TWENTY FIVE
Imagine a nebulous thing
here before Heaven and Earth
silent and elusive
it stands alone not wavering
it travels everywhere unharmed
it could be the mother of us all
not knowing its name
I call it the Tao
forced to name it
I name it Great
great means ever-flowing
ever-flowing means far-reaching
far-reaching means returning
the Tao is great
Heaven is great
Earth is great
the king is also great
the realm contains four greats
of these the king is one
Man imitates Earth
Earth imitates Heaven
Heaven imitates the Tao
the Tao imitates itself
WU CH’ENG says, ”’Nebulous’ means complete and indivisible.”
SU CH’ E says, “The Tao is not pure or muddy. high or low; past or future, good or bad. Its body is a nebulous whole. In Man it becomes his nature. It doesn’t know it exists, and yet it endures forever. Heaven and Earth are created within it.”
LI HSI-CHAI says, “It stands alone but does not stand alone. It goes everywhere but does not go anywhere. It’s the mother of the world, but it is not the mother of the world.”
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “The Tao does not have a name of its own. We force names on it. But we cannot find anything real in them. We would do betÂter returning to the root from which we all began.”
Standing beside a stream, CONFUCIUS sighed, “To be ever-flowing like this, not stopping day or night” (Lunyu: 9.16).
TS’AO TAO-CH’UNG says, ‘l\ithough we say it’s far-reaching, it never gets far from itself. Hence we say it’s returning.”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “The Tao is great because there is nothing it does not encompass. Heaven is great because there is nothing it does not cover. Earth is great because there is nothing it does not support. The king is great because there is nothing he does not control. Man should imitate Earth and be peaceÂful and pliant, plant it and harvest its grains, dig it and find its springs, work without exhaustion and succeed without fuss. As for Earth imitating Heaven, Heaven is still and immutable. It gives without seeking a reward. It nourishes all creatures and takes nothing for itself. As for Heaven imitating the Tao, the Tao is silent and does not
speak. It directs breath and essence unseen, and thus all things come to be. As for the Tao imitating itself, the nature of the Tao is to be itself. It does not imitate
anything else.”
WANG PI says, “If Man does not turn his back on Earth, he brings peace to all. Hence he imitates Earth. If Earth does not turn its back on Heaven, it supports all. Hence it imitates Heaven. If Heaven does not turn its back on the Tao, it covers all. Hence it imitates the Tao. And if the Tao does not turn its back on itself, it realizes its nature. Hence it imitates itself.”
At the end of line four, I’ve followed the Kuotien and Mawangtui texts (andalso Huainantzu: 2) in reading kai (border/restriction) in place of kai (change),which is what appears in the Wangpi and Fuyi editions. I’ve also followed theKuotien texts and both Mawangtui texts in not including the line that fol-lows line four in the Wangpi and Fuyi editions: chou-hsing-er-pu-tai, “travelseverywhere without moving.” The first five lines once again recall the imageof the moon. The character for “ruler” (wang: ) shows three horizontal lines(Heaven, Humankind, Earth) connected by a single vertical line. Lao-tzu’s pointis that the ruler, being only one of the four great powers of the world, should notbe so presumptuous of his greatness, for he depends on the other three.
TWENY SIX
Heavy is the root of light
still is the master of restless
thus a lord might travel all day
but never far from his supplies
even in a guarded camp
his manner is calm and aloof
why would the lord of ten thousand chariots
treat himself lighter than his kingdom
too light he loses his base
too restless he loses command
HAN FEI says, “Heavy’ means to be in control of oneself. Still’ means not to leave one’s place. Those who are heavy control those who are light. Those who are still direct those who are restless.”
WANG PI says, “Something light cannot support something heavy. Something small cannot hold down something large.”
CONFUCIUS says, “A gentleman without weight is not held in awe, and his learning is not secure” (Lunyu: 1.8).
CHENG HUAN-YING says, Roots are heavy, while flowers and leaves are light.
The light wither, while the heavy survive. Still’ means tranquil, and ‘restless means excited. Excitement is subject to birth and death. Tranquility endures. Hence, the still rule the restless.”
TB-CHING says, “Heavy’ refers to the body. Light’ refers to what is external to the body: success and fame, wealth and honor. Still’ refers to our nature. Rest-less’ refers to our emotions. People forget their body and chase external things. They forget their nature and follow their emotions. Sages aren’t like this. Even though they travel all day, they don’t leave what sustains them.”
KUAN-TZU says, “Those who move lose their place. Those who stay still are con-tent” (quoted by Chiao Hung).
WU CHENG says, “When a lord travels for pleasure, he rides in a passenger car-riage. When a lord travels to battle. he rides in a war chariot. Both of these are light. And behind these come the heavier baggage carts. Even though a lord might travel fifty kilometers a day in a passenger carriage or thirty kilometers a day in a war chariot, he does not hurry so far ahead that he loses sight of the baggage carts behind him.”
TSAO TAO-CHUNG says, “Supplies’ means the precious commodities with which we maintain ourselves and without which we cannot exist for a second”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “A lord who is not heavy is not respected. A plant’s leaves and flowers are light. Hence, they are blown about by the wind. And its roots are heavy. Hence, it lives long. A lord who is not still loses his power. A dragon is still. Hence, it is able to constantly transform itself. A tiger is restless. Hence it dies young.”
HUAN-TSUNG says, “Traditionally, the Son of Heaven’s fief included one million neighborhoods with a tax revenue of 640,000 ounces of silver, one million cavalry horses, and ten thousand war chariots. Hence, he was called ‘lord of ten thousand chariots.”
SU CH’E says, “If the ruler is light, his ministers know he cannot be relied upon.
If the ministers are restless, the ruler knows their minds are bent on profit.” A number of commentators have wondered if the standard jung-kuan (glorious scenes) in line five might not be a mistake for ying-kuan (military camp). The Mawangtui texts have borne them out, though with huan-kuan (guarded camp). Line eight, which the Mawangtui texts clarify by adding yu (than), recalls the last four lines of verse 13. In line nine, I have gone along with the Mawangtui and Fuyi texts as well as with several early commentaries and editions in reading pen (base) in place of chen (minister). This verse is not present in the Kuotien texts.
TWENTY SEVEN
Good walking leaves no tracks
good talking contains no flaws
good counting counts no beads
good closing locks no locks
and yet it can’t be opened
good tying ties no knots
and yet it can’t be undone
sages are good at saving others
therefore they abandon no one
nor anything of use
this is called cloaking the light
thus the good instruct the bad
and the bad learn from the good
not honoring their teachers
or cherishing their students
the wise alone are perfectly blind
this is called peering into the distance
LU TUNG-PIN says, Good’ refers to our original nature before our parents were born. Before anything develops within us, we possess this goodness. ‘Good” means natural”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “Those who are good at walking find the Way within themselves, not somewhere outside. When they talk, they choose their words.
When they count, they don’t go beyond one. When they close, they close themselves to desire and protect their spirit. When they tie, they secure their mind.”
TE-CHING says, “Sages move through the world with an empty self and accept the way things are. Hence, they leave no tracks. They do not insist that their own ideas are right and accept the words of others. Hence, they reveal no flaws. They do not care about life and death, much less profit and loss. Hence, they count no beads. They do not set traps, yet nothing escapes them. Hence, they use no locks. They are not kind, yet everyone flocks to them. Hence, they tie no knots.”
WANG PI says, “These five tell us to refrain from acting and to govern things by relying on their nature rather than on their form.”
WU CHENG says, “The salvation of sages does not involve salvation, for if someone is saved, someone is abandoned. Hence, sages do not save anyone at all. And because they do not save anyone, they do not abandon anyone. To ‘cloak means to use an outer garment to cover an inner garment. If the work of salvation becomes apparent, and people see it, it cannot be called good. Only when it is hidden is it good.”
CHENG HUAN- YING says, “The good always cloak their light.”
HUAN-TSUNG says, “The good are like water. Free of impurity and without effort on their part, they show people their true likeness. Thus, they instruct the bad. But unless students can forget the teacher, their vision will be obscured
SU CH’E says, “Sages do not care about teaching. Hence, they do not love their students. And the world does not care about learning. Hence, people do not honor their teachers. Sages not only forget the world, they make the world forget them.”
Lao-tzu apparently took his own advice regarding teachers and students, all of whom remain nameless. I have used the Mawangtui version of line ten, which replaces two lines in the standard editions: “they are good at saving things / thus they abandon nothing.” For the last two characters of the last line, I have followed the word order of the Fuyi and Wangpi editions. However, I have chosen the Mawangtui miao (peer) in place of the standard miao (mystery, and I have read the standard yao (essential) as shorthand for yao (distant). This verse is not present among the Kuotien texts.
TWENTY EIGHT
Recognize the male
but hold on to the female
and be the world’s maid
being the world’s maid
don’t lose your Immortal Virtue
not losing your Immortal Virtue
be a newborn child again
recognize the pure
but hold on to the base
and be the world’s valley
being the world’s valley
be filled with Immortal Virtue
being filled with Immortal Virtue
be a block of wood again
recognize the white
but hold on to the black
and be the world’s guide
being the world’s guide
don’t stray from your Immortal Virtue
not straying from your Immortal Virtue
be without limits again
a block of wood can be split to make tools
sages make it their chief official
a master tailor doesn’t cut
TE-CH’ING says, “To recognize the Way is hard. Once you recognize it, holding on to it is even harder. But only by holding on to it can you advance on the Way.”
MENCIUS says, “The great person does not lose their child heart” (Mencius: 4B.I2).
