Section 2

* This sentence is admittedly obscure, and it may be an interpola- tion. Lao Tzu's system of cosmogony has no place for any Divine Being independent of Tao. On the other hand, to translate ti by "Emperor," as some have done, necessarily involves us in an absurd anti-climax.
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Tao eludes the sense of sight, and is therefore called colourless. It eludes the sense of hearing, and is therefore called soundless. It eludes the sense of touch, and is therefore called incorporeal. These three qualities cannot be apprehended, and hence they may be blended into unity.
Its upper part is not bright, and its lower part is not obscure. Ceaseless in action, it cannot be named, but returns again to nothingness. We may call it the form of the formless, the image of the imageless, the fleeting and the indeterminable. Would you go before it, you cannot see its face ; would you go behind it, you cannot see its back.
The mightiest manifestations of active force flow solely from Tao.
Tao in itself is vague, impalpable, — how im- palpable, how vague ! Yet within it there is Form. How vague, how impalpable ! Yet within it there is Substance. How profound, how obscure ! Yet within it there is a Vital Principle. This principle is the Quintessence of Reality, and out of it comes Truth.
From of old until now, its name has never passed away. It watches over the beginning of all things. How do I know this about the beginning of things ? Through Tao.
There is something, chaotic yet complete, which existed before Heaven and Earth. Oh, how still it is, and formless, standing alone without chang- ing, reaching everywhere without suffering harm ! It must be regarded as the Mother of the Universe. Its name I know not. To designate it, I call it Tao. Endeavouring to describe it, I call it Great.
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Being great, it passes on ; passing on, it becomes remote ; having become remote, it returns.
Therefore Tao is great ; Heaven is great ; Earth .s great ; and the Sovereign also is great. In the Universe there are four powers, of which the Sovereign is one. Man takes his law from the Earth ; the Earth takes its law from Heaven ; Heaven takes its law from Tao ; but the law of Tao is its own spontaneity.
Tao in its unchanging aspect has no name. Small though it be in its primordial simplicity, mankind dare not claim its service. Could princes and kings hold and keep it, all creation would spontaneously pay homage. Heaven and Earth would unite in sending down sweet dew, and the people would be righteous unbidden and of their own accord.
As soon as Tao creates order, it becomes name- able. When it once has a name, men will know how to rest in it. Knowing how to rest in it, they will run no risk of harm.
Tao as it exists in the world is like the great rivers and seas which receive the streams from the valleys.
All-pervading is the Great Tao. It can be at once on the right hand and on the left. All things depend on it for life, and it rejects them not. Its task accomplished, it takes no credit. It loves and nourishes all things, but does not act as master. It is ever free from desire. We may call it small. All things return to it, yet it does not act as master. We may call it great.
The whole world will flock to him who holds the mighty form of Tao. They will come and receive no hurt, but find rest, peace, and tranquillity.
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With music and dainties we may detain the passing guest. But if we open our mouths to speak of Tao, he finds it tasteless and insipid.
Not visible to the sight, not audible to the ear, in its use it is inexhaustible.
Retrogression is the movement of Tao. Weak- ness is the character of Tao.
All things under Heaven are products of Being, but Being itself is the product of Not-Being.
Tao is a great square with no angles, a great vessel which takes long to complete, a great sound which cannot b^ heard, a great image with no form.
Tao lies hid and cannot be named, yet it has the power of transmuting and perfecting all things.
Tao produced Unity ; Unity produced Duality ; Duality produced Trinity ; and Trinity produced all existing objects. These myriad objects leave darkness behind^ them and embrace the light, being harmonised by contact with the Vital Force.
Tao produces all things ; its Virtue nourishes them ; each is formed according to its nature ; each is perfected according to its strength.
Hence there is not a single thing but pays homage to Tao and extols its Virtue. This homage paid to Tao, this extolling of its Virtue, is due to no command, but is always spontaneous.
Thus it is that Tao, engendering all things, nourishes them, develops them, and fosters them ; perfects them, ripens them, tends them, and pro- tects them.
Production without possession, action without
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self-assertion, development without domination : this is its mysterious operation.
The World has a First Cause, which may be re- garded as the Mother of the World. When one has found the Mother, one can know the Child. Know- ing the Child and still keeping the Mother, to the end of his days he shall suffer no harm.
It is the Way of Heaven not to strive, and yet it knows how to overcome ; not to speak, and yet it knows how to obtain a response ; it calls not, and things come of themselves ; it is slow to move, but excellent in its designs.
Heaven's net is vast; though its meshes are wide, it lets nothing slip through.
The Way of Heaven is like the drawing of a bow : it brings down what is high and raises what is low.
