The Tao Te Ching for Everyday Living

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 80 translated by Hua-Ching Ni Let there be small communities with few inhabitants. The supply of vessels may be more than enough, yet no one would use them. The inhabitants would love living there so dearly that they would never wish to move to another place. They may have every kind of vehicle, but they would not bother to ride them. They may have powerful weapons, but they would not resort to using them. They would return to a simple system of cords and...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 79 translated by Keith H. Seddon When a bad grudge is settled, Some enmity is bound to remain. How can this be considered acceptable? Therefore the Sage keeps to her side of the contract But does not hold the other party to their promise. One who has Virtue will honour the contract, Whilst one who is without Virtue expects others to meet their obligations. It is the Way of Heaven to be impartial; It stays always with the good person Photo by Gus Moretta ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 78 translated by The Tao of Rivenrock There is nothing more flexible and yielding than water. And yet there is nothing better for attacking the hard and rigid, there is nothing that can do what it can do. So it is that the rigid can be overcome by the flexible, and the haughty by the humble. Yet even knowing this; still no one will put this into adequate practice. For this reason it is said that the ones who accept the humiliation of the country are fit t...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 77 translated by Anonymous The natural order is like stretching a bow The low bow gets pushed up high And the high tendon pulled downwards Where there is too much, it takes away Where there is not enough, it fills Nature strives for harmony all the time Decreases where there is too much And increases where there is too little But how opposite are the people in their behaviour The poor get poorer while the rich tend to get richer But one who is wise realiz...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 76 translated by Xiaolin Yang When people are alive, they are soft; when dead, they are hard. When every living thing is alive, it is soft; when dead, it is hard. So, the strong and hard have no vitality; the soft and weak have vitality. Therefore, when an army is too strong and rigid, it will be extinguished; when a tree is too stiff, it will break. The strong and hard are inferior; the weak and soft are superior. Photo by Faye Cornish on Unsplash Prac...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 75 translated by Shi Fu Hwang The people suffer from hunger because their superior agencies have imposed a heavy tax, thus they are hungry. The people are difficult to govern because their superior agencies are too fond of meddling, thus they are difficult to govern. The people make lightly of dying because of the excessive costs in seeking the means of living, thus they think lightly of dying. Therefore the benevolent should be those who do not interfere...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 74 translated by Frederic Henry Balfour If people do not fear death why attempt to frighten them by capital punishment? Supposing the people are made constantly afraid of death, so that when they commit unlawful acts I arrest them and have them killed, who will dare [afterwards to misbehave]? For then there will always be yiu-sze, or civil magistrates, to execute them. Now the execution of men on behalf of the inflictor of the death-punishment [by those ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 73 translated by Isabella Mears A person with courage and daring is slain, A person with courage and self-restraint lives. Of these two, the one has benefit, the other has injury. Who can tell why one of them should incur Heaven's Wrath? Because of this the self-controlled person has doubt and difficulty. Heavenly Tao strives not, but conquers by love; It speaks not, but responds in Love; It calls not to people, but of themselves they come; It slowly is m...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 72 translated by Charles Johnston When the people fear not what should be feared, then what is most to be feared descends upon them. Beware of thinking your dwelling too narrow; beware of resentment over your lot. I resent not my lot, therefore I find no cause for resentment in it. Hence the Saint knows herself and does not make herself conspicuous; she exercises restraint and does not glorify herself. This is why she shuns the one and follows the other. ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 71 translated by Hua-Ching Ni One who regards one’s intellectual knowledge as ignorance has deep insight. One who overrates one’s intellectual achievement as definite truth is deeply sick. Only when one is sick of this sickness can one cease to be sick. One who returns one’s mind to the simplicity of the subtle truth is not sick. One knows to break through conceptual knowledge in order to directly reach the subtle truth of the universe. This is the founda...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 70 translated by Bruce R. Linnell My words are very easy to understand, Very easy to practice. But there is no one in the world who can understand them, There is no one who can practice them. My words possess a lineage, My duties possess a ruler. Now : only because I am without-knowledge, Thus I am not understood. Those who understand me are rare, Consequently I am one who is valued! Thus the sage wears coarse cloth, but carries jade in her Heart. ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 69 translated by Bram den Hond Those who use weapons have a saying which goes: "I do not presume to act like the host but instead play the part of the guest; I do not advance an inch but would rather retreat a foot". This is called moving forward without appearing to move - Rolling up one's sleeves without showing one's arms - Grasping firmly, without holding a weapon - And enticing to fight when there is no opponent. Of disasters, there is no greater c...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 68 translated by Lin Yutang The brave soldier is not violent; The good fighter does not lose his temper; The great conqueror does not fight (on small issues); The good users of people place themselves below others. - This is the virtue of not-contending, Is called the capacity to use people, Is reaching to the height of being Mated to Heaven, to what was of old. Photo by Mario Klassen on Unsplash Practicing Non-Contention &n...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 67 translated by Ellen Marie Chen All under heaven say that my Tao is great, That it seems useless (pu hsiao). Because it is great, Therefore it seems useless. If it were useful,It would have long been small. I have three treasures (pao), To hold and to keep: The first is motherly love (tz'u), The second is frugality (chien), The third is daring not to be at the world's front. With motherly love one can be courageous, With frugality one can be wide re...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 66 translated by Dwight Goddard The reason rivers and seas are called the kings of the valley is because they keep below them. Therefore the wise ones desiring to be above their people must in their demeanors keep below them; wishing to benefit their people, they must ever keep themselves out of sight. The wise dwell above, yet the people do not feel the burden; they are the leaders and the people suffer no harm. Therefore the world rejoices to exalt them...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 65 translated by Hua-Ching Ni In ancient times, those who were well-versed in the practice of the subtle Way of the universe did not lead people to disintegrate their minds through intellectual development for the sake of partial achievement. Instead, they dissolved all contradictory concepts and images in order to maintain the natural state of simplicity. Why are people so hard to manage? Because they have become complicated. He who leads others with a c...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 64 translated by Sanderson Beck What stays still is easy to hold. Without omens it is easy to plan. The brittle is easy to shatter. The minute is easy to scatter. Handle things before they appear. Organize things before there is confusion. A tree as big as a person's embrace grows from a tiny shoot. A tower nine stories high begins with a mound of earth. A journey of a thousand miles begins under one's feet. To act is to fail. To grab is to lose. Theref...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 63 translated by James Legge (It is the way of the Tao) to act without (thinking of) acting; to conduct affairs without (feeling the) trouble of them; to taste without discerning any flavour; to consider what is small as great, and a few as many; and to recompense injury with kindness. (The master of it) anticipates things that are difficult while they are easy, and does things that would become great while they are small. All difficult things in the wo...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 62 translated by Han Hiong Tan Dao is the safe haven for all beings. The good people value it. The bad people receive protection from it. Words consistent with Dao will place you in a coveted position. Deeds consistent with Dao will make you stand out from the crowd. Even if people are bad, Dao will not reject them. There are important events such as coronation and swearing in of ministers. In these pompous ceremonies, officials carrying precious jade lea...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 61 translated by Lin Yutang A big country (should be like) the delta low-regions, Being the concourse of the world, (And) the Female of the world. The Female overcomes the Male by quietude, And achieves the lowly position by quietude. Therefore if a big country places itself below a small country It absorbs the small country. (And) if a small country places itself below a big country, It absorbs the big...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 60 translated by Han Hiong Tan Governing a big country is akin to frying a small fish. When the power of Dao is prevalent, Even the demons become impotent. Although the demons continue to possess magical power, Their power is rendered innocuous. Hence, the demons cannot harm people. The sage also does not harm people. Both do not interfere with people. Thus by sticking to non-intervention, both let their virtues merge together. Photo by Ashwini Chaudhary...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 59 translated by Herman Ould In the ruling of men and the serving of Heaven nothing equals moderation. For moderations leads to foresight in conserving; Foresight in conserving leads to the storing of treasures of power. The strength of one who has stored such treasures of power cannot be overcome. As nothing can overcome it, its potency is boundless. Because its potency is boundless, Its possessors can attain sovereignty over the whole kingdom. And if, h...