ONE
The way that becomes a way
is not the Immortal Way
the name that becomes a name
is not the Immortal Name
no-name is the maiden of Heaven and Earth
name is the mother of all things
thus in innocence we see the beginning
in passion we see the end
two different names
for one and the same
the one we call dark
the dark beyond dark
the door to all beginnings
TU ER-WEI Says, “Tao originally meant `moon.’ The Yiching [see hexagrams 42 and 52] stresses the bright moon, while Lao-tzu stresses the dark moon’ (Lao-tzu-te yueh-shen tsung-chiao, pp. ii-iii).
CONFUCIUS says, “The Tao is what we can never leave. What we can leave isn’t the Tao” (Chungyung. 1).
HO- SHANG KUNG says, “What we call a way is a moral or political code, while the Immortal Way takes care of the spirit without effort and brings peace to the world without struggle. It conceals its light and hides its tracks and can’t be called a way. As for the Immortal Name, it’s like a pearl inside an oyster, a piece of jade inside a rock: shiny on the inside, dull on the outside.”
CH’ENG CHU says, “Sages don’t reveal the Way because they keep it secret, but because it cant be revealed. Thus their words are like footsteps that leave no tracks.”
LI HSI-CHAI says, “Things change but not the Tao. The Tao is immortal. It arrives without moving and comes without being called’
SU CH’E says, “The ways of kindness and justice change but not the way of the Tao.
No-name is its body. Name is its function. Sages embody the Tao and use it in the world. But while entering the myriad states of being, they remain in nonbeing’
WANG PI says, “From the infinitesimal all things develop. From nothing all things are born. When we are free of desire, we can see the infinitesimal where things begin. When we are subject to desire, we can see where things end. `Two’ refers to `maiden’ and `mother:”
TS’AO TAO-CH’UNG says, “`Two’ refers to `innocence’ and `passion; or in other words, stillness and movement. Stillness corresponds to nonexistence. Movement corresponds to existence. Provisionally different, they are ultimately the same. Both meet in darkness’
THE SHUOWEN says, “Hsuan [dark] means `black with a dot of red in it..”‘ This is how the darker half of the yin-yang symbol was traditionally represented. In Shensi province, where the Taoteching was first written, doors were, until recently, painted black with a thin line of red trim. And every road begins with a door.
TE-CH’ING says, “Lao-tzu’s philosophy is all here. The remaining five thousand words only expand on this first verse.’
During Lao-tzu’s day, philosophers were concerned with the correspondence, or lack of it, between name and reality. The things we distinguish as real change, while their names do not. How then can reality be known through names? In lines two and four, I’ve used the Mawangtui heng (immortal) over the standard ch’ang (eternal), which was introduced to avoid an emperor’s personal name. Heng also means “crescent moon;’ a not accidental usage in light of Lao-tzu’s emphasis on lunar images when talking about the Tao. Around 1070 A.D. SSu-ma Kuang and Wang An-shih punctuated lines five through eight in a way that made their subject wu (nonbeing) and yu (being). (Nonbeing is the name of the maiden of Heaven and Earth / being is the name of the mother of all things, and so on.) However, the grammatical particles in the Mawangtui texts make such a reading impossible. In line five, shih normally means “beginning.’ But Chi-na’s earliest dictionary, the Shuowen, says, “Shih means `a virgin.”‘ Ma Hsu-lun suggests shih in this case might also be a loan word for the nearly identical tai. While tai normally means “fetus; the Shuowen says it means “a woman in her third month of pregnancy.” Note, too, that a woman did not receive her pub-lic name until after marriage. In lines seven and thirteen, most editions have miao (mysterious). But according to Pi Yuan, “In ancient times there was no miao [mysterious], only miao [small/beginning];’ which is what we find in the Mawangtui texts. This verse is not present in the Kuotien texts.
TWO
All the world knows beauty
but if that becomes beautiful
this becomes ugly
all the world knows good
but if that becomes good
this becomes bad
have and have not create each other
hard and easy produce each other
long and short shape each other
high and low complete each other
note and noise accompany each other
first and last follow each other
sages therefore perform effortless deeds
and teach wordless lessons
they don’t look after all the things that arise
or depend on them as they develop
or claim them when they reach perfection
and because .they don’t claim them
they are never without them
LU HSI-SHENG says, “What we call beautiful or ugly depends on our feelings. Nothing is necessarily beautiful or ugly until feelings make it so. But while feel-ings differ, they all come from our nature, and we all have the same nature. Hence, sages transform their feelings and return to their nature and thus become one again’
WU CH’ENG says, “The existence of things, the difficulty of affairs, the size of forms, the magnitude of power, the pitch and clarity of sound, the sequence of position, all involve contrasting pairs. When one is present, both are present. When one is absent, both are absent’
LU HUI-CH’ING says, “These six pairs all depend on time and occasion. None of them is eternal. Sages, however, act according to the Immortal Tao. Hence, they act without effort. And because they teach according to the Immortal Name, they teach without words. Beautiful and ugly, good and bad don’t enter their minds’
WANGG WU-CHIU says, “Sages are not interested in deeds or words. They simply follow the natural pattern of things. Things rise, develop, and reach perfection. This is their order.”
WANG AN-SHIN says, “Sages create but do not possess what they create. They act but do not depend on what they do. They succeed but do not claim success. These all result from selflessness. Because sages are selfless, they do not
lose themselves. Because they do not lode themselves, they do not lose others’
SU CH’E says, “Losing something is the result of possessing something. How can people lose what they don’t possess
LI HSI-CHAI says, “Lao-tzu’s 5,000-word text clarifies what is mysterious as. well as what is obvious. It can be used to attain the Tao, to order a country, or to cultivate the body.”
Ho-SHANG KUNG titles this verse: “Cultivating the Body.”
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “Those who practice the Way put an end to dis-tinctions, get rid of name and form, and make of themselves a home for the Way and Virtue”
I have used the wording of the Mawangtui and Kuotien texts for lines seven through twelve but have omitted the Mawangtui insertion of heng (is endless) after line twelve. In line fifteen, I have followed the Kuotien wording: ssu (look after) in place of the usual shih (begin). Between lines fifteen and sixteen, nei-ther the Mawangtui nor Kuotien copies include the line sheng-er pu yu, “or pos-sess what they beget,” which appears in the Wangpi and Fuyi editions and which was apparently interpolated from a similar sequence that appears in verse 51. The last two lines also appear in verse 77.
THREE
Bestowing no honors
keeps people from fighting
prizing no treasures
keeps people from stealing
displaying no attractions
keeps people from making trouble
thus the rule of the sage
empties the mind
but fills the stomach
weakens the will
but strengthens the bones
by keeping the people from knowing or wanting
and those who know from daring to act
the sage governs them all
SU CH’E says, “Bestowing honors embarrasses those who don’t receive them to the point where they fight for them. Prizing treasures pains those who don’t possess them to the point where they steal them. Displaying attractions distresses those who don’t enjoy them to the point where they cause trouble. If people aren’t shown these things, they won’t know what to want and will cease wanting’
WANG CHEN says, “Sages empty the mind of reasoning and delusion, they fill the stomach with loyalty and honesty, they weaken the will with humility and compliance, and they strengthen the bones with what people already have within themselves’
WANG PI says, “Bones don’t know how to make trouble. It’s the will that creates disorder. When the mind is empty, the will is weak.”
WANG P’ANG says, “An empty mind means no distinctions. A full stomach means no desires. A weak will means no external plans. Strong bones mean standing on one’s own and remaining unmoved by outside forces. By bestowing no honors, sages keep people from knowing. Prizing no treasures, they keep people from wanting’
LU NUNG-SHIN says, “The mind knows and chooses, while the stomach doesn’t know but simply contains. The will wants and moves, while bones dorft want but simply stand there. Sages empty what knows and fill what doesn’t know. They weaken what wants and strengthen what doesn’t want”
YEN TSUN says, “They empty their mind and calm their breath. They concentrate their essence and strengthen their spirit.”
HUANG YUAN-CHI says, “Sages purify their ears and eyes, put an end to dissipation and selfishness, embrace the one, and empty their mind. An empty mind forms the basis for transmuting cinnabar by enabling us to use our yang breath to transform our yin essence. A full stomach represents our final form, in which our yang breath gradually and completely replaces our yin essence’
WEI YUAN says, “The reason the world is in disorder is because of action. Action comes from desire. And desire comes from knowledge. Sages dolt talk about things that can be known or display things that can be desired. This is how they bring order to the world.”
