TEXT
曲则全，枉则直，
洼则盈，敝则新，
少则得，多则惑。
是以圣人抱一为天下式。
不自见，故明；
不自是，故彰，
不自伐，故有功；
不自矜，故长。
夫唯不争，
故天下莫能与之争。
古之所谓"曲则全"者，
岂虚言哉？
诚全而归之。
TRANSLATION
Crooked, then whole; bent, then straight;
low, then full; battered, then new;
lacking, then apt; endowed, then perplexed.
Therefore, the
孔德之容，惟道是从。
道之为物，惟恍惟惚。
惚兮恍兮，其中有象；
恍兮惚兮，其中有物；
窈兮冥兮，其中有精，
其精甚真，其中有信，
自今及古，其名不去，
以阅众甫。
吾何以知众甫之状哉？
以此。
TRANSLATION
The appearance of a person of high Te (virtue) is due to nothing except the Tao.
The activity of Tao is vague and indistinct:
so indistinct
TEXT
絕學無憂
唯之与阿，相去几何？
美之与恶，相去若何？
人之所畏，不可不畏?
荒兮!
其未央哉！众人熙熙，
如享太牢，如春登台。
我独泊兮，其未兆；
沌沌兮，如婴儿之未孩；
傫傫兮，若无所归。
众人皆有余，而我独若遗。
我愚人之心也哉！
俗人昭昭⒅，我独昏昏。
俗人察察，我独闷闷。
澹兮，其若海；
飂兮，若无止。
众人皆有以，而我独顽且鄙。
我独异于人，而贵食母。
TRANSLATION
Cut out copying the crowd - no misery!
Between bribery and flattery,
TEXT
绝圣弃智，民利百倍；
绝仁弃义，民复孝慈；
绝巧弃利，盗贼无有。
此三者以为文不足，
故令有所属；
见素抱朴，
少私寡欲；
绝学无忧。
TRANSLATION
Give up holiness, abandon wisdom
and people benefit a hundredfold.
Give up humanism (ren), abandon appropriateness (yi)
and people become filial and compassionate.
Give up takin
TEXT
大道废，有仁义；
智慧出，有大伪；
六亲不和，有孝慈;
国家昏乱，有忠臣。
TRANSLATION
When the great Tao is lost
we have benevolence and appropriateness.
When cleverness springs up
we have great hypocrisy.
When the six relations are on bad terms
we have filial obedience and pare
TEXT
太上，不知有之；
其次，亲而誉之；
其次，畏之；
其次，侮之。
信不足焉，有不信焉。
悠兮，其贵言。
功成事遂，百姓皆谓“我自然”。
TRANSLATION
The master of Tao does not know he has it.
Next to him is the person who relates to it and praises it.
The next best fears it,
then come those who ridicule it.
If there i
TEXT
致虚极，
守静笃；
万物并作，
吾以观复。
夫物芸芸，
各复归其根。
TRANSLATION
Considering things completely in the abstract,
with no bias nor personal interest,
I can perceive the repeating patterns
as all things act and grow together,
Though beings are myriad
each returns to
古之善為士者，微妙玄通，深不可識。
夫唯不可識，故強為之容：
豫兮若 冬涉川﹔
猶兮若畏四鄰﹔
儼兮其若客﹔
渙兮若冰之釋﹔
敦兮其若朴曠兮
其若谷﹔混兮其若濁。
孰能晦以理之徐明？
孰能濁以靜之徐清？
孰能安以 動之徐生？
保此道者不欲盈。
夫唯不盈，
故能蔽而新成。
Good people of old
penetrated subtle mysteries.
They were indecipherably deep.
The ordinary person cannot unders
14.
视之不见名曰夷。
听之不闻名曰希。
抟之不得名曰微。
此三者不可致诘，
故混而为一。
其上不皦, 其下不昧，
绳绳不可名，复归於无物。
是谓无状之状，无物之象，是谓惚恍。
迎之不见其首，随之不见其後。
执古之道以御今之有。
能知古始，是谓道纪。
Fairly Literal Translation
The look that does not see is called foreign
The listening that does not hear is called unusual
The t
Read more…宠辱若惊，贵大患若身。
何谓宠辱若惊？
宠為下。
得之若惊
失之若惊
是谓宠辱若惊。
何谓贵大患若身？
吾所以有大患者，
為吾有身，
及吾无身，
吾有何患。
故贵以身為天下，
若可寄天下。
爱以身為天下，
若可托天下。
Favour and disgrace are overwhelming.
Treat them as if a great sufferings to yourself.
What are favour and disgrace except trouble and
Read more…Chapter 12
五色令人目盲，
五音令人耳聋，
五味令人口爽，
驰骋畋猎令人心发狂，
难得之货令人行妨。
是以圣人，
為腹不為目，
故去彼取此
The eyes of the person gone wild on the five sights, are blind.
The ears of the person driven wild by the five cries, are deaf.
The taste of the person driven wild by th
Read more…Chapter 11
三十幅共一毂，当其无，有車之用。
埏埴以為器，当其无，有器之用。
凿户牖以為室，当其无，有室之用。
故有之以為利，无之以為用。
Thirty spokes come together at the hub;
it is the space between that makes it usable.
Mix up clay and make a pot;
it is the space inside that makes it usable.
Assemble win
Read more…Chapter 10
载营魄抱一，能毌離乎
專氣至柔 能 嬰兒乎
脩除玄監 能毌有疵乎
愛民栝國 能毌以知乎
天門啟闔 能為雌乎
明白四達 能毌以知乎
生之畜之
生而弗有
畜而弗宰也
是胃玄德
Unite body and soul – can you, without being dispersed?
Master the breath and be supple – can you, jus
Read more…Chapter Nine
持而盈之不盈其己；
揣而锐之不可长保；
金玉满堂莫之能守；
富贵而骄，自遗其咎。
功遂身退，天之道。
Hold to an excess of non-excessiveness, this is not about self.
Hide the sharpness that cannot last long.
When gold and jade fill the hall, nobody can guard them..
Fame and fortune m
Read more…Q: People suffer from any different kinds of issues. Although they are different and each, perhaps, needs a different remedy or therapy, all seem to involve attachment. How should we understand this?
A: There is a Chinese story about a man who goes s
Read more…Q: How can one attain illumination?
A: How can one expect to receive more teachings when one has not yet put into practice those that one already has? The angels are queuing up to provide more wisdom, but just as a waiter does not serve the dessert u
Read more…Q: What do the wisdom traditions say about equality?
A: Individual karma being unique in each case, it is self-evident that no two people come into the world identically equal in any respect. Therefore, to expect that competition between them shall b
Read more…I asked the I Ching to tell me the way to end war and achieve peace. The answer came as hexagram 25. There were no moving lines, so this was a quite definite and timeless response from the oracle.
Hexagram 25 is Wu Wang which means Innocence. It con
