Tao Te Ching - English translations

Beck: 1. The Mystical Way. The Way that can be described is not the absolute Way; the name that can be given is not the absolute name. Nameless it is the source of heaven and earth; named it is the mother of all things. Whoever is desireless, sees the essence of life. Whoever desires, sees its manifestations. These two are the same, but what is produced has names. They both may be called the cosmic mystery: from the cosmic to the mystical is the door to the essence of all life. Blakney: 1. There are ways but the Way is uncharted; There are names but not nature in words: Nameless indeed is the source of creation But things have a mother and she has a name. The secret waits for the insight Of eyes unclouded by longing; Those who are bound by desire See only the outward container. These two come paired but distinct By their names. Of all things profound, Say that their pairing is deepest, The gate to the root of the world. Byrn: 1. The way that can be told of is hardly an eternal, absolute, unvarying one; the name that can be coded and given is no absolute name. Heaven and earth sprang from something else: the bright nameless; the named is but the said mother that rears the ten thousand creatures of heaven and earth, each after its kind. He that rids himself of base desire can see the secret essences; he that didn't and reached high being, he can see outcomes. Still the two are the same; the secret and its manifestations came from the same ground, the same mould, but anyway sound different - they're given different names where they appear. They can both be called the cosmic mystery, awesome deep or rather more secret than so-called mystery. There's the deeper mystery: the gate and doorway from which issued all secret essences, yes, all subleties, and the subtle mysterial opening homewards. Call it the door mystery or golden secret of all life.

Crowley: 1. THE NATURE OF THE TAO. The Tao-Path is not the All-Tao. The Name is not the Thing named. Unmanifested, it is the Secret Father of ########## #### #### ########## #### #### ########## #### #### Heaven and Earth manifested, it is their Mother. To understand this Mystery, one must be fulfilling one's will, and if one is not thus free, one will but gain a smattering of it. The Tao is one, and the Teh but a phase thereof. The abyss of this Mystery is the Portal of Serpent-Wonder. The Tao . The Teh, source of the Mother #### #### Heaven ########## ########## ########## Ch'ien #### #### #### #### ######### Fire #### #### ######### ######### Water - Tui

The Tao, source of the Father ########

Sun ######### #### #### ######### ######### ######### #### #### Air - Sun Moon #### #### ######### #### #### K'an Earth #### #### #### #### #### #### K'un ######### #### #### #### #### Earth - Ken

Feng - English: 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 the ten thousand things. Ever desireless, one can see the mystery. Ever desiring, one sees 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. Ganson: 1. The Tao described in words is not the real Tao. Words cannot describe it. Nameless, it is the source of creation. Named, it is the mother of all things. To see Tao the observer must be motiveless. Those with selfish motives see only the surface, not the innermost depths. These two kinds of observers look alike, but differ in the insight of their observations. They look alike because they are both human. Within humanity is the key to the door of creation. Hansen: 1. To Guide with Names. To guide what can be guided is not constant guiding. To name what can be named is not constant naming. 'Not-exist' names the beginning (boundary) of the cosmos (Heaven and earth) 'Exists' names the mother of the ten-thousand natural kinds . Thus, to treat 'not-exist' as constant is desiring to use it to view its mysteries. To treat 'exists' as constant is desiring to use it to view its manifestations. These two emerge together yet have different names. 'Together'--call that 'obscure. ' 'Obscure' it and it is more obscure. . . . the gateway of a crowd of mysteries. Kwok - Palmer - Ramsay: 1. The Tao that can be talked about is not the true Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. Everything in the universe comes out of Nothing. Nothing - the nameless is the beginning; While Heaven, the mother is the creatrix of all things. Follow the nothingness of the Tao, and you can be like it, not needing anything, seeing the wonder and the root of everything. And even if you cannot grasp this nothingness,

you can still see something of the Tao in everything. These two are the same only called by different names - and both are mysterious and wonderful. All mysteries are Tao, and Heaven is their mother: She is the gateway and the womb-door.

