Translated by Gia-Fu Feng and jane English, 25th Anniversary edition.
This is my favorite translation of my favorite sacred book -- the timeless Chinese classic. It is also a beautiful book with its black and white whotographs and Chinese calligraphy.
Link to complete translation: http://www.daily-tao.com/ Excerpts:
1
The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
The named is the mother of ten thousand things.
Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.
Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations.
These two spring from the same source but differ in name;
This appears as darkness.
Darkness within darkness.
The gate to all mystery.
6
The Tao is an empty vessel,
it is used, but never filled.
Oh, unfathomable source of ten
thousand things!
Blunt the sharpness,
Untangle the knot,
Soften the glare,
Merge with dust.
Oh, hidden deep but ever present!
I do not know from whence it comes.
It is the forefather of the gods.
25
Something mysteriously formed.
Born before heaven and earth.
In the silence and the void,
Standing alone and unchanging,
Ever present and in motion.
Perhaps it is the mother of ten thousand things.
I do not know its name.
Call it Tao for lack of a better word.
I call it great.
Being great, it flows.
It flows far away.
Having gone far, it returns.
6
The valley spirit never dies;
It is the woman, primal mother.
Her gateway is the root of heaven
and earth.
It is like a veil barely seen.
Use it; it will never fails.
42
The Tao begot one.
One begot two.
Two begot three.
And three begot the ten thousand things.
The ten thousand things carry
yin and embrace yang.
They achieve harmony by
combining these f.orces
14
Look, it cannot be seen - it is beyond form.
Listen, it cannot be heard - it is beyond sound.
Grasp, it cannot be held - it is intangible.
These three are indefinable;
Therefore they are joined in one.
From above it is not bright;
From below it is not dark:
An unbroken thread beyond description.
It returns to nothingness.
The form of the formless,
The image of the imageless,
It is called indefinable and beyond imagination.
Stand before it and there is no beginning.
Follow it and there is no end.
Stay with the ancient Tao,
29
Do you want to improve the world?
I don't think it can be done.
The world is sacred.
It cannot be improved.
Ifyou tamper with it, you'll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.
There is a time for being ahead,
A time for being behind;
A time for being in motion,
A time for being at rest;
A time for being vigorous,
A time for being exhausted;
A time for being safe,
A time for being in danger.
39
These things from ancient times arise from one:
The sky is whole and clear.
The earth is whole and firm.
The spirit is whole and strong.
The valley is whole and full.
The ten thousand things are whole and alive.
Kings and lords are whole,
and the country is upright.
All these are in virtue of wholeness.
76
Green plants are tender and filled with sap.
At their death they are withered and dry.
Therefore the stiff and unbending is
the disciple of death.
The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life.
Thus an army without flexibility never wins a battle.
A man is born gentle and weak.
At his death he is hard and stiff.
A tree that is unbending is easily broken.
The hard and strong will fall.
The soft and weak will overcome.
24
He who stands on tiptoe is not steady.
He who strides cannot maintain the pace.
He who makes a show is not enlightened.
He who is self-righteous is not respected.
He who boasts achieves nothing.
He who brags will not endure.
According to followers of the Tao,
These are extra food and unnecessary luggage.
They do not bring happiness.
Therefore followers of the Tao avoid them.
12
The five colors blind the eye.
The five tones deafen the ear.
The five flavors dull the taste.
Racing and hunting madden the mind.
Precious things lead one astray.
Therefore the sage is guided by what he feels
and not by what he sees.
He lets go of that and chooses this.
15
The ancient masters were subtle,
mysterious, profound, responsive.
The depth of their knowledge is unfathomable.
Because it is unfathomable, all we can do is
describe their appearance.
Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream.
Alert, like men aware of danger.
Courteous, like visiting guests.
Yielding, like ice about to melt.
Simple, like uncarved blocks of wood.
Hollow, like caves.
Opaque, like muddy pools.
Who can wait quietly while the mud settles?
Who can remain still until the moment of action?
Observers of Tao do not seek fulfillment.
Not seeking fulfillment, they are not swayed by desire for change.
27
A good walker leaves no tracks;
A good speaker makes no slips
Therefore the sage takes care of all men
And abandons no one.
He takes care of all things
And abandons nothing.
This is called following the light.
What is a good man?
A teacher of a bad man.
What is a bad man?
A good man's charge.
49
The sage has no mind of his own.
He is aware of the needs of others.
I am good to people who are good.
I am also good to people who are not good.
Because Virtue is goodness.