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 58 translated by Wing-Tsit Chan When the government is non-discriminative and dull, The people are contented and generous. When the government is searching and discriminative, The people are disappointed and contentious. Calamity is that upon which happiness depends; Happiness is that in which calamity is latent. Who knows when the limit will be reached? Is there no correctness (used to govern the world)? Then the correct again becomes the perverse. And t...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 57 translated by Xiaolin Yang When governing a country you must be fair and just; When fighting a battle, you must use tricks; When taking over the world, you must practice WUWEI. How do I know everything in this world? This is how. The more restrictions the government sets, the more people become poor; The more people have dangerous weapons, the more the country falls into chaos; The more people become clever, the more bizarre things happen; The more sev...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 56 translated by Chang Chung-Yuan One who is aware does not talk. One who talks is not aware. Ceasing verbal expressions, Stopping the entry of sensations, Dulling its sharpness, Releasing its entanglements, Tempering its brightness, And unifying with the earth: This is called the identity of Tao. Hence, no nearness can reach her nor distance affect her. No gain can touch her nor loss disturb her. No esteem can move her nor shame distress her. Thus, she i...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 55 translated by Lin Yutang Who is rich in character Is like a child. No poisonous insects sting him, No wild beasts attack him, And no birds of prey pounce upon him. His bones are soft, his sinews tender, yet his grip is strong. Not knowing the union of male and female, yet his organs are complete, Which means his vigor is unspoiled. Crying the whole day, yet his voice never runs hoarse, Wh...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 54 translated by Hua-Ching Ni What is well planted cannot be pulled up. What is closely embraced cannot slip away. The wise establish virtue firmly within themselves, and are honored for generations ever after. Apply natural, integral virtue to your own character, and it will be genuine. Apply natural, integral virtue to the family, and it will abound. Apply natural, integral virtue to the state, and it will flourish abundantly. Apply natural, integral ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 53 translated by John C. H. Wu If only I had the tiniest grain of wisdom, I should walk in the Great Way, And my only fear would be to stray from it. The Great Way is very smooth and straight; And yet the people prefer devious paths. The court is very clean and well garnished, But the fields are very weedy and wild, And the granaries are very empty! They wear gorgeous clothes, They carry sharp swords, They surfeit themselves with food and drink, They poss...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 52 translated by Anonymous The world sprouts from something People could call it the mother of the world When one knows that mother, one knows her child One who becomes like that child again, will know the mother And for the rest of his life nothing can harm him ever again He won't criticize anyone and lets no one influence him And his life will be without worries But one who condemns others and whose interests concern only himself Will be full of worries...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 51 translated by Tien Cong Tran The Way gives birth [to all things]; Virtue nourishes; matter shapes; environment perfects. Therefore all things without exception revere the Way and honor Virtue, although they are not commanded, but left to do so naturally. Hence, the Way gives birth; Virtue nurses, grows, fosters, shelters, comforts, nourishes, and guards. It gives birth but does not claim as its own; it does but does not claim its doing; it grows but do...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 50 translated by Anonymous Humans come and go Their bodies as the seat of life Their bodies as the seat of death Humans get old and decay Why is that? It's because they are already dead, but think that they're living There have been stories told and written about people who had found true life And wandered around the earth Not afraid of tigers or rhinos Those who avoided weapons and violence And lived in harmony with all creatures Therefore no creature f...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 49 translated by Chou Wing Chohan The sage has no self that she can call "mine," She turns the self of the people into her own. I act with goodness toward the good, I act with goodness toward the bad, too, And so the good is contagious. I relate with trust to the person who is worthy of trust, I relate with trust to the person who is not worthy of trust, too, And so trust is contagious. The sage lives in the world in her victory and rules the world with h...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 48 translated by John C. H. Wu Learning consists in daily accumulating; The practice of Tao consists in daily diminishing. Keep on diminishing and diminishing, Until you reach the state of Non-Action. Do nothing, and find that nothing is left undone. To win the world, the Sage must renounce all. If one still has private ends to serve, One will never be able to win the world. Photo by Bankim Desai on Unsplash How to Gain by Losing: Is there somethin...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 47 translated by Ellen Marie Chen Without stepping out the door, Know the world. Without looking out the window, See the Tao of Heaven. The farther one comes out, The less one knows. Therefore the sage knows without traveling, Understands things without seeing them, Accomplishes without work. Photo by ANIRUDH on Unsplash Staying Inside Lao Tzu says we don’t need to leave the house to know what’s going on. He says we don’t need to peer outside the...