WANG TAO says, “Sages recognize that' but hold on tothis: Male' andfemale’ mean hard and soft. Pure andbase mean noble and humble. White' andblack mean light and dark. Although hard, noble, and light certainly have their uses, hard does not come from hard but from soft, noble does not come from noble but from humble, and light does not come from light but from dark. Hard, noble, and light are the secondary forms and farther from the Way. Soft, hum-ble, and dark are the primary forms and closer to the Way. Hence, sages return to the original: a block of wood. A block of wood can be made into tools, but tools cannot be made into a block of wood. Sages are like blocks of wood, not tools. They are the chief officials and not functionaries’
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING says, “What has no limits is the Tao’
CONFUCIUS says, “A great person is not a tool” (Lunyu: 2.12). CHANG TAO-LING says, “To make tools is to lose sight of the Way.”
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “Before a block of wood is split, it can take any shape. But once split, it cannot be round if it is square or straight if it is curved. Lao-tzu tells us to avoid being split. Once we are split, we can never return to our original state”
PAO-TING says, “When I began butchering, I used my eyes. Now I use my spirit instead and follow the natural lines” (Chuangtzu: 3.2).
WANG P’ANG Says, “Those who use the Tao to tailor leave no seams’
In lines three and four, I have followed Tunhuang copies P.2584 and s.6453 in reading hsi (maid/female servant) for the standard hsi (stream) as more in keeping with the images of the preceding lines. In lines eight through twenty-one, I have followed the Mawangtui texts, which fail to support the suspicions of some commentators that these lines were interpolated. Reverence for the spirit of wood is still shared by many of the ethnic groups along Chinas bor-ders. During Lao-tzu’s day, the southern part of his own state of Ch’u was populated by the Miao, who trace their ancestry to a butterfly and the butterfly to the heart of a maple tree. It has been suggested that Lao-tzu was somehow affiliated with the Miao, if not through blood or family ancestry then marriage. This verse is not present in the Kuotien texts. Instead of the usual ch’ang (immortal/ constant), I have preferred the character heng (immortal/constant), present in both Mawangtui texts, as it also means “crescent moon’ and is used by Lao-tzu elsewhere in the Taoteching with both the lunar image and immortality in mind, as in verse 1. The last four lines recall the images and wording of the first two lines in verse 16.
TWENY NINE
Trying to govern the world with force
I see this not succeeding
the world is a spiritual thing
it can’t be forced’
to force it is to harm it
to control it is to lose it
sometimes things lead
sometimes they follow
sometimes they blow hot
sometimes they blow cold
sometimes they expand
sometimes they collapse
sages therefore avoid extremes
avoid extravagance
avoid excess
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “We can’t control something as insignificant as a mustard seed. How can we control something as big as the world?”
TE-CH’ING says, “Those who would govern the world should trust what is natural. The world cannot be controlled consciously. It is too big a thing. The world can only be governed by the spirit, not by human strength or intelligence’
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “Spiritual things respond to stillness. They cannot be controlled with force’
LU HUI-CH’ING says, “The world as a thing is a spiritual thing. Only the spiritual Tao can control a spiritual thing. Spiritual things don’t think or act. Trying to control them with force is not the Way.”
WANG CHEN says, “`Force’ refers to the mobilization and deployment of troops. But the world’s spirit cannot be controlled with weapons’
LI HSI-CHAI says, “Sages consider their body as transitory and the world as its temporary lodging. How can they rule what is not theirs and lose the true and everlasting Way?”
sU CH’E says, “The interchange of yin and yang, of high and low, of great and small is the way things are and cannot be avoided. Fools are selfish. They insist on having their own way and meet with disaster. Sages know they cannot oppose things. They agree with whatever they meet. They eliminate extremes and thereby keep the world from harm.”
WU CH’ENG says, “How do those who gain control of the world keep the world from harm? Sages understand that things necessarily move between opposites but that there is a way to adjust this movement. Things that prosper too much must wither and die. By keeping things from prospering too much, they keepthem from withering and dying.
WANG PI says, “Sages penetrate the nature and condition of others. Hence, they respond to them without force and follow them without effort. They eliminate whatever misleads or confuses others so that their minds become clear and each realizes their own nature.”
WANG AN-SHIN says, “Resting where you are eliminates extremes. Treasuring simplicity eliminates extravagance. Being content with less eliminates excess’
LU NUNG-SHIN says, “Sages get rid of extremes with kindness. They get rid of extravagance with simplicity. They get rid of excess with humility. By means of these three, sages govern the world.”
HSUEH HUI says, “What Lao-tzu means by extremes; byextravagance; and by `excess’ is not what people mean nowadays. Lao-tzu means whatever involves an increase in effort beyond what is easy.”
Lao-tzu’s word for the world is tien-hsia (under Heaven) — all that we see when we look down from on high. For the wording of lines nine and ten, I have followed Ho-shang Kung. Between lines ten and eleven, most editions add a fourth pair of opposites: ch’iang-lei (strengthen-weaken). I have followed Mawangtui B, which has only three pairs. Given the three negations at the end of this verse, three pairs to be negated seems more appropriate. This verse is not present in the Kuotien texts.
THIRTY
Use the Tao to assist your lord
don’t use weapons to rule the land
such things have repercussions
where armies camp
brambles grow
best to win then stop
don t make use of force
win but dolt be proud
win but don’t be vain
win but don’t be cruel
win when you have no choice
this is to win without force
virility leads to old age
this isn’t the Tao
what isn’t the Tao ends early
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “A kingdom’s ruler is like a persons heart: when the ruler acts properly, the kingdom is at peace. When the heart works properly, the body is healthy. What enables them to work and act properly is the Tao. Hence, use nothing but the Tao to assist a ruler.”
LI HSI-CHAI, quoting Mencius (713.7), says, “`If you kill someone’s father, some-one will kill your father. If you kill someone’s brother, someone will kill your brother. This is how things have repercussions’
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING says, “The external use of soldiers and arms returns in the form of vengeful enemies. The internal use of poisonous thoughts come back in the form of evil rebirths:’
WANG AN-SHIN says, “Humankind’s retribution is clear, while Heaven’s retribution is obscure. Where an army spends the night, brambles soon appear. In an army’s wake, bad years follow. This is the retribution of Heaven”
WANG CHEN, paraphrasing Suntzu Pingfa (2.1), says, “To raise an army of a hundred thousand requires the daily expenditure of a thousand ounces of gold. And an army of a hundred thousand means a million refugees on the road. Also, nothing results in greater droughts, plagues, or famines than the scourge of war-fare. A good general wins only when he has no choice, then stops. He dares not take anything by force’
MENCIUS says, “Those who say they are great tacticians or great warriors are, in fact, great criminals” (Mencius: 7B.2-3).
LU HUI-CH’ING says, “To win means to defeat one’s enemies. To win without being arrogant about one’s power, to win without being boastful about ones ability, to win without being cruel about one’s achievement, this sort of victory only comes from being forced and not from the exercise of force’
SU CH’E says, “Those who possess the Tao prosper and yet seem poor. They become full and yet seem empty. What is not virile does not become old and does not die. The virile die. This is the way things are. Using an army to con-trol the world represents the height of strength. But it only hastens old age and death’
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “Once plants reach their height of development, they wither. Once people reach their peak, they grow old. Force does not prevail for long. It isn’t the Tao. What is withered and old cannot follow the Tao. And what cannot follow the Tao soon dies.”
WU CH’ENG says, “Those who possess the Way are like children. They come of age without growing old:’
LAO-TZU says, “Tyrants never choose their death” (Taoteching: 42).
It isn’t the Tao that ends early, for the Tao has no beginning or end. I have not followed the Kuotien texts in omitting lines four and five, or lines eleven, thir-teen, fourteen, and fifteen, or in placing line three at the end of this verse. However, I have gone along with the Kuotien and also the Mawangtui texts in omitting lines six and seven of the standard edition: “in an army’s wake / bad years follow.” I have also followed the Mawangtui sequence of lines eight through ten. The last three lines also appear in verse S5. Since these lines aren’t present in the Kuotien texts, some commentators have suggested that they might have been interpolated here as a commentary. However, they are present in both Mawang-tui texts and all standard editions. Hence, I’ve retained them.
THIRTY ONE
Weapons are not auspicious tools
some things are simply bad
thus the Taoist shuns them
in peace the ruler honors the left
in war he honors the right
weapons are not auspicious tools
he wields them when he has no choice
dispassion is the best
thus he doesn’t praise them
those who praise their use
enjoy killing others
those who killing others
achieve no worldly rule
thus we honor the left for happiness
we honor the right for sorrow
the left is where the adjutant stands
the commander on the right
which means as at a funeral
when you kill another
honor him with your tears
when the battle is won
treat it as a wake
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “In times of decadence and disorder, we use weapons to defend the people”
SU CH’E says, “We take up weapons to rescue the distressed and not as a matter of course’
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “The system of ritual devised by the ancient kings treated the right as superior and the left as inferior. Being superior, the right represented the Way of Victory. Being inferior, the left represented the Way of Humility. But victory entails death and destruction. Hence, those on the right were in charge of sad occasions, while those on the left were in charge of happy events’
JEN FA-JUNG Says, “Left' refers to the east and the power of creation, whileright’ refers to the west and the power of destruction’
HSUAN-TSUNG says, “When Tibetans, Huns, or other tribes invade our borders, the ruler has no choice but to respond. But he responds as he would to a gnat. He does not act in anger. The greatest victory involves no fighting. Hence, dis-passion is the best policy.”
