the Three Principle Texts of Daoism

8/11/2019 the Three Principle Texts of Daoism

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LAOZI

Contents

ao In Its Transcendental Aspect, And In ItsPhysical ManifestationT

Tao As A Moral Principle, Or Virtue"

The Doctrine Of Inaction

Loliness And !uility

#o$ernent

%ar

Parado&es

Miscellaneous 'ayin(s And Precepts

Lao T)u On !iself


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o In Its

Tr nscendent l

Aspect, And In

Its Physic l

M nifest tion

T

HE Tao which can be expressed in words is notthe eternal Tao; the name which can be utteredis not its eternal name. Without a name, it is the

Beginning of Heaven and Earth; with a name, it is theMother of all things. nl! one who is eternall! freefrom earthl! passions can apprehend its spiritual essence;he who is ever clogged b! passions can see no more thanits outer form. These two things, the spiritual and thematerial, though we call them b! different names, intheir origin are one and the same. This sameness is am!ster!,""the m!ster! of m!steries. #t is the gate of allspiritualit!.

T

How unfathomable is Tao$ #t seems to be the ancestral

progenitor of all things. How pure and clear is Tao$ #twould seem to be everlasting. # %now not of whom it isthe offspring. #t appears to have been anterior to an!&overeign 'ower.()*


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Tao eludes the sense of sight, and is therefore calledcolourless. #t eludes the sense of hearing, and is thereforecalled soundless. #t eludes the sense of touch, and istherefore called incorporeal. These three +ualitiescannot be apprehended, and hence the! ma! be blendedinto unit!.

#ts upper part is not bright, and its lower part is notobscure. easeless in action, it cannot be named, butreturns again to nothingness. We ma! call it the form ofthe formless, the image of the imageless, the fleetingand the indeterminable. Would !ou go before it, !oucannot see its face; would !ou go behind it, !ou cannotsee its bac%.

The mightiest manifestations of active force flow solel!from Tao.

Tao in itself is vague, impalpable,""how impalpable, howvague$ -et within it there is orm. How vague, howimpalpable$ -et within it there is &ubstance. How

profound, how obscure$ -et within it there is a /ital'rinciple. This principle is the 0uintessence of 1ealit!,and out of it comes Truth.

rom of old until now, its name has never passed awa!. #twatches over the beginning of all things. How do # %now

this about the beginning of things2 Through Tao.There is something, chaotic !et complete, which existedbefore Heaven and Earth. h, how still it is, and


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formless, standing alone without changing, reachingever!where without suffering harm$ #t must be regardedas the Mother of the 3niverse. #ts name # %now not. Todesignate it, # call it Tao. Endeavouring to describe it, #call it 4reat. Being great, it passes on; passing on, itbecomes remote; having become remote, it returns.

Therefore Tao is great; Heaven is great; Earth is great;and the &overeign also is great. #n the 3niverse there arefour powers, of which the &overeign is one. Man ta%eshis law from the Earth; the Earth ta%es its law fromHeaven; Heaven ta%es its law from Tao; but the law ofTao is its own spontaneit!.

Tao in its unchanging aspect has no name. &mall thoughit be in its primordial simplicit!, man%ind dare not claimits service. ould princes and %ings hold and %eep it, allcreation would spontaneousl! pa! homage. Heaven andEarth would unite in sending down sweet dew, and thepeople would be righteous unbidden and of their ownaccord.

5s soon as Tao creates order, it becomes nameable.When it once has a name, men will %now how to rest init. 6nowing how to rest in it, the! will run no ris% ofharm.

Tao as it exists in the world is li%e the great rivers and

seas which receive the streams from the valle!s.5ll"pervading is the 4reat Tao. #t can be at once on theright hand and on the left. 5ll things depend on it for


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life, and it re7ects them not. #ts tas% accomplished, itta%es no credit. #t loves and nourishes all things, butdoes not act as master. #t is ever free from desire. We ma!call it small. 5ll things return to it, !et it does not act asmaster. We ma! call it great.

The whole world will floc% to him who holds the might!form of Tao. The! will come and receive no hurt, butfind rest, peace, and tran+uillit!.

With music and dainties we ma! detain the passing guest.But if we open our mouths to spea% of Tao, he finds ittasteless and insipid.

8ot visible to the sight, not audible to the ear, in its useit is inexhaustible.

1etrogression is the movement of Tao. Wea%ness is thecharacter of Tao.

5ll things under Heaven derive their being from Tao inthe form of Existence; Tao in the form of Existence

sprang from Tao in the form of 8on"Existence.Tao is a great s+uare with no angles, a great vessel whichta%es long to complete, a great sound which cannot beheard, a great image with no form.

Tao lies hid and cannot be named, !et it has the power oftransmuting and perfecting all things.

Tao produced 3nit!; 3nit! produced 9ualit!; 9ualit!


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produced Trinit!; and Trinit! produced all existingob7ects. These m!riad ob7ects leave dar%ness behindthem and embrace the light, being harmonised b! thebreath of /acanc!.

Tao produces all things; its /irtue nourishes them; its8ature gives them form; its orce perfects them.

Hence there is not a single thing but pa!s homage to Taoand extols its /irtue. This homage paid to Tao, thisextolling of its /irtue, is due to no command, but isalwa!s spontaneous.

Thus it is that Tao, engendering all things, nourishesthem, develops them, and fosters them; perfects them,ripens them, tends them, and protects them.

'roduction without possession, action without self"assertion, development without domination this is itsm!sterious operation.

The World has a irst ause, which ma! be regarded as

the Mother of the World. When one has the Mother, onecan %now the hild. He who %nows the hild and still%eeps the Mother, though his bod! perish, shall run noris% of harm.

#t is the Wa! of Heaven not to strive, and !et it %nows

how to overcome; not to spea%, and !et it %nows how toobtain a response; it calls not, and things come ofthemselves; it is slow to move, but excellent in its designs.


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Heaven:s net is vast; though its meshes are wide, it letsnothing slip through.

The Wa! of Heaven is li%e the drawing of a bow itbrings down what is high and raises what is low. #t is theWa! of Heaven to ta%e from those who have too much,and give to those who have too little. But the wa! of manis not so. He ta%es awa! from those who have too little,to add to his own superabundance. What man is therethat can ta%e of his own superabundance and give it toman%ind2 nl! he who possesses Tao.

The Tao of Heaven has no favourites. #t gives to all goodmen without distinction.

Things wax strong and then deca!. This is the contrar!of Tao. What is contrar! to Tao soon perishes.

notes()*This sentence is admittedl! obscure, and it ma! be an interpolation. Emperor,? as some have done, necessaril! involves usin an absurd anti"climax.


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o As A Mor l

Principle, Or

"Virtue"

HE highest goodness is li%e water, for water isexcellent in benefiting all things, and it does notstrive. #t occupies the lowest place, which men

abhor. 5nd therefore it is near a%in to Tao.TWhen !our wor% is done and fame has been achieved,

then retire into the bac%ground; for this is the Wa! ofHeaven.

Those who follow the Wa! desire not excess; and thuswithout excess the! are for ever exempt from change.

5ll things ali%e do their wor%, and then we see themsubside. When the! have reached their bloom, eachreturns to its origin. 1eturning to their origin means restor fulfilment of destin!. This reversion is an eternal law.To %now that law is to be enlightened. 8ot to %now it, ismiser! and calamit!. He who %nows the eternal law is

liberal"minded. Being liberal"minded, he is 7ust. Being7ust, he is %ingl!. Being %ingl!, he is a%in to Heaven.Being a%in to Heaven, he possesses Tao. 'ossessed of


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Tao, he endures for ever. Though his bod! perish, !et hesuffers no harm.

He who acts in accordance with Tao, becomes one withTao. He who treads the path of /irtue becomes one with/irtue. He who pursues a course of /ice becomes onewith /ice. The man who is one with Tao, Tao is also gladto receive. The man who is one with /irtue, /irtue is alsoglad to receive. The man who is one with /ice, /ice isalso glad to receive.

He who is self"approving does not shine. He who boastshas no merit. He who exalts himself does not rise high.@udged according to Tao, he is li%e remnants of food or atumour on the bod!""an ob7ect of universal disgust.Therefore one who has Tao will not consort with such.

'erfect /irtue ac+uires nothing; therefore it obtainsever!thing. 'erfect /irtue does nothing, !et there isnothing which it does not effect. 'erfect harit!operates without the need of an!thing to evo%e it.'erfect 9ut! to one:s neighbour operates, but alwa!s

needs to be evo%ed. 'erfect eremon! operates, andcalls for no outward response; nevertheless it inducesrespect.()*

eremonies are the outward expression of inwardfeelings.

#f Tao perishes, then /irtue will perish; if /irtueperishes, then harit! will perish; if harit! perishes,then 9ut! to one:s neighbour will perish; if 9ut! to


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one:s neighbour perishes, then eremonies will perish.

eremonies are but the veneer of lo!alt! and good faith,while oft"times the source of disorder. 6nowledge ofexternals is but a show! ornament of Tao, while oft"times the beginning of imbecilit!.

Therefore the trul! great man ta%es his stand upon whatis solid, and not upon what is superficial; upon what isreal, and not upon what is ornamental. He re7ects thelatter in favour of the former.