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 46 translation by Isabella Mears When Tao was manifested to humanity, Horses were used for cultivating the fields. When Tao was hidden within itself, War horses were reared on the frontiers. There is no sin greater than desire, There is no misfortune greater than discontent, There is no calamity greater than the wish to acquire, Therefore to be satisfied is an everlasting sufficiency. Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash We are the Warhorses A horse c...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 45 translated by Dwight Goddard Extreme perfection seems imperfect, its function is not exhausted. Extreme fullness appears empty, its function is not exercised. Extreme straightness appears crooked; great skill, clumsy; great eloquence, stammering. Motion conquers cold, quietude conquers heat. Not greatness but purity and clearness are the world's standard. Photo by Tolu Bamwo at nappy.co The Tao Provides Growing up in rural, s...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 44 translated by Lin Yutang Fame or one's own self, which does one love more? One's own self or material goods, which has more worth? Loss (of self) or possession (of goods), which is the greater evil? Therefore: those who love most spend most, Those who hoard much lose much. The contented person meets no disgrace; Who know when to stop run into no danger - They can long endure. Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash Those who love more sp...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 43 translated by Walter Gorn-Old The gentlest thing in the world will override the strongest. The Non-Existent pervades everything, though there be no inlet. By this I comprehend how effectual is non-action. To teach without words and to be useful without action, few among people are capable of this. Photo by Courtney Cook on Unsplash The Dextrous butcher, translated by Burton Watson Cook Ting was cutting up an ox for Lord Wen-hui. As every touch of his...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 42 translated by Shi Fu Hwang From Tao arises one; from one arises two; from two arises three, and from three arise all things. All things leave behind them the obscurity (Ying), and go forward to embrace the brightness (Yang) and inherit the blending property of the two harmonized polarities. What people dislike is to be called solitary, unworthy, virtueless; and yet those rulers regard them matching to their status. So those things are benefited...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 41 translated by Charles Johnston When those of the highest order of learning hear the Way declared, they follow it with zeal. When those of the second order of learning have heard the Way declared, they now follow it, now lose it. When those of the lowest order of learning have heard the Way declared, they laugh at it. If they did not laugh at it, it would not deserve to be called the Way. Therefore those of old said: He who has the understanding of the ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 40 translated by Tao Huang Tao moves by returning. Tao functions by weakness. All things under heaven are born of being. Being is born of nonbeing. Photo by Michael Glass on Unsplash Ebb The tide rolling out seems like kind of a letdown, doesn’t it? At least it does for me, at first glance. I mean the raw energy of the sea just isn’t there. In other aspects of my life, there are similar situations. I read a book, and after it’s d...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 39 translated by Cheng Lin Since antiquity the following may be said to have attained Truth: Heaven, which by Truth is clear. Earth, which by Truth is secure. The gods, which by Truth are divine. The valleys, which by Truth are full. All animate creation, which by Truth are alive. The rulers, which by Truth are capable of rectifying the Empire. Conversely, the following inferences may be stated: Without that which renders it clear, heaven stands the dan...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 38 translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao The superior virtue is not conscious of itself as virtue; Therefore it has virtue. The inferior virtue never lets off virtue; Therefore it has no virtue. The superior virtue seems inactive, and yet there is nothing that it does not do. The inferior virtue acts and yet in the end leaves things undone. The superior benevolence acts without a motive. The superior righteousness acts with a motive. The superior ritual acts, but at ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 37 Translated by Lin Yutang The Tao never does, Yet through it everything is done. If leaders could keep the Tao, the world would of its own accord be reformed. When reformed and rising to action, Let it be restrained by the Nameless pristine simplicity. The Nameless pristine simplicity Is stripped of desire (for contention). By stripping of desire quiescence is achieved, And the world arrives at peace o...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 36 translation in The Tao of Rivenrock: a personal translation It is the way of the Tao that: To reduce the influence of something, first allow it undue influence. To reduce something, it must first be allowed to expand. That which will be torn down, must first be raised up. This is the subtle way the weak can overcome the strong. A fish should not leave the water. And one should not display one's weapons. Photo by Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash The Subtle...

