23
To talk little is natural.
High winds do not last all morning.
Heavy rain does not last all day.
Why is this? Heaven and Earth!
If heaven and Earth cannot make things eternal,
How is it possible for man?
He who follows the Tao
Is at one with the Tao.
He who is virtuous
Experiences Virtue.
He who loses the way
Is lost.
When you are at one with the Tao,
The Tao welcomes you.
When you are at one with Virtue,
The Virtue is always there.
When you are at one with loss,
The loss is experienced willingly.
He who does not trust enough
Will not be trusted.
Our conditioned selves seek permanence, because permanence makes us feel safe. But the only constant in nature is change; nothing in nature is permanent except the Tao. If not even nature is free from change and endings, why do we believe our lives can be free from change and endings? By accepting change as the natural way of things, we are at one with the Tao. When we accept change and impermanence as the natural way, we allow the Tao to buoy us through the ups and downs of life, and we are ever nourished by the Tao and the clarity and peace it brings to us. The only goal we should have is to be one with the Tao and the virtues of the Tao, but not even this can be forced, but only allowed to happen.
24
He who stands on tiptoe is not steady.
He who strides cannot maintain the pace.
He who makes a show is not enlightened.
He who is self-righteous is not respected.
He who boasts achieves nothing.
He who brags will not endure.
According to followers of the Tao, "These are extra food and unnecessary luggage."
They do not bring happiness.
therefore followers of the Tao avoid them.
Trying too hard, always asserting your superiority or defending against slights to your ego, trying to take credit, and promoting yourself are all ways we attempt to be something more than what we are. These things deal with the branches of our being rather than the root. A wise gardener knows that the root, not the branches, must be watered in order for the tree to thrive. A wise follower of the Tao attracts the power of the Tao to her root by simply being her natural self and letting go of frivolous desires.
25
Something mysteriously formed,
Born before heaven and Earth.
In the silence and the void,
Standing alone and unchanging,
Ever present and in motion.
Perhaps it is the mother of ten thousand things.
I do not know its name
Call it Tao.
For lack of a better word, I call it great.
Being great, it flows
It flows far away.
Having gone far, it returns.
Therefore, "Tao is great;
Heaven is great;
Earth is great;
The king is also great."
These are the four great powers of the universe,
And the king is one of them.
Man follows Earth.
Earth follows heaven.
Heaven follows the Tao.
Tao follows what is natural.
If heaven and earth follow the Tao, what should we follow? Man is not unlike heaven and earth in his greatness. He becomes great by following the Tao. Man follows the earth, earth follows heaven, and heaven follows the Tao. The earth is our connection to the Tao.
26
The heavy is the root of the light.
The still is the master of unrest.
Therefore the sage, traveling all day,
Does not lose sight of his baggage.
Though there are beautiful things to be seen,
He remains unattached and calm.
Why should the lord of ten thousand chariots act lightly in public?
To be light is to lose one's root.
To be restless is to lose one's control.
It is only when we have taken care of the heavy things in life - our spiritual attunement, our generosity and goodness toward others, our commitment to living in the valley - that we are free to experience the lighter things in life: humor, friendship, joy. When one realizes the great worth of each day, each moment, and the value of living in alignment with the Tao, one is not easily enticed by lightness and frivolity. When we have truly picked up the heavy burdens in life, we are free to enjoy life in small sips, which will deeply satisfy.
27
A good walker leaves no tracks;
A good speaker makes no slips;
A good reckoner needs no tally.
A good door needs no lock,
Yet no one can open it.
Good binding requires no knots,
Yet no one can loosen it.
Therefore the sage takes care of all men
And abandons no one.
He takes care of all things
And abandons nothing.
This is called "following the light."
What is a good man?
A teacher of a bad man.
What is a bad man?
A good man's charge.
If the teacher is not respected,
And the student not cared for,
Confusion will arise, however clever one is.
This is the crux of mystery.
If we do things correctly the first time, we don't have to take extra steps to ensure the first thing was done correctly. If we always deal with the root of things, we don't have to waste energy tending the leaves in life. Goodness and badness are the leaves of our root relationships with each other. If our relationships are founded in respect, responsibility and compassion, our societies will grow strong naturally. If they lack respect, responsibility and compassion, peace and order will never flourish no matter what rules or laws we embrace.
28
Know the strength of man,
But keep a woman's care!
Be the stream of the universe!
Being the stream of the universe,
Ever true and unswerving,
Become as a little child once more.
Know the white,
But keep the black!
Be an example to the world!
Being an example to the world,
Ever true and unwavering,
Return to the infinite.
Know honor,
Yet keep humility.
Be the valley of the universe!
Being the valley of the universe,
Ever true and resourceful,
Return to the state of the uncarved block.
When the block is carved, it becomes useful.
When the sage uses it, he becomes the ruler.
Thus, "A great tailor cuts little."
Comments to come
29
Do you think you can take over the universe and improve it?
I do not believe it can be done.
The universe is sacred.
You cannot improve it.
If you try to change it, you will ruin it.
If you try to hold it, you will lose it.
So sometimes things are ahead and sometimes they are behind;
Sometimes breathing is hard, sometimes it comes easily;
Sometimes there is strength and sometimes weakness;
Sometimes one is up and sometimes down.
Therefore the sage avoids extremes, excesses, and complacency.
When we think of changing the universe, we think - Who would try to do that? Of course it can't be done. Yet, each of our lives IS the universe. Why then do we try to change our lives? When we seek to change, we may ruin it. We may lose it. Yes, sometimes our lives seem behind, but sometimes they seem ahead. Sometimes they seem difficult, but sometimes they seem easy. Some days we feel up, while others we feel down. But this is how the sacred Tao flows, and so we let our lives flow where they will, knowing that the flow is sacred and right. When we make gentle adjustments we avoid excess and extremes.
30
Whenever you advise a ruler in the way of Tao,
Counsel him not to use force to conquer the universe.
For this would only cause resistance.
Thorn bushes spring up wherever the army has passed.
Lean years follow in the wake of a great war.
Just do what needs to be done.
Never take advantage of power.
Achieve results,
But never glory in them.
Achieve results,
But never boast.
Achieve results,
But never be proud.
Achieve results,
Because this is the natural way.
Achieve results,
But not through violence.
Force is followed by loss of strength.
This is not the way of Tao.
That which goes against the Tao comes to an early end.
Even a great war can be won without force. Even when faced with a great adversary in life, we realize that force will invite an opposing force and will result in a loss of strength. So we do what only what needs to be done, and we do it quietly and gently. We resolve issues, but we don't take credit for the resolution. We make progress, but we don't boast in our accomplishments. That which goes against the Tao will not last.