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Tao Te Ching: The New Translation from Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition (Tarcher Cornerstone Editions)

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Tao Te Ching: The New Translation from Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition (Tarcher Cornerstone Editions)

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Highlights & Notes

Scholarly texts feed the mind and that’s a good thing; but a text that feeds the mind, body and soul, and, not to mention, one which can help us to transform our lives today, is infinitely more valuable.

The Sage acts without action and teaches without talking All things flourish around him and he does not refuse any one of them He gives but not to receive He works but not for reward He completes but not for results He does nothing for himself in this passing world so nothing he does ever passes

Putting a value on status will cause people to compete Hoarding treasure will turn them into thieves Showing off possessions will disturb their daily lives

He shows people how to be simple and live without desires To be content and not look for other ways

When action is pure and selfless everything settles into its own perfect place

Man was not made to blow out air He was made to sit quietly and find the truth within

Listen to Her voice Hear it echo through creation Without fail, She reveals her presence Without fail, She brings us to our own perfection

Heaven is ancient Earth is long-lasting Why is this so?— Because they have no claims to life By having no claims to life they cannot be claimed by death The Sage puts his own views behind so ends up ahead He stays a witness to life so he endures What could he grab for that he does not already have? What could he do for himself that the universe itself has not already done?

Live in accordance with the nature of things: Build your house on solid ground Keep your mind still When giving, be kind When speaking, be truthful When ruling, be just When working, be one-pointed When acting, remember—timing is everything One who lives in accordance with nature does not go against the way of things He moves in harmony with the present moment always knowing the truth of just what to do

Puff yourself with honor and pride and no one can save you from a fall Complete the task at hand Be selfless in your actions This is the way of Heaven This is the way to Heaven

As your wisdom reaches the four corners of the world can you keep the innocence of a beginner?

Know this Primal Power that guides without forcing that serves without seeking that brings forth and sustains life yet does not own or possess it One who holds this Power brings Tao to this very Earth He can triumph over a raging fire or the freeze of winter weather Yet when he comes to rule the world it’s with the gentleness of a feather

Thus, when a thing has existence alone it is mere dead-weight Only when it has wu, does it have life

Wasting energy to obtain rare objects only impedes one’s growth So the Sage is led by his inner truth and not his outer eye He holds to what is deep and not what lies on the surface

What does it mean, “Be wary of both honor and disgrace”? Honor is founded on disgrace and disgrace is rooted in honor Both should be avoided Both bind a man to this world That’s why it says, “Be wary of both honor and disgrace”

What does it mean, “Endless affliction is bound to the body”? Man’s true self is eternal, yet he thinks, “I am this body, I will soon die” This false sense of self is the cause of all his sorrow When a person does not identify himself with the body tell me, what troubles could touch him?

One who sees himself as everything is fit to be guardian of the world One who loves himself as everyone is fit to be teacher of the world

Know everything in this moment and you will know the Eternal Tao

Through the course of Nature muddy water becomes clear Through the unfolding of life man reaches perfection Through sustained activity that supreme rest is naturally found Those who have Tao want nothing else Though seemingly empty they are ever full Though seemingly old they are beyond the reach of birth and death

Become totally empty Quiet the restlessness of the mind Only then will you witness everything unfolding from emptiness See all things flourish and dance in endless variation And once again merge back into perfect emptiness— Their true repose Their true nature Emerging, flourishing, dissolving back again This is the eternal process of return To know this process brings enlightenment To miss this process brings disaster Be still Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity Eternity embraces the all-possible The all-possible leads to a vision of oneness A vision of oneness brings about universal love Universal love supports the great truth of Nature The great truth of Nature is Tao

If one doesn’t trust himself how can he trust anyone else?