LIU CHING Says, “This verse describes how sages cultivate themselves in order to transform others’
Between the penultimate and final lines, the Fuyi edition and Tunhuang copy 5.477 insert wei-wu-wei, “they act by not acting,” while Mawangtui B has wu-wei-er-yi, “by simply not acting.” Commentators who accept such versions often quote Confucius: “To govern without effort, that was Shun. And what did he do? He simply faced south and bowed” (Lunyu:15.4). But such an emendation, however Taoist, is superfluous here, and was probably interpolated from else-where in the text. This verse is absent in the Kuotien texts.
FOUR
The Tao is so empty
those who use it
never become full again
and so deep
as if it were the ancestor of us all
it dulls our edges
unties our tangles
softens our light
and merges our dust
it’s so clear
as if it were present
I wonder whose child it is
it seems it was here before Ti
WANG AN-SHIN says, “The Tao possesses form and function. Its form is the original breath that doesn’t move. Its function is the empty breath that alter-nates between Heaven and Earth.’
WU CH’ENG says, “`Empty’ means `empty like a bowl: The Tao is essentially empty, and people who use it should be empty, too. To be full is contrary to the Tao. `Deep’ means `what cannot be measured: `Ancestor’ means one who unites a lineage; just as the Tao unites all things. `As if’ suggests a reluctance to compare”
LI HSI-CHAI says, “The ancient masters of the Way had no ambition. Hence, they dulled their edges and did not insist on anything. They had no fear. Hence, they untied every tangle and avoided nothing. They did not care about beauty. Hence, they softened their light and forgot about themselves. They did not hate ugliness. Hence, they merged with the dust and did not abandon others”
WEI YUAN says, “By taking advantage of edges, we create conflicts with others. By shining bright lights, we illuminate their dust. Grinding down edges makes conflicts disappear. Dimming the light merges dust with dust and with darkness.”
HUANG YUAN-CHI says, “A person who can adjust their light to that of the crowd and merge with the dust of the world is like a magic mushroom among ordinary plants. You can’t see it, but it makes everything smell better.”
HSI. T’UNG says, “The Tao is invisible. Hence, Lao-tzu calls it `clear.” THE SHUOWEN says, “Chan [clear] means `unseen.”‘
LU NUNG-SHIN Says, “`Clear’ describes what is deep, what seems to be pres-ent and yet not present, what seems to be not-present and yet not not-present’
LIU CHING says, “If it’s empty, it’s deep. If its deep, its clear. The Tao comes from nothing. Hence, the Tao is the child of nothing.”
LI YUEH says, “Ti is the Lord of Creation. All of creation comes after Ti, except the Tao, which comes before it. But the nature of the Tao is to yield. Hence, Lao-tzu does not insist it came before. Thus, he says, `it seems:”
JEN CHI-YU says, “In ancient times no one denied the existence of Ti, and no one called his supremacy into doubt. Lao-tzu, however, says the Tao is `the ancestor of us all, which presumably included Ti as well” (Lao-tzu the-hsueh tao-lun-chi, P. 34)•
For such an enigmatic verse, there are surprisingly few variants. In line three, I have gone along with the Fuyi edition, Tunhuang copy P 2584, and Mawangtui B in reading yu pu-ying, “again not full,” in place of huo pu-ying, “seems not full’ Because of problems resulting from their interpretation of the first four lines, some commentators think lines six through eight don t belong here. They do, in fact, also occur in verse 56, and could have been interpolated. However, I’ve read them as an explanation of the Tao’s ancestral status, which makes kin of us all. This verse is absent in the Kuotien texts.
FIVE
Heaven and Earth are heartless
treating creatures like straw dogs
sages are heartless too
they treat people like straw dogs
between Heaven and Earth
how like a bellows
empty but inexhaustible
each stroke produces more
talking only wastes it
better to protect what’s inside
HU SHIH says, “Lao-tzu’s statement that Heaven and Earth are heartless under-cuts the ancient belief that Heaven and Humankind were of the same lineage and thereby created the basis for natural philosophy” (Chung-kuo-che-hsueh-shih to-kang, P. 56).
SU CH’E says, “Heaven and Earth aren’t partial. They don’t kill living things out of cruelty or give them birth out of kindness. We do the same when we make straw dogs to use in sacrifices. We dress them up and put them on the altar, but not because we love them. And when the ceremony is over, we throw them into the street, but not because we hate them. This is how sages treat the people’
HUAI-NAN-TZU says, “When we make straw dogs or clay dragons, we paint them yellow and blue, decorate them with brocade, and tie red ribbons around them. The shaman puts on his black robe, and the lord puts on his ceremonial hat to usher them in and to see them off. But once they’ve been used, they’re nothing but clay and straw” A similar description appears in Chuangtzu: 14.4.
WU CH’ENG says, “Straw dogs were used in praying for rain, and these particular bellows were used in metallurgy.”
WANG P’ANG says, “A bellows is empty so that it can respond. Something moves, and it responds. It responds but retains nothing. Like Heaven and Earth in regard to the ten thousand things or sages in regard to the people, it responds with what fits. It isn’t tied to the present or attached to the past’
WANG AN-SHIN says, “The Tao has no substance or dimension, yet it works the breath of emptiness between Heaven and Earth and gives birth to the ten thou-sand things’
WANG TAO Says, “The Tao cannot be talked about, yet we dismiss it as heartless. It cannot be named, yet we liken it to a bellows. Those who understand get the meaning and forget the words. Those who don’t understand fail to see the truth and chatter away in vain.”
HSIN TU-TZU says, “When the main path has many side trails, sheep lose their way. When learning leads in many directions, students waste their lives in study” (Liehtzu: 8.25).
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “Whenever the mouth opens and the tongue moves, disaster is close behind. Better to guard your inner virtue, nurture your vital essence, protect your spirit, treasure your breath, and avoid talking too much”
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “If our mouth doesn’t talk too much, our spirit stays in our heart. If our ears don’t hear too much, our essence stays in our genitals. In the course of time, essence becomes breath, breath becomes spirit, and spirit returns to emptiness’
Cultivating & heartless center between Heaven and Earth, sages delight in the endless creation of something out of nothing without becoming attached to anything. The Chinese phrase pu jen (no heart) not only means “unkind” but also refers to any fruit that has no seed` or kernel in its center. The straw dogs used in ceremonies in ancient China were much like Christmas trees in the West — used for a day, a week, a month, but not for long. The only textual vari-ation of note involves the appearance in both Mawangtui texts of wen (hear) in place of yen (talk) in line nine. But since wen (hear) was often used for wen (ask), the meaning would not be significantly different whichever reading one prefers. I’ve retained the standard version. Lines five through eight are also pres-ent in the Kuotien texts.
SIX
The valley spirit that doesn’t die
we call the dark womb
the dark womb’s mouth
we call the source of Heaven and Earth
as elusive as gossamer silk
and yet it can’t be exhausted
THE SHANHAICHING Says, “The Valley Spirit of the Morning Light is a black and yellow, eight-footed, eight-tailed, eight-headed animal with a human face” (9). The Shanhaiching’s “valley spirit” is the moon, which runs ahead of the sun during the last eight days of its thirty-day cycle, lags behind during the first eight days, and faces the sun during its eight days of glory. For the remaining days of the month, it’s too close to the sun to be visible. Like many other cultures, the ancient Chinese viewed the moon as the embodiment of the female element of creation.
WANG PI says, “The valley is what is in the middle, what contains nothing, no form, no shadow, no obstruction. It occupies the lowest point, remains motion-less, and does not decay. All things depend on it for their development, but no one sees its shape’
YEN FU Says, “Because it is empty, we call it a `valley’ Because there is no limit to its responsiveness, we call it a `spirit: Because it is inexhaustible, we say `it doesn’t die: These three are the virtues of the Tao’
SU CH’E says, ‘A valley is empty but has form. A valley spirit is empty but has no form. What is empty and has no form is not alive. So how can it die? `Val-ley spirit’ refers to its virtue. `Dark womb’ refers to its capacity. This womb gives birth to the ten thousand things, and we call it `dark’ because we see it give birth but not how it gives birth’
HSUEH HUI says, “The words Lao-tzu chooses are often determined by the demands of rhyme and should not be restricted to their primary meaning. Thus, p’in [female animal] can also be read pin [womb].”
HO-SHANG KUNG Says, “The valley is what nourishes. Those able to nourish their spirit do not die. `Spirit’ means the spirits of the five organs: the gall bladder, the heart, the kidneys, and the spleen. When these five are injured, the five spirits leave. `Dark’ refers to Heaven. In a person, this means the nose, which links us with Heaven. `Womb’ refers to Earth. In a person, this means the mouth, which links us with Earth. The breath that passes through our nose and mouth should be finer than gossamer silk and barely noticeable, as if it weren’t actually present. It should be relaxed and never strained or exhausted’
WU CH’ENG says, “The empty valley is where spirits dwell, where breath isn’t exhausted. Who relaxes their breath increases their vitality. Who strains their breath soon expires’
TE-CH’ING says, “Purposeful action leads to exhaustion. The Tao is empty and acts without purpose. Hence, it can’t be exhausted.”