Lau: 1. The way that can be spoken of Is not the constant way; The name that can be named Is not the constant name. The nameless was the beginning of heaven and earth; The named was the mother of the myriad creatures. Hence always rid yourself of desires in order to observe its secrets; But always allow yourself to have desires in order to observe its manifestations. These two are the same But diverge in name as they issue forth. Being the same they are called mysteries, Mystery upon mystery The gateway of the manifold secrets. Legge: 1. The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. (Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things. Always without desire we must be found, If its deep mystery we would sound; But if desire always within us be, Its outer fringe is all that we shall see. Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development takes place, it receives the different names. Together we call them the Mystery. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful. Lindauer: 1. A tao that one can tao Is not the entire tao A name that one can name Is not the entire name. In the absence of names Lies the origin of heavens and earth The presence of names

Is mother to the 10000 things. So viewing entireness without desire One may see subtleties Viewing entireness with desire One may see boundaries. That which is these both Goes about as itself yet there are different names. Categorizing them together there is insight Very deep insight The gateway to collective subtleties. McCarroll: 1. The Tao that can be spoken of 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 name is the mother of the ten thousand things. Send your desires away and you will see the mystery. Be filled with desire and you will see only the manifestation. As these two come forth they differ in name. Yet at their source they are the same. This source is called a mystery. Darkness within darkness, the gateway to all mystery.

McDonald: 1. The tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be spoken is not the eternal Name. The nameless is the boundary of Heaven and Earth. The named is the mother of creation. Freed from desire, you can see the hidden mystery. By having desire, you can only see what is visibly real. Yet mystery and reality emerge from the same source. This source is called darkness. Darkness born from darkness. The beginning of all understanding.

Merel: 1. The Way. The Way that can be experienced is not true; The world that can be constructed is not true. The Way manifests all that happens and may happen; The world represents all that exists and may exist. To experience without intention is to sense the world; To experience with intention is to anticipate the world. These two experiences are indistinguishable; Their construction differs but their effect is the same. Beyond the gate of experience flows the Way, Which is ever greater and more subtle than the world.

Mitchell: 1. The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The unnamable is the eternally real. Naming is the origin of all particular things. Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. This source is called darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding. Muller: 1. The Tao that can be followed is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the origin of the universe While naming is the origin of everything. Therefore, always desireless, you see the mystery Ever desiring, you see the manifestations. These two are the same-When they are appear they are named differently. Their sameness is the mystery, Mystery within mystery; The door to every profundity. Rosenthal: 1. THE EMBODIMENT OF TAO. Even the finest teaching is not the Tao itself. Even the finest name is insufficient to define it. Without words, the Tao can be experienced, and without a name, it can be known.

To conduct one's life according to the Tao, is to conduct one's life without regrets; to realize that potential within oneself which is of benefit to all. Though words or names are not required to live one's life this way, to describe it, words and names are used, that we might better clarify the way of which we speak, without confusing it with other ways in which an individual might choose to live. Through knowledge, intellectual thought and words, the manifestations of the Tao are known, but without such intellectual intent we might experience the Tao itself. Both knowledge and experience are real, but reality has many forms, which seem to cause complexity. By using the means appropriate, we extend ourselves beyond the barriers of such complexity, and so experience the Tao.

Tao Te Ching - 2
Beck: 2. Relativity and Not Interfering. When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty, there arises the recognition of ugliness. When they all know the good as good, there arises the recognition of bad. Therefore being and non-being produce each other; difficult and easy complete each other; long and short contrast each other; high and low distinguish each other; sound and voice harmonize with each other; beginning and end follow each other. Therefore the wise manage affairs without interfering and teach beyond the words. All things rise, and they do not turn away from them. They give them life, but do not take possession of them. They act, but do not rely on their own ability. They accomplish, but claim no credit. Because they claim no credit, their accomplishment remains with them.

Blakney: 2. Since the world points up beauty as such, There is ugliness too. If goodness is taken as goodness, Wickedness enters as well. For is and is-not come together; Hard and easy are complementary; Long and short are relative; High and low are comparative; Pitch and sound make harmony; Before and after are a sequence. Indeed the Wise Man's office Is to work by being still; He teaches not by speech But by accomplishment; He does for everything, Neglecting none; Their life he gives to all, Possessing none; And what he brings to pass Depends on no one else. As he succeeds, He takes no credit And just because he does not take it, Credit never leaves him.

