World Philosophical Heritage: Wisdom and teachings of Daoism

I have three treasures.
Guard and keep them:
The first is deep love,
The second is frugality,
And the third is not to dare to be ahead of the world.
Because of deep love, one is courageous.
Because of frugality, one is generous.
Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes the leader of the world.
Now, to be courageous by forsaking deep love,
To be generous by forsaking frugality,
And to be ahead of the world by forsaking following behind-
This is fatal.
For deep love helps one to win in the case of attack,
And to be firm in the case of defense.
When Heaven is to save a person,
Heaven will protect him through deep love.

quote 2212 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 67, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

A lways to know the standard is called profound and secret virtue.
Virtue becomes deep and far-reaching
And with it all things return to their original natural state.
Then complete harmony will be reached.

quote 2211 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 65, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

W hat remains stiff is easy to hold.
What is not yet manifest is easy to plan for.
What is brittle is easy to crack.
What is minute is easy to scatter.
Deal with things before they appear.
Put things in order before disorder arises.
A tree as big as a man's embrace grows from a tiny shoot.
A tower of nine level begins with a heap of earth.
The journey of a thousand li (1/3 mile) starts from where one stands
He who takes an action fails.
He who grasps things loses them.
For this reason the sage takes no action and therefore does not fail.
He grasps nothing and therefore he does not lose anything.
People in their handling of affairs often fail when they are about to succeed.
If one remains as careful at the end as he was at the beginning, there will be no failure.
Therefore the sage desires to have no desire.
He does not value rare treasures .
He learns to be unlearned (1)
and returns to what the multitude has missed (Tao).
Thus he supports all things in their natural state but does not take any action.

quote 2210 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 64, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

(1) Learn not learn": Wang Pi understood the expression to mean that the no learns without learning, and Ho-shang Kung interpreted it to mean that the ap learns what the multitude cannot learn.

A ct without action.
Do without ado.
Taste without tasting.
Whether it is big or small, many or few, repay hatred with virtue.
Prepare for the difficult while it is still easy.
Deal with the big while it is still small.
Difficult undertakings have always started with what is easy,
And great undertakings have always started with what is small.
Therefore the sage never strives for the great,
And thereby the great is achieved.

quote 2209 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 63, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

T he more taboos and prohibitions there are in the world,
The poorer the people will be.
The more sharp weapons the people have,
The more troubled the state will be.
The more cunning and skill man possesses,
The more vicious things will appear.
The more laws and orders are made prominent,
The more thieves and robbers there will be.
Therefore the sage says:
I take no action and the people of themselves are transformed.
I love tranquillity and the people of themselves become correct.
I engage in no activity and the people of themselves become prosperous.
I have no desires and the people of themselves become simple.

quote 2208 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 57, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

B ecome one with the dusty world.
This is called profund identification
Therefore it is impossible either to be intimate and close to him or to be distant and indifferent to him.
It is impossible either to benefit him or to harm him,
It is impossible either to honor him or to disgrace him.
For this reason he is honored by the world.

quote 2207 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 56, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

H e who possesses virtue in abundance
May be compared to an infant.
Poisonous insects will not sting him.
Fierce beasts will not seize him.
Birds of prey will not strike him.
His bones are weak, his sinews tender, but his grasp is firm.
He does not yet know the union of male and female,
But his organ is aroused.
This means that his essence is at its height.
He may cry all day without becoming hoarse,
This means that his (natural) harmony is perfect.
To know harmony means to be in accord with the eternal
To be in accord with the eternal means to be enlightened
To force the growth of life means ill omen
For the mind to employ the vital force without restraint means violence
After things reach their prime, they begin to grow old,
Which means being contrary to Tao.
Whatever is contrary to Tao will soon perish

quote 2206 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 55, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

C lose the mouth.
Shut the doors (of cunning and desire)
And to the end of life there will be (peace) without toil.
Open the mouth.
Meddle with affairs,
And to the end of life there will be no salvation.

quote 2205 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 52, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

T he sage has no fixed (personal) ideas.
He regards the people's ideas as his own.
I treat those who are good with goodness,
And I also treat those who are not good with goodness.
Thus goodness is attained .
I am honest to those who are honest,
And I am also honest to those who are not honest.
Thus honesty is attained.