When the superior scholar hears of Tao, he diligentl!practises it. When the average scholar hears of Tao, hesometimes retains it, sometimes loses it. When theinferior scholar hears of Tao, he loudl! laughs at it. Wereit not thus ridiculed, it would not be worth! of the nameof Tao.

He who is enlightened b! Tao seems wrapped indar%ness. He who is advanced in Tao seems to be goingbac%. He who wal%s smoothl! in Tao seems to be on a

rugged path.The man of highest virtue appears lowl!. He who is trul!pure behaves as though he were sullied. He who hasvirtue in abundance behaves as though it were notenough. He who is firm in virtue seems li%e a s%ul%ing

pretender. He who is simple and true appears unstable aswater.

#f Tao prevails on earth, horses will be used for purposes


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of agriculture. #f Tao does not prevail, war"horses willbe bred on the common.

#f we had sufficient %nowledge to wal% in the 4reat Wa!,what we should most fear would be boastful displa!.

The 4reat Wa! is ver! smooth, but the people love theb!"paths.

Where the palaces are ver! splendid, there the fields willbe ver! waste, and the granaries ver! empt!.

The wearing of ga! embroidered robes, the carr!ing ofsharp swords, fastidiousness in food and drin%,superabundance of propert! and wealth""this # callflaunting robber!; most assuredl! it is not Tao.

He who trusts to his abundance of natural virtue is li%ean infant newl! born, whom venomous reptiles will notsting, wild beasts will not sei=e, birds of pre! will notstri%e. The infant:s bones are wea%, its sinews are soft,!et its grasp is firm. 5ll da! long it will cr! without its

voice becoming hoarse. This is because the harmon! ofits bodil! s!stem is perfect.

Temper !our sharpness, disentangle !our ideas, moderate!our brillianc!, live in harmon! with !our age. This isbeing in conformit! with the principle of Tao. &uch a

man is impervious ali%e to favour and disgrace, tobenefits and in7uries, to honour and contempt. 5ndtherefore he is esteemed above all man%ind.


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#n governing men and in serving Heaven, there isnothing li%e moderation. or onl! b! moderation canthere be an earl! return to man:s normal state. This earl!return is the same as a great storage of /irtue. With agreat storage of /irtue there is naught which ma! not beachieved. #f there is naught which ma! not be achieved,then no one will %now to what extent this power reaches.5nd if no one %nows to what extent a man:s powerreaches, that man is fit to be the ruler of a &tate. Havingthe secret of rule, his rule shall endure. &etting the tap"root deep, and ma%ing the spreading roots firm this isthe wa! to ensure long life to the tree.

Tao is the sanctuar! where all things find refuge, thegood man:s priceless treasure, the guardian and saviourof him who is not good.

Hence at the enthronement of an Emperor and theappointment of his three ducal ministers, though therebe some who bear presents of costl! 7ade and drivechariots with teams of four horses, that is not so good assitting still and offering the gift of this Tao.

Wh! was it that the men of old esteemed this Tao sohighl!2 #s it not because it ma! be dail! sought andfound, and can remit the sins of the guilt!2 Hence it isthe most precious thing under Heaven.

5ll the world sa!s that m! Tao is great, but unli%e otherteaching. #t is 7ust because it is great that it appearsunli%e other teaching. #f it had this li%eness, long agowould its smallness have been %nown.


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The s%ilful philosophers of the olden time were subtle,spiritual, profound, and penetrating. The! were so deepas to be incomprehensible. Because the! are hard tocomprehend, # will endeavour to describe them.

&hrin%ing were the!, li%e one fording a stream in winter.autious were the!, li%e one who fears an attac% froman! +uarter. ircumspect were the!, li%e a strangerguest; self"effacing, li%e ice about to melt; simple, li%eunpolished wood; vacant, li%e a valle!; opa+ue, li%emudd! water.

When terms are made after a great +uarrel, a certain ill"feeling is bound to be left behind. How can this be madegood2 Therefore, having entered into an agreement, the&age adheres to his obligations,(A* but does not exactfulfilment from others. The man who has /irtue attendsto the spirit of the compact; the man without /irtueattends onl! to his claims.

He who tries to govern a %ingdom b! his sagacit! is of

that %ingdom the despoiler; but he who does not governb! sagacit! is the %ingdom:s blessing. He whounderstands these two sa!ings ma! be regarded as apattern and a model. To %eep this principle constantl!before one:s e!es is called 'rofound /irtue. 'rofound/irtue is unfathomable, far"reaching, paradoxical at

first, but afterwards exhibiting thorough conformit!with 8ature.


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notes()*Han ei T= explains the passage b! pointing out that >/irtue is the achievement of Tao; harit! is the glor! of /irtue; 9ut! is the translation into action of harit!; anderemon! is the ornamental part of 9ut!.?(A*he holds the left"hand portion of the agreement.? #n olden times, theterms of a contract were inscribed on a wooden tablet, the debit or obligations beingon the left, and the credit or dues on the right; it was then bro%en in two, and each of

the contracting parties %ept his own half until fulfilment was demanded, when thevalidit! of the claim was tested b! fitting the two halves together.

he Doctrine Of

In ction

HE &age occupies himself with inaction, andconve!s instruction without words. #s it not b!neglecting self"interest that one will be able to

achieve it2T'urge !ourself of !our profound intelligence, and !oucan still be free from blemish. herish the people andorder the %ingdom, and !ou can still do withoutmeddlesome action.

Who is there that can ma%e mudd! water clear2 But ifallowed to remain still, it will graduall! become clear ofitself. Who is there that can secure a state of absolute


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repose2 But let time go on, and the state of repose willgraduall! arise.

Be sparing of speech, and things will come right ofthemselves.

5 violent wind does not outlast the morning; a s+uall ofrain does not outlast the da!. &uch is the course of8ature. 5nd if 8ature herself cannot sustain her effortslong, how much less can man$

5ttain complete vacuit!, and sedulousl! preserve a stateof repose.

Tao is eternall! inactive, and !et it leaves nothingundone. #f %ings and princes could but hold fast to thisprinciple, all things would wor% out their ownreformation. #f, having reformed, the! still desired toact, # would have them restrained b! the simplicit! of the8ameless Tao. The simplicit! of the 8ameless Taobrings about an absence of desire. The absence of desiregives tran+uillit!. 5nd thus the Empire will rectif! itself.

The softest things in the world override the hardest.That which has no substance enters where there is nocrevice. Hence # %now the advantage of inaction.

onve!ing lessons without words, reaping profit without

action,""there are few in the world who can attain tothis$

5ctivit! con+uers cold, but stillness con+uers heat. 'urit!


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and stillness are the correct principles for man%ind.

Without going out of doors one ma! %now the wholeworld; without loo%ing out of the window, one ma! seethe Wa! of Heaven. The further one travels, the less onema! %now. Thus it is that without moving !ou shall%now; without loo%ing !ou shall see; without doing !oushall achieve.

The pursuit of boo%"learning brings about dail!increase. The practice of Tao brings about dail! loss.1epeat this loss again and again, and !ou arrive atinaction. 'ractise inaction, and there is nothing whichcannot be done.

The Empire has ever been won b! letting things ta%etheir course. He who must alwa!s be doing is unfit toobtain the Empire.

6eep the mouth shut, close the gatewa!s of sense, and aslong as !ou live !ou will have no trouble. pen !our lipsand push !our affairs, and !ou will not be safe to the end

of !our da!s.'ractise inaction, occup! !ourself with doing nothing.

9esire not to desire, and !ou will not value thingsdifficult to obtain.


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owliness And

Humility


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he shines forth; from self"assertion, therefore he isdistinguished; from self"glorification, therefore he hasmerit; from self"exaltation, therefore he rises superior toall. #nasmuch as he does not strive, there is no one in theworld who can strive with him.

He who, conscious of being strong, is content to bewea%, he shall be the paragon of man%ind. Being theparagon of man%ind, /irtue will never desert him. Hereturns to the state of a little child.

He who, conscious of his own light, is content to beobscure,""he shall be the whole world:s model. Being thewhole world:s model, his /irtue will never fail. He revertsto the 5bsolute.

He who, conscious of desert, is content to sufferdisgrace,""he shall be the c!nosure of man%ind. Beingthe c!nosure of man%ind, his /irtue then is full. Hereturns to perfect simplicit!.

He who is great must ma%e humilit! his base. He who is

high must ma%e lowliness his foundation. Thus, princesand %ings in spea%ing of themselves use the terms>lonel!,? >friendless,? >of small account.? #s not thisma%ing humilit! their base2

Thus it is that >&ome things are increased b! being

diminished, others are diminished b! being increased.?What others have taught, # also teach; veril!, # will ma%eit the root of m! teaching.


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What ma%es a %ingdom great is its being li%e a down"flowing river,"""the central point towards which all thesmaller streams under Heaven converge; or li%e thefemale throughout the world, who b! +uiescence alwa!sovercomes the male. 5nd +uiescence is a form ofhumilit!.

Therefore, if a great %ingdom humbles itself before asmall %ingdom, it shall ma%e that small %ingdom itspri=e. 5nd if a small %ingdom humbles itself before agreat %ingdom, it shall win over that great %ingdom.Thus the one humbles itself in order to attain, the otherattains because it is humble. #f the great %ingdom has nofurther desire than to bring men together and to nourishthem, the small %ingdom will have no further desire thanto enter the service of the other. But in order that bothma! have their desire, the great one must learn humilit!.