LI HSI-CHAI says, “Sun-tzu discussed in detail the use of strengths and weak-nesses and of direction and indirection in warfare. But he did not understand their basis (Suntzu Pingfa: 5-6). Lao-tzu says dispassion is the best policy, because it secures victory without a display. This might seem odd, but dispas-sion means to rest, and rest is the root of victory. Meanwhile, passion means to act, and action is the basis of defeat”
KING HSIANG OF LIANG asked Mencius, “How can the kingdom be pacified?” Mencius answered, “The kingdom can be pacified by uniting it.” King Hsiang asked, “But who can unite it?” Mencius answered, “One who does not delight in killing others can unite it” (Mencius: iA.6).
LI JUNG says, “The ancients used weapons with compassion. They honored them for their virtue and disdained them as tools. Once the enemy was defeated, the general put on plain, undyed clothes, presided over a funeral ceremony, and received the mourners.”
In the first line, I have followed the arguments of Wang Nien-sun and Cheng Liang-shu in reading chia (fine), which precedes ping (weapons) in the standard editions, as a mistake for the grammatical particle wei, which carries no meaning, only emphasis. Lines two and three also appear in verse 24, although my translation of them there is not the same. The first three lines are missing from the Kuotien texts, as is line seven. For line ten, I have followed the wording of the Fuyi and Mawangtui texts, which the standard versions render “victory is not praised”
THIRTY TWO
The Tao remains unnamed
simple and though small
no one can command it
if a lord upheld it
the world would be his guest
when Heaven joins with Earth
they bestow sweet dew
no one gives the order
it comes down to all
the first distinction gives us names
once we have a name
we should know restraint
who knows restraint avoids trouble
to picture the Tao in the world
imagine a stream and the sea
WANG PANG says, “The Tao has no body. How could it have a name?”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “We call it simple because it hasn't been cut or polished. We call itsmall’ because it’s faint and infinitesimal. Those who can see what is small and hold on to it are rare indeed”
CHIAO HUNG says, “`Simple means the natural state. When it expands, it’s everywhere. When it contracts, it isn’t as big as the tip of a hair. Hence, even though it’s small, it’s beyond anyone’s command.”
WANG PI says, “If people embrace the simple and work without effort and don’t burden their true nature with material goods or injure their spirit with desires, all things will come to them on their own, and they will discover the Tao by themselves. To discover the Tao, nothing is better than embracing simplicity.”
JEN FA-JUNG says, “In terms of practice, if people can be serene and natural, free themselves from desire, and put their minds at rest, their yin and yang breaths will come together on their own and penetrate every artery and organ. Inside their mouths, the saliva of sweet dew will appear spontaneously and nourish their whole body.”
LU HUI-CH’ING says, “When a ruler acts, the first thing he does is institute names.”
HSUN-TZU says, “Now that the sages are gone, names and reality have become confused” (Hsuntzu: a).
TE-CH’ING says, “What is simple has no name. Once we make something, we give it a name. But name gives rise to name. Where does it end? Hence, Lao-tzu tells us to stop chasing names’
LI JUNG says, “The child who depends on its mother suffers no harm. Those who depend on the Tao encounter no trouble’
WU CH’ENG says, “The Tao has no name, but as Virtue it does. Thus, from nothing we get something. But Virtue is not far from the Tao. If we stop there, we can still go from something back to nothing and return to the Tao. Thus, the Tao is like the sea, and Virtue is like a stream, flowing back into the Tao.”
LI HSI-CHAI says, “Although Heaven and Earth are high and low, they join together and send down sweet dew. No one makes them do so. And there is no one who does not benefit. Although the Tao separates into things, and each thing has its name, the Tao never abandons anything. Thus, the breath of rivers eventually reaches the sea, and the breath of the sea eventually reaches rivers’
LAO-TZU says, “The reason the sea can govern a hundred rivers / is because it has mastered being lower” (Taoteching: 66).
The phrase kan-lu, “sweet dew,” also refers to the saliva produced during meditation by pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth. Line thirteen also appears in verse 44. In the last line, I’ve followed the Kuotien and Mawang-tui texts in reading hsiao-ku (small valley; hence stream) in place of the standard ch uan-ku (river valley), and I’ve also read Yu (valley) as a substitute for the graphically similar hsi (stream)
THIRTY THREE
Those who know others are perceptive
those who know themselves are wise
those who conquer others are forceful
those who conquer themselves are strong
those who know contentment are wealthy
those who strive hard are resolved
those who don’t lose their place endure
those who aren’t affected by death live long
SU CH’E says, “Perception means to distinguish. Wisdom means to remove obstructions. As long as our distinguishing mind is presegt, we can only know others, but not ourselves’
LI HSI-CHAI says, “Perception is external knowledge. Wisdom is internal knowledge. Force is external control. Strength is internal control. Perception and force mislead us. Wisdom and strength are true. They are the doors to the Tao’
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “If someone can conquer others, it is only by using force. If someone can conquer their own desires, no one in the world can com-pete with them. Hence, we call them strong’
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “The strength of those who conquer themselves is of ten kinds: the strength of faith, the strength of charity, the strength of moral-ity, the strength of devotion, the strength of meditation, the strength of concen-tration, the strength of illumination, the strength of wisdom, the strength of the Way, and the strength of Virtue.” (Note the similarity of this list to Buddhism’s paramitas, or perfections)
WU CH’ENG says, “Elsewhere, Lao-tzu extols simplemindedness and weakness over wisdom and strength. Why then does he extol wisdom and strength here? Wisdom and strength are for dealing with the inside. Simplemindedness and weakness are for dealing with the outside:’
WANG P’ANG says, “The natural endowment of all beings is complete in itself. Poverty does not reduce it. Wealth does not enlarge it. But fools abandon this treasure to chase trash. Those who know contentment pay the world no heed. This is true wealth. Mencius said, `The ten thousand things are all within us’ (Mencius: 7A.4). How could we not be wealthy?”
TS’AO TAO-CH’UNG says, `Although the Great Way might be far off, if we per-severe without pause, we advance. We get closer and closer, until suddenly we become one with the Way. Whoever has a goal can do anything. Outside, be content with your lot. Inside, focus on the Way. Those who do this cannot help but live long’
WANG PI says, “Those who strive with devotion reach their goal. Those who examine themselves and work within their capacity don’t lose their place and are able to endure. Although we die, the Tao that gave us life doesn’t perish. Our body disappears, but the Tao remains. If our body continued to survive, would the Tao not end?”
TE-CH’ING says, “Our `place’ is like the position of the North Star. It refers to our nature.”
CONFUCIUS says, “Those who govern with Virtue are like the North Star, which remains in its place, while the myriad stars revolve around it” (Lunyu: 2.1).
LU NUNG-SHIN says, “Before we distinguish life and death, they share the same form, the ten thousand things dwell in the same house. Our body is like the shell of a cicada or the skin of a snake: a temporary lodging. The shell crumbles but not the cicada. The ‘skin decays but not the snake. We all have something real
that survives death”
KUMARAJIVA says, “Not to live in living is to endure. Not to die in dying is to live long.”
Although the ch’iang-hsing (striving hard) of line six seems at odds with Lao-tzu’s dictum of wu-wei, “doing nothing/effortlessness,” commentators are agreeda that here it refers to inner cultivation and not to the pursuit of worldly goals. This verse is absent from the Kuotien texts.
THIRTY FOUR
The Tao drifts
it can go left or right
everything lives by its grace
but it doesn’t speak
when its work succeeds
it makes no claim
it has no desires
shall we call it small
everything turns to it
but it wields no control
shall we call it great
it’s because sages never act great
they can thus achieve great things
HSUAN-TSUNG Says, “To drift means to be unrestrained. The Tao is neither yin nor yang, weak nor strong. Unrestrained, it can respond to all things and in any direction. It isn’t one-sided. As Chuang-tzu says, `The Tao has no borders’ [Chuangtzu: 2.51′
CHUANG-TZU says, “Those who are skilled toil, and those who are clever worry. Meanwhile, those who do not possess such abilities seek nothing and yet eat their fill. They drift through life like unmoored boats” (Chuangtzu: 32.1).
WANG PI says, “The Tao drifts everywhere. It can go left or right. It can go up or down. Wherever we turn, it’s there for us to use’
LI HSI-CHAI says, “The Great Way is a watery expanse that extends to the eight horizons. But when we use it, it’s as close as our left or right hand. There is noth-ing that doesn’t depend on it for life, and yet it never speaks of its power. There is nothing that doesn’t happen without its help, and yet it never mentions its achievements.”
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “Outside of the Tao there are no things. Outside of things there is no Tao. The Tao gives birth to things, just as wind creates movement or water creates waves.”
TS’AO TAO-CH’UNG says, “Although living things might be infinite in number, the Tao creates them all through the mystery of doing nothing. It doesn’t mind making so many. And it creates them without thinking about its power.”
WANG PANG says, “When the Tao becomes small, it doesn’t stop being great. And when it becomes great, it doesn’t stop being small. But all we see are its traces. In reality, it is neither small nor great. It cant be described. It can only be known’
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING Says, “The Tao produces all things, and all things turn to it. Its like the sea. All streams empty into it, and yet it doesn’t control them’
Commenting on lines eight and eleven, wu CH’ENG says, “Even though there are no question indicators, these are questions and not statements, just as in verse 1o. If we can call something great, it isn’t the Tao’
SU CH’E says, “Those who are great and think themselves great are small.”
