While carrying your active life on your head
can you embrace the quiet spirit in your arms,
and not let go?
While being fully focused on vour vital breath
can you make it soft like that of a newborn babe?
While cleaning your inner mirror
can you leave it without blemish?
While loving the people and ruling the country
can you dispense with [...]
Better to stop in time than to fill to the brim.
Hone a blade to the sharpest point,
and it will soon be blunt.
Fill your house with gold and jade,
and no one can protect it.
Be prideful about wealth and position,
and you bring disasters upon yourself.
Retire when the work is done.
This is the way of heaven.
The highest good is like water.
For water benefits the ten thousand things without striving.
It settles in places that people avoid
and so is like the Tao.
In choosing your horne look to the land.
In preparing your heart go deep.
In associating with others value gentleness.
In speaking exhibit good faith.
In governing pruvide good order.
In the conduct of business be [...]
Heaven and earth last forever.
The reason why heaven and earth last forever
is that they do not live for themselves.
Hence, they last forever.
Therefore, the True Person
leaves self behind
and thus is found in front,
is not guarded and thus is preserved,
is self-free and thus is able
to find fulfillment.
The valley spirit never dies.
It is the unknown first mother,
whose gate is the root
from which grew heaven and earth.
It is dimly seen, yet always present.
Draw from it all you wish;
it will never run dry.
Heaven and earth are not moved
by offerings of straw-dogs.
The Trne Person is not moved
by offerings of straw-dogs.
The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows.
It is empty and yet never exhausted.
The more it works the more comes out.
Many words lead to exhaustion.
Better to hold fast to your center.