When the greatness of Tao is present action arises from one’s own heart When the greatness of Tao is absent action comes from the rules of “kindness” and “justice” If you need rules to be kind and just, if you act virtuous, this is a sure sign that virtue is absent Thus we see the great hypocrisy

See with original purity Embrace with original simplicity Reduce what you have Decrease what you want

Must I fear what others fear? Should I fear desolation when there is abundance? Should I fear darkness when that light is shining everywhere? Nonsense!

I am but a guest in this world While others rush about to get things done I accept what is offered

“Surrender brings perfection” The crooked become straight The empty become full The worn become new Have little and gain much Have much and be confused So the Sage embraces the One and becomes a model for the world Without showing himself, he shines forth Without promoting himself, he is distinguished Without claiming reward, he gains endless merit Without seeking glory, his glory endures

The ancient saying, “Surrender brings perfection,” is not just empty words Truly, surrender brings perfection and perfection brings the whole universe

To the self-serving, nothing shines forth To the self-promoting, nothing is distinguished To the self-appointing, nothing bears fruit To the self-righteous, nothing endures

Mankind depends on the laws of Earth Earth depends on the laws of Heaven Heaven depends on the laws of Tao But Tao depends on itself alone

The inner is foundation of the outer The still is master of the restless The Sage travels all day yet never leaves his inner treasure Though the views are captivating and beg attention he remains calm and uninvolved Tell me, does the lord of a great empire go out begging for rice? One who seeks his treasure in the outer world is cut off from his own roots Without roots, he becomes restless Being restless, his mind is weak And with a mind such as this he loses all command below Heaven

The Sage is always on the side of virtue so everyone around him prospers He is always on the side of truth so everything around him is fulfilled

Only a student who gives himself can receive the master’s gift If you think otherwise, despite your knowledge, you have blundered

Giving and receiving are one This is called, “The great wonder” “The essential mystery” “The very heart of all that is true”

Hold your male side with your female side Hold your bright side with your dull side Hold your high side with your low side Then you will be able to hold the whole world When the opposing forces unite within there comes a power abundant in its giving and unerring in its effect Flowing through everything It returns one to the First Breath Guiding everything It returns one to No Limits Embracing everything It returns one to the Uncarved Block

Allow your life to unfold naturally Know that it too is a vessel of perfection Just as you breathe in and breathe out Sometimes you’re ahead and other times behind Sometimes you’re strong and other times weak Sometimes you’re with people and other times alone

To the Sage all of life is a movement toward perfection So what need has he for the excessive, the extravagant, or the extreme?

A knower of the Truth does what is called for then stops He uses his strength but does not force things In the same way complete your task seek no reward make no claims Without faltering fully choose to do what you must do This is to live without forcing to overcome without conquering Things that gain a place by force will flourish for a time but then fade away They are not in keeping with Tao Whatever is not in keeping with Tao will come to an early end

Even the finest warrior is defeated when he goes against natural law By his own hand he is doomed

One who knows Tao never turns from life’s calling When at home he honors the side of rest When at war he honors the side of action

One who knows the truth that underlies all things lives in this world without danger To him, every word reflects the universe every moment brings enlightenment

One who knows others is intelligent One who knows himself is enlightened One who conquers others is strong One who conquers himself is all-powerful One who approaches life with force surely gets something One who remains content where he is surely gets everything One who gives himself to his position surely lives long One who gives himself to Tao surely lives forever

The Sage is the same way— He does not claim greatness over anything He’s not even aware of his own greatness Tell me, what could be greater than this?

One may look for fulfillment in this world but his longings will never be exhausted The only thing he ever finds is that he himself is exhausted

The lesson here is called “The wisdom of obscurity”— The gentle outlast the strong The obscure outlast the obvious Hence, a fish that ventures from deep water is soon snagged by a net A country that reveals its strength is soon conquered by an enemy

Tao does not act yet it is the root of all action Tao does not move yet it is the source of all creation

When there is silence one finds peace When there is silence one finds the anchor of the universe within himself

The highest virtue is to act without a sense of self The highest kindness is to give without condition The highest justice is to see without preference

The rules of conduct are just an outer show of devotion and loyalty— quite confusing to the heart And when men rely on these rules for guidance— Oh, what ignorance abounds! The great master follows his own nature and not the trappings of life

What honor can there be without humility? What heights can be reached without being low?