The reason wh! rivers and seas are able to be lords over ahundred mountain streams, is that the! %now how to%eep below them. That is wh! the! are able to reign overall the mountain streams.

Therefore the &age, wishing to be above the people,must b! his words put himself below them; wishing to bebefore the people, he must put himself behind them. #nthis wa!, though he has his place above them, the peopledo not feel his weight; though he has his place before

them, the! do not feel it as an in7ur!. Therefore allman%ind delight to exalt him, and wear! of him not.

The &age expects no recognition for what he does; he


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achieves merit but does not ta%e it to himself; he doesnot wish to displa! his worth.

# have three precious things, which # hold fast and pri=e.The first is gentleness; the second is frugalit!; the thirdis humilit!, which %eeps me from putting m!self beforeothers. Be gentle, and !ou can be bold; be frugal, and!ou can be liberal; avoid putting !ourself before others,and !ou can become a leader among men.

But in the present da! men cast off gentleness, and areall for being bold; the! spurn frugalit!, and retain onl!extravagance; the! discard humilit!, and aim onl! atbeing first. Therefore the! shall surel! perish.

4entleness brings victor! to him who attac%s, and safet!to him who defends. Those whom Heaven would save, itfences round with gentleness.

The best soldiers are not warli%e; the best fighters donot lose their temper. The greatest con+uerors are thosewho overcome their enemies without strife. The greatest

directors of men are those who !ield place to others.This is called the /irtue of not striving, the capacit! fordirecting man%ind; this is being the compeer of Heaven.#t was the highest goal of the ancients.


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o!ernment

T exalting worth %eeps the people fromrivalr!. 8ot pri=ing what is hard to procure%eeps the people from theft. 8ot to show them

what the! ma! covet is the wa! to %eep their minds fromdisorder.

8Therefore the &age, when he governs, empties theirminds and fills their bellies, wea%ens their inclinationsand strengthens their bones. His constant ob7ect is to

%eep the people without %nowledge and without desire,or to prevent those who have %nowledge from daring toact. He practises inaction, and nothing remainsungoverned.

He who respects the &tate as his own person is fit to

govern it. He who loves the &tate as his own bod! is fit tobe entrusted with it.

#n the highest anti+uit!, the people did not %now thatthe! had rulers. #n the next age the! loved and praisedthem. #n the next, the! feared them. #n the next, the!

despised them.

How cautious is the &age, how sparing of his words$


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When his tas% is accomplished and affairs areprosperous, the people all sa! >We have come to be aswe are, naturall! and of ourselves.?

#f an! one desires to ta%e the Empire in hand and governit, # see that he will not succeed. The Empire is a divineutensil which ma! not be roughl! handled. He whomeddles, mars. He who holds it b! force, loses it.

ishes must not be ta%en from the water the methods ofgovernment must not be exhibited to the people.

3se uprightness in ruling a &tate; emplo! stratagems inwaging war; practise non"interference in order to winthe Empire. 8ow this is how # %now what # la! down""

5s restrictions and prohibitions are multiplied in theEmpire, the people grow poorer and poorer. When thepeople are sub7ected to overmuch government, the landis thrown into confusion. When the people are s%illed inman! cunning arts, strange are the ob7ects of luxur! thatappear.

The greater the number of laws and enactments, themore thieves and robbers there will be. Therefore the&age sa!s >&o long as # do nothing, the people will wor%out their own reformation. &o long as # love calm, thepeople will right themselves. #f onl! # %eep from

meddling, the people will grow rich. #f onl! # am freefrom desire, the people will come naturall! bac% tosimplicit!.?


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#f the government is sluggish and tolerant, the peoplewill be honest and free from guile. #f the government ispr!ing and meddling, there will be constant infractionof the law. #s the government corrupt2 Then uprightnessbecomes rare, and goodness becomes strange. /eril!,man%ind have been under delusion for man! a da!$

4overn a great nation as !ou would coo% a small fish.()*

#f the Empire is governed according to Tao,disembodied spirits will not manifest supernaturalpowers. #t is not that the! lac% supernatural power, butthe! will not use it to hurt man%ind. 5gain, it is not thatthe! are unable to hurt man%ind, but the! see that the&age also does not hurt man%ind. #f then neither &agenor spirits wor% harm, their virtue converges to onebeneficent end.

#n ancient times those who %new how to practise Tao didnot use it to enlighten the people, but rather to %eepthem ignorant. The difficult! of governing the peoplearises from their having too much %nowledge.

#f the people do not fear the ma7est! of government, areign of terror will ensue.

9o not confine them within too narrow bounds; do notma%e their lives too wear!. or if !ou do not wear! them

of life, then the! will not grow wear! of !ou.#f the people do not fear death, what good is there inusing death as a deterrent2 But if the people are brought


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people return to the use of %notted cords.(A*The! shouldfind their plain food sweet, their rough garments fine.The! should be content with their homes, and happ! intheir simple wa!s. #f a neighbouring &tate was withinsight of mine""na!, if we were close enough to hear thecrowing of each other:s coc%s and the bar%ing of eachother:s dogs""the two peoples should grow old and diewithout there ever having been an! mutual intercourse.

notes()*0.d., 9on:t overdo it.(A*The old +uipo method of recording events, before the invention of writing.


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r

E who serves a ruler of men in harmon! withTao will not subdue the Empire b! force ofarms. &uch a course is wont to bring

retribution in its train.

HWhere troops have been +uartered, brambles and thornsspring up. #n the trac% of great armies there must followlean !ears.

The good man wins a victor! and then stops; he will notgo on to acts of violence. Winning, he boasteth not; hewill not triumph; he shows no arrogance. He winsbecause he cannot choose; after his victor! he will not beoverbearing.

Weapons, however beautiful, are instruments of ill omen,hateful to all creatures. Therefore he who has Tao willhave nothing to do with them.

Where the princel! man abides, the wea% left hand is in

honour. But he who uses weapons honours the strongerright. Weapons are instruments of ill omen; the! are notthe instruments of the princel! man, who uses them onl!when he needs must. 'eace and tran+uillit! are what he


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pri=es. When he con+uers, he is not elate. To be elatewere to re7oice in the slaughter of human beings. 5nd hewho re7oices in the slaughter of human beings is not fit towor% his will in the Empire.

n happ! occasions, the left is favoured; on sadoccasions, the right. The second in command has hisplace on the left, the general in chief on the right. Thatis to sa!, the! are placed in the order observed at funeralrites. 5nd, indeed, he who has exterminated a greatmultitude of men should bewail them with tears andlamentation. #t is well that those who are victorious inbattle should be placed in the order of funeral rites.

5 certain militar! commander used to sa! ># dare notact the host; # prefer to pla! the guest.()* # dare notadvance an inch; # prefer to retreat a foot.?

There is no greater calamit! than lightl! engaging inwar. host? here means the one who ta%es the initiativeand begins the attac%; >guest,? the one who acts on the defensive. The passage ma!be merel! figurative, illustrating the conduct of those who practise Tao.(A*#.e., humanit! or gentleness, mentioned above as one or >three precious things.?


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P r do#es

M84 man%ind, the recognition of beaut! assuch implies the idea of ugliness, and therecognition of good implies the idea of evil.

There is the same mutual relation between existence andnon"existence in the matter of creation; betweendifficult! and ease in the matter of accomplishing;between long and short in the matter of form; between

high and low in the matter of elevation; between trebleand bass in the matter of musical pitch; between beforeand after in the matter of priorit!.

5

8ature is not benevolent; with ruthless indifference shema%es all things serve their purposes, li%e the straw dogs

we use at sacrifices. The &age is not benevolent heutilises the people with the li%e inexorabilit!.

The space between Heaven and Earth,""is it not li%e abellows2 #t is empt!, !et inexhaustible; when it is put inmotion, more and more comes out.

Heaven and Earth are long"lasting. The reason wh!Heaven and Earth can last long is that the! live not forthemselves, and thus the! are able to endure.


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Thirt! spo%es unite in one nave; the utilit! of the cartdepends on the hollow centre in which the axle turns.la! is moulded into a vessel; the utilit! of the vesseldepends on its hollow interior. 9oors and windows arecut out in order to ma%e a house; the utilit! of the housedepends on the empt! spaces.

Thus, while the existence of things ma! be good, it is thenon"existent in them which ma%es them serviceable.

When the 4reat Tao falls into disuse, benevolence andrighteousness come into vogue. When shrewdness andsagacit! appear, great h!pocris! prevails. #t is when thebonds of %inship are out of 7oint that filial piet! andpaternal affection begin. #t is when the &tate is in aferment of revolution that lo!al patriots arise.

ast off !our holiness, rid !ourself of sagacit!, and thepeople will benefit an hundredfold. 9iscard benevolenceand abolish righteousness, and the people will return tofilial piet! and paternal love. 1enounce !our scheming

and abandon gain, and thieves and robbers willdisappear. These three precepts mean that outward showis insufficient, and therefore the! bid us be true to ourproper nature;""to show simplicit!, to embrace plaindealing, to reduce selfishness, to moderate desire.

5 variet! of colours ma%es man:s e!e blind; a diversit! ofsounds ma%es man:s ear deaf; a mixture of flavoursma%es man:s palate dull.