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING Says, “The valley spirit, the dark womb, the source of Heaven and Earth all act without acting. That we don’t see them doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”
LIU CHING says, “It’s like the silk of a silkworm or the web of a spider: hard to distinguish and hard to grab. But then, it isn’t Humankind who uses it. Only the spirit can use it’
TU TAO-CHIEN Says, “This verse also appears in Liehtzu: 1.1, where it is attrib-uted to the Yellow Emperor instead of Lao-tzu. Lao-tzu frequently incorporates passages from ancient texts. We see their traces in `thus the sage proclaims’ or `hence the ancients say.’ Thus Confucius said, `I don’t create. I only relate [Lunyu: 7.I1′:
LIEH-TZU Says, “What creates life is not itself alive” (Liehtzu: 1.1).
This is one of the few verses for which no significant textual variations exist. It is not present in the Kuotien texts.
SEVEN
Heaven is eternal and Earth is immortal
the reason they’re eternal and immortal
is because they don’t live for themselves
hence they can live forever
sages therefore pull themselves back
and end up in front
put themselves outside
and end up safe
is it not because of their selflessness
whatever they seek they find
CHU CH’IEN-CHIN says, “The line `Heaven is eternal and Earth is immor-tal’ was apparently an old saying, which Lao-tzu quotes in order to explain its significance.”
CHIANG SSU-CH’I Says, “`Heaven refers to the point between the eyebrows. `Earth’ refers to the point just below the navel’
LU HUI-CHIING Says, “Heaven stands for the movement of time. Earth repre-sents the transformation of form. Heaven and Earth have their origin in the dark womb. And the essence of the dark womb is the valley spirit that doesn’t die. Because it doesri t die, it isn’t born. Only what isn’t born can give birth to the liv-ing. And because it doesn’t give birth to itself, it can live forever.”
TS’AO TAO -CH’UNG Says, “What is not alive is the basis for life. By equating life and death, we are no longer burdened by life and death. By abandoning bodily form, we are no longer hindered by bodily form’
W U CH’ ENG says, “To pull oneself back means to be humble and not to try to be in front of others. To put oneself outside means to be content and not to try to add to one’s life. To find what one seeks means to be in front and safe.”
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “Heaven and Earth help creatures fulfill their needs by not having any needs of their own. Can sages do otherwise? By following the Way of Heaven and Earth, sages are revered by all and harmed by none. Hence, they, too, live long.”
JEN FA-JUNG says, “Sages do not purposely seek long life but achieve it through selflessness.”
CH’ENG CHU says, “Heaven, Earth, and Humankind share the same origin. Why doesn’t Humankind share their immortality? Because Heaven and Earth are not aware they are Heaven and Earth. Only Humankind is self-aware. And being self-aware, there is nothing humans won’t do to stay alive. But the more they care for their life, the more pained their life becomes. The more they nourish their body, the sicker their body becomes. People who have not thought this out say the followers of Lao-tzu are afraid of death and only interested in immortality. But this is getting it backward’
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “The reason Heaven and Earth alone are eternal and immortal is because they are content and give without expecting a reward, unlike Humankind who never stops chasing profit and fighting over possessions.”
WANG Pf says, “Those who live for themselves fight with others. Those who don’t live for themselves are the refuge of others”
SU CH’E says, “If Heaven and Earth fought with others over life, they would be the same as others. And if sages fought with others over profit, they would be the same as them. Would that not be a great shame?”
WANG P’ANG says, “Although sages are sages, they look the same as others. But because they embody the Way of Heaven and don’t fight, they alone differ from everyone else. Sages are selfless because they no longer have a self.”
LU TUNG-PIN says, “The only thing sages seek is Virtue’
Another verse with no major textual variations. It is also absent from the Kuo-tien texts.
EIGHT
The best are like water
bringing help to all
without competing
choosing what others avoid
they thus approach the Tao
dwelling with earth
thinking with depth
helping with kindness
speaking with honesty
governing with peace
working with skill
and moving with time
and because they don’t compete
they aren’t maligned
WU CH’ENG says, “Among those who follow the Tao, the best are like water: con-tent to be lower and, thus, free of blame. Most people hate being lower and compete to be higher. But when people compete, someone is maligned’
LI HUNG-FU says, “How do we know the best don’t compete? Everyone else chooses nobility. They alone choose humility. Everyone else chooses the pure. They alone choose the base. What they choose is what everyone else hates. Who is going to compete with them?”
KUAN-TZU says, “Water is the source of creation, the ancestor of all living things. It’s the bloodstream of Earth’ (Kuantzu: 39)
HUANG YUAN-CHI says, “Mencius says, `People cannot live without water and fire [Mencius: 7A.23]. In terms of cultivation, when fire warms water, `pure yang’ arises. When water cools fire, `sweet dew’ appears.”
WANG P’ANG Says, “Water is the chief of the five elements [see verse la]. It comes from space, which is not that far from the Tao.”
WANG PI says, “The Tao does not exist, but water does. Hence, it only approaches the Tao’
HO-SHANG KUNG Says, “The best people have a nature like that of water. They’re like mist or dew in the sky, like a stream or a spring on land. Most people hate moist or muddy places, places where water alone dwells. The nature of water is like the Tao: empty, clear, and deep. As water empties, it gives life to others. It reflects without becoming impure, and there is nothing it cannot wash clean. Water can take any shape, and it is never out of touch with the seasons. How could anyone malign something with such qualities as this?”
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “Those who free themselves from care stay low and avoid heights. Those whose minds are empty can plumb the depths. Those who help others without expecting any reward are truly kind. Those whose mouths agree with their minds speak the truth. Those who make demands of themselves as well as others establish peace. Those who can change as conditions change work with skill. Those who act when it is time to act and rest when it is time to rest move with time.”
LI JUNG says, “Water has no purpose of its own. Those who can remain empty and not compete with others follow the natural Way.”
YEN TSUN says, “If a ruler embodies this and uses this in his government, his virtue is most wonderful. How could he be maligned?”
HAN FEI Says, “If a drowning man drinks it, he dies. If a thirsty man drinks it, he lives.”
Given Lao-tzu’s usual disdain for social virtues, some commentators have trou-ble accepting the standard reading of jen (kindness) in line eight. For those in search of an alternative, the Fuyi and Chinglung editions have jen (others), while Mawangtui B has t’ien (heaven), and Mawangtui A compresses lines eight and nine: “helping with honesty.” This in not present in the Kuotien texts, yet it remains one of the Taoteching’s most quoted verses
NINE
Instead of pouring in more
better stop while you can
making it sharper
won’t help it last longer
rooms full of treasure
can never be safe
the vanity of success
invites its own failure
when your work is done retire
this is the Way of Heaven
THE HOUHANSHU Says, “What Lao-tzu warns against is `pouring in more (see the Houhanshu’s Lao-tzu biography).
HSUN-TZU says, “In the ancestral hall of Duke Huan, Confucius reports watch-ing an attendant pour water into a container that hung at an angle. As the water level approached the midpoint, the container became upright. But when the attendant went beyond the midpoint, it tipped over, the water poured out, and only after it was empty did it resume its former position. Seeing this, Confucius sighed, Alas! Whatever becomes full becomes empty”‘ (Hsuntzu: 28).
LU TUNG-PIN Says, “This verse is about the basics of cultivation. These are the obstacles when you first enter the gate’
LIU SHIH-LI Says, “Since fullness always leads to emptiness, avoid satisfaction Since sharpness always leads to dullness, avoid zeal. Since gold and jade always lead to worry, avoid greed. Since wealth and honor encourage excess, avoid pride. Since success and fame bring danger, know when to stop and where lies the mean. You don’t have to live in the mountains and forests or cut yourself off from human affairs to enter the Way. Success and fame, wealth and honor are all encouragements to practice’
YEN TSUN Says, “To succeed without being vain is easy to say but hard to practice. When success is combined with pride, it’s like lighting a torch. The brighter it burns, the quicker it burns out.”
WANG CHEN Says, “To retire doesn’t mean to abdicate your position. Rather, when your task is done, treat it as though it were nothing’
SSU-MA CH’IEN says, “When Confucius asked about the ceremonies of the ancients, Lao-tzu said, `I have heard that the clever merchant hides his wealth so his store looks empty and that the superior man acts dumb to avoid calling attention to himself. I advise you to get rid of your excessive pride and ambition. They wont do you any good. This is all I have to say to you.. (Shihchi: 63).