LU HUI-CH’ING says, “The Tao hides in what has no name, and sages embody it through what has no name. They don’t consider themselves great, and yet no one is greater, for they can go left or right. Hence, they are neither small nor great. And because they are neither small nor great, they can do great things”
Who says the Tao doesn’t speak? This verse is not present in the Kuotien texts, and the Mawangtui texts omit lines three and four. Following line six, the stan-dard editions have two additional lines: “it cares for all things / yet it wields no control.” But this anticipates line ten, and I have gone along with the Mawangtui texts in not including them. For the last two lines, I have followed the standard editions, while the Mawangtui texts have the more convoluted and redundant “therefore sages can do great things / because they do not act great / they thus can do great things’
THIRTY FIVE
Hold up the Great Image
and the world will come
and be beyond harm
safe and serene and at peace
fine food and song
don’t detain guests long
thus the Tao speaks
plain words that make no sense
we look but don’t see it
we listen but don’t hear it
yet we use it without end
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING says, “Here `hold’ means to hold without holding, to hold what cannot be held.”
HUANG YUAN-CHI says, “The Great Image is the Great Way, which gives birth to Heaven and Earth and all creatures. It is called `great’ because it encompasses everything’
LI JUNG says, “The Great Image has no form. What has no form is the great and empty Way. To ‘hold’ means to focus or to keep. Those who can keep their body in the realm of Dark Virtue and focus their mind on the gate of Hidden Seren-ity possess the Way. All things come to them. Clouds appear, and all creatures are refreshed. Rain pours down, and all plants are nourished. And these bless-ings come from such a subtle thing’
WU CH’ENG says, “To come to no harm means to be protected. But when people turn to sages, sages use no protection to protect them. If they protected people with protection, protection and harm would both exist. But by protecting people with no protection, people are always protected and kept from harm.”
LU TUNG-PIN says, “Unharmed, our spirit is safe. Unharmed, our breath is serene. Unharmed, our nature is at peace’
TE-CH’ING says, “Sages rule the world through selflessness. All things come to them because they are one with all things. And while they forget themselves in others, others forget themselves in them. Thus, all things find their place, and there are none that are not at peace.”
CHANG TAO-LING says, “What the Tao says is the opposite of the mundane or the clever. Most people find it completely senseless. But within its senselessness, there is great sense. This is what sages savor. The Tao prefers simplicity of form and a minimum of expression. Hence, it is hard to see and hard to hear and also hard to follow. But those who can follow it and use it enjoy limitless blessings’
CHUANG-TZU says, “A great person’s words are plain like water. A small per-son’s words are sweet like wine. The plainness of a great person brings people closer, while the sweetness of a small person drives them apart. Those who come together for no reason, separate for no reason” (Chuangtzu: 20.5).
sU CH’E says, “Banquets and entertainment might detain visitors, but sooner or later the food runs out, the music ends, and visitors leave. If someone entertained the world with the Great Image, no one would know how to love it, much less hate it. Although it has no taste, shape, or sound with which to please people, those who use it can never exhaust it.”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “If someone used the Tao to govern the country, the country would be rich, and the people would be prosperous. If someone used it to cultivate themselves, there would be no limit to the length of their life”
The Great Image is Te, or Virtue, the manifestation of the Tao. I have followed the Kuotien and Mawangtui texts in adding ku (thus) to line seven. Lines nine and ten are also echoed in verse 14: “We look but don’t see it / and call it indistinct / we listen but don’t hear it / and call it faint’
THIRTY SIX
What you would shorten
you first should lengthen
what you would weaken
you first should strengthen
what you would topple
you first should raise
what you would take
you first should give
this is called hiding the light
the weak conquering the strong
fish can’t survive out of the depths
a state’s greatest weapon
isn’t meant to be shown
TE-CH’ING says, “Once things reach their limit, they go the other way. Hence, lengthening is a portent of shortening. Strengthening is the onset of weakening. Raising is the beginning of toppling. Giving is the start of taking. This is the natural order for Heaven as well as for Humankind. Thus, to hide the light means the weak conquer the strong. Weakness is the greatest weapon of the state. But rulers must not show it to their people. Deep water is the best place for a fish. But once it is exposed to the air, a fish is completely helpless. And once rulers show weakness, they attract enemies and shame’
LU HU~ CH’ING says, “To perceive shortening in lengthening, weakening in strengthening, toppling in raising, taking in giving, how could anyone do this if not through the deepest insight? This is the hidden light. Moreover, what causes things to be shortened or lengthened, weakened or strengthened, toppled or raised, taken or given is invisible and weak. While what is shortened or lengthened, weakened or strengthened, toppled or raised, taken or given is visible and strong. Thus, the weak conquer the strong. People should not abandon weak-ness, just as fish should not leave the depths. When fish leave the depths, they are caught. When people abandon weakness, they join the league of the dead’
wU CH’ENG says, “Hiding the light' is the same ascloaking the light.” (See verse 27.)
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “According to the way of the world, the weak duet conquer the strong. But Lao-tzu’s point is that the weak can conquer the strong by letting the strong do what they want until they become exhausted and thus weak. Those who cultivate the Tao speak softly and act with care. They don’t argue about right or wrong, better or worse. They understand the harmony of Heaven and Earth, the Way of emptiness and stillness, and become adept at using the hidden light’
CHANG TAO-LING says, “The Tao is like water. People are like fish’
CHUANG-TZU says, “The sage is the world’s greatest weapon but not one that is known to the world” (Chuangtzu: I0.3).
HAN FEI says, “Rewards and punishments are the state’s greatest weapon”
I’ve added Han Fei’s comment here because the strong still rule the day. Although the differences among editions are not significant, both Mawangtui versions of lines five and six abandon the rhyme. I have followed the Fuyi and Wangpi texts here, switching, however, to the Mawangtui versions of line ten, which the Fuyi and Wangpi’editions expand into two lines: “the soft conquer the hard / the weak conquer the strong.’ The copyist was probably thinking ahead to verse 78, where this couplet does, in fact, occur. Note that the appearance of pang (state) in line twelve of the Fuyi edition and Mawangtui A suggests that both were cop-ied before Liu Pang became emperor in 2o6 B.C., and the use of his name was forbidden. On the other hand, Mawangtui B has kuo (country), suggesting that it was copied after 206 B.C.
THIRTY SEVEN
The Tao makes no effort at all
yet there is nothing it doesn’t do
if a ruler could uphold it
the people by themselves would change
and changing if their desires stirred
he could make them still
with simplicity that has no name
and stilled by nameless simplicity
they would not desire
and not desiring be at peace
the world would fix itself
CHUANG-TZU says, “The ancients ruled the world by doing nothing. This is the Virtue of Heaven. Heaven moves without moving” (Chuangtzu: I2.I).
WU CH’ENG says, “The Tao’s lack of effort is ancient and eternal and not simply temporary. Although it makes no effort, it does everything it should do. If rulers could uphold this Tao of effortlessness, without consciously thinking about changing others, others would change by themselves.”
LAO-TZU says, “I make no effort / and the people transform themselves” (Tao-teching:57).
TE-CH’ING Says, “If nobles and kings could only uphold the Tao, all creatures would change by themselves without thinking about changing. This is the effect of upholding the Tao. When creatures first change, their desires disappear. But before long, their trust fades and feelings well up and begin to flow until desires reappear. When this occurs, those who are adept at saving others must block the source of desire with nameless simplicity.”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “`Nameless simplicity’ refers to the Tao, which all creatures use to transform themselves and which nobles and kings use to pacify those who engage in cleverness and deceit’
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING says, “When people first change and begin to cultivate the Tao, they think about reaching a goal. Once this desire arises, it must be stilled with the Tao’s nameless simplicity.”
SU CH’E says, “Sages have no thought of embracing simplicity, nor do they show any sign of doing so. If the thought of becoming simple existed in their hearts, they would miss the mark completely.”
HSUAN-TSUNG says, “Once rulers use nameless simplicity to still the desires of the people, they must then give it up so that the people don’t follow its tracks and once again enter the realm of action. Once our illness is cured, we put away the medicine. Once we are across the river, we leave the boat behind. And once we are free of desire, we must also forget the desire to be free of desire. Serene and at peace, the ruler does nothing, while the world takes care of itself.”
SUNG CHUANG-HSING says, “Other creatures follow their natures without cre-ating chaos or disaster. They change by themselves without seeking change. People, meanwhile, race through the realm of existence and never know a quiet moment. They abandon their original innocence and dont practice the true Tao of doing nothing. They don’t care about their lives, until one day they offend and retribution arrives.”
Name takes sides. Complexity limits options. Hence, those who uphold name-less simplicity don’t take sides and keep their options open. The first two lines appear as one line in verse 48 (line five). In place of the first line, the Mawangtui texts have: “The Tao has no name at all.” But this must be an interpolation from verse 32 and appears in no other edition. The Kuotien texts have the same first line but omit the second line, as do the Mawangtui texts. In lines nine and ten, the Mawangtui texts replace yu (desire) with ju (shame). Although I haven’t fol-lowed that emendation, I have followed the Mawangtui repetition of chen-chih-yi (stilled by) at the beginning of line eight. The Kuotien texts omit line eight and in lines nine and ten replace pu-yu (no desire) with chih-tsu (know when they have enough). In the last line, the Mawangtui texts replace Tien-hsia (the world) with Oen-ti (heaven and earth), while the Kuotien texts have wan-wu (all things).
