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.