28.
Power of vision
Aware of masculinity,
Preserve femininity,
To become as the riverbed,
Of heaven and earth.
As the riverbed of heaven and earth,
Inner power cannot desert you.
Return to the home,
Where you can be as a child.
Aware of light,
Preserve darkness,
To become as an example,
Of heaven and earth.
As example of heaven and earth,
Your inner power cannot deviate from you.
Return to a home,
Without limits.
Aware of your delights,
Preserve your humiliations.
To become the valley of heaven and earth.
As valley of heaven and earth,
So vast is your inner power.
Return to a home,
Of from-itselfness.
When applied,
From-itselfness becomes as a tool.
The wise use it,
And develop it,
As a form of servitude.
Therefor it is said:
“As a magnificent wooden sculpture,
Without any shavings.”
知其雄，
守其雌，
為天下谿。
為天下谿，
常德不離，
復歸於嬰兒。
知其白，
守其黑，
為天下式。
為天下式，
常德不忒，
復歸於無極。
知其榮，
守其辱，
為天下谷。
為天下谷，
常德乃足，
復歸於樸。
樸散則為器，
聖人用之，
則為官長，
故大制不割。
☯️
29.
Without intervening
Do you want to own on the world,
And interfere with it?
I predict that it is impossible.
The world is a channel,
For the heavenly.
One simply cannot interfere.
To interfere,
Is to disturb,
Grasp it,
And it is lost.
Some creatures go before,
Others follow.
Some of them snort,
Others whistle.
Some are strong,
Others fragile.
Some destroy,
Others are destroyed.
It is for this reason that the wise,
Avoid extravagances,
Avoid exaggerations,
Leaving extremes.
將欲取天下而為之，
吾見其不得已。
天下神器，
不可為也，
為者敗之，
執者失之。
故物或行或隨；
或歔或吹；
或強或羸；
或挫或隳。
是以聖人去甚，
去奢，
去泰。
☯️
30.
Power without violence
Someone who through the Dao,
Helps people,
Is a leader who would never,
Through weapons,
force its way in the world;
Has a way of being,
Whose things and affairs,
Prefer to withdraw.
Wheresoever army troops
Set up camp,
Also growing there,
Are thistles and thorns.
Famine always follows,
The aftermath of war.
It is good to halt,
Once the goal is reached,
And to hold back from
Forcing things.
Paying off without boasting.
Paying off without showing off.
Bearing fruit without pride.
It is paying off,
Because there was no other way.
Beings that grow too fast,
Grow old faster.
This is also called: straying from the path.
Straying from the path is also called:
A premature end.
以道佐人主者，
不以兵強天下。
其事好還。
師之所處，
荊棘生焉。
大軍之後，
必有凶年。
善有果而已，
不敢以取強。
果而勿矜，
果而勿伐，
果而勿驕。
果而不得已，
果而勿強。
物壯則老，
是謂不道，
不道早已。
☯️
31.
Finest weapons -
instruments of
misery
Even the finest armament
Casts a shadow of misery.
There is no being on earth,
That does not detest it.
Therefore, the travelers choose,
To not remain where it is.
At home, the noble person appreciates,
The left hand side.
In battle, the noble man appreciates,
The right hand side.
Weapons are tools of misery,
Not tools of awakening.
Only when there is no other choice,
Best to use them silently and carefully.
Without pleasure or enjoyment,
In gaining victory.
Because having joy in this,
Would be taking pleasure in killing.
Whosoever rejoices in this,
Will never reach their final destination
In this world.
Prosperous affairs,
Appreciate the left side.
Unfavorable affairs,
Appreciate the right side.
The lieutenant general is on the left.
The supreme general is on the right.
And all the words chosen,
As if performing funeral formalities.
Mourn for those who died together,
With heartache and sorrow.
And put all victory into battle,
As if performing funeral formalities.
夫佳兵者，
不祥之器，
物或惡之，
故有道者不處。
君子居則貴左，
用兵則貴右。
兵者不祥之器，
非君子之器，
不得已而用之，
恬淡為上。
勝而不美，
而美之者，
是樂殺人。
夫樂殺人者，
則不可以得志於天下矣。
吉事尚左，
凶事尚右。
偏將軍居左，
上將軍居右，
言以喪禮處之。
殺人之衆，
以哀悲泣之，
戰勝以喪禮處之。
☯️
32.