It is the Way of Heaven to take from those who have too much, and give to those who have too little. But the way of man is not so. He takes away from those who have too little, to add to his own superabundance. What man is there that can take of his own superabundance and give it to mankind ? Only he who possesses Tao.
The Tao of Heaven has no favourites. It gives to all good men without distinction.
Things wax strong and then decay. This is the contrary of Tao. What is contrary to Tao soon perishes.
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TAO AS A MORAL PRINCIPLE, OR "VIRTUE"
THE highest goodness is like water, for water is excellent in benefiting all things, and it does not strive. It occupies the lowest place, which men abhor. And therefore it is near akin to Tao.
When your work is done and fame has been achieved, then retire into the background ; for this is the Way of Heaven.
Those who follow the Way desire not excess ; and thus without excess they are for ever exempt from change.
All things alike do their work, and then we see them subside. When they have reached their bloom, each returns to its origin. Returning to their origin means rest or fulfilment of destiny. This reversion is an eternal law. To know that law is to be enlightened. Not to know it, is misery and calamity. He who knows the eternal law is liberal-minded. Being liberal-minded, he is just. Being just, he is kingly. Being kingly, he is akin to Heaven. Being akin to Heaven, he possesses Tao. Possessed of Tao, he endures for ever. Though his body perish, yet he suffers no harm.
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He who acts in accordance with Tao, becomes one with Tao. He who treads the path of Virtue becomes one with Virtue. He who pursues a course of Vice becomes one with Vice. The man who is one with Tao, Tao is also glad to receive. The man who is one with Virtue, Virtue is also glad to receive. The man who is one with Vice, Vice is also glad to receive. • He who is self -approving does not shine. He who boasts has no merit. He who exalts himself does not rise high. Judged according to Tao, such conduct is like that of a glutton — an object of universal disgust. Therefore one who has Tao will avoid it.
Perfect Virtue is unconscious of itself as virtue, and therefore it is true virtue. Inferior Virtue tries not to fall short of virtue, and therefore it is not virtue at all. Perfect Virtue is inactive, having no need to act. Inferior Virtue acts, feeling the need to do so. Perfect Charity operates without the need of anything to evoke it. Perfect Righteousness operates, but needs to be evoked. Perfect Propriety operates, and if there is no response, it resorts to force.
When Tao is lost, Virtue appears ; when Virtue is lost, Charity appears ; when Charity is lost, Righteousness appears ; when Righteousness is lost, Propriety appears.
Propriety is but the veneer of loyalty and
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good faith, while oft-times the source of dis- order. Foreknowledge is but a showy orna- ment of Tao, while oft-times the beginning of imbecility.
Therefore the truly great man takes his stand upon what is solid, and not upon what is superficial ; upon what is real, and not upon what is ornamental. He rejects the latter in favour of the former.
When the superior scholar hears of Tao, he diligently practises it. When the average scholar hears of Tao, he sometimes retains it, sometimes loses it. When the inferior scholar hears of Tao, he loudly laughs at it. Were it not thus ridiculed, it would not be worthy of the name of Tao.
He who is enlightened by Tao seems wrapped in darkness. He who is advanced in Tao seems to be going back. He who walks smoothly in Tao seems to be on a rugged path.
The man of highest virtue appears lowly. He who is truly pure behaves as though he were sullied. He who has virtue in abundance behaves as though it were not enough. He who is firm in virtue seems like a skulking pretender. He who is simple and true appears unstable as water.
If Tao prevails on earth, horses will be used for purposes of agriculture. If Tao does not prevail, war-horses will be bred on the common.
If we had sufficient knowledge to walk in the Great Way, what we should most fear would be boastful display.
The Great Way is very smooth, but the people love the by-paths.
Where the palaces are very splendid, there the 26
fields will be very waste, and the granaries very empty.
The wearing of gay embroidered robes, the carrying of sharp swords, fastidiousness in food and drink, superabundance of property and wealth : — this I call flaunting robbery ; most assuredly it is not Tao.
He who trusts to his abundance of natural virtue is like an infant newly born, whom venomous reptiles will not sting, wild beasts will not seize, birds of prey will not strike. The infant's bones are weak, its sinews are soft, yet its grasp is firm. All day long it will cry without its voice becoming hoarse. This is because the harmony of its bodily system is perfect.
Temner your sharpness, disentangle your ideas, moderate your brilliancy, live in harmony with your age. This is being in conformity with the principle of Tao. Such a man is impervious alike to favour and disgrace, to benefits and injuries, to honour and contempt. And therefore he is esteemed above all mankind.