HO-SHANG KUNG Says, “Excessive wealth and desire wearies and harms the spirit. The rich should help the poor, and the powerful should aid the oppressed. If, instead, they flaunt their riches and power, they are sure to suffer disaster. Once the sun reaches the zenith, it descends. Once the moon becomes full, it wanes. Creatures flourish then wither. Joy turns to sorrow. When your work is done, if you do not step down, you will meet with harm. This is the Way of Heaven’
HUANG -iUAN-CHI says, “You need a raft to cross a river. But once across, you can forget the raft. You need to study rules to learn how to do something. But once you know how, you can forget the rules’
This recipe for long life has been repeated in every civilized culture, and yet it has forever fallen on deaf ears. In the first line, the Kuotien texts have chih (amass) in place of the standard ch’ih (hold). Both Mawangtui texts have a similar char-acter, also pronounced chih, which scholars consider to be a substitute for either chih (amass) or chih (hold). I’ve sided with the Kuotien texts. Either way, the meaning amounts to the same thing. In line three, the Kuotien texts have tuan-er-ch’un-chih, “when floodwaters rise;’ which is clearly an anomaly, as it does not encourage a change in behavior but merely reflects a natural phenomenon.
TEN
Can you keep your crescent soul from wandering
can you make your breath as soft as a baby’s
can you wipe your dark mirror free of dust
can you serve and govern without effort
can you be the female at Heaven’s Gate
can you light the world without knowledge
can you give birth and nurture
but give birth without possessing
raise without controlling
this is Dark Virtue
The Chinese say that the hun, or bright, ethereal, yang soul, governs the upper body and the p’o, or dark, earthly, yin soul, concerns itself with the lower body. Here, Lao-tzu mentions only the darker soul. But the wordpb also refers to the dark of the moon, and the opening phrase can also be read as referring to the first day of the new moon. Either way, dark of the soul or dark of the moon, Tao-ist commentators say the first line refers to the protection of our vital essence, of which semen and vaginal fluid, sweat and saliva are the most common examples, and the depletion of which injures the health and leads to early death.
HSUAN-TSUNG says, “The first transformation of life is called p’o. When the p’o becomes active and bright, it’s called hun.”
WANG P’ANG says, “Life requires three things: vital essence, breath, and spirit.”
CHIAO HUNG says, “The mind knows right and wrong. Breath makes no dis-tinction. If we concentrate our breath and don’t let the mind interfere with it, it remains soft and pure. Who else but a child can do this?”
CHUANG-TZU says, “The sage’s mind is so still, it can mirror Heaven and Earth and reflect the ten thousand things” (Chuangtzu: 13.1).
WU CH’ENG says, “Our spirit dwells in our eyes. When the eyes see something, the spirit chases it. When we close our eyes and look within, everything is dark. But within the dark, we still see something. There is still dust. Only by putting an end to delusions can we get rid of the dust’
WANG AN-SHIN says, “The best way to serve is by not serving. The best way to govern is by not governing. Hence, Lao-tzu says, `without effort: Those who act without effort make use of the efforts of others. As for Heaven’s Gate, this is the gate through which all creatures enter and leave. When it is open, it is active. When it is closed, it is still. Activity and stillness represent the male and the female. Just as stillness overcomes activity, the female overcomes the male.” (The images of young women were often carved on either side of the entrance to ancient, subterranean tombs.)
SU CH’E says, “What lights up the world is the mind. There is nothing the mind does not know. And yet no one can know the mind. The mind is one. If someone knew it, there would be two. Going from one to two is the origin of all delusion.”
LAO-TZU says, “The Way begets them / Virtue keeps them’ (Taoteching: 51).
V YANG PI says, “If we don’t obstruct their source, things come into existence on their own. tf we don’t suppress their nature, things mature by themselves. Virtue is present, but its owner is unknown. It comes from the mysterious depths. Hence, we call it `dark:”
The first line has had numerous interpretations, to which I have added yet another. Most commentators agree that the character tsai should be placed at the beginning of this verse, instead of at the end of the previous verse, where it would function as equivalent to a punctuation mark indicating a rhetorical ques-tion. Tsai normally means “carry,” but it can also mean “newly,” as in the phrase tsai-sheng-p’o, “newly born dark moon/soul, or as Lao-tzu uses it here, tsai-ying-p’o, “newly lit dark moon/soul” In lines four and six, a number of editions invert “effort” and “knowledge.’ I have followed the edition of Ho-shang Kung and the arguments of Lo Chen-yu and Kao Heng in preferring the arrange-ment here. After line eight, most editions add wei-er pu-shih, “develop without depending, which also appears in a similar sequence in verses 2 and 51 in some editions. I have followed the Mawangtui texts in omitting this line. This verse, which expresses Lao-tzu’s yogic regimen more than any other in the Taoteching, is absent from the Kuotien texts.
ELEVEN
Thirty spokes converge on a hub
but it’s the emptiness
that makes a wheel work
pots are fashioned from clay
but it’s the hollow
that makes a pot work
windows and doors are carved for a house
but it’s the spaces
that make a house work
existence makes something useful
but nonexistence makes it work
HSUAN-TSUNG says, “Thirty spokes converging on a hub demonstrates that less is the ancestor of more’
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “Ancient carts had thirty spokes in imitation of the lunar number.”
LI JUNG says, “Its because the hub is empty that spokes converge on it. Likewise, its because the minds of sages are empty that the people turn to them for help.”
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING says, “A cart, a pot, and a house can hold things because they are empty. How much more those who empty their mind’
WU CH’ENG says, “All of these things are useful. But without an empty place for an axle, a cart can’t move. Without a hollow place in the middle, a pot cant hold things. Without spaces for doors and windows, a room can’t admit people or light. But these three examples are only metaphors. What keeps our body alive is the existence of breath within us. And it is our empty, nonexistent mind that produces breath’
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “In this verse the Great Sage teaches us to under-stand the source by using what we find at hand. Doors refer to a person’s mouth and nose. Windows refer to their ears and eyes’
CHANG TAO-LING. says, “When ordinary people see these things, they only think about how they might employ them for their own advantage. When sages see them, they see in them the Tao and are careful in their use’
TE-CH’ING says, “Heaven and Earth have form, and everyone knows that Heaven and Earth are useful. But they don t know that their usefulness depends on the emptiness of the Great Way. Likewise, we all have form and think our-selves useful but remain unaware that our usefulness depends on our empty, shapeless mind. ‘Thus, existence may have its uses, but real usefulness depends on nonexistence. Nonexistence, though, doesn’t work by itself. It needs the help of existence’
HUANG YUAN-CHI says, “What is beyond form is the Tao. What has form are tools. Without tools we have no means to apprehend the Tao. And without the Tao there is no place for tools’
HSUEH HUI says, “At the end of this verse, Lao-tzu mentions both existence and nonexistence, but his intent is to use existence to show that nonexistence is more valuable. Everyone knows existence is useful, but no one pays attention to the usefulness of nonexistence’
Lao-tzu’s “existence” and “nonexistence” are tantamount to yang and yin. There is no Kuotien text for this verse, and there are no significant textual variations, other than the omission in line seven of yi-wei-shih, “carved for a house;’ in both Mawangtui texts. Such an omission was, no doubt, a copyist error and suggests that neither text was actually used before it was placed in the tomb in which it was found, or it would have been corrected. Until recently, the people who lived in the middle reaches of the Yellow River watershed, where the Taoteching was composed, carved their houses out of the loess hillsides. As long as the ceilings of the rooms were carved in an arch, the compactness of the soil made support beams unnecessary. Thus, the only building materials needed were for doors and windows.
TWELVE
The five colors make our eyes blind
the five tones make our ears deaf
the five flavors make our mouths numb
riding and hunting make our minds wild
hard-to-get goods make us break laws
thus the rule of the sage
puts the stomach ahead of the eyes
thus he picks this over that
The early Chinese ascribed five states of existence to the material world: water, fire, wood, metal, and earth each with its own color: blue, red, black, white, and yellow; its own taste: salty; bitter, sour, pungent, and sweet; and its own tone: la, sol, mi, re, do.
YEN TSUN says, “Color is like an awl in the eye. Sound is like a stick in the ear.Flavor is like an axe through the tongue.
