Tao Te Ching – Verse 12 – He allows things to come and go. His heart is open as the sky.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 12

Colors blind the eye.
Sounds deafen the ear.
Flavors numb the taste.
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the heart.

The Master observes the world
but trusts his inner vision.
He allows things to come and go.
His heart is open as the sky.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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The five colors make one blind in the eyes
The five sounds make one deaf in the ears
The five flavors make one tasteless in the mouth

Racing and hunting make one wild in the heart
Goods that are difficult to acquire make one cause damage

Therefore the sages care for the stomach and not the eyes
That is why they discard the other and take this

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Colors blur sight.
Sounds blur hearing.
Tastes blur the Nectar.
Chasing drives Bliss away.
Lust blurs calm.
In the Nothingness of Zero is Unimaginable Peace.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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from I Ching Online

Tao Te Ching – Verse 11 – We work with being, but non-being is what we use.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 11

We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the inner space
that makes it livable.

We work with being,
but non-being is what we use.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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Thirty spokes join in one hub
In its emptiness, there is the function of a vehicle
Mix clay to create a container
In its emptiness, there is the function of a container
Cut open doors and windows to create a room
In its emptiness, there is the function of a room

Therefore, that which exists is used to create benefit
That which is empty is used to create functionality

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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It is the gaps that define.
That definition is perfect.
Ornate vessels hold water —
So it is Nothingness which has been defined, not the vessel.
The unwise have been tricked.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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from I Ching Online

Tao Te Ching – Verse 10 – Can you coax your mind from its wandering and keep to the original oneness?

Tao Te Ching – Verse 10

Can you coax your mind from its wandering
and keep to the original oneness?
Can you let your body become
supple as a newborn child’s?
Can you cleanse your inner vision
until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them
without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters
by letting events take their course?
Can you step back from you own mind
and thus understand all things?

Giving birth and nourishing,
having without possessing,
acting with no expectations,
leading and not trying to control:
this is the supreme virtue.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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In holding the soul and embracing oneness
Can one be steadfast, without straying?
In concentrating the energy and reaching relaxation
Can one be like an infant?
In cleaning away the worldly view
Can one be without imperfections?
In loving the people and ruling the nation
Can one be without manipulation?
In the heavenly gate’s opening and closing
Can one hold to the feminine principle?
In understanding clearly all directions
Can one be without intellectuality?

Bearing it, rearing it
Bearing without possession
Achieving without arrogance
Raising without domination
This is called the Mystic Virtue

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Be empty and know effulgent Zero.
Breathe softly and know Blissful Nothingness.
Stop looking, then see what was hidden.
Love in secret.
Watch without touching.
Rule All while resting in Zero.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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from I Ching Online

Tao Te Ching – Verse 9 – Better to stop in time than to fill to the brim

Tao Te Ching – Verse 9

Better to stop in time than to fill to the brim.
Hone a blade to the sharpest point, and it will soon be blunt.
Fill your house with gold and jade, and no one can protect it.
Be prideful about wealth and position, and you bring disasters upon yourself. Retire when the work is done.
This is the way of heaven.

from the Tao Te Ching

Translation by Tolbert McCarroll Comments and layout by Thomas Knierim

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from I Ching Online

 

Tao Te Ching – Verse 8 – The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 8

The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all things without trying to.
It is content with the low places that people disdain.
Thus it is like the Tao.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 8 – The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 7 – The Tao is infinite, eternal.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 7

The Tao is infinite, eternal.
Why is it eternal?
It was never born;
thus it can never die.
Why is it infinite?
It has no desires for itself;
thus it is present for all beings. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 7 – The Tao is infinite, eternal.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 6 – The Tao is called the Great Mother: empty yet inexhaustible, it gives birth to infinite worlds.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 6

The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.

It is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.
Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 6 – The Tao is called the Great Mother: empty yet inexhaustible, it gives birth to infinite worlds.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 5 – The Tao doesn’t take sides; it gives birth to both good and evil.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 5

The Tao doesn’t take sides;
it gives birth to both good and evil.
The Master doesn’t take sides;
she welcomes both saints and sinners.

The Tao is like a bellows:
it is empty yet infinitely capable.
The more you use it, the more it produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you understand.

Hold on to the center. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 5 – The Tao doesn’t take sides; it gives birth to both good and evil.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 4 – The Tao is like a well: used but never used up.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 4

The Tao is like a well:
used but never used up.
It is like the eternal void:
filled with infinite possibilities.

It is hidden but always present.
I don’t know who gave birth to it.
It is older than God. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 4 – The Tao is like a well: used but never used up.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 3 – The Master leads by emptying people’s minds and filling their cores

Tao Te Ching – Verse 3

If you overesteem great men,
people become powerless.
If you overvalue possessions,
people begin to steal.

The Master leads
by emptying people’s minds
and filling their cores,
by weakening their ambition
and toughening their resolve. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 3 – The Master leads by emptying people’s minds and filling their cores”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 2 – When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad. Being and non-being create each other.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 2

When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 2 – When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad. Being and non-being create each other.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 1 – The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 1

The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.

The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular things. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 1 – The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 81 – True words aren’t eloquent; eloquent words aren’t true.

Tao Te Ching – Verse 81

True words aren’t eloquent;
eloquent words aren’t true.
Wise men don’t need to prove their point;
men who need to prove their point aren’t wise.

Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 81 – True words aren’t eloquent; eloquent words aren’t true.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 80 – If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content

Tao Te Ching – Verse 80

If a country is governed wisely,
its inhabitants will be content.
They enjoy the labor of their hands
and don’t waste time inventing
labor-saving machines.
Since they dearly love their homes,
they aren’t interested in travel. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 80 – If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 79 – Failure is an opportunity

Tao Te Ching – Verse 79

Failure is an opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end to the blame.

Therefore the Master
fulfills her own obligations
and corrects her own mistakes.
She does what she needs to do
and demands nothing of others. Continue reading “Tao Te Ching – Verse 79 – Failure is an opportunity”

Tao Te Ching – Verse 78 – “Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.”

Tao Te Ching – Verse  78

Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass it.

The soft overcomes the hard;
the gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but few can put it into practice.

Therefore the Master remains
serene in the midst of sorrow.
Evil cannot enter his heart.
Because he has given up helping,
he is people’s greatest help.

True words seem paradoxical.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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Nothing in the world is softer or weaker than water
Yet nothing is better at overcoming the hard and strong
This is because nothing can replace it

That the weak overcomes the strong
And the soft overcomes the hard
Everybody in the world knows
But cannot put into practice

Therefore sages say:
The one who accepts the humiliation of the state
Is called its master
The one who accepts the misfortune of the state
Becomes king of the world
The truth seems like the opposite

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Water, so soft,
Was the beginning.
So powerful,
Will be the end.
Embrace the humble.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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