Playing one’s part in accordance with the universe is true humility

So whether you’re a gem in the royal court or a stone on the common path If you accept your part with humility the glory of the universe will be yours

Tao lies hidden yet it alone is the glorious light of this world

All beings support yin and embrace yang and the interplay of these two forces fills the universe Yet only at the still-point, between the breathing in and the breathing out, can one capture these two in perfect harmony

Who knows what fate may bring— one day your loss may be your fortune one day your fortune may be your loss

The age-old lesson that others teach, I also teach— “As you plant, so you reap” “As you live, so you die”

The most yielding thing in the world will overcome the most rigid The most empty thing in the world will overcome the most full From this comes a lesson— Stillness benefits more than action Silence benefits more than words Rare indeed are those who are still Rare indeed are those who are silent And so I say, Rare indeed are those who obtain the bounty of this world

Be content, rest in your own fullness— You will not suffer from loss You’ll avoid the snare of this world You’ll have long life and endless blessings

Great truth seems false Great skill seems clumsy Great eloquence seems like babble

Be tranquil like the rain of spring Be pure like the sheen of silk Then the Great Perfection will be perfect and the Great Fullness will be full

There is no greater loss than losing Tao No greater curse than desire No greater tragedy than discontentment No greater fault than selfishness Contentment alone is enough Indeed, the bliss of eternity can be found in your contentment

To become learned, gain daily To obtain Tao, reduce daily Reduce and reduce again until all action is reduced to non-action Then no one is left Nothing is done yet nothing is left undone

One who gives freely and without attachment gets a full life in return

The Sage lives in harmony with all below Heaven He sees everything as his own self He loves everyone as his own child All people are drawn to him every eye and ear is turned toward him

To create without owning To give without expecting To fill without claiming This is the profound action of Tao The highest expression of Te

Fully embrace your life and you will share in the glory of creation The Mother herself will be your guardian And all her creation will be your guide

Seeing your own smallness is called insight Honoring your own tenderness is called strength

Have faith Follow your own shining Be aware of your own awareness On the darkest nights you will not stumble On the brightest days you will not blink This is called “The Practice of Eternal Light”

  • Importante

Tao is everywhere it has become everything To truly see it, see it as it is In a person, see it as a person In a family, see it as a family In a country, see it as a country In the world, see it as the world

A full life—this is your blessing A gentle heart—this is your strength

One who speaks does not know One who knows does not speak

To rule the state, have a known plan To win a battle, have an unknown plan To gain the universe, have no plan at all Let the universe itself reveal to you its splendor How do I know this should be so? Because of this— The more restrictions, the more poverty The more weapons, the more fear in the land The more cleverness, the more strange events The more laws, the more lawbreakers

Thus the Sages say, Act with a pure heart and the people will be transformed Love your own life and the people will be uplifted Give without conditions and the people will prosper Want nothing and the people will find everything

Oh the things that Heaven sends— Who can know their final aim? Who can tell of their endless ways? Today the righteous turn to trickery Tomorrow the good turn to darkness Oh what delusion abounds and every day it grows worse!