Send us Fan Mail Guided Meditation at the end Tao Te Ching Verse 35 translation by Xiaolin Yang If you have the DAO, everything will come to you. They come to you because they will not be hurt anymore, and they will become secure and peaceful. Pleasant music and tasteful food will make even the passerby stop. When being talked about, the DAO is tasteless. When you look at it, you will not see it; when you listen to it, you will not hear it; However, when you use it, it will never run out. ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 34 translated by Anonymous That which makes everything exist, is present everywhere It spreads itself throughout the entire Creation Everything owes its existence to It, everything to its own nature It gives everything for nothing It cherishes and guards everything and everyone, but expects nothing in return Because It does not wish for anything, It seems to be important It makes everything appear and disappear again But Itself is eternal Therefore the on...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 33: translated by Cheng Lin Those who know others are wise; those who know themselves are enlightened. Those who overcome others are powerful; those who overcome themselves are strong. Those who feel self-contentment are rich; those who practice self-cultivation are resolute. Those who abide by their original natures or centers endure; those who follow Truth throughout life enjoy immortality. Photo by Guillerm...

Send us Fan Mail Verse 1 of the Tao Te Ching The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. (Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things. Always without desire we must be found, If its deep mystery we would sound; But if desire always within us be, Its outer fringe is all that we shall see. &...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 32 translated by Yasuhiko Genku Kimura The Tao remains eternally unnamable. As undivided simplicity, If it resides in an ordinary person, nobody in the world can subjugate him; If an influential person abides by it, everybody in the world will be drawn to him. When heaven and earth come together in harmony, Showering the world equally with the sweet rain of undivided simplicity, People cooperate voluntarily without any governing rules. When simplicity is ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 31 translated by Ellen Marie Chen Military weapons are implements (ch'i) of ill omen, Avoided (o) even by natural creatures (wu). Hence the Taoist does not indulge (ch'u) in them. The sage person (chün-tzu) in dwelling honors the left, In military campaigns honors the right. Hence military weapons are not implements of a princely person. Military weapons, being implements of ill omen, Are to be employed only in dire necessity. Better to regard them with l...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 30 translated by Cheng Lin Those who use Truth in assisting the ruler do not resort to war for the conquest of an Empire. War is a most calamitous evil. Wherever armies are quartered, briars and thorns become rampant. Famines inevitably follow in the wake of great wars. The good rulers are satisfied when an attack is stopped, and they do not venture to pursue conquest for supremacy. Victories do not make them vainglorious, aggressive, arrogant, or anxious...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 29: translated by Charles Johnston Who seeks to remake the kingdom, will certainly fail. The kingdom is divinely planned; humans cannot remake it. If they seek to remake, they destroy; If they seek to seize, they lose. Among beings, some go before, some follow; Some are hot, some are cold; Some are strong, some are weak; Some move, others halt. Therefore the Sage refrains from excess, luxury, indulgence. Photo by guille pozzi on Unsplash Practicin...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 28 translated by Yi Wu One keeps weakness while knowing what strength is, And serves as the humblest brook for the world. Being the humblest, one can receive best Until one returns to be the weakest infant. One keeps to the dark while knowing what the light is, And serves as a basic model for the world. Being the basic model, one can receive properly Until one returns to the oneness without polar opposition. One keeps disgrace while knowing what glory is,...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 27 translation by Gu Zhengkun He who is good at walking leaves no traces; He who is good at speaking leaves no slips He who is good at counting uses no counting tools; He who is good at shutting renders all efforts of opening in vain though he uses no bolts; He who is good at tying renders all efforts of untying in vain though he uses no ropes. That is why the sage Is always good at saving people And abandoning no one; That is why the sage is always good ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 26: translated by James Legge Gravity is the root of lightness; stillness, the ruler of movement. Therefore a wise prince, marching the whole day, does not go far from his baggage waggons. Although he may have brilliant prospects to look at, he quietly remains (in his proper place), indifferent to them. How should the lord of a myriad chariots carry himself lightly before the kingdom? If he does act lightly, he has lost his root (of gravity); if he ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 25: translated by Victor Mair There was something featureless yet complete, born before heaven and earth; Silent - amorphous - it stood alone and unchanging. We may regard it as the mother of heaven and earth. Not knowing its name, I style it the "Way." If forced to give it a name, I would call it "great." Being great implies flowing ever onward, Flowing ever onward implies far-reaching, Far-reaching implies reversal. The Way is great, Heaven is great, Ea...