“TE-CH’ING says, “When the eyes are given free rein in the realm of form, they no longer see what is real. When the ears are given free rein the realm of sound, they no longer hear what is real. When the tongue is given free rein in the realm of taste, it no longer discerns what is real. When the mind is given free rein in the realm of thought, it no longer knows what is real. When our actions are given free rein in the realm of possession and profit, we no longer do what is right. Like Chuang-tzu’s tapir (1.4), the sage drinks from the river, but only enough to fill his stomach.
WU CH’ENG says, “Desiring external things harms our bodies. The sage nourishes his breath by filling his stomach, not by chasing material objects to please his eye. Hence he chooses internal reality over external illusion. But the eyes can’t help seeing, the ears can’t help hearing, the mouth can’t help tasting, the mind can’t help feeling, and the body can’t help moving. They can’t stay still. But if we let them move without leaving stillness behind, nothing can harm us. Those who are buried by the dust of the senses or who crave sensory stimulation lose their way. And the main villain in this is the eyes. Thus the first of Confucius’ four warnings concerns vision (Lunyu: 12.1: not to look except with propriety), and the first of the Buddha’s six sources of delusion is also the eyes.”
LI YUEH says, “The eyes are never satisfied, the stomach knows when it is full.
“SUNG CH’ANG – HSING says, “The main purpose of cultivation is to oppose the world of the senses. What the world loves, the Taoist hates. What the world wants, the Taoist rejects. Even though color, sound, material goods, wealth, or beauty might benefit a person’s body, in the end they harm a person’s mind. And once the mind wants, the body suffers. If we can ignore external temptations and be satisfied with the way we are, if we can cultivate our mind and not chase material things, this is the way of long life. All the treasures of the world are no match for this. “HSUAN-TSUNG says, ”’Hard-to-get goods’ refer to things which we don’t possess by nature but which require an effort to obtain. When we are not content with our lot and allow ourselves to be ruled by conceit, we turn our backs on Heaven and lose the Way.
“CH’ENG HSUAN-YlNG says, ”’That’ refers to the blindness and delusion of the eyes. ‘This’ refers to the fullness and wisdom of the stomach. “The Mawangtui texts present lines two through five in a different sequence:4, 5, 3, 2. However, no other edition follows suit, hence I have retained the traditional order. Until the early twentieth century. vast tracts of land in
THIRTEEN
Favor and disgrace come with a warning
honor and disaster come with a body
why do favor and disgrace come with a warning
favor turns into disfavor
gaining it comes with a warning
losing it comes with a warning
thus do favor and disgrace come with a warning
and why do honor and disaster come with a body
the reason we have disaster
is because we have a body
if we didn’t have a body
we wouldn’t have disaster
thus those who honor their body more than the world
can be entrusted with the world
those who cherish their body more than the world
WANG CHEN says, “People who are favored are honored. And because they are honored, they act proud. And because they act proud, they are hated. And because they are hated, they are disgraced. Hence, sages consider success as well as failure to be a warning”
SU CH’E says, “The ancient sages worried about favor as much as disgrace, because they knew that favor is followed by disgrace. Other people think favor means to ascend and disgrace means to descend. But favor cannot be separated from disgrace. Disgrace results from favor.”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “Those who gain favor or honor should worry about being too high, as if they were at the edge of a precipice. They should not flaunt their status or wealth. And those who lose favor and live in disgrace should worry more about disaster.”
LU NUNG-SHIH Says, “Why does favor become disgrace and honor become disaster? Favor and honor are external things. They don’t belong to us. When we try to possess them, they turn into disgrace and disaster.”
SSU-MA KUANG Says, “Normally a body means disaster. But if we honor and cherish it and follow the natural order in our dealings with others, and we don’t indulge our desires, we can avoid disaster.”
HUANG YUAN-CHI Says, “We all possess something good and noble that we don’t have to seek outside ourselves, something that the glory of power or position cannot compare with. People need only start with this and cultivate this without letting up. The ancients said, `Two or three years of hardship, ten thou-sand years of bliss:”
WANG PANG Says, “It isn’t a matter of having no body but of guarding the source of life. Only those who refuse to trade themselves for something external are fit to receive the kingdom”
WANG PI says, “Those who are affected by favor and disgrace or honor and disaster are not fit to receive the kingdom’
TSENG-TZU Says, “The superior person can be entrusted with an orphan or encharged with a state and be unmoved by a crisis” (Lunyu: 8.6).
Commentators disagree about how to read line one: is “favor” a verb and “disgrace” its noun object (“favor disgrace as a warning”) or are they both nouns? The same question is posed for “honor” and “disaster” in line two. Some editions omitjuo-ching like warnings in line three and have two quite different lines for line four: “favor means up I disgrace means down.” My choice is based on the Fuyi and Mawangtui texts, as well as Wang Pi. The last four lines are also found in Chuangtzu: II.2, where they are used to praise the ruler whose self cultivation doesn’t leave him time to meddle in the lives of his subjects. They also appear in Huainantzu: 12, where they are used to praise the ruler who values the lives of his people more than the territory in which they live.
FOURTEEN
We look but don’t see it
and call it indistinct
we listen but don’t hear it
and call it faint
we reach but don’t grasp it
and call it ethereal
three failed means to knowledge
I weave into one
with no light above
with no shade below
too fine to be named
returning to nothing
this is the formless form
the immaterial image
this is the waxing waning
we meet without seeing its face
we follow without seeing its back
holding onto this very Way
we rule this very realm
and discover its ancient past
this is the thread of the Way
HO-SHANG KUNG entitles this verse “In Praise of the Dark’ and says, `About what has no color, sound, or form, mouths can’t speak and books can’t teach. We can only discover it in stillness and search for it with our spirit. We cannot find it through investigation.”
LU TUNG-PIN says, “We can only see it inside us, hear it inside us, and grasp it inside us. When our essence becomes one, we can see it. When our breath becomes one, we can hear it. When our spirit becomes one, we can grasp it.’
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING says, “What we don’t see is vital essence. What we don’t hear is spirit. What we don’t grasp is breath”
SU CH’E says, “People see things constantly changing and conclude something is there. They don’t realize everything returns to nothing’
CH’EN KU-YING says, “`Nothing’ doesn’t mean nothing at all but simply no form or substance.”
WANG PI says, “If we try to claim it doesn’t exist, how do the myriad things come to be? And if we try to claim it exists, why don t we see its form? Hence, we call it `the formless form: But although it has neither shape nor form, neither sound nor echo, there is nothing it cannot penetrate and nowhere it cannot go’
LI YUEH says, “Everything is bright on top and dark on the bottom. But the Tao does not have a top or a bottom. Hence, it is neither bright nor dark. Likewise, we don’t see its face because it never appears. And we don’t see its back because it never leaves.”
TS’AO TAO-CH’UNG says, “`This very realm’ refers to our body.”
LU HUI-CH’ING Says, “The past isn’t different from today, because we know what began in the past. And today isn’t different from the past, because we know where today came from. What neither begins nor comes from anywhere else we call the thread that has no end. This is the thread of the Tao.”
CHANG TAO-LING says, “The sages who achieved long life and immortality in the past all succeeded by means of this Tao. Whoever can follow their example today has found the thread of the Tao”
In line eight, I have anticipated the thread motif of lines eleven and twenty-one and have gone along with Mawangtui B in reading chun (weave) in place of the usual hun (merge). I have also preferred the Mawangtui versions of lines fifteen and eighteen, which the standard edition renders: “the one that is indefinable” and “upholding the ancient Way.”
FIFTEEN
The ancient masters of the Way
aimed at the indiscernible
and penetrated the dark
you would never know them
and because you wouldn’t know them
I describe them with reluctance
they were careful as if crossing a river in winter
cautious as if worried about neighbors
reserved like guests
ephemeral like melting ice
simple like uncarved wood
open like valleys
and murky like puddles
but a puddle becomes clear when it’s still
and stillness becomes alive when it’s roused
those who treasure this Way
don’t try to be full
not trying to be full
they can hide and stay hidden
Ts’AO TAO-CH’UNG says, “Although the ancient masters lived in the world, no one thought they were special’
sU CH’E says, “Darkness is what penetrates everything but what cannot itself be perceived. To be careful means to act only after taking precautions. To be cautious means to refrain from acting because of doubt or suspicion. Melting ice reminds us how the myriad things arise from delusion and never stay still. Uncarved wood reminds us to put an end to human fabrication and return to our original nature. A valley reminds us how encompassing emptiness is. And a puddle reminds us that we are no different from anything else”
HUANG YUAN-CHI says, “Lao-tzu expresses reluctance at describing those who succeed in cultivating the Tao because he knows the inner truth cannot be perceived, only the outward form. The essence of the Tao consists in nothing other than taking care. If people took care to let each thought be detached and each action well considered, where else would they find the Tao? Hence, those who mastered the Tao in the past were so careful they waited until a river froze before crossing. They were so cautious, they waited until the wind died down before venturing forth at night. They were orderly and respectful, as if they were guests arriving from a distant land. They were relaxed and detached, as if mate-rial forms didn’t matter. They were as uncomplicated as uncarved wood and as hard to fathom as murky water. They stilled themselves to concentrate their spirit, and they roused themselves to strengthen their breath. In short, they, guarded the center.”