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He who %nows others is clever, but he who %nowshimself is enlightened. He who overcomes others isstrong, but he who overcomes himself is mightier still.He is rich who %nows when he has enough. He who actswith energ! has strength of purpose. He who moves notfrom his proper place is long"lasting. He who dies, butperishes not, en7o!s true longevit!.

#f !ou would contract, !ou must first expand. #f !ouwould wea%en, !ou must first strengthen. #f !ou wouldoverthrow, !ou must first raise up. #f !ou would ta%e,!ou must first give. This is called the dawn ofintelligence.

He who is most perfect seems to be lac%ing; !et hisresources are never outworn. He who is most full seemsvacant; !et his uses are inexhaustible.

Extreme straightness is as bad as croo%edness. Extremecleverness is as bad as foll!. Extreme fluenc! is as bad asstammering.

Those who %now do not spea%; those who .spea% do not%now.

5bandon learning, and !ou will be free from trouble anddistress.

ailure is the foundation of success, and the means b!which it is achieved. &uccess is the lur%ing"place offailure; but who can tell when the turning"point willcome2


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He who acts, destro!s; he who grasps, loses. Thereforethe &age does not act, and so does not destro!; he doesnot grasp, and so he does not lose.

nl! he who does nothing for his life:s sa%e can trul! besaid to value his life.

Man at his birth is tender and wea%; at his death he isrigid and strong. 'lants and trees when the! come forthare tender and crisp; when dead, the! are dr! and tough.Thus rigidit! and strength are the concomitants ofdeath; softness and wea%ness are the concomitants oflife.

Hence the warrior that is strong does not con+uer; thetree that is strong is cut down. Therefore the strong andthe big ta%e the lower place; the soft and the wea% ta%ethe higher place.

There is nothing in the world more soft and wea% thanwater, !et for attac%ing things that are hard and strong

there is nothing that surpasses it, nothing that can ta%eits place.

The soft overcomes the hard; the wea% overcomes thestrong. There is no one in the world but %nows thistruth, and no one who can put it into practice.

Those who are wise have no wide range of learning;those who range most widel! are not wise.


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He who prides himself upon wealth and honour hastenshis own downfall. He who stri%es with a sharp point willnot himself be safe for long.

He who embraces unit! of soul b! subordinating animalinstincts to reason will be able to escape dissolution. Hewho strives his utmost after tenderness can become evenas a little child.

#f a man is clear"headed and intelligent, can he bewithout %nowledge2

The &age attends to the inner and not to the outer; heputs awa! the ob7ective and holds to the sub7ective.

Between !es and !ea, how small the difference$ Betweengood and evil, how great the difference$

What the world reverences ma! not be treated withdisrespect.

He who has not faith in others shall find no faith inthem.

To see oneself is to be clear of sight. Might! is he whocon+uers himself.

He who raises himself on tiptoe cannot stand firm; hewho stretches his legs wide apart cannot wal%.

1acing and hunting excite man:s heart to madness.


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The struggle for rare possessions drives a man to actionsin7urious to himself.

The heav! is the foundation of the light; repose is theruler of unrest.

The wise prince in his dail! course never departs fromgravit! and repose. Though he possess a gorgeouspalace, he will dwell therein with calm indifference. Howshould the lord of a m!riad chariots conduct himself withlevit! in the Empire2


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him no place to insert its horn; the tiger has nowhere tofasten its claw; the soldier has nowhere to thrust hisblade. 5nd wh!2 Because he has no spot where death canenter.

To see small beginnings is clearness of sight. To rest inwea%ness is strength.

He who %nows how to plant, shall not have his plantuprooted; he who %nows how to hold a thing, shall nothave it ta%en awa!. &ons and grandsons will worship athis shrine, which shall endure from generation togeneration.

6nowledge in harmon! is called constant. onstant%nowledge is called wisdom.(A*#ncrease of life is calledfelicit!. The mind directing the bod! is called strength.

Be s+uare without being angular. Be honest withoutbeing mean. Be upright without being punctilious. Bebrilliant without being show!.

4ood words shall gain !ou honour in the mar%et"place,but good deeds shall gain !ou friends among men.

To the good # would be good; to the not"good # wouldalso be good, in order to ma%e them good.

With the faithful # would %eep faith; with the unfaithful# would also %eep faith, in order that the! ma! becomefaithful.


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Even if a man is bad, how can it be right to cast him off2

1e+uite in7ur! with %indness.

The difficult things of this world must once have beeneas!; the great things of this world must once have beensmall. &et about difficult things while the! are still eas!;do great things while the! are still small. The &age neveraffects to do an!thing great, and therefore he is able toachieve his great results.

He who alwa!s thin%s things eas! is sure to find themdifficult. Therefore the &age ever anticipates difficulties,and thus it is he never encounters them.

While times are +uiet, it is eas! to ta%e action; erecoming troubles have cast their shadows, it is eas! to la!plans.

That which is brittle is easil! bro%en; that which isminute is easil! dissipated. Ta%e precautions before theevil appears; regulate things before disorder has begun.

The tree which needs two arms to span its girth sprangfrom the tiniest shoot. -on tower, nine store!s high, rosefrom a little mound of earth. 5 7ourne! of a thousandmiles began with a single step.

5 great principle cannot be divided; therefore it is thatman! containers cannot contain it.(*

The &age %nows what is in him, but ma%es no displa!; he


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This is the Wa! of Heaven, which benefits, and in7uresnot. This is the Wa! of the &age, in whose actions there isno element of strife.

notes()*There is a pla! on the word pCu, simplicit!, the original meaning of which is>unwronght material.?(A*There must alwa!s be a due harmon! between mind and bod!, neither of thembeing allowed to outstrip the other. 3nder such circumstances, the mental powers

will be constant, invariable, alwa!s e+uall! read! for use when called upon. 5nd sucha mental condition is what wisdom?(*

That is, a principle which applies to the whole applies also to a part. Because !ouma! divide the containing whole, !ou are not at libert! to divide the principle.

L o T&u On Himself


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ther men are full of light; # alone seem to be indar%ness. ther men are alert; # alone am listless. # amunsettled as the ocean, drifting as though # had nostopping"place. 5ll men have their usefulness; # aloneam stupid and clownish.


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Z!*A+#ZI

Contents

The Doctrine of elati$ity

The Identity of Contraries

Illusions

The Mysterious Ianence of Tao

The !idden 'prin(

+on-Interference %ith +ature

Passi$e Virtue

'elf-Adaptation To .&ternals

Iortality of the 'oul

The 'a(e, or Perfect Man

ando #leanin(s

Personal Anecdotes


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he Doctrine of

'el ti!ity

/0

#8 the northern ocean there is a fish, called the


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going up ninet! thousand li in order to start for thesouth2? . . . Those two little creatures,""what shouldthe! %now2 &mall %nowledge has not the compass ofgreat %nowledge an! more than a short !ear has thelength of a long !ear. How can we tell that this is so2The mushroom of a morning %nows not the alternationof da! and night. The chr!salis %nows not thealternation of spring and autumn. Theirs are short !ears.But in the &tate of h:u there is a tortoise whose springand autumn are each of five hundred !ears: duration.5nd in former da!s there was a large tree which had aspring and autumn each of eight thousand !ears:duration. -et ':eng Tsu(A*is still, alas$ an ob7ect of env!to all.

notes()*The li is about one"third of an English mile.(A*The Methuselah of hina.

10

There is nothing under the canop! of heaven greaterthan the tip of an autumn spi%elet. 5 vast mountain is a

small thing. 8either is there an! age greater than that ofa child cut off in infanc!. ':eng Tsu himself died !oung.The universe and # came into being together; and #, andever!thing therein, are ne.


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20

#t was the time of autumn floods. Ever! stream poured

into the river, which swelled in its turbid course. Theban%s receded so far from each other that it wasimpossible to tell a cow from a horse.

Then the &pirit of the 1iver laughed for 7o! that all thebeaut! of the earth was gathered to himself. 9own with

the stream he 7ourne!ed east until he reached the ocean.There, loo%ing eastwards and seeing no limit to itswaves, his countenance changed. 5nd as he ga=ed overthe expanse, he sighed and said to the &pirit of thecean, >5 vulgar proverb sa!s that he who has heard butpart of the truth thin%s no one e+ual to himself. 5nd

such a one am #.D

>When formerl! # heard people detracting from thelearning of onfucius or underrating the heroism of 'oh#, # did not believe. But now that # have loo%ed upon!our inexhaustibilit!""alas for me had # not reached !ourabode, # should have been for ever a laughing"stoc% tothose of comprehensive enlightenment$?