Rise above
The Dao is the eternally nameless.
The original spontaneity,
Despite its modesty,
Nobody can abuse it.
If they who stand at the top understand this,
Then everything and everyone will become,
From itself like a houseguest.
Heaven and earth are brought together,
To bring down sweet dew.
No man must command this,
And yet it falls by itself
In the natural order.
The starting point of regulation,
Is the naming of things.
Once you become aware of categories,
Be aware not to go too deep.
And thus hold back,
From the dangerous.
Streams that flow into rivers and the ocean,
Symbolize the Dao.
道常無名。
樸雖小，
天下莫能臣也。
侯王若能守之，
萬物將自賓。
天地相合，
以降甘露，
民莫之令而自均。
始制有名，
名亦既有，
夫亦將知止，
知止所以不殆。
譬道之在天下，
猶川谷之與江海。
☯️
33.
Enlightenment
To know others is intelligence.
To know yourself,
That is enlightenment.
Overcome others is outer strength.
Conquer yourself,
That is inner strength.
Knowing what's enough is wealth.
To endure with vigor,
That is willpower.
To be unshakable is persistence.
To die without perishing,
That is longevity.
知人者智，
自知者明。
勝人者有力，
自勝者強。
知足者富。
強行者有志。
不失其所者久。
死而不亡者壽。
☯️
34.
Great selflessness
The great Dao is so overarching,
That left can become right again.
All life counts on it,
Comes out of it,
Has never been rejected.
Achieving all goals,
Without naming or owning them.
It clothes and feeds all creatures,
Without ruling over them.
Such lack of desire,
So that one can only say:
Tiny.
All life returns to it,
Although they have never been dominated by it.
So that one can only say:
Huge.
Precisely because it does not consider its own
size,
Can it accomplish things of that size.
大道汎兮，
其可左右。
萬物恃之而生而不辭，
功成不名有。
衣養萬物而不為主，
常無欲，
可名於小；
萬物歸焉，
而不為主，
可名為大。
以其終不自為大，
故能成其大。
☯️
35.
Incorruptible
Keep the image of greatness of the Dao,
Fixed in your mind,
And the world will come to you.
It comes inviolable,
Extraordinary in
Quiet peace.
Music and treats,
Lure the passing traveler.
But what comes out of the mouth of the Dao,
However, is tasteless and bland.
Viewing it,
Is not enough to see it.
Listening to it,
Is not enough to hear it.
Using it,
Will never wear it out.
執大象，
天下往。
往而不害，
安平大。
樂與餌，
過客止。
道之出口，
淡乎其無味，
視之不足見，
聽之不足聞，
用之不足既。
☯️
36.
Paradox of power
Whatsoever you try to shrink,
You must turn off first.
Whatever you try to weaken,
You must strengthen first.
Whatever you try to repel,
You must bring it to bloom first.
Whatever you try to take away,
You must add to it first.
This is what we call,
Subtle insight.
Soft and weak conquers hard and strong.
A fish cannot be taken from the depths.
So also, the sharp weapons of the rulers,
Should never see the light of day.
將欲歙之，
必固張之；
將欲弱之，
必固強之；
將欲廢之，
必固興之；
將欲奪之，
必固與之。
是謂微明。
柔弱勝剛強。
魚不可脫於淵，
國之利器不可以示人。
☯️
37.
The victory of contentedness
The Dao is eternal by nature.
And yet nothing remains undone.
Should mankind run the world in this way,
Everything by itself would unfold.
And as in unfolding,
also wanting to do arises.
I would curb it,
With the spontaneity of the nameless.
The spontaneity of the nameless,
Thus releases all desire.
In the space of no desire,
Silence remains.
The whole world continues on,
And regulates itself.
道常無為而無不為。
侯王若能守之，
萬物將自化。
化而欲作，
吾將鎮之以無名之樸。
無名之樸，
夫亦將無欲。
不欲以靜，
天下將自定。
☯️
