Dao De Jing #27: Perfection

The Dao De Jing is one of the world's classics of literature. It is also one of the foundations of Daoism. Only the Bible has been translated more often. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version of this work or art. Here follows Chapter #27, Perfection.

The perfect traveller leaves no trail to be followed;
The perfect speaker leaves no question to be answered;
The perfect accountant leaves no working to be completed;
The perfect container leaves no lock to be closed;
The perfect knot leaves no end to be ravelled.

So the sage nurtures all men
And abandons no one.
He accepts everything
And rejects nothing.
He attends to the smallest details.

So the strong must guide the weak,
For the weak are raw material to the strong.
If the guide is not respected,
Or the material is not cared for,
Confusion will result, no matter how clever one is.

This is the secret of perfection:
When raw wood is carved, it becomes a tool;
When a man is employed, he becomes a tool;
The perfect carpenter leaves no wood to be carved.

Dao De Jing: Chapter #26, Calm

One of the world’s classics of literature is the Dao De Jing. It is also one of the foundations of Daoism. If you click on the title of this post, you’ll be directed to a free online version of the Dao De Jing in both English and Chinese.

#26: Calm

Gravity is the source of lightness,

Calm, the master of haste.

A lone traveller will journey all day, watching over his belongings;

Yet once safe in his bed he will lose them in sleep.

The captain of a great vessel will not act lightly or hastily.

Acting lightly, he loses sight of the world,

Acting hastily, he loses control of himself.

A captain can not treat his great ship as a small boat;

Rather than glitter like jade.

He must stand like stone.

Daoist Downloads

If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to a website entitled Hermetica. The author of this website, Bradford Hatcher, has translated an enormous amount of Daoist material (among other things) available for download. Free. Donations are welcome though.

There is a massive translation of the I Ching, the Dao De Jing, Zhaung Zi; and a large number of very high quality links.

Please pay a visit and take a look around. You can also find the link over at the right.

Dao De Jing: Chapter #25 Beneath Abstraction

The Dao De Jing is one of the world's classics, and one of the foundational documents of Daoism. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version.

25. Beneath Abstraction

There is a mystery,
Beneath abstraction,
Silent, depthless,
Alone, unchanging,
Ubiquitous and liquid,
The mother of nature.
It has no name, but I call it "the Way";
It has no limit, but I call it "limitless".

Being limitless, it flows away forever;
Flowing away forever, it returns to my self:

The Way is limitless,
So nature is limitless,
So the world is limitless,
And so I am limitless.

For I am abstracted from the world,
The world from nature,
Nature from the Way,
And the Way from what is beneath abstraction.

Dao De Jing: Chapter #24 Indulgence

In addition to being a world classic, the Dao De Jing is one of the foundational documents of philosophical Daoism. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version of the complete text.

24. Indulgence
Straighten yourself and you will not stand steady;
Display yourself and you will not be clearly seen;
Justify yourself and you will not be respected;
Promote yourself and you will not be believed;
Pride yourself and you will not endure.

These behaviours are wasteful, indulgent,
And so they attract disfavour;
Harmony avoids them.

Dao De Jing: Chapter #23 Words

The Dao De Jing is a timeless classic. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to a full online version.

23. Words

Nature says only a few words:
High wind does not last long,
Nor does heavy rain.
If nature's words do not last
Why should those of man?

Who accepts harmony, becomes harmonious.
Who accepts loss, becomes lost.
For who accepts harmony, the Way harmonizes with him,
And who accepts loss, the Way cannot find.

Notable Dao De Jing Translation

Maybe it's the baby duck syndrome, but the first translation of the Dao De Jing that I was exposed to when I was a teenager, has always been my favorite. It's the translation by Gia Fu Feng, illustrated by photographs by Jane English. It can be found here:

http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Ching-25th-Anniversary-Lao-Tsu/dp/0679776192/ref=sr_1_1/103-1104095-2784624?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186777149&sr=8-1

While looking something else up, I stumbled across a reference to the book, and decided to look up Gia Fu Feng and Jane English. They were a married couple. She provided the photographs, and he provided the translations.

There's a pretty lengthy article about Gia Fu Feng. He was quite an interesting guy, who was right in the thick of it, brining the East to the West in the 60's and 70's. You can find it by clicking on the title of this post. The calligraphy at the top of this article was done by him.

The Dao De Jing, Chapter #22: Home

I just flew back from Orlando, and boy, are my arms tired! My daughter played in a big volleyball tournament in Florida, and we just got back.

The best part of any trip is coming home.

The kitchen has been neglected, so I thought it was due for a post.

If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version of the Chinese classic, the Dao De Jing. This is chapter 22. Enjoy.

Chapter 22: Home

Accept and you become whole,
Bend and you straighten,
Empty and you fill,
Decay and you renew,
Want and you acquire,
Fulfill and you become confused.

The sage accepts the world
As the world accepts the Way;
He does not display himself, so is clearly seen,
Does not justify himself, so is recognized,
Does not boast, so is credited,
Does not pride himself, so endures,
Does not contend, so none contend against him.

The ancients said, "Accept and you become whole",
Once whole, the world is as your home.

Dao De Jing: #21 Accept

What a week. There were a few things I had been thinking of posting, but instead a look at the Dao De Jing might be in order. If you click o the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version of this classic.

21. Accept

Harmony is only in following the Way.

The Way is without form or quality,
But expresses all forms and qualities;
The Way is hidden and implicate,
But expresses all of nature;
The Way is unchanging,
But expresses all motion.

Beneath sensation and memory
The Way is the source of all the world.
How can I understand the source of the world?
By accepting.