To which the &pirit of the cean replied >-ou cannotspea% of ocean to a well"frog,""the creature of anarrower sphere. -ou cannot spea% of ice to a summerinsect,""the creature of a season. -ou cannot spea% ofTao to a pedagogue his scope is too restricted. But nowthat !ou have emerged from !our narrow sphere and have


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seen the great ocean, !ou %now !our own insignificance,and # can spea% to !ou of great principles. . . The our&eas""are the! not to the universe but li%e puddles in amarsh2 The Middle 6ingdom""is it not to thesurrounding ocean li%e a tare"seed in a granar!2 f allthe m!riad created things, man is but one. 5nd of allthose who inhabit the land, live on the fruit of the earth,and move about in cart and boat, an individual man isbut one. #s not he, as compared with all creation, but asthe tip of a hair upon a horse:s s%in2

>9imensions are limitless; time is endless. onditionsare not invariable; terms are not final. Thus, the wiseman loo%s into space, and does not regard the small astoo little, nor the great as too much; for he %nows thatthere is no limit to dimension. He loo%s bac% into thepast, and does not grieve over what is far off, nor re7oiceover what is near; for he %nows that time is without end.He investigates fulness and deca!, and does not re7oice ifhe succeeds, nor lament if he fails; for he %nows thatconditions are not invariable. He who clearl! apprehendsthe scheme of existence does not re7oice over life, nor

repine at death; for he %nows that terms are not final.D>What man %nows is not to be compared with what hedoes not %now. The span of his existence is not to becompared with the span of his non"existence. With thesmall, to strive to exhaust the great necessaril! lands him

in confusion, and he does not attain his ob7ect. How thenshould one be able to sa! that the tip of a hair is the neplus ultra of smallness, or that the universe is the ne plusultra of greatness2?


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30

Those who would have right without its correlative,wrong; or good government without its correlative,misrule,""the! do not apprehend the great principles ofthe universe nor the conditions to which all creation issub7ect. ne might as well tal% of the existence of heavenwithout that of earth, or of the negative principlewithout the positive, which is clearl! absurd.

40

#f !ou adopt, as absolute, a standard of evenness which isso onl! relativel!, !our results will not be absolutel!even. #f !ou adopt, as absolute, a criterion of right whichis so onl! relativel!, !our results will not be absolutel!right. Those who trust to their senses become slaves toob7ective existences. Those alone who are guided b!their intuitions find the true standard. &o far are thesenses less reliable than the intuitions. -et fools trust totheir senses to %now what is good for man%ind, with alasbut external results.


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he Identity of

(ontr ries

/0

Tu H:# of 8an"%uo sat leaning on a table. What are !ou thin%ingabout that !our bod! should become thus li%e dr! wood,!our mind li%e dead ashes2 &urel! the man now leaningon the table is not he who was here 7ust now.?

>M! friend,? replied T=u h:i, >!our +uestion isapposite. To"da! # have buried m!self. . . . 9o !ouunderstand2 . . . 5h$ perhaps !ou onl! %now the music ofMan, and not that of Earth. r even if !ou have heardthe music of Earth, !ou have not heard the music ofHeaven.?

>'ra! explain,? said T=u -u.

>The breath of the universe,? continued T=u h:i, >iscalled wind. 5t times, it is inactive. But when active,ever! aperture resounds to the blast. Have !ou never


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listened to its growing roar2 aves and dells of hill andforest, hollows in huge trees of man! a span in girth,""these are li%e nostrils, li%e mouths, li%e ears, li%e beam"soc%ets, li%e goblets, li%e mortars, li%e ditches, li%ebogs. 5nd the wind goes rushing through them, sniffing,snoring, singing, soughing, puffing, purling, whistling,whirring, now shrill! treble, now deepl! bass, now soft,now loud; until, with a lull, silence reigns supreme. Have!ou never witnessed among the trees such a disturbanceas this2?

>Well, then,? in+uired T=u -u, >since the music of Earthconsists of nothing more than holes, and the music ofMan of pipes and flutes, of what consists the music ofHeaven2?

>The effect of the wind upon these various apertures,?replied T=u h:i, >is not uniform. But what is it thatgives to each the individualit!, to all the potentialit!, ofsound2 . . . @o! and anger, sorrow and happiness, cautionand remorse, come upon us b! turns, with ever"changingmood. The! come li%e music from hollowness, li%e

mushrooms from damp. 9ail! and nightl! the! alternatewithin us, but we cannot tell whence the! spring. an wethen hope in a moment to la! our finger upon their ver!cause2D

>But for these emotions, # should not be. But for me,

the! would have no scope. &o far we can go; but we donot %now what it is that brings them into pla!. :Twouldseem to be a soul; but the clue to its existence is wanting.That such a power operates is credible enough, though


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we cannot see its form. #t has functions without form.D

>Ta%e the human bod! with all its manifold divisions.Which part of it does a man love best2 9oes he notcherish all e+uall!, or has he a preference2 9o not alle+uall! serve him2 5nd do these servitors then governthemselves, or are the! subdivided into rulers andsub7ects2 &urel! there is some soul which swa!s them all.D

>But whether or not we ascertain what are the functionsof this soul, it matters but little to the soul itself. or,coming into existence with this mortal coil of mine, withthe exhaustion of this mortal coil its mandate will alsobe exhausted. To be harassed b! the wear and tear of life,and to pass rapidl! through it without possibilit! ofarresting one:s course,""is not this pitiful indeed2 Tolabour without ceasing, and then, without living to en7o!the fruit, worn out, to depart, suddenl!, one %nows notwhither,""is not that a 7ust cause for grief2D

>What advantage is there in what men call not d!ing2The bod! decomposes, and the mind goes with it. This is

our real cause for sorrow. an the world be so dull as notto see this2 r is it # alone who am dull, and others notso2 . . . There is nothing which is not ob7ective there isnothing which is not sub7ective. But it is impossible tostart from the ob7ective. nl! from sub7ective %nowledgeis it possible to proceed to ob7ective %nowledge. Hence it

has been said, :The ob7ective emanates from thesub7ective; the sub7ective is conse+uent upon theob7ective. This is the 5lternation Theor!.: 8evertheless,when one is born, the other dies. When one is possible,


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the other is impossible. When one is affirmative, theother is negative. Which being the case, the true sagere7ects all distinctions of this and that. He ta%es hisrefuge in 4od, and places himself in sub7ective relationwith all things.D

>5nd inasmuch as the sub7ective is also ob7ective, and theob7ective also sub7ective, and as the contraries under eachare indistinguishabl! blended, does it not becomeimpossible for us to sa! whether sub7ective and ob7ectivereall! exist at all2D

>When sub7ective and ob7ective are both without theircorrelates, that is the ver! axis of Tao. 5nd when thataxis passes through the centre at which all #nfinitiesconverge, positive and negative ali%e blend into aninfinite ne. . . Therefore it is that, viewed from thestandpoint of Tao, a beam and a pillar are identical. &oare ugliness and beaut!, greatness, wic%edness,perverseness, and strangeness. &eparation is the same asconstruction construction is the same as destruction.8othing is sub7ect either to construction or to

destruction, for these conditions are brought togetherinto ne. nl! the trul! intelligent understand thisprinciple of the identit! of all things. The! do not viewthings as apprehended b! themselves, sub7ectivel!; buttransfer themselves into the position of the thingsviewed. 5nd viewing them thus the! are able to

comprehend them, na!, to master them; and he who canmaster them is near()*. &o it is that to place oneself insub7ective relation with externals, without consciousnessof their ob7ectivit!,""this is Tao. But to wear out one:s


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intellect in an obstinate adherence to the individualit! ofthings, not recognising the fact that all things arene,""this is called Three in the Morning.?

>What is Three in the Morning2? as%ed T=u -u.

>5 %eeper of mon%e!s,? replied T=u hi, >said withregard to their rations of chestnuts, that each mon%e!was to have three in the morning and four at night. Butat this the mon%e!s were ver! angr!, so the %eeper saidthe! might have four in the morning and three at night,with which arrangement the! were all well pleased. Theactual number of the chestnuts remained the same, butthere was an adaptation to the li%es and disli%es of thoseconcerned. &uch is the principle of putting oneself intosub7ective relation with externals.D

>Wherefore the true sage, while regarding contraries asidentical, adapts himself to the laws of Heaven. This iscalled following two courses at once.D

>The %nowledge of the men of old had a limit. #t

extended bac% to a period when matter did not exist.That was the extreme point to which their %nowledgereached. The second period was that of matter, but ofmatter unconditioned. The third epoch saw matterconditioned, but contraries were still un%nown. Whenthese appeared, Tao began to decline. 5nd with the

decline of Tao, individual bias arose.?


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notes()*to the great goal of Tao.

Illusions

/0

HW do # %now that love of life is not a delusion afterall2 How do # %now but that he who dreads to die is as achild who has lost the wa! and cannot find his home2

The lad!


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dream the! are dreaming; and onl! when the! awa%e dothe! %now it was a dream. B! and b! comes the 4reat5wa%ening, and then we find out that this life is reall! agreat dream. ools thin% the! are awa%e now, and flatterthemselves the! %now if the! are reall! princes orpeasants. onfucius and !ou are both dreams; and # whosa! !ou are dreams,""# am but a dream m!self. This is aparadox. To"morrow a sage ma! arise to explain it; butthat tomorrow will not be until ten thousand generationshave gone b!.

4ranting that !ou and # argue. #f !ou beat me, and not #!ou, are !ou necessaril! right and # wrong2 r if # beat!ou and not !ou me, am # necessaril! right and !ouwrong2 r are we both partl! right and partl! wrong2 rare we both wholl! right or wholl! wrong2 -ou and #cannot %now this, and conse+uentl! the world will be inignorance of the truth.

Who shall # emplo! as arbiter between us2 #f # emplo!some one who ta%es !our view, he will side with !ou.How can such a one arbitrate between us2 #f # emplo!

some one who ta%es m! view, he will side with me. Howcan such a one arbitrate between us2 5nd if # emplo!some one who either differs from or agrees with both ofus, he will be e+uall! unable to decide between us. &incethen !ou, and #, and man, cannot decide, must we notdepend upon 5nother2 &uch dependence is as though it

were not dependence. We are embraced in theobliterating unit! of 4od.


