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。
☯️
38.
Power without intention
The highest virtue,
remains hidden,
And is therefore inner strength.
The lowest virtue,
Isn’t hidden,
And therefore is external.
The highest virtue,
Is spontaneous,
And therefore acts without intention.
The lowest virtue,
Does not intervene,
And acts with intention.
The highest humanity,
Intervenes,
And acts without intention.
The highest justice,
Intervenes,
And acts with intention.
The highest legislature,
Intervenes,
And if no one follows,
The sleeves are rolled up,
To impose it.
Therefore, when you lose your way,
You will still find inner strength.
When you lose inner strength,
You will still find humanity.
When you lose humanity
You will still find justice.
When you lose justice
You will still find legislature.
Because legislation thins out
Trust and sincerity,
Here you will find only confusion.
Prediction is the flower garland of the Dao,
and also the beginning of folly.
Therefore, the great masters abide,
In the profundity,
And flee from where this thins out.
They reside in the bloom,
And flee from the ornamental.
That's why they flee from that,
And they choose this.
上德不德，
是以有德；
下德不失德，
是以無德。
上德無為而無以為；
下德為之而有以為。
上仁為之而無以為；
上義為之而有以為。
上禮為之而莫之應，
則攘臂而扔之。
故失道而後德，
失德而後仁，
失仁而後義，
失義而後禮。
夫禮者，
忠信之薄，
而亂之首。
前識者，
道之華，
而愚之始。
是以大丈夫處其厚，
不居其薄；
處其實，
不居其華。
故去彼取此。
☯️
39.
Harmony through simplicity
Once, when the ancients achieved unity,
Heaven through unity achieved brightness,
Earth through unity achieved peace,
The Spirit through unity achieved willpower,
The riverbeds through unity achieved fullness,
All things and affairs through unity achieved
vivacity,
Marquises and kings through unity achieved
exemplarity.
A divided Heaven fears the tearing of brightness.
A divided Earth fears the splitting of peace.
A divided Mind fears the weakening of
willpower.
A divided riverbed fears the drying of its
fullness.
All things and affairs fear the extinction of
liveliness.
Marquesses and Kings fear their example will be
destroyed.
Therefore,
Make dignity the foundation for normalcy,
Make highness the foundation for lowliness,
It is for this reason that marquises and kings
Always refer to themselves as,
The lonely and widowed ones.
Isn't that making highness the foundation for
lowliness?
Wouldn’t you say so?
Therefore,
Paying too much attention to reputation is the
same as having no reputation at all.
No need for decorations is a jewel in itself,
Raw and rough like a memorial stone.
昔之得一者：
天得一以清；
地得一以寧；
神得一以靈；
谷得一以盈；
萬物得一以生；
侯王得一以為天下貞。
其致之，
天無以清，
將恐裂；
地無以寧，
將恐發；
神無以靈，
將恐歇；
谷無以盈，
將恐竭；
萬物無以生，
將恐滅；
侯王無以貴高將恐蹶。
故貴以賤為本，
高以下為基。
是以侯王自稱孤、
寡、不穀。
此非以賤為本耶？
非乎？
故致數譽無譽。
不欲琭琭如玉，
珞珞如石。
☯️
40.
The return
Who return are the driving force of the Dao.
Who surrender are the instruments of the Dao.
Everything grew out of being.
Being has sprung from nothing.
反者道之動；
弱者道之用。
天下萬物生於有，
有生於無。
☯️
41.
Unforced
Hearing of the Dao and working on it right away
is the action of one with a good disposition.
Hearing and worrying about the Dao and
doubting whether it exists, is the reaction of one
with a dubious disposition.
Hearing of the Dao and laughing at it,
Is the urge of one with a measly disposition.
If it wouldn’t be laughed at,
It wouldn’t be the Dao.
It is thus known:
The illuminated path,
Seems dark.
The path unfolds,
And seems to go in circles.
The path is smooth,
And seems helpless.
The highest inner strength does not clash with
the everyday,
The highest purity seems stained,
All-encompassing virtue seems insufficient,
Essential truth seems fickle.
Delineated,
And without corners.
Large kettles,
Only afterwards get filled,
No sound is greater,
Then the tones of silence.
The biggest shape,
Is limitless.
The Dao is hidden
In the nameless.
Above all the best about the Dao,
Is that it gives the opportunity,
To completeness.
上士聞道，
勤而行之；
中士聞道，
若存若亡；
下士聞道，
大笑之。
不笑不足以為道。
故建言有之：
明道若昧；
進道若退；
夷道若纇；
上德若谷；
太白若辱；
廣德若不足；
建德若偷；
質真若渝；
大方無隅；
大器晚成；
大音希聲；
大象無形；
道隱無名。
夫唯道，
善貸且成。
☯️
42.
Nonviolence
The Dao creates one,
From one comes the opposite,
From the opposite comes the threefold,
From which all things originated.
All things bear Yin, the dark,
And contain Yang, the light,
Life force merges with this
In harmony.
What people loathe,
Is loneliness,
And worthlessness.
And yet leaders support fully,
On their titles.
Every now and then one must lose,
To win.
And every now and then by winning,
One loses.
What people were always taught,
I pass that on:
The violent never reach
The natural end of life.
I take that as the starting point of my teaching.
道生一，
一生二，
二生三，
三生萬物。
萬物負陰而抱陽，
沖氣以為和。
人之所惡，
唯孤、
寡、
不穀，
而王公以為稱。
故物或損之而益，
或益之而損。
人之所教，
我亦教之。
強梁者不得其死，
吾將以為教父。
☯️
43.
The victory of tenderness
The softest on earth,
Flee with haste away from hardness.
The intangible,
Penetrates every thing.
I therefore realize that:
Doing nothing,
Has its advantages.
Not speaking,
Has its lessons.
Achieving the benefits of doing nothing,
Is a rarity on Earth.
天下之至柔，
馳騁天下之至堅。
無有入無間，
吾是以知無為之有益。
不言之教，
無為之益，
天下希及之。
☯️
44.
True ideals
The impression of yourself,
Or your body,
Which is more precious?
Your body,
Or whatsoever belongs to it,
Which is more?
To win or lose,
Which one is bad?
Therefore, exaggerated desires invite,
Exaggerated costs.
A grand collection invite,
Big losses.
Know when enough is enough,
Never forget.
Know where to stop,
Avoid danger.
That is precisely the strength,
Of perseverance.
名與身孰親？
身與貨孰多？
得與亡孰病？
是故甚愛必大費；
多藏必厚亡。
知足不辱，
知止不殆，
可以長久。
☯️
45.
Paradox of truth
The greatest perfection,
Appears inadequate.
Apply it and surprisingly,
It is never used up.
The greatest fullness,
Appears empty.
Apply it and surprisingly,
It is inexhaustible.
大成若缺，
其用不弊。
大盈若沖，
其用不窮。
大直若屈，
大巧若拙，
大辯若訥。
躁勝寒靜勝熱。
清靜為天下正。
☯️
