The Simple Way of Lao Tzu

The Tao-Teh Canon. (Part 3) Edited by Steven Ericsson Zenith This is part three of a three part rendition of the Tao Te Ching. Based on the Summer Solstice 1924 edition of The Shrine Of Wisdom. TAO-TEH CHING (TEH) "The Nurturing of Teh." By Tao all things are produced; by Teh they are nourished So each being receives its Form, its inward urge towards perfection That is why all things reverence Tao and extol Teh; its outward manifestation. The venerating of Tao! The extolling of Teh! No Enlightened One has decreed it, but spontaneously it is proclaimed. Tao brings all things into being; Teh nurtures them and makes them grow. Teh sustains them completes them, matures them, ripens them, and gives them protection. To quicken, but not to own; To actuate, but not to act; To raise, but not to rule; This is called the Mysterious Teh. "Emptiness and Nothingness." (part). Those who are one with Tao, will do all things in Tao. Those who are one with Teh will do all things by Teh. Those who are one with failure, will fail in all their works. Being one with Tao, joyfully they accept all the gifts of Tao. Being one with Teh, gladly they receives all that comes by Teh. Being one with failure, they invite failure in all their deeds. For, if their faith is lacking, they inspire no confidence. "The Benevolence of Teh." Hold fast to the Great Idea and all people will come to you of themselves. They will come and receive no hurt, finding rest and peace in the great calm. Music and dainties may detain the passing guest. But Tao, when coming to the lips, how tasteless It is! It has no flavor. When coming before the eyes, It does not impress the sight. When listened by the ears, It is not to be heard. So, Tao is as nothing, yet in Its applications It can never be exhausted. "The Profoundness of Teh." Of old those who were a Servant of Tao, did not use It to make people more brilliant, but to make them more simple and kind. If people are difficult to govern it is because they are too worldly wise. This worldly wisdom invites the ruin of a state. Those who rule with simpleness are blessed. To know these two ways is to be a model as of old, and to be a model for all is called Profundity of Teh. Profound Teh is deep and far-reaching; reacting upon all things, forever tending perfect harmony. "The Three Treasures." As the servant of Tao, the world calls me great, but I am not equal to my greatness. It is through the greatness of That Which I serve that I continue to appear so small. But I have three treasures which I prize and hold fast. The first is called Compassion. The second is called Economy. The third is called Humility. Through Compassion I exhibit courage; through Economy I can freely give; through Humility I become a vessel of the highest honor. But people forsake Compassion and seek courage; they forsake Economy and seek profusion; they forsake Humility and seek precedence. The end of it all is death. Compassion overcomes all opposition and is sure in its defence. Therefore, when the Universe would preserve people it enfolds them with Compassion. "Increasing the Evidence of Tao." If I should attain wisdom to follow Supreme Tao, I should fear nothing save to be unworthy of it. Supreme Tao is very straight, but how much people love the by-paths. The palace may be all-splendid, but the land may be uncultured and the store-house empty and bare. We may adorn ourselves with fair raiment and gird ourselves with swords; we may fill ourselves with food and drink, and display our wealth of useless things. This is the glorification of possession, assuredly it is not of Tao. "The Possible." By blending heart and mind in united singleness of purpose, it is possible to reach the Indivisible. By restraining the passions and letting gentleness have sway, it is possible to become as a little child. By purging the mind of fantasy, it is possible attain to clear vision. By loving people with inner service, it is possible to remain unknown. By going in and out of the Gates of the Universe, it is possible to become as the Mother-bird. By pure transparency in all directions it is possible to know and yet remain unknown. To quicken and to give birth; To give birth and to nourish; To nourish but not to own; To actuate but not to rule; To rule but not to excel; This is called Profound Teh. "Overflowing Teh." Esteem your highest attainment as incomplete, its utility remains unimpaired. Esteem your greatest fullness as emptiness, it will never be depleted. Count your extreme uprightness as that which is crooked. Know your highest wisdom as foolishness. Deem your finest eloquence as stammering words. And you will find that, even as movement overcomes cold, as stillness overcomes heat, so they who have purity and serenity become a model of the world. "The Mysterious Seal." Those who possess Teh in its fullness are like little children. Poisonous insects will not sting them; wild beasts will not seize them; birds of prey will not strike them, Though their bones are soft and their muscles weak, their grasp is firm and sure. Though Unconscious of their creative power they are fully virile and reach maturity. Though all day they sing and speak their voice is smooth, and their perfect harmony shows. Knowledge of harmony is eternal. Knowledge of the Eternal is illumination. But increase of life is not always a blessing. The impulse to live is strong, but vigor at its height approaches its decay. This is not Tao. And what is not Tao will quickly pass away. "The Nature of Teh." The highest virtue assumes no excellence; thus it is the very essence of Teh But excellence is assumed by the lower virtue, and since it fears to lose it, it is not of the real essence of Teh. The activity of the highest excellence is inward (Wu Wei): it acts without being seen; but the activity of the lower excellence is outward: it cannot act without being seen. The highest benevolence is ever active, but not subject to necessity. The highest justice takes action and its action inevitably continues. The highest order is always operative, and asserts itself when there is no response. So, when Tao is not seen, Teh appears. When Teh is not seen, benevolence appears. When benevolence is not seen, justice appears. When justice is not seen, order and expediency appear. But expediency is the mere shadow of right and truth; it is the beginning of disorder. False knowledge is the perverted semblance of Tao: it is the source of all delusion. That is why the Enlightened One abides in stability and dwells not in passing shadows. The Enlightened One holds on to the real and ignores superficialities. "The Serene Nature." The highest excellence is like water, it benefits those in the most inaccessible places without striving. It occupies the lowest level, which people avoid. Therefore, it is analogous to Tao. It has the virtue of gravity, that finds its own place. It has the virtue of