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 24 translated by Lin Yutang He who stands on tiptoe does not stand (firm); He who strains his strides does not walk (well); He who reveals himself is not luminous; He who justifies himself is not far-famed; He who boasts of himself is not given credit; He who prides himself is not chief among men. These in the eyes of Tao Are called "the dregs and tumors of Virtue," Which are things of disgust. Therefore the ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 23 Translated by Henry Wei, 1982 Nature is brief in its speech. Thus a tempest does not last a whole morning, Nor does a rainstorm last a whole day. What is it that causes the wind and rain? It is Heaven and Earth. Even Heaven and Earth cannot be long in their outbursts. How much the less can humanity in its! Therefore, in the pursuit of Tao, Those tending toward Tao will identify with Tao; Those tending toward virtue will identify with virtue; Those ten...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 22 email the podcast: DailyTaoLife@gmail.com translated by Wing-Tsit Chan To yield is to be preserved whole. To be bent is to become straight. To be empty is to be full. To be worn out is to be renewed. To have little is to possess. To have plenty is to be perplexed. Therefore the sage embraces the One And becomes the model of the world. He does not justify himself; therefore he becomes prominent. He does not boast of himself; therefore he is given cred...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 21 translated by Lok Sang Ho To tell the virtuous from all the others. You only need one criterion: does he follow the Dao?38 The substance of the Dao is impalpable and intractable. While it is impalpable and intractable, It manifests itself in the phenomenal world, And it is not without substance. While it is shadowy and empty, It shows itself in the spiritual realm. The spiritual essence of the Dao is both truthful and dependable. From the ancient tim...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 20 Translated by James Legge When we renounce learning we have no troubles. The (ready) 'yes,' and (flattering) 'yea;'-- Small is the difference they display. But mark their issues, good and ill;-- What space the gulf between shall fill? What all men fear is indeed to be feared; but how wide and without end is the range of questions (asking to be discussed)! The multitude of men look satisfied and pleased; as if enjoying a full banquet, as if mounted on a...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 19: translated by Lin Yutang Banish wisdom, discard knowledge, And the people shall profit a hundredfold; Banish "humanity," discard "justice," And the people shall recover love of their kin; Banish cunning, discard "utility," And the thieves and brigands shall disappear. As these three touch the externals and are inadequate, The people have need of what they can depend upon: Reveal thy simp...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 18 translated by Stefan Stenudd at taoistic.com When the great Way is abandoned, Benevolence and righteousness arise. When wisdom and knowledge appear, Great pretense arises. When family ties are disturbed, Devoted children arise. When people are unsettled, Loyal ministers arise. Photo by Hidayat Abisena on Unsplash Allowing people to be people If we find ourselves behaving differently than the ideal, Lao Tzu and Chuang-tse provide us with a way to level ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 17: Translated by James Legge In the highest antiquity, (the people) did not know that there were (their rulers). In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Thus it was that when faith (in the Tao) was deficient (in the rulers) a want of faith in them ensued (in the people). How irresolute did those (earliest rulers) appear, showing (by their reticence) the importance which they set upo...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 16 Attain the utmost in Passivity, Hold firm to the basis of Quietude. The myriad things take shape and rise to activity, But I watch them fall back to their repose. Like vegetation that luxuriantly grows But returns to the root (soil) from which it springs. To return to the root is Repose; It is called going back to one's Destiny. Going back to one's Destiny is to find the Eternal Law. To know the Eterna...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 15 Translated by Xiaolin Yang People in the past who practiced the DAO understood the real essence of the world so deeply that the ordinary people could not appreciate them. Because these people cannot be appreciated and understood, I will try to give you a rough sketch of them. They acted very cautiously, like walking on thin ice. They behaved very carefully, like being watched by everybody. They looked very dignified, like going to a banquet. They were ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 14 Translated by Gia-Fu Feng & Jane English Look, it cannot be seen - it is beyond form. Listen, it cannot be heard - it is beyond sound. Grasp, it cannot be held - it is intangible. These three are indefinable; Therefore they are joined in one. From above it is not bright; From below it is not dark: An unbroken thread beyond description. It returns to nothingness. The form of the formless, The image of the imageless, It is called indefinable and beyo...