoids extravagance, excess, and the extremes.

Lao Tzu

Tao Te Ching 28

 Tao Te Ching 28

Know the masculine, but keep to the feminine: and become a watershed to the world.

If you embrace the world, the Tao will never leave you and you become as a little child.

Know the white, yet keep to the black: be a model for the world.

If you are a model for the world, the Tao inside you will strengthen and you will return whole to your eternal being.

Know the honourable, but do not shun the disgraced: embracing the world as it is.

If you embrace the world with compassion, then your virtue will return you to the uncarved block.

The block of wood is carved into utensils by carving void into the wood.

The Master uses the utensils, yet prefers to keep to the block because of it's limitless possibilities.

Great works do not involve discarding substance.

Lao Tzu