THIRTY EIGHT
Higher Virtue isn’t virtuous
possess virtue
but they don’t give it a name’
thus it possesses virtue
Higher Virtue involves no effort
for all creatures without restriction
Those who embody justice deal with things
by matching name with reality. Those who embody ritual are humble and put
or the thought of effort
harmony first. These five are the footprints of the Tao. They are not the ultimate
Higher Kindness involves effort
goal. The ultimate goal is not one, much less five’
but not the thought of effort
Higher Justice involves effort
and the thought of effort
Higher Ritual involves effort
and should it meet with no response
then it threatens and compels
virtue appears when the Way is lost
kindness appears when virtue is lost
and confusion arises
justice appears when kindness is lost
ritual appears when justice is lost
ritual marks the waning of belief
and the onset of confusion
augury is the flower of the Way
and beginning of delusion
thus the great choose thick over thin
the fruit over the flower
thus they pick this over that
HAN FEI says, “Virtue is the Tao at work”
WANG PI says, “Those who possess Higher Virtue use nothing but the Tao. They possess virtue, but they
YEN TSUN Says, “Those who embody the Way are empty and effortless, yet they lead all creatures to the Way. Those who embody virtue are faultless and responsive and ready to do anything. Those who embody kindness show love for all creatures without restriction. Those who embody justice deal with things by matching name with reality. Those who embody ritual are humble and put harmony first. These five are the footprints of the Tao. They are not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is not one, much less five’
WANG PANG Says, “Kindness is another name for virtue. It differs, though, from virtue because it involves effort. The kindness of sages, however, does not go beyond fulfilling their nature. They aren’t interested in effort. Hence, they don’t think about it.
LU HUI-CH’ING Says, “Higher Kindness is kindness without effort to be kind. Kindness is simply a gift. Justice is concerned with the appropriateness of the gift. Ritual is concerned with repayment. When ritual appears, belief disappears and confusion arises.”
SU CH’E says, “These are the means whereby sages help the people to safety. When the people don’t respond, sages threaten and force them. If they still don’t respond, sages turn to law and punishment’
FAN YING-YUAN says, “`Augury’ means to see the future. Those in charge of rituals think they can see the future and devise formulas for human action, but they thus cause people to trade the spirit for the letter.”
WU CH’ENG says, “The Tao is like a fruit. Hanging from a tree, it contains the power of life, but its womb is hidden. Once it falls, it puts forth virtue as its root kindness as its stem, justice as its branches, ritual as its leaves, and knowledge as its flower. All of these come from the Tao. That' refers to the flower.This refers to the fruit. Those who embody the Tao choose the fruit over the flower.”
And yet the plastic flowers of civilization still deck a billion altars. After line six, the Wangpi and Fuyi editions add: “Lower Virtue involves effort / but not the thought of effort’, But this is the same description of Higher Kindness. I’ve followed the Mawangtui texts, which don’t include this line. The above categories (Higher Virtue, etc.) also appear as chapter titles in the Wentzu, a Taoist text ascribed to a student of Lao-tzu and fragments of which have been found dating back to the third century B.C.
THIRTY NINE
Of those that became one in the past
Heaven became one and was clear
Earth became one and was still
spirits became one and were active
valleys became one and were full
kings became one and ruled the world
but from this we can infer
Heaven would crack if it were always clear
Earth would crumble if it were always still
spirits would dissipate if they were always active
valleys would dry up if they were always full
would fall if they were always high and noble
for the noble is based on the humble
and the high is founded on the low
thus do kings refer to themselves
as orphaned widowed and destitute
but this isn’t the basis of humility
counting a carriage as no carriage at all
not wanting to clink like jade
they clunk like rock
WANG PI says, “One is the beginning of numbers and the end of things. All things become complete when they become one. But once they become com-plete, they leave oneness behind and focus on being complete. And by focusing on being complete, they lose their mother. Hence, they crack, they crumble, they dissipate, they dry up, and they fall. As long as they have their mother, they can preserve their form. But their mother has no form.”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “It’s because Heaven becomes one that it graces the sky with constellations and light. It’s because Earth becomes one that it remains still and immovable. It’s because spirits become one that they change shape with-out becoming visible. It’s because valleys become one that they never stop filling up. It’s because kings become one that they pacify the world. But Heaven must move between yin and yang, between night and day. It can’t only be clear and bright. Earth must include high and low, hard and soft, and the fivefold stages of breath. It can’t only be still. Spirits must have periods of quiescence. They can’t only be active. Valleys must also be empty and dry. They can’t only be full. And kings must humble themselves and never stop seeking worthy people to assist them. They can’t only lord it over others. It they do, they fall from power and lose their thrones’
CHENG LIANG-SHU says, “In ancient times, kings used carriages as metaphors for the wealth and size of their kingdoms. To refer to one’s carriages as no carriages was an expression of self-deprecation’
SU CH’E says, “Oneness dwells in the noble, but it is not noble. Oneness dwells in the humble, but it is not humble. Oneness is not like the luster of jade (so noble it cannot be humble) or the coarseness of rock (so humble it cannot be noble)”
One is the number between zero and two. Between lines five and six, the Fuyi and Wangpi editions add the line: “all creatures became one and were alive’ And between lines eleven and twelve they add: “creatures would die if they were always alive.’ However, neither line appears in the Yen Tsun or Mawangtui texts, and I have not included them. In line seven, I have also chosen the Mawangtui wei (mean) over the standard yi (one). I have used the Mawangtui texts again for lines eight through twelve, where they have wu yi (without stop/always) in place of the usual wu-yi (without means). This usage is also supported by Ho-shang Kung. For line eighteen, I have turned to the Mawangtui texts once more, along with Cheng Liang-shu’s interpretation of it. The Fuyi and standard editions have: “counting their fame as no fame at all.”
FORTY
The Tao moves the other way
the Tao works through weakness
the things of this world come from something
something comes from nothing
LIU CH’EN-WENG says, “Once things reach their limit, they have to go back the other way.”
WEI YUAN says, “The Tao moves contrary to how most people look at things’
CH’AO CHIH-CHIEN Says, “To go back the other way means to return to the root. Those who cultivate the Tao ignore the twigs and seek the root. This- ,is the movement of the Tao: to return to where the mind is still and empty and actions soft and weak. The Tao, however, does not actually come or go. It never leaves. Hence, it cannot return. Only what has form returns. Something' refers to breath. Before things have form they have breath. Heaven and Earth and the ten thousand things are born from breath. Hence, they all come from some-thing.Nothing’ refers to the Tao. Breath comes from the Tao. Hence, it comes from nothing. This is the movement of the Tao”
WANG AN-SHIN says, “The reason the Tao works through weakness is because it is empty. We see it in Heaven blowing through the great void. We see it in Earth sinking into the deepest depths’
TE-CH’ING says, “People only know the work of working. They don’t know that the work of not working is the greatest work of all. They only know that every-thing comes from something. They don’t know that something comes from nothing. If they knew that something came from nothing, they would no longer enslave themselves to things. They would turn, instead, to the Tao and concentrate on their spirit.”
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “The ten thousand things all come from Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth have position and form. Hence, we say things come from something. The light and spirit of Heaven and Earth, the flight of insects, the movement of worms, these all come from the Tao. The Tao has no form. Hence, we say things come from nothing. This means the root comes before the flower, weakness comes before strength, humility comes before conceit’
LI JUNG says, “Something' refers to Heaven and Earth. Through the protection of Heaven and the support of Earth, all things come into being.Nothing’ refers to the Tao. The Tao is formless and empty, and yet it gives birth to Heaven and Earth. Thus, it is said, `Emptiness is the root of Heaven and Earth. Nothingness is the source of all things: Those who lose the Tao don’t realize where things come from’
SU CH’E says, “As for `the things of this world, I have heard of a mother giving birth to a child. But I have never heard of a child giving birth to its mother.”
WANG PI Says, “Everything in the world comes from being, and being comes from nonbeing. If you would reach perfect being, you have to go back to nonbeing.”
HUANG YUAN-CHI Says, “Those who cultivate the Way should act with humility and harmony. The slightest carelessness, any action at all, can destroy everything. Those who cultivate Virtue look to themselves for the truth, not to the words of others. For those who understand that what moves them is also the source of their lives, the pill of immortality is not somewhere outside’
The moon can’t keep up with the sun, but as it gets farther and farther behind, the darkness of nothing gives rise to the light of something. In line three, some editions add wan (ten thousand) to wu (things). The Mawangtui texts reverse the order of verses 40 and 41. Also, some commentators read 4o as a continuation of 39, while others combine it with 41. Went= 1 provides a slightly different version of the first two lines: “The Tao works through weakness / the Tao keeps moving the other way.” The Kuotien texts do not have the word yu (something) in line four. Scholars disagree as to whether this was intentional or simply a copyist error.
FORTY ONE
When superior people hear of the Way
they follow it with devotion
when average people hear of the Way
they wonder if it exists
when inferior people hear of the Way
they laugh out loud
if they didn’t laugh
it wouldn’t be the Way
hence these sayings arose
the brightest path seems dark
the path leading forward seems backward
the smoothest path seems rough
the highest virtue low
the whitest white pitch-black
the greatest virtue wanting
the staunchest virtue timid
the truest truth uncertain
the perfect square without corners
the perfect tool without uses
the perfect sound hushed
the perfect image without form
for the Tao is hidden and nameless
but because it’s the Tao
it knows how to start and how to finish
CONFUCIUS says, “To hear of the Tao in the morning is to die content by night-fall” (Lunyu: 4.8).