WANG PI says, “All of these similes are meant to describe without actually denoting. By means of intuitive understanding the dark becomes bright. By means of tranquillity, the murky becomes clear. By means of movement, the still becomes alive. This is the natural Way.”
WANG CHENlsays, “Those who treasure the Way fit in without making a show and stay forever hidden. Hence, they don’t leave any tracks.”
In line two, I have used Mawangtui Text B in reading miao:aim for miao: mysterious. Other variants of the last line include: “they can be old but not new” and “they can be old and again new.” My reading is based on the Fuyi edition and Mawangtui Text B as well as on the interpretation of Wang Pi and Ho-shang Kung, who read pi:hide instead of pi:old, thus recapitulating the opening lines.
SIXTEEN
Let limits be empty
the center be still
ten thousand things rise
we watch them return
creatures without number
all return to their roots
return to their roots to be still
to be still to revive
to revive to endure
knowing how to endure is wisdom
not knowing is to suffer in vain
knowing how to endure is to be all-embracing
all-embracing means impartial
impartial means the king
the king means Heaven
Heaven means the Way
and the Way means long life
life without trouble
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “Emptiness is the Way of Heaven. Stillness is the Way of Earth. There is nothing that is not endowed with these. And everything rises by means of them’
LU HUI-CH’ING says, “What is meant here by emptiness is not utter emptiness but the absence of fullness. And what is meant by stillness is not complete still-ness but everything unconsciously returning to its roots’
HUANG YUAN-CHI says, “Heaven has its fulcrum, people have their ancestors, and plants have their roots. And where are these roots? They are where things begin but have not yet begun, namely, the Dark Gate. If you want to cultivate the Great Way but don’t know where this entrance is, your efforts will be in vain’
sU CH’E says, “We all rise from our nature and return to our nature, just as flow-ers and leaves rise from their roots and return to their roots, or just as waves rise from a river and return to the river. If you dori t return to your nature, even if you still your actions and your thoughts, you won’t be still. Heaven and Earth, moun-tains and rivers might be great, but none of them endures. Only what returns to its nature becomes still and enduring, while what does not return to its nature is at the mercy of others and cannot escape”
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING says, “Those who embrace all things and are impartial and selfless become great examples to others, who thus turn to them as their rulers..’
TE-CH’ING says, “To know what truly endures is to know that Heaven and Earth share the same root, that the ten thousand things share one body, and that there is no difference between self and others. Those who cultivate this within them-selves become sages, while those who practice this in the world become rulers. Rulers become rulers by following the Way of Heaven. And Heaven becomes Heaven by following the Tao. And the Tao becomes the Tao by lasting forever.”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “To know the unchanging course of the Way is to be free of passion and desire and to yield. To yield is to be free of self-interest. To be free of self-interest is to rule the world. To rule the world is to merge your vir-tue with that of Heaven. And to merge your virtue with that of Heaven is to be one with the Way. If you can do this, you will last as long as Heaven and Earth and live without trouble.”
LI JUNG says, “Sages enjoy life without limits’
Our knowledge is the knowledge of twigs. Lao-tzu’s knowledge is the knowledge of roots. In line two, the Kuotien, Wangpi, and Fuyi texts all have to (substan-tial/true). But to (substantial/true) was also used (especially with the “clothing” radical) as a variant of to (the central seam at the back of a garment), which is what we find in Mawangtui B and which I have followed here. Mawangtui A has piao (show), but this was also used as another variant of to (main seam). The Chinese character for “ruler” in lines fourteen and fifteen shows one verti-cally centered line connecting three horizontal lines: Heaven, Humankind, and Earth. The ruler was also called the Son of Heaven. Only the first six lines are present in the Kuotien texts.
My reading of line two is based on Cheng Liang-shu’s interpretation ofMawangrui Text B, which has tu:center in place of the usual tu:true. The last line also appears in verse 52.
SEVENTEEN
During the High Ages people knew they were there
then people loved and praised them
then they feared them
finally they despised them
when honesty fails
dishonesty prevails
hesitate and guard your words
when their work succeeds
let people think they did it
The Chinese of Lao-tzu’s day believed their greatest age of peace and harmony occurred during the reigns of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, or nearly five thousand years ago. These early rulers exercised power so unobtrusively. the people hardly knew they were there, as we hear in a song handed down from that distant age: “Sunup we rise / sundown we rest / we dig wells to drink / we plough fields to eat / the emperor’s might / what is it to us?” (Kushihyuan: 1).
THE LICHI says, “During the High Ages people esteemed virtue. Then they worked for rewards” (1).
LU HSI-SHENG says, “The virtuous lords of ancient times initiated no actions and left no traces, hence the people knew they were there and that was all. When their virtue began to fade, they ruled with kindness and justice, and the people loved and praised them. When their kindness and justice no longer controlled people’s hearts, they governed with laws and punishments, and the people feared them. When their laws and punishments no longer controlled people’s minds, they acted with force and deceit, and the people despised them.”
MENCIUS says, “When the ruler views his ministers as his hands and feet, they regard him as their heart and soul. When he views them as dirt and weeds, they regard him as an enemy and thief” (4B.3).
SUNG CH ANG-HSING says, “The mistake of loving and praising, fearing and despising does not rest with the people but with those above. The reason the people turn to love and praise, fear and hate is because those above cannot be trusted. And when trust disappears, chaos appears.”
HUANG YUAN-CHI says, “What we do to cultivate ourselves is what we do to govern the world. And among the arts we cultivate, the most subtle of all is honesty; which is the beginning and end of cultivation. When we embrace the truth, the world enjoys peace. When we turn our backs on the truth, the world suffers. From the time of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, this has never varied.”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “When those above treat those below with dishonesty; those below respond with deceit.”
WANG PI says, “Where there are words, there is a response. Thus the sage hesitates.”
WU CH’ ENG says, “The reason sages don’t speak or act is so that they can bestow their blessings in secret and so that people can live their lives in peace. And when their work succeeds and their lives go well, people think that is just the way it is supposed to be. They don’t realize it was made possible by those on high.”
LU HUI-CH’ ING says, ‘:As long as the people think they did it themselves, they have no reason to love or praise anyone.”
In line one, some editions have pu-chih:did not know in place of hSia-chih:people knew. I have chosen the latter version, as have the Mawangtui and Fuyi texts. The Fuyi text divides line two into two lines: “then they loved them / then they praised them.” Despite the attractiveness of such a variation, placing ch’in: love in a separate line interrupts the rhyme. Also, some commentators combine this verse with the following two verses, citing a similarity in theme. However, the wide variation among their rhythms argues against this.
EIGHTEEN
When the Great Way disappears we meet kindness and justice
when reason appears we meet great deceit
when the six relations fail we meet obedience and love
when the country is in chaos we meet honest officials
Connecting this with the previous verse, WEI YUAN says, “What people love and praise are kindness andjustice, what people fear is reason, and what people despise is deceit.”
‘
SUNG CHANG-HSING says, “It isn’t the Great Way that leaves mankind and goes into hiding, but mankind that leaves the Great Way and replaces it with kindness and justice.”
SU CH’E says, “When the Great Way flourishes, kindness and justice are at work, but people don’t realize it. Only after the Great Way disappears do kindness and justice become visible.”
WANG AN-SHIH says, “The Way hides in formlessness. Names arise from dis content. When the Way hides in formlessness, there isn’t any difference between great or small. When names arise from discontent, we get distinctions like kindness, justice, reason, and so forth.”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, ‘When the kingdom enjoys peace, no one thinks about kindness, and the people are free of desire. When the Great Way prevails, kindness and justice vanish, just as the stars fade when the sun rises.”
MENCIUS says, “Kindness means dwelling in peace. Justice means taking the right road” (4A.IO).
TE-CH’ ING says, “Reason is what the sage uses to order the kingdom. It includes the arts, measurements, and laws. In the High Ages, people were innocent, and these were unknown. In the Middle Ages, people began to indulge their feelings, and rulers responded with reason. And once reason appeared, the people responded with deceit.”
WANG PI says, “The six relations are father and son, elder and younger brother, husband and wife. When the six relations are harmonious, the country governs itself, and there is no need for obedience, love, or honesty.”