the heart, that knows the silent deeps. It has the virtue of the kind,that bestows the fullest gifts. It has the virtue of the words that speak the greatest truths. It has the virtue of the service that uses the highest skill. It has the virtue of the rhythm that is unfailing in its timeliness. "The Dignity of Teh." Heaviness is the foundation of lightness. Stillness is the master of motion. Therefore, the wise person, in their daily life, does not depart from inner repose. Though they enter a glorious palace, they remain serene and unattached. Though they are the commander of a myriad forces, they behave naturally before the nation. Lack of composure loses credibility. "The Falling Away." It is only when Supreme Tao is not contemplated that people meditate on benevolence and justice. It is only when thoughts of prudence and shrewdness appear that people fall into deception. It is only when the bonds of kinship are loosened that people turn to filial piety and paternal affection. It is only when the nation degenerates that loyalty and allegiance need cultivation. "Pristine Innocence." In the first age people did not know that there was government. In the next age people loved and praised government. In the third age people were afraid of government. In the next age, government was despised. It is said: "If you lack trust, you will inspire no confidence." How cautious the Enlightened One is; how sparing in words! For with the task accomplished, and the affairs of people in order, the Enlightened One hears the people say: "We have become autonomous!" "Reverting to Innocence." Cast off self-righteousness, rid yourself of cleverness, and all people will benefit a hundredfold. Cease to assume benevolence; Cease your claims to justice; And all people will revert on their own to paternal love and filial devotion. Renounce all scheming, abandon all gains, and stealing and theft will cease to appear. The meaning of these three principles is that outward show is for nothing; seek early innocence; Hold fast to that which endures; Show ourselves simple, preserve the inner light; Restrain ambition and curb selfish desires. "Trust in Teh." The heart of the Enlightened One is not their own; they attract the hearts of people by expanding theirs. To the person who is kind, they give kindness. To the person without kindness, they are kind. This is the kindness of Teh. To the person who is trustworthy, they give trust. To the person without trust, they give trust. This is the faith of Teh. The Enlightened One dwells in the world with patience, adjusting their heart to the hearts of people. The ears and the eyes of all are towards them; the Enlightened One sees them all as children in their care. "The Cultivation of Insight." Those who are planted in kindness shall not be uprooted. That which is preserved in kindness shall not be taken away. Their children of all generations shall be blessed forever. Cultivate the Tao of your being, and your Teh shall become real. Cultivate the Tao of your brethren, and your Teh shall overflow. Cultivate the Tao of your abode, and your Teh shall ever endure. Cultivate the Tao of your nation, and your Teh shall be all-prolific. Cultivate the Tao of the world, and your Teh shall become universal. Therefore, by one's person there is insight of real being: by one's brethren there is insight of real brotherhood; by one's abode there is insight of the real home; by one's country there is insight of the real nation; and by the world there is insight of the Universe. How do I know that the Universe is real? Because it is self-evident! "The Discriminating Teh." One who knows others is discerning. One who knows their own self is enlightened. One who conquers others has strength. One who conquers their own self are potent. One who knows contentment is rich. One who knows persistency has a real object. One who does not depart from their inner essence shall always endure; though the body dies, they do not perish, but enter Immortality. "The Revealing of Teh." The wise people of old approached the Mysteries with profound spiritual penetration. How deep the fathomless! How inscrutable and beyond understanding! With no ordinary words can I describe them They were cautious, as if fording a stream in the winter. They were reluctant, as if fearing to give offense. They were deferential, as if dealing with strangers. They were self-effacing, like snow beneath the sun. They were unpretentious, like unpolished wood. They were lowly, like an expansive valley. They were opaque, like water mixed with soil. It is only by leaving the soil to settle, that the water becomes clear of itself. It is only from unimpeded activity, that the condition of rest can ensue. Those who follow the way of Tao, have no need to be replenished. And because they are ever renewed, they can never be exhausted. "Sameness and Difference." When the person of higher wisdom hears Tao, diligently he follows it. When the person of lower wisdom hears Tao, he both follows and departs from it. When the person bereft of wisdom hears Tao, he but treats it with derision. If it were not thus, It would be unworthy of the name of Tao. Those who are enlightened by Tao seem wrapped in outer darkness. Those who are advanced in Tao, seem backward. Those who walk through Tao, seem to be on a rugged broken path. The highest virtue appears the lowliest. The whitest purity does not please the eyes. The fullest Teh seems incomplete. The deepest virtue seems unstable. The surest truth seems uncertain. The greatest square seems without corners. The largest vessel seems unfinished. The loudest sound seems inaudible. The grandest form seems void of shape. For in Tao alone can things begin: by Tao alone can they reach their destined end. "Contrary to the Worldly." Renounce vain learning; it withdraws from the Inner Life. How slight is the difference between the yes and the no. But how great is the distinction of the good and the bad. What all people fear, is indeed to be feared. How great is their desolation! Alas! That the barrenness of the age has not yet reached its limit. Yet the multitude of people seem happy; so happy, as though partaking of great feasts, as though mounted on a tower in the springtime. I alone am still, and give as yet no sign of joy; like a new born babe that cannot smile at its mother. I alone am forsaken, as one who has nowhere to lay their head. Other people have enough and to spare, I alone seem as one who has lost all that he had. How foolish and empty am I: so dull and so foolish. Other people appear full of light. I alone seem wrapped in darkness. Other people are all alert, I alone seem listless. I am as homeless as the vast ocean, rolling on and never resting. Other people all have their gifts, I alone seem without power and devoid of any merit. Yet lonely though I am and unlike other people, still I revere and seek the Mother-Deep, the All-sustaining Tao.