But the Sage is here upon the Earth to gently guide us back He cuts but does not harm He straightens but does not disrupt He illumines but does not dazzle

Do it now Let her power run thick in your blood There will be no obstacle you cannot overcome No limit you cannot surpass No empire you cannot rule

The Sage wants to uplift the people The people want to follow the Sage only by being low does this come to be The Sage bows to the people The people bow to the Sage And when they lift up their heads only greatness remains

If a person seems wicked do not cast him away— Awaken him with your words Elevate him with your deeds Requite his injury with your kindness Do not cast him away cast away his wickedness

Did they not say “Seek and you will find”? “Err and you will be forgiven”? Within, within This is where the world’s treasure has always been

Act without acting Give without giving Taste without tasting Tao alone becomes all things great and all things small It is the One in many It is the many in One Let Tao become all your actions then your wants will become your treasure your injury will become your blessing Take on difficulties while they are still easy Do great things while they are still small Step by step the world’s burden is lifted Piece by piece the world’s treasure is amassed

So the Sage stays with his daily task and accomplishes the greatest thing Beware of those who promise a quick and easy way for much ease brings many difficulties

Follow your path to the end Accept difficulty as an opportunity This is the sure way to end up with no difficulties at all

A still mind can easily hold the truth The difficulties yet to come can easily be avoided The feeble are easily broken The small are easily scattered Begin your task before it becomes a burden Put things in order before they get out of hand Remember, A tree that fills a man’s embrace grows from a seedling A tower nine stories high starts with one brick A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Act and it’s ruined Grab and it’s gone People on the verge of success often lose patience and fail in their undertakings Be steady from the beginning to the end and you won’t bring on failure

He who wishes to rule over the people must speak as if below them He who wishes to lead the people must walk as if behind them So the Sage rules over the people but he does not weigh them down He leads the people but he does not block their way The Sage stays low so the world never tires of exalting him He remains a servant so the world never tires of making him its king

I have three treasures that I cherish and hold dear the first is love the second is moderation the third is humility With love one is fearless With moderation one is abundant With humility one can fill the highest position Now if one is fearless but has no love abundant but has no moderation rises up but has no humility Surely he is doomed Love vanquishes all attackers It is impregnable in defense

There is no greater misfortune than feeling “I have an enemy” For when “I” and “enemy” exist together there is no room left for my treasure Thus, when two opponents meet the one without an enemy will surely triumph

Knowing what cannot be known— what a lofty aim! Not knowing what needs to be known— what a terrible result! Only when your sickness becomes sick will your sickness disappear The Sage’s illness has become ill his renunciation has been renounced Now he is free And every place in this world is the perfect place to be

When the people do not fear worldly power a greater power will arrive Don’t limit the view of yourself Don’t despise the conditions of your birth Don’t resist the natural course of your life In this way you will never weary of this world The Sage knows himself, but not as himself he loves himself, but not as himself he honors himself, but not as himself Thus, he discards the view of his own self and chooses the view of the universe

Good fortune, bad fortune One seems to bring benefit the other to cause harm But Heaven rejects them both Both, in the end, tether men to this world

Why are the people rebellious?— Because those above them meddle in their lives That’s why they’re rebellious

In the end, The treasure of life is missed by those who hold on and gained by those who let go

When life begins we are tender and weak When life ends we are stiff and rigid All things, including the grass and trees, are soft and pliable in life dry and brittle in death So the soft and supple are the companions of life While the stiff and unyielding are the companions of death An army that cannot yield will be defeated A tree that cannot bend will crack in the wind Thus by Nature’s own decree the hard and strong are defeated while the soft and gentle are triumphant

The Sage gives without relying on his own effort He completes without waiting for reward He illumines without stepping from the shadow

Everyone knows that the soft overcomes the hard and the yielding triumphs over the rigid Why then so little faith? Why can no one practice it?

After settling a great dispute some resentment is sure to remain Being content with what you have is always best in the end

One with true virtue always seeks a way to give One who lacks true virtue always seeks a way to get To the giver comes the fullness of life to the taker just an empty hand

Though the Tao of Heaven has no favorites it always sides with one who has a pure heart

Words born of the mind are not true True words are not born of the mind Those who have virtue do not look for faults Those who look for faults have no virtue Those who come to know It do not rely on learning Those who rely on learning do not come to know It

Heaven gives, and all things turn out for the best The Sage lives, and all things go as Tao goes all things move as the wind blows

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