WANG P’ANG says, “During a virruous age, obedience and love are considered normal, hence no one is called obedient or loving. Nowadays, when someone is obedient or loving, we praise them. This is because the six relations are no longer harmonious. Also, when peace prevails, everyone is honest. How can there be honest officials?”
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING says, “When the realm is at peace, loyalty and honesty are nowhere to be seen. Innocence and virrue appear when the realm is in chaos.”
LI JUNG says, “During the time of the sage emperors Fu Hsi and Shen Nung, there was no mention of officials. It was only during the time of the despots Chieh and Chou that we begin to hear of ministers like Kuan Lung-feng and Pi Kan.”
WU CH’ENG says, “Shao Juo-yu assigns these four divisions to emperors, kings, the wise, and the talented.”
Both Mawangrui texts begin this verse with the word ku:thus, implying a connection with the previous verse. I think it does better on its own, hence I have followed the Fuyi and standard editions, which have no such connective. Commentators often quote Chuangtzu here: “When springs dry up, fish find them selves in puddles, spraying water on each other to keep each other alive. Better to be in a river or lake and oblivious of each other” (6.5).
NINETEEN
Get rid of wisdom and reason
and people will live a hundred times better
get rid of kindness and justice
and people once more will love and obey
get rid of cleverness and profit
and thieves will cease to exist
but these three sayings are not enough
hence let this be added
wear the undyed and hold the uncarved
reduce self-interest and limit desires
get rid of learning and problems will vanish
HO-S HANG KUNG says, “Get rid of the works of wisdom and reason and re turn to the primeval. The symbols and letters
created by the Five Emperors were not as effective in ruling the kingdom as the simple knots used earlier by the Three Sovereigns.”
TE-CH’ ING says, “This is what Chuang-tzu meant when he said ‘Tigers and wolves are kind: Tigers and wolves possess innate love and obedience that don’t require instruction. How much more should mankind, the most intelli gent of creatures, possess these.”
WANG CHEN says, “Put an end to wisdom that leaves tracks and reason that de ceives, and people will benefit greatly. Put an end to arrogant kindness and treacherous justice, and relatives will unite on their own and will once more love and obey. Put an end to excessive cleverness and personal profit, and armies will no longer appear. And when armies no longer appear, thieves will not exist.”
HSUAN-TSUNG says, “These three only help us get rid of things. They don’t ex plain cultivation. Hence they are incomplete.”
WANG PI says, “Wisdom and reason are the pinnacles of ability. Kindness and justice are the pinnacles of behavior. Cleverness and profit are the pinnacles of practice. To tell us simply to get rid of them would be inappropriate. Without giving us something else, it wouldn’t make sense. Hence we are given the undyed and the uncarved to focus our attention on.”
CHIAO HUNG says, “The ways of the world become daily more artificial. Hence we have names like wisdom and reason, kindness and justice, clever ness and profit. Those who understand the Tao see how artificial they are and how inappropriate they are to rule the world. They aren’t as good as getting people to focus their attention on the undyed and the uncarved. By wearing the undyed and holding the uncarved, our self-interest and desires wane. The undyed and the uncarved refer to our original nature.”
LIU CHING says, “Undyed means unmixed with anything else and thus free of wisdom and reason. Uncarved means complete in itself and thus free of kindness and justice. Self-interest concerns oneself. Desire concerns others. As they diminish, so do cleverness and profit.”
SU CH’E says, “Confucius relied on kindness and justice, ritual and music to order the kingdom. Lao-tzu’s only concern was to open people’s minds, which he accomplished through the use of metaphor. Some people, though, have used his metaphors to create disorder, while no great problems have been caused by the followers of Confucius.”
CH’ENG HS UAN-YING says, “When we give up the study of phenomena and understand the principle of non-interference, troubles come to an end and distress disappears.”
LI HSI-CHAI says, “What passes for learning in the world never ends. For every truth found, rwo are lost. And while what we find brings joy. losses bring sorrow-sorrow that never ends.”
I have followed Kao Heng in moving the line that normally begins the next verse to the end of this verse, where it makes better sense as well as better poetry.
TWENTY
Yes and no
aren’t so far apart
lovely and ugly
aren’t so unalike
what others fear
we too must fear
before the moon wanes
everyone is gay
as if they were at the Great Sacrifice
or climbing a tower in spring
I sit here and make no sign
like a child that doesn’t smile
lost with no one to turn to
while others enjoy more
I alone seem forgotten
my mind is so foolish
so simple
others look bright
I alone seem dim
others are certain
I alone am confused
receding like the ocean
waxing without cease
everyone has a goal
I alone am dumb and backward
for I alone choose to differ
preferring still my mother’s breast
CANG-HSING says, “Even though “yes” and “no” come from the same source, namely the mouth, “yes” is the root of loveliness, and “no” is the root of ugliness. Before they appear there is nothing lovely or ugly and nothing to fear. But once they appear, if we don’t fear them, disaster and harm are un avoidable.”
LI HSI-CHAI says, “What others love, the sage also loves. What others fear, the sage also fears. But where the sage differs is where others don’t see anything outside their own minds. The mind of the sage, meanwhile, wanders in the Tao.”
WANG P’ANG says, “Everything changes into its opposite. Beginning follows end without cease. But people think everything is either lovely or ugly. How absurd. Only the sage knows that the ten thousand ages are the same, that nothing is gained or lost.”
SU CHE says, “People all drown in what they love: the beauty of the Great Sacrifice, the happiness of climbing to a scenic viewpoint in spring. Only the sage sees into their illusory nature and remains unmoved. People chase things and forget about the Tao, while the sage clings to the Tao and ignores everything else, just as an infant nurses only at its mother’s breast.”
TS’AO TAO-CH’UNG says, “People all seek external things, while the sage alone nourishes himself on internal breath. Breath is the mother, and spirit is the child. The harmony of mother and child is the key to nourishing life.”
In ancient China, emperors marked the return of swallows to the capital in spring with the Great Sacrifice to the Supreme Intermediary, while people of all ranks climbed towers and hills to view the countryside in bloom and to celebrate the first full moon. In line seven, I have followed Mawangtui Text B in reading wang:full moon instead of the usual huang: boundless. I have used the same variant in line twenty-three.
TWENTY ONE
The expression of empty virtue
comes from the Tao alone
the Tao as a thing
waxes and wanes
it waxes and wanes
but inside is an image
it wanes and waxes
but inside is a creature
it’s distant and dark
but inside is an essence
an essence fundamentally real
and inside is a heart
throughout the ages
its name has never changed
so we might follow our fathers
how do we know what our fathers were like
through this
WANG PI says, “Only when we take emptiness as our virtue can our actions accord with the Tao.”
SUNG CH’ ANG-HSING says, “Sages have it. So does everyone else. But because others are selfish and constrained, their virtue isn’t empty”
HUANG YUAN-CHI says, “Emptiness and the Tao are indivisible. Those who seek the Tao cannot find it except through emptiness. But formless emptiness is of no use to those who cultivate the Tao.”
YEN LING-FENG says, “Virtue is the manifestation of the Way. The Way is what Virtue contains. Without the Way, Virtue would have no power. Without Virtue, the Way would have no appearance.”
SU CH’E says, “The Tao has no form. Only when it changes into Virtue does it have an expression. Hence Virtue is the Tao’s visual aspect. The Tao neither exists nor does not exist. Hence we say it waxes and wanes, while it remains in the dark unseen.”
CH’ENG HSUAN-Y1NG says, “The true Tao exists and yet does not exist. It does not exist and yet does not not exist. Lao-tzu says it waxes and wanes to stress that the Tao is not separate from things and things are not separate from the Tao. Outside of the Tao there are no things. And outside of things there is no Tao.”
WU CH’ENG says, “”Inside’ refers to Virtue. ‘Image’ refers to the breath of some thing before it is born. ‘Creature’ refers to the form of something after it is born. ‘Distant and dark’ refers to the utter invisibility of the Tao.”
CHANG TAO-LING says, “Essence is like water: the body is its embankment, and Virtue is its source. If the heart is not virruous, or if there is no embankment, water disappears. The immortals of the past treasured their essence and lived, while people today lose their essence and die.”
WANG P’ANG says, “Essence is where life and the body come from. Lao-tzu calls it ‘fundamentally real’ because once things become subject to human fabrication, they lose their reality.”
LIU CHING says, “Everything changes, and names are no exception. What was true in the past is false today. Only the Tao is constant.”