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 13 translated by Chao-Hsiu Chen Accept favour and disgrace as a threat that troubles the body like a disease. What does it mean to accept favour and disgrace as a threat? Everyone seeks to be favoured. No one seeks to be disgraced. When one receives it, it causes alarm. When one loses it, it causes alarm. Therefore favour and disgrace are both threatening. What does it mean that the disease troubles one's body? One suffers from the disease because one tre...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 12 (James Legge): Colour's five hues from th' eyes their sight will take; Music's five notes the ears as deaf can make; The flavours five deprive the mouth of taste; The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste Make mad the mind; and objects rare and strange, Sought for, men's conduct will to evil change. Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy (the craving of) the belly, and not the (insatiable longing of the) eyes. He puts from him the latter, and prefers...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 11: The thirty spokes unite in the one nave; but it is on the empty space (for the axle), that the use of the wheel depends. Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that their use depends. The door and windows are cut out (from the walls) to form an apartment; but it is on the empty space (within), that its use depends. Therefore, what has a (positive) existence serves for profitable adaptation, and what has not that for (actua...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 10 When the intelligent and animal souls are held together in one embrace, they can be kept from separating. When one gives undivided attention to the (vital) breath, and brings it to the utmost degree of pliancy, he can become as a (tender) babe. When he has cleansed away the most mysterious sights (of his imagination), he can become without a flaw. In loving the people and ruling the state, cannot he proceed without any (purpose of) action? In the openi...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 9 It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to attempt to carry it when it is full. If you keep feeling a point that has been sharpened, the point cannot long preserve its sharpness. When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them safe. When wealth and honors lead to arrogance, this brings its evil on itself. When the work is done, and one's name is becoming distinguished, to withdraw into obscurity is the way of Heaven. Photo by K...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 8 The highest excellence is like (that of) water. The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying, without striving (to the contrary), the low place which all men dislike. Hence (its way) is near to (that of) the Tao. The excellence of a residence is in (the suitability of) the place; that of the mind is in abysmal stillness; that of associations is in their being with the virtuous; that of government is in its securing ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 6 The valley spirit dies not, aye the same; The female mystery thus do we name. Its gate, from which at first they issued forth, Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth. Long and unbroken does its power remain, Used gently, and without the touch of pain. Photo by Mario Álvarez on Unsplash What The Spirit of the Valley means to me Ok. Let’s start with a quick definition of a Valley. Merriam-Webster says that a valley is an elongate depr...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 7 Heaven is long-enduring and earth continues long. The reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is because they do not live of, or for, themselves. This is how they are able to continue and endure. Therefore the sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in the foremost place; he treats his person as if it were foreign to him, and yet that person is preserved. Is it not because he has no personal and private ends, tha...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Art by @lianafink Tao Te Ching Verse 5 Heaven and earth do not act from (the impulse of) any wish to be benevolent; they deal with all things as the dogs of grass are dealt with. The sages do not act from (any wish to be) benevolent; they deal with the people as the dogs of grass are dealt with. May not the space between heaven and earth be compared to a bellows? 'Tis emptied, yet it loses not its power; 'Tis moved again, and sends forth air the more. Much speech ...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 4 The Tao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment of it we must be on our guard against all fulness. How deep and unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honored Ancestor of all things! We should blunt our sharp points, and unravel the complications of things; we should temper our brightness, and bring ourselves into agreement with the obscurity of others. How pure and still the Tao is, as if it would ever so continue! I do not kno...

Send us Fan Mail Tao Te Ching Verse 3: Not to value and employ men of superior ability is the way to keep the people from rivalry among themselves; not to prize articles which are difficult to procure is the way to keep them from becoming thieves; not to show them what is likely to excite their desires is the way to keep their minds from disorder. Therefore the sage, in the exercise of his government, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bon...

Send us Fan Mail Verse 2 of the Tao Te Ching: All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skillful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is. So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the ot...