8
A perfect human being is like the water
That benefits all things and competes with nothing
It stays in places which others despise
But in this way it follows its origin
In his heart the wise cherishes simplicity
In contact with others he is amiable
In his words he is reliable
In his leading he is peaceful
In what he does he is competent
He does everything at the moment it needs to be done
He won't fight
And therefore he is impeccable
If we lived by just this one verse alone, we would live a peaceful life. Don't force anything. Be humble. Live close to nature. Seek the root, not the branches. Be gentle and kind to all. Be honest. Be fair. Make yourself useful. Act at the right time. Let go of competition. No one is to blame; life is simply happening. Stephen Mitchell's translation says, "When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you."
9
It is better to carry an empty barrel than a full one
Sharpen a knife until it is razor-sharp and it won't last long
When a house is filled with valuables, it is impossible to guard
When wealth and ambition make one arrogant, it will lead to a fall
When fame and success menace you, pull back
That's the only road to true bliss
When we focus on finishing or expectations of any kind, we prepare for an ending. When you reach the top, where is there to go but down? Do just enough. Be content with only doing what is needed each day and having only the basic necessities and you will never have to fear loss. When you are overwhelmed with concern over the outcome, let go and accept today and your work for the day as perfect even if they seem incomplete.
10
Can you empty your head and lastingly lose yourself in Creation?
Can you live up to your nature and become like a child?
Can you purify the doors of perception and see clearly again?
Can you love your fellow man and serve mankind disinterestedly?
Can you go in and out of the narrow gate without any effort?
Can you be in the world without being possessed by it?
Can you realize that you can't know anything and therefore understand everything?
Nature brings forth everything and feeds everything
She brings forth but possesses nothing
She does everything disinterestedly and asks for nothing
She leads but demands nothing
That is what people call the incomprehensibility of Nature
A newborn child sees only what is right in front of her. A newborn child is nothing but her absolute true self. Can you approach each day and each situation with this same attitude? Can you do only what is needed, acting only with love because you have not been taught to fear? Can you be open to all things with wonder and trust? Can you seek no reward because you don't know what a reward is? This is riding the wave of life. This is living with the Tao.
11
Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub;
It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room;
It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore benefit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there.
We can do many things. We can create many things. But it is always the spirit surrounding those things that give them their meaning and usefulness. What is beneficial we can see, but what is useful we cannot see. Seek the useful.
What beneficial things am I seeking in life? How could I reduce this seeking and seek only the useful? What would this look like in terms of my possessions, my job, my relationships, my need to understand?
Think of something you truly value in life. What is visible in that thing? What is invisible? What does this teach you?
12
All those artificial colours blind people's eyes
All that man-made music deafens people's ears
All those various flavours dull our taste
Horse races and hunting drive people crazy
The desire for scarce goods
Hinders people from going on the straight and simple path
Therefore the wise finds his satisfaction
In feeding himself and then he won't exhaust his eyes
Therefore he does this and leaves that
Too many sensations disturb our focus and rob us of joy. Less is always more. Savor less and you will savor more. Rather than seek the many, enjoy the one. Listen to your heart and soul and not too much to your senses.
How is your life complicated by too much to see? Too much to hear? Too much to taste? Too much to obtain? How could you simplify? How can you increase your peace and joy by doing and having less?
13
Watch out for gratitude and criticism
Honour and misfortune are as disastrous as having character
What does that say?
Watch out for gratitude and criticism?
Watch out for gratitude, because it originates from submission
Watch out for criticism, because it comes from superior power
Therefore, watch out for gratitude and criticism
What does it mean that honour and misfortune are as bad as having character?
Disasters come over us because we've got something to lose
If we had nothing to lose, which disasters could still strike us?
Therefore: to him who considers himself just as worthy as the world,
Mankind can entrust the world
And to him who loves himself and the world just as unconditionally,
Mankind can entrust the care for the world
By naming things as good or bad, as appreciated or not appreciated, as disaster or fortune, we change our experience with those things. Avoid naming. Accept things as what they are and they will flow through your life and the lives of others the way they are meant to flow. We can love the world and ourselves just as they are, without judgment, and become worthy of gently tending ourselves and others.
14
We look at it but we do not see it and we call it the invisible
We listen to it but don't hear it and we call it the inaudible
We grope at it but never touch it and we call it the untouchable
The invisible, the inaudible and the untouchable come together in one
There is no light when it rises
There is no darkness when it descends
Continuously, constantly, but it cannot be put into words
And it returns to nothing
This is what they call the form of the formless, the image of the invisible
People call it indefinite and impalpable
You won't see it from the front
You won't see it from behind
One who lives after their original conscience, lives in the present
And understands everything that has ever been
That is living according to nature
Part of understanding the Tao is accepting that it doesn't fit into the bounds of knowledge established by man. When I accept the eternal and unknowable nature of the Tao, I begin to connect with it and realize my utter humility in its presence. Knowing the Tao is the ancient beginning of existence makes me feel connected to everything that has been or will ever will be.