LI HSI-CHAI says, “When great people hear of the Tao, even if others laugh at them, they can’t keep them from practicing it. When average people hear of the Tao, even if they don’t disbelieve it, they can’t free themselves of doubts. When inferior people hear of the Tao, even the ancient sages can’t keep them from laughing. Everyone in the world thinks existence is real. Who wouldn’t shake their head and laugh if they were told that existence wasn’t real and that non-existence was?”
TE-CH’ING says, “The Tao is not what people expect. Hence, the ancients created these twelve sayings, which Lao-tzu quotes to make clear that the Tao has two sides.’
SU CH’E says, “These twelve sayings refer to the Tao as it appears to us. Wherever we look, we see its examples. The Tao as a whole, however, is hidden in namelessness”
LI JUNG says, “The true Tao is neither fast nor slow, clear nor obscure. It has no appearance, no sound, no form, and no name. But although it has no name, it can take any name.”
LU HUI-CH’ING says, “Name and reality are often at odds. The reality of the Tao remains hidden in no name”
LU HSI-SHENG Says, “Tools are limited to the realm of form. The Tao is beyond the realm of form’
YEN TSUN says, “The quail runs and flies all day but never far from an over-grown field. The swan flies a thousand miles but never far from a pond. The phoenix, meanwhile, soars into the empyrean vault and thinks it too confining. Where dragons dwell, small fish swim past. Where great birds and beasts live, dogs and chickens don’t go”
THE CHANKUOTSE Says, “Those who know how to start don’t always know how to finish” (31).
In line fourteen, my reading of ju (pitch-black) instead of the usual ju (disgrace) is based on the Fuyi edition. In line sixteen, I have followed Kao Heng in read-ing tou (steal) as a loan for ju (timid). In the last line, I have gone along with Mawangtui B in reading shih (start) instead of the standard, and yet puzzling, tai (bestow). This verse is present in the Kuotien texts, but in those lines where it is readable, it doesn’t introduce any significant variations.
FORTY TWO
The Tao gives birth to one
one gives birth to two
two gives birth to three
three gives birth to ten thousand things
ten thousand things with yin at their backs
yang in their embrace
and breath between for harmony
what the world hates
to be orphaned widowed or destitute
kings use for their titles
thus some gain by losing
others lose by gaining
what others teach
I teach too
never choose their death
this becomes my teacher
HO-SHANG KUNG Says, “The Tao gives birth to the beginning. One gives birth to yin and yang. Yin and yang give birth to the breath between them, the mixture of clear and turbid. These three breaths divide themselves into Heaven, Earth, and Humankind and together give birth to the ten thousand things. These elemental breaths are what keep the ten thousand things relaxed and balanced. The organs in our chest, the marrow in our bones, the hollow spaces inside plants all allow these breaths passage and make long life possible’
LI HSI-CHAI says, “The yang we embrace is one. The yin we turn away from is two. Where yin and yang meet and merge is three.”
LU HUI-CH’ING Says, “Dark and unfathomable is yin. Bright and perceptible is yang. As soon as we are born, we all turn our back on the dark and unfathomable yin and turn toward the bright and perceptible yang. Fortunately, we keep ourselves in harmony with the breath between them’
THE YUNCHI CHICHIEN Says, “When breath is pure, it becomes Heaven. When it becomes turgid, it becomes Earth. And the mixture of the breath between them becomes Humankind’
TE-CH’ING says, “To call oneself orphaned;widowed; or `destitute’ is to use a title of self-effacement. Rulers who are not self-effacing are not looked up to by the world. Thus, by losing, they gain. Rulers who are only aware of themselves might possess the world, but the world rebels against them. Thus, by gaining, they lose. We all share this Tao, but we don t know it except through instruction. What others teach, Lao-tzu also teaches. But Lao-tzu surpasses others in teach-ing us to reduce our desires and to be humble, to practice the virtue of harmony, and to let this be our teacher.”
CHIAO HUNG says, “Those who love victory make enemies. The ancients taught this, and so does Lao-tzu. But Lao-tzu goes further and calls this his own `teacher.”‘
KAO HENG says, “According to the Shuoyuan (10.25), Tyrants never choose their death' was an ancient saying, which Confucius attributed to the Chinjenming. This is what Lao-tzu refers to when he sayswhat others teach:”
WANG P’ANQ says, “Whatever contains the truth can be our teacher. Although tyrants kill others and are the most hated of creatures, we can learn the princi-ple of creation and destruction from them’
In line seven I have followed Mawangtui A, which has chung (between) in place of the usual ch’ung (empty). Lines nine and ten are echoed in verse 39. In line thirteen, I have incorporated ku (thus) from Mawangtui A. And in line fourteen, several Tunhuang copies add yi (justly), while Mawangtui A has yi (thought-fully). Both are apparently mistakes for the graphically similar wo (I), which appears in the Fuyi, Wangpi, and other standard editions. This verse is not present in the Kuotien texts.
FORTY THREE
The weakest thing in the world
overcomes the strongest thing in the world
what doesn t exist finds room where there’s none
thus we know help comes with no effort
wordless instruction
effortless help
few in the world can match this
LAO -TZU says, “Nothing in the world is weaker than water/ but against the hard and the strong / nothing outdoes it” (Taoteching: 78).
WANG TAO says, “Eight feet of water can float a thousand-ton ship. Six feet of leather can control a thousand-mile horse. Thus does the weak excel the strong. Sunlight has no substance, yet it can fill a dark room. Thus, what doesn’t exist enters what has no cracks.”
Concerning the first two lines, HUAI-NAN-Tzu says, “The light of the sun shines across the Four Seas but cannot penetrate a closed door or a covered window. While the light of the spirit reaches everywhere and nourishes everything” Concerning the second couplet, he says, “Illumination once asked Nonexistence if it actually existed or not. Nonexistence made no response. Unable to perceive any sign of its existence, Illumination sighed and said, `I, too, do not exist, but I can-not equal the nonexistence of Nonexistence” (Huainantzu: Iz).
LI HSI-CHAI says, “Things are not actually things. What we call `strong’ is a fiction. Once it reaches its limit, it returns to nothing. Thus, the weakest thing in the world is able to overcome the strongest thing in the world. Or do you think the reality of nonexistence cannot break through the fiction of existence?”
WANG PI says, “There is nothing breath cannot enter and nothing water cannot penetrate. What does not exist cannot be exhausted. And what is perfectly weak cannot be broken. From this we can infer the benefit of no effort.”
SU CH’E says, “If we control the strong with the strong, one will break, or the other will shatter. But if we control the strong with the weak, the weak will not be exhausted, and the strong will not be damaged. Water is like this. If we use existence to enter existence, neither is able to withstand the other. But if we use nonexistence to enter existence, the former will not strain itself, while the latter will remain unaware. Spirits are like this’
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “What doesn’t exist’ refers to the Tao. The Tao has no form or substance. Hence, it can come and go, even where there is not any space. It can fill the spirit and help all creatures. We don’t see it do anything, and yet the ten thousand things are transformed and completed. Thus, we realize the benefit to Humankind of no effort. Imitating the Tao, we don’t speak. We follow it with our bodies. Imitating the Tao, we don’t act. We care for ourselves, and our spirits prosper. We care for our country, and the people flourish. And we do these things without effort or trouble. But few can match the Tao in caring for things by doing nothing. Lao-tzu’s finalin the world’ refers to rulers’
YEN TSUN says, “Action is the beginning of chaos. Stillness is the origin of order. Speech is the door of misfortune. Silence is the gate of blessing”
TE-CH’ING says, “Words mean traces. Traces mean knowledge. Knowledge means presumption. Presumption means involvement. And involvement means failure”
One day CONFUCIUS said, “I would rather not speak.” Tzu-kung asked, “If you do not speak, what will we have to record?” Confucius replied, “Does Heaven speak? The seasons travel their course, and creatures all flourish. What does Heaven say?” (Lunyu: 17.19).
This verse does not appear in the Kuotien texts, and there are no significant tex-tual issues in those editions where it does appear.
FOURTY FOUR
Which is more vital
fame or health
which is more precious
health or wealth
which is more harmful
loss or gain
the deeper the love
the higher the cost
the bigger the treasure
the greater the loss
who knows contentment
thus suffers no shame
and who knows restraint
encounters no trouble
while enjoying a long life
HUANG MAO-TS’AI Says, “What the world calls fame is something external. And yet people abandon their bodies to fight for it. What the world calls wealth is unpredictable. And yet people sacrifice their bodies to possess it. How can they know what is vital or precious? Even if they succeed, it’s at the cost of their health.”
SSU-MA KUANG Says, “Which is more harmful: to gain wealth and fame and lose one’s health or to gain one’s health and lose wealth and fame?”
LU HUI-CH’ING says, “Heroes seek fame and merchants seek wealth, even to the point of giving up their lives. The first love Ane because they want to glorify themselves. But the more they love fame, the more they lose what they would really glorify. Hence, the cost is high. The second amass wealth because they want to enrich themselves. But the more wealth they amass, the more they harm what they would truly enrich. Hence, the loss is great. Meanwhile, those who cultivate Virtue know the most vital thing is within themselves. Thus, they seek no fame and suffer no disgrace. They know the most precious thing is within themselves. Thus, they seek no wealth and encounter no trouble. Hence, they live long’
LI HSI-CHAI says, “If we love something, the more we love it, the more it costs us. If we treasure something, the more we treasure it, the more it exhausts us. A
little of either results in shame. A lot results in ruin. And regret comes too late. People who are wise are not like this. They know that they have everything they need within themselves. Hence, they do not seek anything outside themselves. Thus, those who would shame them find nothing to shame. They know their
own limit, and their limit is the Tao. Hence, they don’t act unless it is according to the Tao. Thus, those who would trouble them find nothing to trouble. Hence,
they survive and, surviving, live long’
HO-SHANG KUNG Says, “Excessive sensual desire exhausts our spirit. Excessive material desire brings us misfortune. The living keep their treasures in store-rooms. The dead keep their treasures in graves. The living worry about thieves. The dead worry about grave robbers. Those who know contentment find happi-ness and wealth within themselves and don’t exhaust their spirit. If they should govern a country, they don’t trouble their people. Thus, they are able to live long.”