quote 2204 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 49, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

O ne may know the world without going out of doors.
One may see the Way of Heaven without looking through the windows.
The further one goes, the less one knows.
Therefore the sage knows without going about,
Understands" without seeing,
And accomplishes without any action.

quote 2203 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 47, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

W hich does one love more, fame or one's own life?
Which is more valuable, one's own life or wealth?
Which is worse, gain or loss?
Therefore he who has lavish desires will spend extravagantly.
He who hoards most will lose heavily.
He who is contented suffers no disgrace.
He who knows when to stop is free from danger.
Therefore he can long endure.

quote 2202 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 44, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

T he softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.
Non-being penetrates that in which there is no space.
Through this I know the advantage of taking no action.
Few in the world can understand teaching without words and the advantage of taking no action.

quote 2201 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 43, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

W hat others have taught, I teach also: "Violent and fierce people do not die a natural death." (1)
I shall make this the father (basis or starting point) of my teaching.

quote 2200 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 42, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

(1) An ancient Chinese saying.

T ao produced the One.
The One produced the two.
The two produced the three.
And the three produced the ten thousand things.
The ten thousand things carry the yin and embrace the yang, (1) and through the blending of the material force (ch'i) (2) they achieve harmony.

quote 2199 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 42, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

It is often understood that the One is the original material force or the Great Ultimate, the two are yin and yang, the three are their blending with the original material force, and the ten thousand things are things carrying yin and embracing yang. However, there is no need to be specific. The important point is the natural evolution from the simple to the complex without any act of creation. This theory is common to practically all Chinese philosophical schools.

A ll things in the world come from being.
And being comes from non-being.

quote 2198 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 40, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

O f all those that obtained the One:
Heaven obtained the One and became clear.
Earth obtained the One and became tranquil.
The spiritual beings obtained the One and became divine.
The valley obtained the One and became full.
The myriad things obtained the One and lived and grew.
Kings and barons obtained the One and became rulers of the empire.
What made them so is the One. (1)

quote 2197 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 39, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

(1) Both the Wang Pi and Ho-shang Kung texts do not have the word "One" but others have.

T ao invariably takes no action, and yet there is nothing left undone.
If kings and barons can keep it, all things will transform spontaneously.
If, after transformation, they should desire to be active,
I would restrain them with simplicity, which has no name.
Simplicity, which has no name, is free of desires.
Being free of desires, it is tranquil.
And the world will be at peace of its own accord.

quote 2196 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 37, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

T he Great Tao flows everywhere.
It may go left or right.
All things depend on it for life,
and it does not turn away from them.
It accomplishes its task,
but does not claim credit for it.
It clothes and feeds all things but does not claim to be master over them.
Always without desires, it may be called The Small.
All things come to it and it does not master them;
it may be called The Great.
Therefore (the sage) never strives himself for the great,
and thereby the great is achieved.

quote 2195 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 34, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7

H e who knows others is wise;
He who knows himself is enlightened.
He who conquers others has physical strength.
He who conquers himself is strong.
He who is contented is rich.
He who acts with vigor has will.
He who does not lose his place (with Tao) will endure.
He who dies but does not really perish enjoys long life.

quote 2194 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 33, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

What is it that dies but does not perish? Wang Pi said it was Tao on which human life depended, and Wu Ch'eng said it was the human mind. Other commentators have given different answers. Most of them, however, believe that Lao Tzu meant the immortality of virtue. Thus the Taoists conformed top the traditional belief which had already been expressed in the Tso chuan (Tso’s Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals), namely, immortality of virtue, achievement, and words and which has continued to be the typical Chinese idea of immortality. (1) It is to be noted that unlike Chuang Tzu, Lao Tzu showed no tendency believe in earthly immortals (hsien, a fairy), although his exaltation of everlasting life undoubtedly contributed to the development of the belief.