Dao De Jing: Chapter 20

The Dao De Jing is not only one of the world's classics, it is one of the foundational texts of philosophical Daoism. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version of this timeless work.

20. Wandering

What is the difference between assent and denial?

What is the difference between beautiful and ugly?

What is the difference between fearsome and afraid?

The people are merry as if at a magnificent party

Or playing in the park at springtime,

But I am tranquil and wandering,

Like a newborn before it learns to smile,

Alone, with no true home.

The people have enough and to spare,

Where I have nothing,

And my heart is foolish,

Muddled and cloudy.

The people are bright and certain,

Where I am dim and confused;

The people are clever and wise,

Where I am dull and ignorant;

Aimless as a wave drifting over the sea,

Attached to nothing.

The people are busy with purpose,

Where I am impractical and rough;

I do not share the peoples' cares

But I am fed at nature's breast.

Dao De Jing: Chapter 19

The Dao De Jing is not only one of the world's classics, it is one of the foundational texts of philosophical Daoism. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version.

19. Simplify

If we could abolish knowledge and wisdom

Then people would profit a hundredfold;

If we could abolish duty and justice

Then harmonious relationships would form;

If we could abolish artifice and profit

Then waste and theft would disappear.

Yet such remedies treat only symptoms

And so they are inadequate.

People need personal remedies:

Reveal your naked self and embrace your original nature;

Bind your self-interest and control your ambition;

Forget your habits and simplify your affairs.

Dao De Jing: Chapter 18

The Dao De Jing is not only one of the foundational documents of philosophical Daoism, it is also one of the world's classics. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version of the complete text

18. Hypocrisy

When the Way is forgotten
Duty and justice appear;
Then knowledge and wisdom are born
Along with hypocrisy.

When harmonious relationships dissolve
Then respect and devotion arise;
When a nation falls to chaos
Then loyalty and patriotism are born.

Dao De Jing: chapter 17

The Dao De Jing is one of the world's classics. It is also the foundational text of philosophical Daoism. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version of this timeless work.

17. Rulers

The best rulers are scarcely known by their subjects;
The next best are loved and praised;
The next are feared;
The next despised:
They have no faith in their people,
And their people become unfaithful to them.

When the best rulers achieve their purpose
Their subjects claim the achievement as their own.

Dao De Jing: chapter 16

The Dao De Ching is one of the world's classics. It's also one of the foundational documents of Daoism. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version.

16. Decay and Renewal

Empty the self completely;
Embrace perfect peace.
The world will rise and move;
Watch it return to rest.

All the flourishing things
Will return to their source.
This return is peaceful;
It is the flow of nature,
An eternal decay and renewal.

Accepting this brings enlightenment,
Ignoring this brings misery.

Who accepts nature's flow becomes all-cherishing;
Being all-cherishing he becomes impartial;
Being impartial he becomes magnanimous;
Being magnanimous he becomes natural;
Being natural he becomes one with the Way;
Being one with the Way he becomes immortal:
Though his body will decay, the Way will not.

Dao De Jing: chapter 15

In addition to being one of the foundational documents of Daoism, the Dao De Jing is also considered one of the world's classics. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version of the text.

15. Enlightenment

The enlightened possess understanding
So profound they can not be understood.
Because they cannot be understood
I can only describe their appearance:

Cautious as one crossing thin ice,
Undecided as one surrounded by danger,
Modest as one who is a guest,
Unbounded as melting ice,
Genuine as unshaped wood,
Broad as a valley,
Seamless as muddy water.

Who stills the water that the mud may settle,
Who seeks to stop that he may travel on,
Who desires less than may transpire,
Decays, but will not renew.

Dao De Jing: chapter 14

The Dao De Jing, the Way and it's Power, is not only one of the world's classics, it's one of the foundations of philosophical Daoism. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version of this book. Below is chapter 14. Enjoy.

Chapter Fourteen
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,
Move with the present.

Knowing the ancient beginning is the essence of Tao.

Dao De Jing: Chapter 13

Along with being one of the foundational texts of Daoism, the Dao De Jing is one of the world's classics. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online version.

13. Self
Both praise and blame cause concern,
For they bring people hope and fear.
The object of hope and fear is the self -
For, without self, to whom may fortune and disaster occur?

Therefore,
Who distinguishes himself from the world may be given the world,
But who regards himself as the world may accept the world.

Dao De Jing: Chapter 12

The Dao De Jing, besides being one of the foundational books of philosophical Daoism, is one of the world's great works of literature. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to an online translation. Here is Chapter 12.

Too much colour blinds the eye,
Too much music deafens the ear,
Too much taste dulls the palate,
Too much play maddens the mind,
Too much desire tears the heart.
In this manner the sage cares for people:
He provides for the belly, not for the senses;
He ignores abstraction and holds fast to substance.

Dao De Jing: Chapter 11

The Dao De Ching (aka Tao De Ching) is not only one of the world's classics, it's the foundation of philosophic daoism. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to a complete online version.

Chapter 11: Tools

Thirty spokes meet at a nave;
Because of the hole we may use the wheel.
Clay is moulded into a vessel;
Because of the hollow we may use the cup.
Walls are built around a hearth;
Because of the doors we may use the house.
Thus tools come from what exists,
But use from what does not.

Dao De Jing: Chapter 10

The Dao De Ching (aka Tao De Ching) is not only one of the world's classics, it's the foundation of philosophic daoism. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be directed to a complete online version.

10. Harmony
Embracing the Way, you become embraced;
Breathing gently, you become newborn;
Clearing your mind, you become clear;
Nurturing your children, you become impartial;
Opening your heart, you become accepted;
Accepting the world, you embrace the Way.
Bearing and nurturing,
Creating but not owning,
Giving without demanding,
This is harmony.