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10

nce upon a time, #, huang dreamt # was a butterfl!,fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposesa butterfl!. # was conscious onl! of following m! fanciesas a butterfl!, and was unconscious of m! individualit! asa man. &uddenl! # awa%ed, and there # la!, m!self again.8ow # do not %now whether # was then a man dreaming# was a butterfl!, or whether # am now a butterfl!dreaming # am a man. Between a man and a butterfl!there is necessaril! a barrier. The transition is calledmetemps!chosis.


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he Mysterious

Imm nence of

T o

/0

THE 'enumbra said to the 3mbra, >5t one moment !oumove at another !ou are at rest. 5t one moment !ou sitdown at another !ou get up. Wh! this instabilit! ofpurpose2?

># depend,? replied the 3mbra, >upon something whichcauses me to do as # do; and that something depends inturn upon something else which causes it to do as it does.M! dependence is li%e that of a sna%e:s scales or of acicada:s wings. How can # tell wh! # do one thing, or wh!# do not do another2?


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10

'rince Hui:s coo% was cutting up a bulloc%. Ever! blowof his hand, ever! heave of his shoulders, ever! tread ofhis foot, ever! thrust of his %nee, ever! whshh of rentflesh, ever! chh% of the chopper, was in perfectharmon!,""rh!thmical li%e the dance of the Mulberr!4rove, simultaneous li%e the chords of the hing &hou.

>Well done$? cried the 'rince; >!ours is s%ill indeed.?

>&ire,? replied the coo%, ># have alwa!s devoted m!selfto Tao. #t is better than s%ill. When # first began to cutup bulloc%s, # saw before me simpl! whole bulloc%s.

5fter three !ears: practice, # saw no more whole animals.5nd now # wor% with m! mind and not with m! e!e.When m! senses bid me stop, but m! mind urges me on,# fall bac% upon eternal principles. # follow suchopenings or cavities as there ma! be, according to thenatural constitution of the animal. # do not attempt tocut through 7oints still less through large bones.D

>5 good coo% changes his chopper once a !ear,""becausehe cuts. 5n ordinar! coo%, once a month,""because hehac%s. But # have had this chopper nineteen !ears, andalthough # have cut up man! thousand bulloc%s, its edgeis as if fresh from the whetstone. or at the 7oints thereare alwa!s interstices, and the edge of a chopper beingwithout thic%ness, it remains onl! to insert that which is


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without thic%ness into such an interstice()*. B! thesemeans the interstice will be enlarged, and the blade willfind plent! of room. #t is thus that # have %ept m!chopper for nineteen !ears as though fresh from thewhetstone.D

>8evertheless, when # come upon a hard part where theblade meets with a difficult!, # am all caution. # fix m!e!e on it. # sta! m! hand, and gentl! appl! m! blade,until with a hwah the part !ields li%e earth crumbling tothe ground. Then # ta%e out m! chopper, and stand up,and loo% around, and pause, until with an air of triumph# wipe m! chopper and put it carefull! awa!.?

>Bravo$? cried the 'rince. >rom the words of this coo%# have learnt how to ta%e care of m! life.?

notes()*5n allusion to the sa!ing of


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20

#n the &tate of heng there was a wonderful magiciannamed hi Han. He %new all about birth and death,gain and loss, misfortune and happiness, long life andshort life""predicting events to a da! with supernaturalaccurac!. The people of heng used to flee at hisapproach; but # usedto loo% upon !our Tao as perfect. 8ow # %nowsomething more perfect still.?

>&o far,? replied Hu T=u, ># have onl! taught !ou theornamentals, not the essentials, of Tao; and !et !ou

thin% !ou %now all about it. Without coc%s in !ourpoultr!"!ard, what sort of eggs do the hens la!2(A*#f !ougo about tr!ing to force Tao down people:s throats, !ouwill be simpl! exposing !ourself. Bring !our friend with!ou, and let me show m!self to him.?

&o next da! 5las$ !ourteacher is doomed. He cannot live. # hardl! give him tenda!s. # am astonished at him. He is but wet ashes.?

# showed m!self to him 7ust now as theearth shows us its outward form, motionless and still,while production is all the time going on. # merel!


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prevented him from seeing m! pent"up energ! within.Bring him again.?

8ext da! the interview too% place as before; but as the!were leaving hi Han said to #t is luc%! for!our teacher that he met me. He is better. He willrecover. # saw he had recuperative power.?

# showed m!self to him 7ust now as heavenshows itself in all its dispassionate grandeur, letting alittle energ! run out of m! heels. He was thus able todetect that # had some. Bring him here again.?

8ext da! a third interview too% place, and as the! wereleaving, hi Han said to -our teacher is neverone da! li%e another; # can tell nothing from hisph!siognom!. 4et him to be regular, and # will thenexamine him again.?

This being repeated to Hu T=u as before, the latter said># showed m!self to him 7ust now in a state of

harmonious e+uilibrium. Where the whale disportsitself,""is the ab!ss. Where water is at rest,""is the ab!ss.Where water is in motion,""is the ab!ss. The ab!ss hasnine names. These are three of them.?(*

8ext da! the two went once more to see Hu T=u; but

hi Han was unable to stand still, and in his confusionturned and fled.

>'ursue him$? cried Hu T=u; whereupon


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after him, but could not overta%e him; so he returnedand told Hu T=u that the fugitive had disappeared.

># showed m!self to him 7ust now,? said Hu T=u, >as Taoappeared before time was. # was to him as a great blan%,existing of itself. He %new not who # was. His face fell.He became confused. 5nd so he fled.?

3pon this


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30

Boo%s are what the world values as representing Tao. Butboo%s are onl! words, and the valuable part of words isthe thought therein contained. That thought has acertain bias which cannot be conve!ed in words, !et theworld values words as being the essence of boo%s. Butthough the world values them, the! are not of value; asthat sense in which the world values them is not the sensein which the! are valuable. . . .

9u%e Huan was one da! reading in his hall, when awheelwright who was wor%ing below flung down hishammer and chisel, and mounting the steps said >Whatwords ma! !our Highness be stud!ing2?

># am stud!ing the words of the &ages,? replied the9u%e.

>5re the &ages alive2? as%ed the wheelwright.>8o,? answered the 9u%e; >the! are dead.?

>Then the words !our Highness is stud!ing,? re7oinedthe wheelwright, >are onl! the dregs of the ancients.?

>What do !ou mean, sirrah$? cried the 9u%e, >b!interfering with what # read2 Explain !ourself, or !oushall die.?


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>from m! own trade. #n ma%ing a wheel, if !ou wor% tooslowl!, !ou can:t ma%e it firm; if !ou wor% too fast, thespo%es won:t fit in. -ou must go neither too slowl! nortoo fast. There must be co"ordination of mind and hand.Words cannot explain what it is, but there is somem!sterious art herein. # cannot teach it to m! son; norcan he learn it from me. onse+uentl!, though sevent!!ears of age, # am still ma%ing wheels in m! old age. #fthe ancients, together with what the! could not impart,are dead and gone, then what !our Highness is stud!ingmust be the dregs.?

40

5 drun%en man who falls out of a cart, though he ma!suffer, does not die. His bones are the same as other

people:s; but he meets his accident in a different wa!. Hisspirit is in a condition of securit!. He is not conscious ofriding in the cart; neither is he conscious of falling out ofit. #deas of life, death, fear, etc., cannot penetrate hisbreast; and so he does not suffer from contact withob7ective existences. 5nd if such securit! is to be got

from wine, how much more is it to be got from 4od2 #t isin 4od that the &age see%s his refuge, and so he is freefrom harm.


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50

it is not shooting under extraordinar!conditions. 8ow # will ascend a high mountain with !ou,and stand on the edge of a precipice a thousand feet inheight, and see how !ou can shoot then.?

Thereupon Wu @en went with


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60

5 disciple said to Master, # have attained to!our Tao. # can do without fire in winter. # can ma%e icein summer.?

>-ou merel! avail !ourself of latent heat and latentcold,? replied That is not what # call Tao. #will demonstrate to !ou what m! Tao is.?

Thereupon he tuned two lutes, and placed one in thehall and the other in the ad7oining room. 5nd when hestruc% the %ung note on one, the %ung note on the othersounded; when he struc% the chio note on one, the chionote on the other sounded. This because the! were bothtuned to the same pitch.

But if he changed the interval of one string, so that it nolonger %ept its place in the octave, and then struc% it, theresult was that all the twent!"five strings 7angledtogether. There was sound as before, but the influenceof the %e!"note was gone.


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The Hidden $prin%

/0

T5 has its laws and its evidences. #t is devoid both ofaction and of form. #t ma! be transmitted, but cannot bereceived. #t ma! be obtained, but cannot be seen. Beforeheaven and earth were, Tao was. #t has existed withoutchange from all time. &piritual beings drew theirspiritualit! therefrom, while the universe became what

we can see it now. To Tao, the =enith is not high, nor thenadir low; no point in time is long ago, nor b! lapse ofages has it grown old.

Hsi Wei()*obtained Tao, and so set the universe in order.u Hsi(A*obtained it, and was able to establish eternal

principles. The 4reat Bear obtained it, and has nevererred from its course. The sun and moon obtained it, andhave never ceased to revolve.

notes()*5 m!thical personage.(A*The first in the received list of hinese monarchs.