H e who assists the ruler with Tao does not dominate the world with force.
The use of force usually brings requital.
Wherever armies are stationed, briers and thorns grow.

quote 2193 | Lao Tzu
Laozi, 30, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

H e who knows the male (active force) and keeps to the female (the passive force or receptive element)
Becomes the ravine of the world.
Being the ravine of the world,
He will never depart from eternal virtue,
But returns to the state of infancy.
He who knows the white (glory) and yet keeps to the black (humility),
Becomes the model for the world.
Being the model for the world,
He will never deviate from eternal virtue,
But returns to the state of the Ultimate of Non-being.
He who knows glory but keeps to humility,
Becomes the valley of the world.
Being the valley of the world,
He will be proficient in eternal virtue,
And returns to the state of simplicity (uncarved wood).

quote 2192 | Lao Tzu
Laozi, 28, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

A good traveler leaves no track or trace.
A good speech leaves no flaws.
A good reckoner uses no counters.
A well-shut door needs no bolts, and yet it cannot be opened.
A well-tied knot needs no rope and yet none can untie it.
Therefore the sage is always good in saving men and consequently no man is rejected.
He is always good in saving things and consequently nothing is rejected.
This is called following the light (of Nature) (1)
Therefore the good man is the teacher of the bad,
And the bad is the material from which the good may learn.
He who does not value the teacher,
Or greatly care for the material,
Is greatly deluded although he may be learned.
Such is the essential mystery.

quote 2191 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 27, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

(1) The word hsi, here rendered as "following," is open to various interpretations: To cover, to penetrate, to practice, etc. (according to Ma Hsu-lun Lao Tzu chiao-ku, ch. 52, this hsi and the hsi meaning practice were interchangeable in ancient times), but it is most commonly understood as "following," an interpretation which is supported by the Chuang Tzu, ch. 2, where the terms "letting Nature follow its own course" (that is, following Nature) and "using the light" are repeatedly used.

T here was something undifferentiated and yet complete,
Which existed before heaven and earth.
Soundless and formless, it depends on nothing and does not change.
It operates everywhere and is free from danger.
It may be considered the mother of the universe.
I do not know its name; I call it Tao.
If forced to give it a name, I shall call it Great.
Now being great means functioning everywhere.
Functioning everywhere means far-reaching.
Being far-reaching means returning to the original point.
Therefore Tao is great.
Heaven is great.
Earth is great.
And the king (1), is also great.
There are four great things in the universe, and the king is
one of them.
Man models himself after Earth.
Earth models itself after Heaven.
Heaven models itself after Tao.
And Tao models itself after Nature.

quote 2190 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 25, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7

The doctrine of returning to the original is prominent in Lao Tzu (see Lao Tzu, chs. 14, 16, 28, 40, 52.) It has contributed in no small degree to the common Chinese cyclical concept, which teaches that both history and reality operate in cycles.

T herefore the sage embraces the One
And becomes the model of the world.
He does not show himself; therefore he is luminous.
He does not justify himself; therefore he becomes prominent.
He does not boast of himself; therefore he is given credit.
He does not brag; therefore he can endure for long.
It is precisely because he does not compete that the world cannot compete with him.

quote 2188 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 22, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

T he all-embracing quality of the great virtue (te) follows alone from the Tao.
The thing that is called Tao is eluding and vague.
Vague and eluding, there is in it the form.
Eluding and vague, in it are things.
Deep and obscure, in it is the essence. (1)
The essence is very real; in it are evidences.
From the time of old until now, its name (manifestations) ever remains,
By which we may see the beginning of all things.
How do I know that the beginnings of all things are so?
Through this (Tao).

quote 2187 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 21, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

Philosophically this is the most important chapter of the book. The sentence "The essence is very real" virtually formed the backbone of Chou Tun-i's (Chou Lien-hsi, 1017-1073) Explanation of the Diagram of the Great Ultimate, which centers on the "reality of the Non-Ultimate and the essence of yin and yang." And Chou's work laid the foundation of the entire Neo-Confucian metaphysics. Of course Neo-Confucian metaphysics is more directly derived from the Book of Changes, but the concepts of reality in the Book of Changes and in this chapter are surprisingly similar.

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Wisdom and teachings ofDaoism

Wisdom and teachings of
Daoism