Lao Tse - Tao Te Ching (LI-LX)
Friday 25 June 2010, by
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51
Every being in the universeis an expression of the Tao.It springs into existence,unconscious, perfect, free,takes on a physical body,lets circumstances complete it.That is why every beingspontaneously honors the Tao.The Tao gives birth to all beings,nourishes them, maintains them,cares for them, comforts them, protects them,takes them back to itself,creating without possessing,acting without expecting,guiding without interfering.That is why love of the Taois in the very nature of things.
52
In the beginning was the Tao.All things issue from it;all things return to it.To find the origin,trace back the manifestations.When you recognize the childrenand find the mother,you will be free of sorrow.If you close your mind in judgementsand traffic with desires,your heart will be troubled.If you keep your mind from judgingand aren’t led by the senses,your heart will find peace.Seeing into darkness is clarity.Knowing how to yield is strength.Use your own lightand return to the source of light.This is called practicing eternity.
53
The great Way is easy,yet people prefer the side paths.Be aware when things are out of balance.Stay centered within the Tao.When rich speculators prosperWhile farmers lose their land;when government officials spend moneyon weapons instead of cures;when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsiblewhile the poor have nowhere to turn-all this is robbery and chaos.It is not in keeping with the Tao.
54
Whoever is planted in the Taowill not be rooted up.Whoever embraces the Taowill not slip away.Her name will be held in honorfrom generation to generation.Let the Tao be present in your lifeand you will become genuine.Let it be present in your familyand your family will flourish.Let it be present in your countryand your country will be an exampleto all countries in the world.Let it be present in the universeand the universe will sing.How do I know this is true?By looking inside myself.
55
He who is in harmony with the Taois like a newborn child.Its bones are soft, its muscles are weak,but its grip is powerful.It doesn’t know about the unionof male and female,yet its penis can stand erect,so intense is its vital power.It can scream its head off all day,yet it never becomes hoarse,so complete is its harmony.The Master’s power is like this.He lets all things come and goeffortlessly, without desire.He never expects results;thus he is never disappointed.He is never disappointed;thus his spirit never grows old.
56
Those who know don’t talk.Those who talk don’t know.Close your mouth,block off your senses,blunt your sharpness,untie your knots,soften your glare,settle your dust.This is the primal identity.Be like the Tao.It can’t be approached or withdrawn from,benefited or harmed,honored or brought into disgrace.It gives itself up continually.That is why it endures.
57
If you want to be a great leader,you must learn to follow the Tao.Stop trying to control.Let go of fixed plans and concepts,and the world will govern itself.The more prohibitions you have,the less virtuous people will be.The more weapons you have,the less secure people will be.The more subsidies you have,the less self-reliant people will be.Therefore the Master says:I let go of the law,and people become honest.I let go of economics,and people become prosperous.I let go of religion,and people become serene.I let go of all desire for the common good,and the good becomes common as grass.
58
If a country is governed with tolerance,the people are comfortable and honest.If a country is governed with repression,the people are depressed and crafty.When the will to power is in charge,the higher the ideals, the lower the results.Try to make people happy,and you lay the groundwork for misery.Try to make people moral,and you lay the groundwork for vice.Thus the Master is contentto serve as an exampleand not to impose her will.She is pointed, but doesn’t pierce.Straightforward, but supple.Radiant, but easy on the eyes.
59
For governing a country wellthere is nothing better than moderation.The mark of a moderate manis freedom from his own ideas.Tolerant like the sky,all-pervading like sunlight,firm like a mountain,supple like a tree in the wind,he has no destination in viewand makes use of anythinglife happens to bring his way.Nothing is impossible for him.Because he has let go,he can care for the people’s welfareas a mother cares for her child.
60
Governing a large countryis like frying a small fish.You spoil it with too much poking.Center your country in the Taoand evil will have no power.Not that it isn’t there,but you’ll be able to step out of its way.Give evil nothing to opposeand it will disappear by itself.
Source : http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu