04道德经英译本85种-第489章
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I alone am forgotten as one who has no home to return to。
All have enough and more:
I alone appear to possess nothing。
What a not knowing person I am!
What a confused mind I have!
All are bright;
bright:
I alone am dim;
dim。
All are sharp;
sharp:
I alone am silent; silent!
Tasteless like the ocean;
Aimless like the drifting wind。
All settle in their paths:
I alone am stubborn and remain outside。
I am most different from others
In knowing
to take support from
my Eternal Mother!
21
It lies in the nature of
Power
To follow the Tao (the Laws of the Universe) and
the Tao (the Laws of the Universe) alone。
Now what is the Tao (the Laws of the Universe)?
It is Something slippery and shifty。 Shifty and slippery!
And yet It contains within Itself a Form。 Shifty and slippery!
And yet It contains within Itself a Substance。
Shadowy and dim!
And yet It contains within Itself a Core of Energy ( the Force of Life)。
The Core of Energy ( Force of Life ) is very real;
It contains within Itself an unfailing Honesty。
Throughout the ages
Its Name has been preserved
In order to recall the
Beginning of all things。
(We can see and hear the background radiation that was the Big Bangthe beginning of
our Universe。)
How do I know the ways of all things at the Beginning?
By what is within me。
(For are we not made of recycled Star Stuff。)
22
Accept and you will be whole。
Bend and you will straighten。
Empty and you will fill。
Grow old and you will be renewed。
Have little and you will gain。
Have much and you will be confused。
The Complete Thinker
embraces the One;
Becomes a Pattern to
all under Heaven。
Does not make a show;
Then shines;
Does not justify self;
Then becomes known;
Does not brag of ability;
Then gets credit;
Does not show success;
Then lasts;
Does not compete with anyone;
Then no one can compete with the Complete Thinker。
Indeed; the ancient saying:
〃Accept and you will remain whole〃
is no idle word。
Once whole;
Turn within and concentrate your Power。
The world is as your home。
23
Only simple and
quiet words will
ripen of themselves。
For a whirlwind
does not last a
whole morning。
A sudden rain
does not last
a whole day。
Who is their creator?
Heaven…and…Earth!
Even Heaven…and…Earth
cannot make such
violent things
last long;
The same is true of the
reckless efforts of humans。
Who helps the Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
is one with the Tao (the Laws of the Universe);
Who thinks with Power
is one with Power;
And who seeks the hand of loss
is one with Loss。
To be one with
the Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
is to be a welcome addition to
the Tao (the Laws of the Universe);
To be one with Power
is to be a welcome addition
to Power;
To be one with Loss
is to be a welcome addition
to Loss。
Failure of faith
on your part
Creates faithlessness
on the part of others。
24
One on tip…toe
cannot stand solid。
Sitting on a horse
you cannot walk。
Who shows off
does not shine
。 Who brags
has no glory。
Who boasts of ability
has no merit。
Who parades success
will not last。
In Tao (the Laws of the Universe) these things are called
〃unwanted food and
extra growths;〃
Are rejected
by all things
。 A person of the Tao (the Laws of the Universe)
does not want them。
They turn away from them。
25
There was Something undefined and complete in itself;
Born before Heaven…and…Earth。
Silent and
endless;
Standing alone
without change;
Being within all;
It may be thought of as
the Mother of the world。
I do not know its name;
I write it
〃Tao (the Laws of the Universe)〃;
Without a better word;
call it
〃The Great。〃
To be great is
to go on;
To go on is
to go far;
To go far is
to return。
Therefore;
〃Tao (the Laws of the Universe) is great;
Heaven is great;
Earth is great;
The Leader is great〃
Thus the Leader is
one of the great four in the Universe。
Humans follows
the ways of the Earth。
Earth follows
the ways of Heaven;
Heaven follows
the ways of Tao (the Laws of the Universe);
Tao (the Laws of the Universe) follows
its own ways。
26
Heaviness is
the root of lightness。
Peace of mind is
the master of restlessness。
The Complete Thinker;
traveling all day;
Does not leave
the baggage…wagon;
There may be
gorgeous sights to see;
But stays
peacefully at home。
How can a leader
Have a light hearted position in the world?
To be light hearted
is to be separated from one's root;
To be restless
is to lose one's self…mastery。
27
Good walking leaves
no track behind it;
but the walking was true;
Good speech leaves
no mark to be picked at;
but the speech was true;
Good calculation makes
no use of counting…slips;
yet the counting is true;
Good shutting makes
no use of bolt and bar;
And yet nobody can undo it;
Good tying makes
no use of rope and knot;
And yet nobody can untie it。
The Complete Thinker is
always good at saving humans;
And nobody is abandoned;
Always good at savings things;
And nothing is wasted。
This is called
〃following the guidance of the Insight。〃
Good humans are the
teachers of destructive humans;
Destructive humans
depend on constructive humans。
Not to honor one's teacher;
Not to value one's dependent;
Is to be on the wrong road;
however intelligent one may be。
This is call the Important Not Obvious 。
28
Know the masculine;
Keep to the feminine;
And be the
Brook of the World。
To be the Brook of the World is
To move unchanging
in the path of Power
Without swerving from it;
And to return again to infancy。
Know the white;
Keep to the black;
And be the Pattern of the World。
To be the Pattern of the World is
To move unchanging in the path of Power
Without making a single wrong step; And to return again to the Infinite。
Know the glorious;
Keep to the lowly;
And be the Fountain of
the World。
To be the Fountain of
the World is
To live the
life of Virute (Power) ;
And to return again to
the First Simplicity。
When the First Simplicity
splits apart;
It becomes useful tools;
Then in the hands
of a Complete Thinker;
make them leaders。
〃a great tailor does little cutting。〃
29
Does anyone want to take the world
and do what he wants with it?
I do not see how they can succeed。
The world
is a sacred vessel;
which must not be
tampered with
or grabbed after。
To tamper with it
is to spoil it;
and to grasp
is to lose it。
For all things
there is a time for going ahead;
and a time for following behind;
A time for slow…breathing
and a time for fast…breathing;
A time to grow in strength
and a time to decay;
time to be up
and a time to be down。
The Complete Thinker
avoids all extremes;
excesses
and luxuries。
Travels
the middle path。
30
Who knows how to guide a leader in the path of Tao (the Laws of theUniverse);
Does not try to conquer the world
with military force。
It is in the nature of a military force to turn against its user。
(Economic Force stregthens the Society)
Wherever armies are stationed;
thorny bushes grow。
After a great war;
bad years always follow。
(Over spe