I have faith in people who are faithful.
I also have faith in people who are not faithful.
Because Virtue is faithfulness.
The sage is shy and humble - To the world
he seems confusing.
Others look to him and listenh.
He behaves like a little child.
70
The sage wears rough clothing and
holds the jewel in his heart.
78
Under heaven nothing is more soft and
yielding than water.
Yet for attacking the solid and strong,
nothing is better.It has no equal.
The weak can overcome the strong;
The supple can overcome the stiff.
Under heaven everyone knows this,
Yet no one puts it into practice.
Therefore the sage says:
He who takes upon himself the
humiliation of the people is fit to rule them.
He who takes upon himself the
country's disasters
deserves to be king of the universe.
The truth often sounds paradoxical.
48
In the pursuit of learning, every day
something is acquired.
In the pursuit of Tao,
every day something is dropped.
81
Truthful words are not beautiful. Beautiful words are not truthful.Good men do not argue.
Those who argue are not good.Those who know are not learned.The learned do not know.
The sage never tries to store things up. The more he does for others, the more he has.The more he gives to others, the greater his abundance.The Tao of heaven is pointed but does no harm.The Tao of the sage is work without effort.
56
Those who know do not talk.
Those who talk do not know.
Keep your mouth closed.
Guard your senses.
Temper your sharpness.
Simplify your problems.
Mask your brightness.
Be at one with the dust of the earth.
This is primal union.
30
Achieve results,
But never glory in them.
Achieve results.
But never boast.
Achieve results,
But never be proud.
Achieve results,
Because this is the natural way.
Achieve results,
But not through violence.
8
The highest good is like water.
Water gives a life to the ten thousand things
and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and
so is like the Tao.
In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep into the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In ruling, be just.
In business, be competent.
In action, watch the timing.
No fight: No blame.
38
A truly good man is not aware of his goodness,
And is therefore good.
A foolish man tries to be good
And is therefore not good.
31
Weapons are instruments of fear; they are not a wise mans tools.He uses them only when he has no choice.Peace and quiet are dear to his heart, and victory no cause for rejoicing.
If you rejoice in victory, then you delight in killing;
If you delight in killing, you cannot fulfill yourself.
28
Know the strength of man, but keep a woman's care!Be the stream of the universe, ever true and unswerving.Become as a little child once more. Know honor, yet keep humility.Be the valley of the universe!Being the valley of the universe, Ever true and resourceful, return to the state of the uncarved block.Fame or self:Which matters most? Self or wealth:Which is more precious?Gain or loss:Which is more painful?He who is attached to things will suffer much.He who saves will suffer heavy loss.A contented man is never disappointed. He who knows when to stop does not find himself in trouble.He will stay forever safe.
14
I have three treasures which I hold and keep.The first is mercy; the second is economy; the third is daring not to be ahead of other.From mercy comes courage; from economy comes generosity; from humility comes leadership.Nowadays men shun mercy, but try to be brave.They abandon economy, but try to be generous.They do not believe in humility, but always try to be first.This is certain death.Mercy brings victory in battle and strength in defense.It is the means by which heaven saves and guards.
46
There is no greater sin than desire,
No greater curse than discontent,
No greater misfortune than wanting
Something for oneself.
Therefore he who knows that enough
is enough
Will always have enough.
44
He who is attached to things will suffer much.
He who saves will suffer heavy loss.
A contented man is never disappointed.
55
It is not wise to rush about.
Controlling the breath causes strain.
If too much energy is used, exhaustion follows.
This is not the way of Tao.
Whatever is contrary to Tao will not last long.
43
The softest thing in the universe
Overcomes the hardest thing in the universe.
That without substance can enter
where there is no room.
Hence I know the value of non-action
Practice non-action.
Work without doing.
Taste the tasteless.
Magnify the small, increase the few.
Reward bitterness with care.
59
In caring for others and serving heaven,
There is nothing like using restraint.
Restraint begins with giving up one's own ideas.
This depends on Virtue gathered in the past.
If there is a good store of Virtue, then nothing is impossible.
22
Yield and overcome;
Bend and be straight;
Empty and be full;
Wear out and be new;
Have little and gain;
Have much and be confused.
16
Empty yourself of everything.Let the mind become still.The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return..They grow and flourish and then return to the source.Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature.With an open mind, you will be openhearted.Being openhearted, you will act royally.Being royal, you will attain the divine.Being divine, you will be at one with the Tao.Being at one with the Tao is eternal.And though the body dies, the Tao will never pass away.