HUAI-NAN-TZU says, “Long ago Chih Po-ch’iao attacked and defeated Fan Chung-hsing. He also attacked the leaders of the states of Han and Wei and occupied parts of their territories. Still, he felt this wasn’t enough, so he raised another army and attacked the state of Yueh. But Han and Wei counterattacked, and Chih’s army was defeated near Chinyang, and he was killed east of Kaoliang. His skull became a drinking bowl, his kingdom was divided among the victors, and he was ridiculed by the world. This is what happens when you don’t know when to stop” (Huainantzu: 18).
I have followed the Kuotien and Mawangtui A texts in prefacing line eleven with ku (therefore).
FORTY FIVE
Perfectly complete it seems deficient
yet it never wears out
perfectly full it seems empty
yet it never runs dry
perfectly straight it seems crooked
perfectly clever it seems clumsy
perfectly abundant it seems impoverished
active it overcomes cold
still it overcomes heat
those who know how to be perfectly still
are able to govern the world
WU CH’ENG says, “To treat the complete as complete, the full as full, the straight as straight, and the clever as clever is mundane. To treat what seems deficient as complete, what seems empty as full, what seems crooked as straight, and what seems clumsy as clever, this is transcendent. This is the meaning of Lao-tzu’s entire book: opposites complement each other.”
LU NUNG-SHIN says, “What is most complete cannot be seen in its entirety, hence it seems deficient. What is fullest cannot be seen it its totality, hence it seems empty. What is straightest cannot be seen in its perfection, hence it seems crooked. What is cleverest cannot be seen in its brilliance, hence it seems clumsy.”
SU CH’E says, “The world considers what is not deficient as complete, hence complete includes worn out. It considers what is not empty as full, hence full includes exhausted. The wise, however, do At mind if what is most complete is deficient or what is fullest is empty. For what is most complete never wears out, and what is fullest never runs dry.”
HAN PEI says, “Ordinary people employ their spirit in activity. But activity means extravagance, and extravagance means wastefulness. Those who are wise employ their spirit in stillness. Stillness means moderation, and modera-tion means frugality.”
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “We keep warm in winter by moving around. But sooner or later, we stop moving and become cold again. We keep cool in summer by sitting still. But sooner or later, we stop sitting still and become hot again. This is not the way of long life. This is how what is complete becomes deficient, what is full becomes empty, what is straight becomes crooked, and what is clever becomes clumsy. Those who seek balance should look for it in perfect stillness. Perfect stillness is the essence of the Tao. Those who achieve such balance are free from hot and cold.”
LI HSI-CHAI says, “Activity overcomes cold but cannot overcome heat. Still-ness overcomes heat but cannot overcome cold. Perfect stillness or effortless-ness doesn’t try to overcome anything, yet nothing in the world can overcome it. Thus is it said that perfect stillness can govern the world’
CONFUCIUS says, “Those who govern with virtue are like the North Star, which remains in its place, while the myriad stars revolve around it” (Lunyu: 2.I).
In the Wangpi and Fuyi editions, line seven reads: “what is most eloquent seems dumb.” I have replaced this with the version introduced by Mawangtui B, with which the commentary of Yen Tsun agrees, and with which the Kuotien texts also seem to 4gree (reading cheng [success] as graphic shorthand for sheng [abundant] ). Some commentators have wondered if lines eight and nine are not corrupt. Some, for example, have suggested “cold it overcomes heat / still it over-comes activity” would be more in keeping with Lao-tzu’s usage of these terms in verse 26. However, there is no support for such a variant among early texts, and I have accepted both lines as they stand. In line ten, I have gone along with the Fuyi text’s addition of chih (know how). And in the last line, I have followed Mawangtui A in adding kb (able). Also in the last line, the Kuotien edition has ting (pacify) in place of cheng (govern), but no other text has this variant.
FORTY SIX
When the Tao is present in the world
courier horses manure fields instead of roads
when the Tao is absent from the world
war horses are raised on the border
no crime is worse than yielding to desire
no wrong is greater than discontent
no curse is crueler than getting what you want
the contentment of being content
is true contentment indeed
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “`When the Tao is present’ means when the world’s rulers possess the Tao. In ordering their countries, they don’t use weapons, and they send courier horses back to do farm work. And in ordering themselves, they redirect their yang essence to fertilize their bodies’
YEN TSUN says, “The lives of the people depend on their ruler. And the position of the ruler depends on the people. When a ruler possesses the Tao, the people prosper. When a ruler loses the Tao, the people suffer.”
WANG PI says, “When the Tao is present, contentment reigns. People don’t seek external things but cultivate themselves instead. Courier horses are sent home to manure fields. When people don’t control their desires, when they don’t cultivate themselves but seek external things instead, cavalry horses are bred on the borders’
WU CH’ENG says, “In ancient times, every district of sixty-four neighborhoods was required to provide a horse for the army.”
CHIAO HUNG says, “A `border’ refers to the land between two states. When war horses are raised on the border, it means soldiers have not been home for a long time.”
THE YENTIEHLUN says, “It is said that long ago, before the wars with the North-ern Hu and the Southern Yueh, taxes were low, and the people were well off. Their clothes were warm, and their larders were stocked. Cattle and horses grazed in herds. Farmers used horses to pull plows and carts. Nobody rode them. During this period, even the swiftest horses were used to manure fields. Later, when armies arose, there were never enough horses for the cavalry, and mares were used as well. Thus, colts were born on the battlefield” (15).
LI HSI-CHAI says, “When the ruler possesses the Tao, soldiers become farm-ers. When the ruler does not possess the Tao, farmers become soldiers. Some-one who understands the Tao turns form into emptiness. Someone who does not understand the Tao turns emptiness into form. To yield to desire means to want. Not to know contentment means to grasp. To get what you want means to possess. Want gives birth to grasping, and grasping gives birth to possess-ing, and there is no end to possessing. But once we know that we do not need to grasp anything outside ourselves, we know contentment. And once we know contentment, there is nothing with which we are not content’
LU HSI-SHENG says, “When the mind sees something desirable and wants it, even though it does not accord with reason —there is no worse crime. When want knows ho limit, and it brings harm to others, there is no greater wrong. When every desire has to be satisfied, and the mind never stops burning, there is no crueler curse. We all have enough. When we are content with enough, we are content wherever we are’
LU TUNG-PIN says, “To know contentment means the Tao prevails. Not to know contentment means the Tao fails. What we know comes from our minds, which Lao-tzu represents as a horse. When we know contentment, our horse stays home. When we don’t know contentment, it guards the border. When the Tao prevails, we put the whip away.”
HSUAN-TSUNG Says, “Material contentment is not contentment. Spiritual contentment is true contentment.”
The Kuotien texts omit the first four lines and reverse the order of lines five and six, while the Wangpi edition omits line five.
WU CH’ENG says, “In ancient times, every district of sixty-four neighborhoods was required to provide a horse for the army.”
CHIAO HUNG says, “A `border’ refers to the land between two states. When war horses are raised on the border, it means soldiers have not been home for a long time.”
FORTY SEVEN
Without going out your door
you can know the whole world
without looking out your window
you can know the Way of Heaven
the farther people go
the less they know
sages therefore know without traveling
name without seeing
and succeed without trying
CHUANG-TZU says, “Who takes Heaven as their ancestor, Virtue as their home, the Tao as their door, and who escapes change is a sage” (Chuangtzu: 33.1)
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “Those who are sages understand other individuals by understanding themselves. They understand other families by understand-ing their own family. Thus, they understand the whole world. Humankind and Heaven are linked to each other. If the ruler is content, the breath of Heaven will be calm. If the ruler is greedy, Heaven’s breath will be unstable. Sages do not have to ascend into the sky or descend into the depths to understand Heaven or Earth.”
WANG PI says, “Events have a beginning. Creatures have a leader. Roads diverge, but they lead back together. Thoughts multiply, but they all share one thing. The Way has one constant. Reason has one principle. Holding on to the ancient Way, we are able to master the present. Although we live today, we can understand the distant past. We can understand without going outside. If we don’t under-stand, going farther only leads us farther astray.”
SU CH’E says, “The reason the sages of the past understood everything without going anywhere was simply because they kept their natures whole. People let themselves be misled by things and allow their natures to be split into ears and eyes, body and mind. Their vision becomes limited to sights, and their hearing becomes limited to sounds’
WANG P’ANG says, “If we wait to see before we become aware and wait to become aware before we know, we can see ten thousand different views and still be blind to the reason that binds them all together.”
LI HSI-CHAI says, “Those who look for Heaven and Earth outside look for forms. But Heaven and Earth cannot be fathomed through form, only through reason. Once we realize that reason is right here, it doesn’t matter if we close our door. For those who are wise, knowledge is not limited to form. Hence, they don’t have to go anywhere. Name is not limited to matter. Hence, they dont have to look anywhere. Success is not limited to action. Hence, they dont have to do anything’
LAO-TZU says, “The name that becomes a name / is not the Immortal Name” (Taoteching. 1).