The Mawangrui texts have introduced a number of new variants into this verse. Those which I have incorporated include wang:Jull moon moon for huang:indistinct in lines four, five, and seven; shun:follow for yueh:view for fu:father forfo:beginning in line fifteen. The standard version of fifteen and sixteen reads: “so we might view all beginnings / and how do we know what all beginnings are like.” Also, in line twelve, I have read hsin:lamp wick (and hence the heart of something) in place of the word’s usual meaning as “talisman” (and hencesomething trustworthy).
TWENTY TWO
Partial means whole
crooked means straight
hollow means full
worn-out means new
less means content
more means confused
thus the sage holds onto the one
to use in guiding the world
not watching himself he appears
not displaying himself he flourishes
not flattering himself he succeeds
not parading himself he leads
because he doesn’t compete
no one can compete against him
the ancients who said partial means whole
came close indeed
becoming whole depends on this
CHUANG-TZU says, “Lao-tzu said everyone else seeks happiness. He alone saw that partial means whole” (33.5).
WU CH’ENG says, “By exploring one side to its limits, we eventually find all sides. By grasping one thing, we eventually encompass the whole. The caterpillar bends in order to straighten itself. A hollow in the ground fills with water. The renewal of spring depends on the withering of fall. By having less, it’s easy to have more. By having more, it’s easy to become confused.”
WANG PI says, As with a tree, the more of it there is, the farther it is from its roots. The less of it there is, the closer it is to its roots. More means more dis tant from what is real. Less means closer.”
WEI YUAN says, “One is the extreme of less. But whoever uses this as the measure for the world always finds more.”
LU HUI-CH’ING says. “Only those who find the one can act like this. Thus ‘less means content.’ The reason most people cannot act like this is because they have not found the one. Thus ‘more means confused’”
LI HSI-CHAI says. “The reason the sage is able to be chief of all creatures is be cause he holds onto the one. Holding onto the one. he never leaves the Tao. Hence he doesn’t watch himself but relies instead on the vision of others. He doesn’t talk about his own strengths but relies instead on the strengths of others. He stands apart and doesn’t compete. Hence no one can compete against him,”
HSUAN-TSUNG says. “Not watching himself, he becomes whole. Not displaying himself. he becomes straight. Not flattering himself. he becomes full. Not parading himself, he becomes new.”
TZU-SSU says. “Only those who are perfectly honest can fulfill their nature and help others fulfill their nature. Next are those who are partial” (Chung yung: 22-23).
MENCIUS says. ‘We praise those who don’t calculate. We reproach those who try to be whole” (4A.2I).
HO-SHANG KUNG says. “Those who are able to practice being partial keep their physical body whole. Those who depend on their mother and father suffer no harm.”
For the wording of lines eight through thirteen as well as line sixteen. I have followed the Mawangtui texts. Lines nine through twelve appear in slightly different form in verse 24. In the last line. my use of ch’eng:become in place of the usual ch’eng:honest is based on Tunhuang texts s.6453 and P.2584, the Suichou and Chinglung editions, and on Chu Ch’ien-chih’s observation that ch’eng: honest appears nowhere else in the Taoteching, while ch’eng:become occurs seventeen times. The interpolation of ”honest” was apparently influenced by the passage from Tzu-ssu’s Chungyung quoted above.
TWENTY THREE
Whispered words are natural
a gale doesn’t last all morning
a squall doesn’t last all day ‘
who else could make these
only Heaven and Earth
if Heaven and Earth can’t make things last
what about Man thus in whatever we do
let those on the Way be one with the Way
let those who succeed be one with success
let those who fail be one with failure
be one with success
for the Way succeeds too
be one with failure
for the Way fails too
WU CHENG says, ”’Whispered’ means not heard. ‘Whispered words’ means no words. Those who reach the Tao forget about words and follow whatever is natural,”
WANG CHEN says, “Whispered words require less effort. Hence they conform to the natural Way.”
LU NUNG-SHIH says, “Something is natural when nothing can make it so, and nothing can make it not so.”
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING says, “If the greatest forces wrought by Heaven and Earth cannot last, how can the works of Man?”
SU CH’E says, “The sage’s words are faint, and his deeds are plain. But they are always natural. Hence he can last and not be exhausted.”
TE-CH’ING says, “This verse explains how the sage forgets about words, embodies the Tao, and changes with the seasons. Elsewhere, Lao-tzu says, ‘talking only wastes it I better to keep it inside’ (5). Those who love to argue get farther from the Way. They aren’t natural. Only those whose words are whispered are natural. Lao-tzu uses wind and rain storms as metaphors for the outbursts of those who love to argue. They can’t maintain such a disturbance and dissipation of breath very long. Because they don’t really believe in the Tao, their actions don’t accord with the Tao. They haven’t learned the secret of how to be one.”
CHIAO HUNG says, “Those who pursue the Way are natural. Natural means free from success and hence free from failure. Such people don’t succeed and don’t fail but simply go along with the successes and failures of the age. Orif they do succeed or fail, their minds are not affected.”
LU HU!-CH’ING says, “Those who pursue the Way are able to leave their selves behind. No self is the Way. Success. Failure. I don’t see how they differ.”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “Those who are one with success enjoy succeeding. Those who are one with failure enjoy failing. Water is wet, and fire burns. This is their nature.”
Many commentators have noted that the latter half of the standard version of this verse is marked by an awkward use of rhythm and rhyme, and most have found it confusing. I have used the simpler and smoother Mawangtui version. However, in lines ten, twelve, and thirteen, I have chosen the Fuyi text, which has te:succeed in place of the usual te:virtue. Both characters were inter changeable when this text was composed, and “virtue” is
clearly out of place here. The standard and Fuyi versions add this couplet to the end of the verse: “where honesty fails / dishonesty prevails.” These lines also appear in verse However, they are not present in either of the Mawangtui texts, nor do they follow from the rest of this verse, in rhyme or in meaning. Hence I have not included them.
TWENTY FOUR
Who tiptoes doesn’t stand
who strides doesn’t walk
who watches himself doesn’t appear
who displays himself doesn’t flourish
who flatters himself achieves nothing
who parades himself doesn’t lead
on the road they say
too much food and a tiring pace
some things are simply bad
thus the Taoist shuns them
TE CH’ING says, “People raise themselves up on their tiptoes to see over the heads of others, but they cannot stand like this for long. People take longer strides to stay in front of others, but they cannot walk like this very far. Neither of these are natural.”
WU CH’ENG says, “To tiptoe is to lift the heels in order to increase one’s height. To stride is to extend the feet in order to increase one’s pace. A person can do this for a while but not for long. Likewise. those who watch themselves don’t appear for long. Those who display themselves don’t flourish for long. Those who flatter
themselves don’t succeed for long. And those who parade them selves don’t lead for long.”
SU CH’E says, Anyone can stand or walk. But if someone is not content with standing and tiptoes to extend his height or is not content with walking and strides to increase his speed. his stance and his pace are sure to suffer. It’s the same with someone who watches himself. or displays himself. or flatters him self. or parades himself. It’s like eating or drinking. As soon as you’re full. stop. Overeating will make you il. It’s like manual work. As soon as you’re done, stop. Overwork will only exhaust you.
SUNG CH ANG-HSING says, “Selfless and free of desire is the mind of the sage. Conniving and clever is the mind of the common man. Watching himself. dis playing himself, flattering himself, parading himself, he thus hastens his end. like someone who eats too much.”
Ll HSI-C HAI says, “Those who cultivate the Tao yet still think about themselves are like people who overeat or overwork. Food should satisfy the hunger. Work should suit the task. Those who keep to the Way do only what is natural.”
LU HUI-CH’ING says, “Why should Taoists avoid things? Doesn’t the Tao dwell in what others avoid? (Taoteching: 8). The Taoist doesn’t avoid what others hate, namely humility and weakness. He only avoids what others fight over, namely flattery and ostentation. Hence he avoids some things and not others. But he never fights.”
CHANG TAO-LING says, “Who follows the Way lives long. Who loses the Way dies early. This is the unbiased law of Heaven. It doesn’t depend on offerings or prayers.
“
Line two does not appear in either Mawangrui text. The previous verse also makes do with a single-line introduction. But here the second line is needed to establish the rhyme. In line two, k’ua:stride can also mean “straddle.” TSAO TAO-CH’UNG says, “He who straddles two sides is unsure of the Way.” Lines three through six also appear in slightly different form in verse and some commentators have read as one verse. For the wording and order of lines three through six, I have followed the Mawangrui texts, which reverse the usual order of lines three and four and which have shih:watch in place of the standard shih:approve in line three. A number of commentators think line eight is corrupt and suggest instead: “leftover food and a cyst-covered body.” Although sufficiently repulsive, this is not the sort of warning we would expect of seasoned travelers of the Way. The last two lines also appear in verse 31.