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10

huang T=u said > m! exemplar$ Thou who destro!estall things, and dost not account it cruelt!; thou whobenefitest all time, and dost not account it charit!; thouwho art older than anti+uit! and dost not account it age;thou who supportest the universe, shaping the man!forms therein, and dost not account it s%ill; this is thehappiness of 4od$?

.


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30

The universe is ver! beautiful, !et it sa!s nothing. Thefour seasons abide b! a fixed law, !et the! are not heard.5ll creation is based upon absolute principles, !etnothing spea%s.

5nd the true &age, ta%ing his stand upon the beaut! ofthe universe, pierces the principles of created things.Hence the sa!ing that the perfect man does nothing, thetrue &age performs nothing, be!ond ga=ing at theuniverse.

or man:s intellect, however %een, face to face with thecountless evolutions of things, their death and birth,their s+uareness and roundness,""can never reach theroot. There creation is, and there it has ever been.

The six cardinal points, reaching into infinit!, are everincluded in Tao. 5n autumn spi%elet, in all itsminuteness, must carr! Tao within itself. There is

nothing on earth which does not rise and fall, but itnever perishes altogether. The -in and the -ang()*, andthe four seasons, %eep to their proper order. 5pparentl!destro!ed, !et reall! existing; the material gone, theimmaterial left,""such is the law of creation, whichpasseth all understanding. This is called the root,

whence a glimpse ma! be obtained of 4od.notes()*The positive and negative principles of hinese cosmogon!.


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40

5 man:s %nowledge is limited; but it is upon what he doesnot %now that he depends to extend his %nowledge tothe apprehension of 4od.

6nowledge of the great ne, of the great 8egative, ofthe great 8omenclature, of the great 3niformit!, of thegreat &pace, of the great Truth, of the great


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50

>hi hen,? said &hao hih, >taught hance; hiehT=u taught 'redestination. #n the speculations of thesetwo schools, on which side did right lie2?

>The coc% crows,? replied T:ai 6ung Tiao, >and the dogbar%s. &o much we %now. But the wisest of us could notsa! wh! one crows and the other bar%s, nor guess wh!the! crow or bar% at all.

>The unborn creature cannot be %ept from life. Thedead cannot be trac%ed. rom birth to death is but a

span; !et the secret cannot be %nown. hance and'redestination are but a priori solutions.D

>When # see% for a beginning, # find onl! time infinite.


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When # loo% forward to an end, # see onl! time infinite.#nfinit! of time past and to come implies no beginningand is in accordance with the laws of material existences.'redestination and hance give us a beginning, but onewhich is compatible onl! with the existence of matter.D

>Tao cannot be existent. #f it were existent, it could notbe non"existent. The ver! name of Tao is onl! adoptedfor convenience: sa%e. 'redestination and hance arelimited to material existences. How can the! bear uponthe infinite2D

>Were language ade+uate, it would ta%e but a da! full!to set forth Tao. 8ot being ade+uate, it ta%es that timeto explain material existences. Tao is something be!ondmaterial existences. #t cannot be conve!ed either b!words or b! silence. #n that state which is neither speechnor silence, its transcendental nature ma! beapprehended.?

60

5ll things spring from germs. 3nder man! diverse formsthese things are ever being reproduced. 1ound and

round, li%e a wheel, no part of which is more thestarting"point than an! other. This is called heavenl!e+uilibrium. 5nd he who holds the scales is 4od.


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70


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on)

Interference

ith * ture

/0

H1&E& have hoofs to carr! them over frost and snow;hair, to protect them from wind and cold. The! eat grassand drin% water, and fling up their heels over the

champaign. &uch is the real nature of horses. 'alatialdwellings are of no use to them.

ne da! 'o # understand themanagement of horses.?

&o he branded them, and clipped them, and pared theirhoofs, and put halters on them, t!ing them up b! thehead and shac%ling them b! the feet, and disposing themin stables, with the result that two or three in ever! tendied. Then he %ept them hungr! and thirst!, trottingthem and galloping them, and grooming, and trimming,with the miser! of the tasselled bridle before and thefear of the %notted whip behind, until more than half ofthem were dead.


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The potter sa!s ># can do what # will with cla!. #f # wantit round, # use compasses; if rectangular, a s+uare.? Thecarpenter sa!s ># can do what # will with wood. #f # wantit curved, # use an arc; if straight, a line.?

But on what grounds can we thin% that the natures ofcla! and wood desire this application of compasses ands+uare, of arc and line2 8evertheless, ever! age extols 'o


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the! were in a state of natural integrit!, the perfection ofhuman existence.

But when &ages appeared, tripping up people overcharit! and fettering them with dut! to their neighbour,doubt found its wa! into the world. 5nd then, with theirgushing over music and fussing over ceremon!, theempire became divided against itself.


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P ssi!e Virtue

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-E8 H3#()*went to ta%e leave of onfucius.

>Whither are !ou bound2? as%ed the master.

># am going to the &tate of Wei,? was the repl!.

>5nd what do !ou propose to do there2? continuedonfucius.

># hear,? answered -en Hui, ?that the 'rince of Wei is ofmature age, but of an unmanageable disposition. Hebehaves as if the &tate were of no account, and will not

see his own faults. onse+uentl!, the people perish; andtheir corpses lie about li%e so much undergrowth in amarsh. The! are at extremities. 5nd # have heard !ou,sir, sa! that if a &tate is well governed it ma! beneglected; but that if it is badl! governed, then weshould visit it. The science of medicine embraces man!

various diseases. # would test m! %nowledge in this sense,that perchance # ma! do some good to that &tate.?


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>5las$? cried onfucius, >!ou will onl! succeed inbringing evil upon !ourself. or Tao must not bedistributed. #f it is, it will lose its unit!. #f it loses itsunit!, it will be uncertain; and so cause mentaldisturbance,""from which there is no escape.D

>The &ages of old first got Tao for themselves, and thengot it for others. Before !ou possess this !ourself, whatleisure have !ou to attend to the doings of wic%ed men2Besides, do !ou %now what /irtue results in, and whereWisdom ends2 /irtue results in a desire for fame; wisdomends in contentions. #n the struggle for fame men crushone another, while their wisdom but provo%es rivalr!.Both are baleful instruments, and ma! not beincautiousl! used. . . . But of course !ou have a scheme.Tell it to me.?

>4ravit! of demeanour,? replied -en Hui, >anddispassionateness; energ! and singleness of purpose,""will this do2?

>5las$? said onfucius, >that will not do. #f !ou ma%e a

show of being perfect and obtrude !ourself, the 'rince:smood will be doubtful. rdinaril!, he is not opposed,and so he has come to ta%e actual pleasure in tramplingupon the feelings of others. 5nd if he has thus failed inthe practice of routine virtues, do !ou expect that he willta%e readil! to higher ones2 -ou ma! insist, but without

result. utwardl! !ou will be right, but inwardl! wrong.How then will !ou ma%e him mend his wa!s2 . . -ourfirmness will secure !ou from harm; but that is all. -ouwill not influence him to such an extent that he shall


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seem to follow the dictates of his own heart.?

>Then,? said -en Hui, ># am without resource, andventure to as% for a method.?

onfucius said >ast$ . . . Well,? replied -en Hui, >m! famil! is poor, and forman! months we have tasted neither wine nor flesh. #snot that fasting2?

>The fasting of religious observance it is,? answeredonfucius, >but not the fasting of the heart.?

>5nd ma! # as%,? said -en Hui, >in what consists thefasting of the heart2?

>ultivate unit!,? replied onfucius. >-ou hear not withthe ears, but with the mind; not with the mind, but with!our soul. But let hearing stop with the ears. Then,? said -en Hui, >the reason # could not get the

use of this method is m! own individualit!. #f # could getthe use of it, m! individualit! would have gone. #s thiswhat !ou mean b! the negative state2?


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ma! protect men:s bodies. He has at his disposal noappointments b! which to gratif! their hearts. He isloathsome to a degree. He s!mpathises, but does notinstruct. His %nowledge is limited to his own state. -etmales and females ali%e all congregate around him.D

>&o thin%ing that he must be different from ordinar!men, # sent for him, and saw that he was indeedloathsome to a degree. -et we had not been man!months together ere m! attention was fixed upon hisconduct. 5 !ear had not elapsed ere # trusted himthoroughl!; and as m! &tate wanted a 'rime Minister, #offered the post to him. He accepted it sullenl!, as if hewould much rather have declined. 'erhaps he did notthin% me good enough for him$ 5t an! rate, he too% it;but in a ver! short time he left me and went awa!. #grieved for him as for a lost friend, and as though therewere none left with whom # could re7oice. What mannerof man is this2?

>When # was on a mission to the h:u &tate,? repliedonfucius, ># saw a litter of !oung pigs suc%ing their

dead mother. 5fter a while the! loo%ed at her, and thenthe! all left the bod! and went off. or their mother didnot loo% at them an! more, nor did she an! more seem tobe of their %ind. What the! loved was their mother; notthe bod! which contained her, but that which made thebod! what it was. . . .D

>8ow 5i T:ai T:o sa!s nothing, and is trusted. He doesnothing, and is sought after. He causes a man to offerhim the government of his own &tate, and the onl! fear is


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20

>Tell me,? said in what consist charit! anddut! to one:s neighbour2?