In governing men and in serving Heaven, there is nothing like moderation. For only by modera- tion can there be an early return to man's normal state. This early return is the same as a great storage of Virtue. With a great storage of Virtue there is naught which may not be achieved. If there is naught which may not be achieved, then no one will know to what extent this power reaches. And if no one knows to what extent a man's power reaches, that man is fit to be the ruler of a State. Having the secret of rule, his rule shall endure. Setting the tap - root deep, and
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making the spreading roots firm : this is the way to ensure long life to the tree.
Tao is the sanctuary where all things hnd refuge, the good man's priceless treasure, the guardian and saviour of him who is not good.
Hence at the enthronement of an Emperor and the appointment of his three ducal ministers, though there be some who bear presents of costly jade and drive chariots with teams of four horses, that is not so good as sitting still and offering the gift of this Tao.
Why was it that the men of old esteemed this Tao so highly ? Is it not because it may be daily sought and found, and can remit the sins of the guilty ? Hence it is the most precious thing under Heaven.
All the world says that my Tao is great, but unlike other teaching. It is just because it is great that it appears unlike other teaching. If it had this likeness, long ago would its smallness have been known.
The skilful philosophers of the olden time were subtle, spiritual, profound, and penetrating. They were so deep as to be incomprehensible. Because they are hard to comprehend, I will endeavour to describe them.
Shrinking were they, like one fording a stream in winter. Cautious were they, like one who fears an attack from any quarter. Circumspect were they, like a stranger guest ; self-effacing, like ice about to melt ; simple, like unpolished wood ; vacant, like a valley ; opaque, like muddy water.
When terms are made after a great quarrel, a certain ill-feeling is bound to be left behind. How
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can this be made good ? Therefore, having entered into an agreement, the Sage adheres to his obliga- tions,* but does not exact fulfilment from others. The man who has Virtue attends to the spirit of the compact ; the man without Virtue attends only to his claims.
He who tries to govern a kingdom by his sagacity is of that kingdom the despoiler ; but he who does not govern by sagacity is the kingdom's blessing. He who understands these two sayings finds in them a pattern and a model. To keep this pattern constantly in mind is called Profound Virtue. Profound Virtue is unfathomable, far- reaching, the reverse of things as they are, but leading to perfect conformity with Nature.
* Literally, "he holds the left-hand portion of the agreement." In olden times, the terms of a contract were inscribed on a wooden tablet, the debit or obligations being on the left, and the credit or dues on the right ; it was then broken in two, and each of the con- tracting parties kept h>s own half until fulfilment was demanded, when the validity of the claim was tested by fitting the two halves together.
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THE DOCTRINE OF INACTION
THE Sage occupies himself with inaction, and conveys instruction without words.
Is it not by neglecting self-interest that one will be able to achieve it ?
Purge yourself of your profound intelligence, and you can still be free from blemish. Cherish the people and order the kingdom, and you can still do without meddlesome action.
Who is there that can make muddy water clear ? But if allowed to remain still, it will gradually become clear of itself. Who is there that ca-n secure a state of absolute repose ? But let time go on, and the state of repose will gradually arise.
Be sparing of speech, and things will come right of themselves.
A violent wind does not outlast the morning ; a squall of rain does not outlast the day. Such is the course of Nature. And if Nature herself cannot sustain her efforts long, how much less can man !
Attain complete vacuity, and sedulously preserve a state of repose.
Tao is eternally inactive, and yet it leaves nothing undone. If kings and princes could but hold fast to this principle, all things would work
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out their own relormation. If, having reformed, they still desired to act, I would have them re- strained by the simplicity of the Nameless Tao. The simplicity of the Nameless Tao brings about an absence of desire. The absence of desire gives tranquillity. And thus the Empire will rectify itself.
The softest things in the world override the hardest. That which has no substance enters where there is no crevice. Hence I know the advantage of inaction.
Conveying lessons without words, reaping profit without action, — there are few in the world who can attain to this !
Activity conquers cold, but stillness conquers heat. Purity and stillness are the correct principles for mankind.
Without going out of doors one may know the whole world ; without looking out of the window, one may see the Way of Heaven. The further one travels, the less one may know. Thus it is that without moving you shall know ; without looking you shall see ; without doing you shall achieve.
The pursuit of book-learning brings about daily increase. The practice of Tao brings about daily loss. Repeat this loss again and again, and you arrive at inaction. Practise inaction, and there is nothing which cannot be done.
The Empire has ever been won by letting things take their course. He who must always be doing is unfit to obtain the Empire.
Keep the mouth shut, close the gateways of sense, and as long as you live you will have no trouble. Open your hps and push your affairs,