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING says, “Without traveling' means to know without depending on previous or external experience.Without seeing’ means to know that everything is empty and that there is nothing to see. `Without trying’ means to focus the spirit on the tranquility that excels at making things happen’
WU CH’ENG says, “`To succeed without trying’ is the result of the previous two lines. Because those sages know everything without going anywhere and see everything without looking at anything, they succeed at everything without any effort at all:’
Some commentators wonder if line eight is not corrupt, if ming (name) is not a mistake for ming (understand), and if the line should not then read: “understand without seeing.” However, the only early edition that supports such an emendation is that of Han Fei. In a similar sequence, the Chungyung: 26.6 has: “flourish without displaying / change without moving / and succeed without trying.”
FORTY EIGHT
Those who seek learning gain every day
those who seek the Way lose every day
they lose and they lose
until they find nothing to do
nothing to do means nothing not done
those who rule the world arent busy
those who are busy
can’t rule the world
HO-SHANG KUNG says, “`Learning’ refers to knowledge of administration and rhetoric, ritual and music’
CONFUSCIUS asked Tzu-kung, “Do you think I learn in order to increase my knowledge?” Tzu-kung answered, “Well, don’t you?” Confucius replied, “No. I seek the one thing that ties everything together” (Lunyu: 15.2).
SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “Those who seek the Tao don’t use their ears or eyes. They look within, not without. They obey their natures, not their desires. They don’t value knowledge. They consider gaining as losing and losing as gaining’
YEN TSUN says, “Get rid of knowledge. The knowledge of no knowledge is the ancestor of all knowledge and the teacher of Heaven and Earth’
WANG PI says, “Those who seek learning seek to improve their ability or to increase their mastery, while those who seek the Tao seek to return to emptiness and nothingness. When something is done, something is left out. When nothing is done, nothing is not done’
HUAI-NAN-TZU Says, “Those who are wise cultivate the inner root and do not make a display of the outer twigs. They protect their spirit and eliminate cleverness. They do nothing, which means. they don’t act until others act. And yet there is nothing that isn’t done, which means they rely on the actions of others” (Huainantzu: 1).
TE-CH’ING Says, “Those who seek the Tao begin by using wisdom to eliminate desires. Thus, they lose. Once their desires are gone, they eliminate wisdom. Thus, they lose again. And they go on like this until the mind and the world are both forgotten, until selfish desires are completely eliminated, until they reach the state of doing nothing. And while they do nothing, the people transform themselves. Thus, by doing nothing, the sage can do great things. Hence, those who would rule the world should know the value of not being busy.”
KUMARAJIVA Says, “Those who lose eliminate everything coarse until they for-get about the bad. Then they eliminate everything fine until they forget about the good. The bad is what they dislike. The good is what they like. First, they eliminate dislikes. Then, they eliminate likes. Once they forget their likes and dislikes and cut themselves off from desire, their virtue becomes one with the Tao, and they reach the state of doing nothing. And while they do nothing, they let others do what they want. Hence, there is nothing that isn’t done.”
SU CH’E says, “Everyone wants to rule the world. But when people see others doing something to possess it, they cringe. And when the people see the sage doing nothing, they rejoice. Those who are wise do not seek to rule the world. The world comes to them’
TS’AO TAO-CH’UNG says, “When someone uses laws to restrict the world, might to compel it, knowledge to silence it, and majesty to impress it, there are always those who don’t follow. When someone rules by means of the Tao, the world fol-lows without thinking. `The world’ refers to the ten thousand things’
WEN-TZU says, “In ancient times, those who were good rulers imitated the sea. The sea becomes great by doing nothing. Doing nothing, it governs hundreds of rivers and streams. Thus, it rules by not being busy” (Wentzu: 8).
Although the Kuotien texts omit the last three lines, they are present in all other editions and are present or implied (by the spaces) in both Mawangtui texts.
FORTY NINE
Sages klave no mind of their own
their mind is the mind of the people
to the good they are good
to the bad they are good
until they become good
to the true they are true
to the false they are true
until they become true
in the world sages are withdrawn
with the world they merge their mind
people open their ears and eyes
sages cover theirs up
CH’E says, “Emptiness has no form. It takes on the form of the ten thousand things. If emptiness had its own form it could not form anything else. Thus, sages have no mind of their own. They take on the minds of the people and treat everyone the same’
HUI-TSUNG says, “Because it is empty, the mind of a sage can receive. Because it is still, it can respond’
YEN TSUN says, “A mindless mind is the chief of all minds. Sages, therefore, have no mind of their own but embrace the minds of the people. Free of love and hate, they are not the enemy of evil or the friend of the good. They are not the protector of truth or the adversary of falsehood. They support like the earth and cover like the sky. They illuminate like the sun and transform like the spirit”
WANG PANG says, “Good and bad are the result of delusions, and delusions are the result of self-centered minds. Those who open themselves up to the Great Way, although their eyes see good and bad, their minds do not distinguish any differences. They don’t treat the bad with goodness out of pity but because they don’t perceive any difference. Although the ten thousand things are different, their differences are equally real and equally false. To see the real in the false and the false in the real is how the wisdom of sages differs from that of others.”
CONFUCIUS says, “In their dealings with the world, great people are neither for nor against anyone. They follow whatever is right” (Lunyu: 4.10).
WANG PI says, “The mind of sages has no point of view, and their thoughts have no direction.”
JEN FA-JUNG says, “Wherever sages go in the world, they act humble and with-drawn and blend in with others. They treat everyone, noble or commoner, rich or poor, with the same kindness and equality. Their mind merges with that of others. Ordinary people concentrate on what they hear and see and concern themselves with their own welfare. The sage’s mind is like that of a newborn baby, pure and impartial.”
HSUANzTSUNG says, “Sages cover up the tracks of their mind by blending in with others’
CH’ENG HSUAN-YING says, “Stop the eyes and the ears, and the other senses will follow:’
The Chinese word for mind, hsin, also means “thoughts;’ “goals;’ “intentions;’ or “will” Thus, Lao-tzu is not being philosophical here in saying “sages have no mind of their own; merely practical. In lines five and eight, some editions have to (virtue) in place of to (until). Although the two characters were interchange-able,1 have sided with the Fuyi and Yentsun editions in choosing “until.” For lines eleven and twelve, most commentators read: “the people focus their ears and eyes on the sages / and the sages treat them like babies.’ But in verses 10, 20, 28, and 55, Lao-tzu likens the sage, not the people, to a child. I suspect the text is corrupt here. Unfortunately, both Mawangtui texts are indecipherable, and the Kuotien texts do not include this verse. Meanwhile the Fuyi variation of kb (cough), the Tunhuang variation of hai (suffer), and the Yentsun variation of hai (startle) are clearly loans. But loans for what? Most commentators argue for hai (infant). I’ve gone along with Kao Heng, who suggests ai (obstruct).
FIFTY
Appearing means life
disappearing means death
thirteen are the followers of life
thirteen are the followers of death
but people living to live
move toward the land of death’s thirteen
and why is this so
because they live to live
it’s said that those who guard life well
aren’t injured by soldiers in battle
or harmed by rhinos or tigers in the wild
for rhinos find nowhere to stick their horns
tigers find nowhere to sink their claws
and soldiers find nowhere to thrust their spears
and why is this so
because for them there’s no land of death
CH’ENG CHU says, “Of the ten thousand changes we all experience, none are more important than life and death. People who cultivate the Tao are concerned with nothing except transcending these boundaries.”
In lines three, four and six, the phrase shih-yu-san has long puzzled commentators. HAN PEI says it means “three and ten, or thirteen, and refers to the four limbs and nine orifices of the body, which can be guarded to preserve life or indulged to end it.
TU ER-WEI says the numerical significance of thirteen here refers to the moon, which becomes full thirteen days after it first appears and which disappears thirteen days after it begins to wane.
WANG PI says it means “three in ten’ and refers to the three basic attitudes people have toward life. Wang An-shih summarizes these as: “Among ten people, three seek life because they hate death, three seek death because they hate life, and three live as if they were dead.’ Leaving the sage, who neither hates death nor loves life, but who thus lives long.
The Mawangtui texts, which I have followed here, word lines five and six in such a way as to make Wang Pi’s interpretation unlikely, if not impossible. As for choosing between Han Fei and Tu Er-wei, I think Professor Tu’s interpretation comes closer to what Lao-tzu had in mind.
WANG PI also says, “Eels consider the depths too shallow, and eagles consider the mountains too low. Living beyond the reach of arrows and nets, they both dwell in the land of no death. But by means of baits, they are lured into the land of no life”
SU CH’E says, “We know how to act but not how to rest. We know how to talk but not how to keep quiet. We know how to remember but not how to forget. Everything we do leads to the land of death. The sage dwells where there is neither life nor death”
TE-CH’ING says “Those who guard their life don’t cultivate life but what controls life. What has life is form. What controls life is nature. When we cultivate our nature, we return to what is real and forget bodily form. Once we forget form, our self becomes empty. Once our self is empty, nothing can harm us. Once there is no self, there is no life. How then could there be any death?”
CHIAO HUNG says, “Those who are wise have no life. Not because they slight it, but because they don’t possess it. If someone has no life, how can they be killed? Those who understand this can transcend change and make of life and death a game’
I have followed the Mawangtui wording of lines five, six, and eight. Some editions add the last two lines to verse 75. This verse is not present in the Kuotien texts.