>The! consist,? answered onfucius, >in a capacit! forre7oicing in all things; in universal love, without theelement of self. These are the characteristics of charit!and dut! to one:s neighbour.?

>What stuff$? cried 9oes not universal lovecontradict itself2 #s not !our elimination of self a positivemanifestation of self2 &ir, if !ou would cause the empirenot to lose its source of nourishment,""there is theuniverse, its regularit! is unceasing; there are the sunand moon, their brightness is unceasing; there are thestars, their groupings never change; there are birds andbeasts, the! floc% together without var!ing; there aretrees and shrubs, the! grow upwards without exception.

Be li%e these; follow Tao; and !ou will be perfect. Wh!then these vain struggles after charit! and dut! to one:sneighbour, as though beating a drum in search of afugitive2 5las$ sir, !ou have brought much confusion intothe mind of man.?


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30

&uppose a boat is crossing a river, and another empt!boat is about to collide with it. Even an irritable manwould not lose his temper. But supposing there was someone in the second boat. Then the occupant of the firstwould shout to him to %eep clear. 5nd if the other didnot hear the first time, nor even when called to three

times, bad language would inevitabl! follow. #n the firstcase there was no anger, in the second there was; becausein the first case the boat was empt!, and in the second itwas occupied. 5nd so it is with man. #f he could onl!roam empt! through life, who would be able to in7urehim2


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elf)Ad pt tion To

+#tern ls

/0

-E8 H was about to become tutor to the eldest son of'rince !ou

must be careful, and begin b! self" reformation.utwardl! !ou ma! adapt !ourself, but inwardl! !oumust %eep up to !our own standard. #n this there are twopoints to be guarded against. -ou must not let theoutward adaptation penetrate within, nor the inwardstandard manifest itself without. #n the former case, !ou

will fall, !ou will be obliterated, !ou will collapse, !ouwill lie prostrate. #n the latter case !ou will be a sound, aname, a bogie, an uncann! thing. #f he would pla! the


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child, do !ou pla! the child too. #f he cast aside all senseof decorum, do !ou do so too. 5s far as he goes, do !ougo also. Thus !ou will reach him without offendinghim.D

>9on:t !ou %now the stor! of the pra!ing"mantis2 #n itsrage it stretched out its arms to prevent a chariot frompassing, unaware that this was be!ond its strength, soadmirable was its energ!$ Be cautious. #f !ou are alwa!soffending others b! !our superiorit!, !ou will probabl!come to grief.D

>9o !ou not %now that those who %eep tigers do notventure to give them live animals as food, for fear ofexciting their fur! when %illing the pre!2 5lso, thatwhole animals are not given, for fear of exciting thetiger:s fur! when rending them2 The periods of hungerand repletion are carefull! watched in order to preventsuch outbursts. The tiger is of a different species fromman; but the latter too is manageable if properl! treated,unmanageable if excited to fur!.D

>Those who are fond of horses surround them withvarious conveniences. &ometimes mos+uitoes or fliestrouble them; and then, unexpectedl! to the animal, agroom will brush them off, the result being that thehorse brea%s his bridle, and hurts his head and chest.The intention is good, but there is a want of real care for

the horse. 5gainst this !ou must be on !our guard.?


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10

or travelling b! water there is nothing li%e a boat. ortravelling b! land there is nothing li%e a cart. Thisbecause a boat moves readil! in water; but were !ou totr! to push it on land !ou would never succeed in ma%ingit go. 8ow ancient and modern times ma! be li%enedunto water and land; hou and


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people too% their wives and children and departedelsewhere. That woman saw the beaut! of %nitted brows,but she did not see wherein the beaut! of %nitted browsla!.

notes()*5 famous beaut! of old.

30

6uan hung being at the point of death, 9u%e Huan

went to see him.

>-ou are venerable &ir,? said the 9u%e, >reall! ill. -ouhad better sa! to whom, in the event of !our gettingworse, # am to entrust the administration of the &tate.?

>Whom does !our Highness wish to choose2? in+uired6uan hung.

>Will 'ao -u do2? as%ed the 9u%e.

>He will not,? said 6uan hung. >He is pure,

incorruptible, and good. With those who are not li%ehimself he will not associate. 5nd if he has once heard ofa man:s wrong"doing, he never forgets it. #f !ou emplo!


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him in the administration of the empire, he will get tologgerheads with his prince and to sixes and sevens withthe people. #t would not be long before he and !ourHighness fell out.?

>Whom then can we have2? as%ed the 9u%e.

>There is no alternative,? replied 6uan hung; >it mustbe Hsi ':eng. He is a man who forgets the authorit! ofthose above him, and ma%es those below him forget his.5shamed that he is not the peer of the -ellow Emperor,he grieves over those who are not the peers of himself.

>To share one:s virtue with others is called true wisdom.To share one:s wealth with others is rec%onedmeritorious. To exhibit superior merit is not the wa! towin men:s hearts. To exhibit inferior merit is the wa!.There are things in the &tate he does not hear; there arethings in the famil! he does not see. There is noalternative; it must be Hsi ':eng.?

40

To glorif! the past and to condemn the present hasalwa!s been the wa! of the scholar. -et if Hsi Wei &hih()*

and individuals of that class were caused to re"appear inthe present da!, which of them but would accommodatehimself to the age2

notes()*5 patriarch.


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mmort lity of the

$oul

/0

WHE8 Were !ou not our Master:s

friend2?

># was,? replied h:in &hih.

>5nd if so, do !ou consider that a sufficient expression ofgrief at his loss2? added the disciple.

># do,? said h:in &hih. ># had believed him to be theman of all men, but now # %now that he was not. When #went in to mourn, # found old persons weeping as if fortheir children, !oung ones wailing as if for their mothers.5nd for him to have gained the attachment of those

people in this wa!, he too must have uttered words whichshould not have been spo%en, and dropped tears whichshould not have been shed, thus violating eternal


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principles, increasing the sum of human emotion, andforgetting the source from which his own life wasreceived. The ancients called such emotions the trammelsof mortalit!. The Master came, because it was his time tobe born; he went, because it was his time to die. orthose who accept the phenomenon of birth and death inthis sense, lamentation and sorrow have no place. Theancients spo%e of death as of 4od cutting down a mansuspended in the air. The fuel is consumed, but the firema! be transmitted, and we %now not that it comes to anend.D

10

To have attained to the human form must be alwa!s asource of 7o!. 5nd then, to undergo countless transitions,with onl! the infinite to loo% forward to,""whatincomparable bliss is that$ Therefore it is that the trul!wise re7oice in that which can never be lost, but enduresalwa!.

20

5 son must go whithersoever his parents bid him. 8atureis no other than a man:s parents. #f she bid me die+uic%l!, and # demur, then # am an unfilial son. &he can

do me no wrong. Tao gives me this form, this toil inmanhood, this repose in old age, this rest in death. 5ndsurel! that which is such a %ind arbiter of m! life is thebest arbiter of m! death.


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&uppose that the boiling metal in a smelting"pot were tobubble up and sa! >Ma%e of me an Excalibur?; # thin%the caster would re7ect that metal as uncann!. 5nd if asinner li%e m!self were to sa! to 4od >Ma%e of me aman, ma%e of me a man?; # thin% he too would re7ect meas uncann!. The universe is the smelting"pot, and 4od isthe caster. # shall go whithersoever # am sent, to wa%eunconscious of the past, as a man wa%es from a dreamlesssleep.

30

huang T=u one da! saw an empt! s%ull, bleached, butstill preserving its shape. &tri%ing it with his riding"whip, he said >Wert thou once some ambitious citi=enwhose inordinate !earnings brought him to this pass2""some statesman who plunged his countr! into ruin and

perished in the fra!2""some wretch who left behind hima legac! of shame2""some beggar who died in the pangsof hunger and cold2 r didst thou reach this state b! thenatural course of old age2?

When he had finished spea%ing, he too% the s%ull and,

placing it under his head as a pillow, went to sleep. #n thenight he dreamt that the s%ull appeared to him and said?-ou spea% well, sir; but all !ou sa! has reference to thelife of mortals, and to mortal troubles. #n death there are


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none of these. Would !ou li%e to hear about death2?

huang T=u having replied in the affirmative, the s%ullbegan >#n death there is no sovereign above, and nosub7ect below. The wor%ings of the four seasons areun%nown. ur existences are bounded onl! b! eternit!.The happiness of a %ing among men cannot exceed thatwhich we en7o!.?

huang T=u, however, was not convinced, and said>Were # to prevail upon 4od to allow !our bod! to beborn again, and !our bones and flesh to be renewed, sothat !ou could return to !our parents, to !our wife, andto the friends of !our !outh,""would !ou be willing2?

5t this the s%ull opened its e!es wide and %nitted itsbrows and said >How should # cast aside happinessgreater than that of a %ing, and mingle once again in thetoils and troubles of mortalit!2?


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he $ %e, or

Perfect M n

/0

THE perfect man ignores self; the divine man ignores

action; the true &age ignores reputation.

10

The perfect man is a spiritual being. Were the ocean

itself scorched up, he would not feel hot. Were the Mil%!Wa! fro=en hard, he would not feel cold. Were themountains to be riven with thunder, and the great deepto be thrown up b! storm

Documents

the Three Principle Texts of Daoism