Byrn: 2. When the people of the world see beauty as beauty, the notion of ugliness pops up along with that And equally if every one recognize virtue as virtue, if they all know the good as good, the recognition of adjacent evil is wont to rise. So: Being and not-yet-being interdepend in growth; grow out of another, they can produce each other. And hard and easy interdepend in completion; long and short interdepend. They test each other in contrast. High and low determine one another and interdepend or distinguish each other in position. So it seems. Pitch and mode give harmony to one another; tones, sound and voice interdepend in basic, functional harmony; Front and back give sequence to one another. The couples follow each other - interdepend in company, so to speak. From this the wise man relies on doing nothing in the open, it's wu-wei. And he spreads doctrines without true or false words, by oddly wordless influence. All things appear, and he hardly turns away from the creatures worked on by him: Some he gives solid, good life, he hardly disowns his chosen ones. He hardly takes possession of anyone under fair conditions. He rears his sons in earthly ways, but neither appropriates nor lays blatant claim to any one. He acts, but doesn't rely on his outer, visible smartness or miracle-working ability. He very often claims no credit. At times he controls them, but hardly leans on any of them. Because he lays claim to no credit, the handy credit can hardly be taken away from him. Yes, for the very reason that he hardly calls attention to what he does, he isn't ejected at once.

Crowley: 2. THE ENERGY - SOURCE OF THE SELF. All men know that beauty and ugliness are correlatives, as are skill and clumsiness; one implies and suggests the other. So also existence and non-existence pose the one the other; so also is it with ease and difficulty, length and shortness; height and lowness. Also Musick exists through harmony of opposites; time and space depend upon contraposition. By the use of this method, the sage can fulfil his will without action, and utter his word without speech. All things arise without diffidence; they grow, and none interferes; they change according to their natural order, without lust of result. The work is accomplished; yet continueth in its orbit, without goal. This work is done unconsciously; this is why its energy is indefatigable. Feng - English: 2. Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil. Therefore having and not having arise together. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short contrast each other: High and low rest upon each other; Voice and sound harmonize each other; Front and back follow one another. Therefore the sage goes about doing nothing, teaching no-talking. The ten thousand things rise and fall without cease, Creating, yet not. Working, yet not taking credit. Work is done, then forgotten. Therefore it lasts forever.

Ganson: 2. Whenever the most beautiful is perceived ugliness arises, the least beautiful. Whenever good is perceived evil exists, its natural opposite. Perception involves opposites: Reality and fantasy are opposing thoughts. Difficult and simple oppose in degree. Long and short oppose in distance. High and low oppose in height. Shrill and deep oppose in tone. Before and after oppose in sequence. The truly wise accept this, and they work diligently without allegiance to words.

They teach by doing, not by saying; are genuinely helpful, not discriminating; are positive, not possessive. They do not proclaim their accomplishments, and because they do not proclaim them, credit for them can never be taken away. Hansen: 2. Contrast of Terms. That the social world knows to deem the beautiful as 'beautiful' simply creates the 'ugly. ' That the social world knows to deem worth as 'worthy' simply creates 'worthlessness. ' Thus 'exists' and 'not-exists' mutually sprout. 'Difficult' and 'easy' are mutually done. 'Long' and 'short' are mutually gauged. 'High' and 'low' mutually incline. 'Sound' and 'tone' mutually blend. 'Before' and 'after' mutually supervene. (Pro-sage Commentary:) Using this: sages fix social issues without deeming ; administer a 'no words' teaching. The ten-thousand natural kinds work by it and don't make phrases. They sprout but don't 'exist'. Deem-act and don't rely on anything. Accomplish their work and don't dwell in it. Because they don't dwell in it, they don't lose it.

Kwok - Palmer - Ramsay: 2. Beauty and mercy are only recognized by people Because they know the opposite, which is ugly and mean. If the people think they know goodness Then all they really know is what evil is like! Nothing, and Heaven share the same root Difficulty and ease are a part of all work. The long and the short are in your hands, Above and below exist because they each do, What you want and what you say should be the same... Neither future nor past can exist alone. the sage has no attachment to anything, and he therefore does what is right without speaking by simply being in the Tao. Life, all life began without words. Life is made-and no one owns it. The Tao is neither selfish nor proud. The Tao is generous and graceful in what it does Without ever claiming any merit And the sage's greatness lies in taking no credit.

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Lau: 2. The whole world recognizes the beautiful as the beautiful, yet this is only the ugly; the whole world recognizes the good as the good, yet this is only the bad. Thus Something and Nothing produce each other; The difficult and the easy complement each other; The long and the short off-set each other; The high and the low incline towards each other; Note and sound harmonize with each other; Before and after follow each other. Therefore the sage keeps to the deed that consists in taking no action and practises the teaching that uses no words. The myriad creatures rise from it yet it claims no authority; It gives them life yet claims no possession; It benefits them yet exacts no gratitude; It accomplishes its task yet lays claim to no merit. It is because it lays claim to no merit That its merit never deserts it.

Legge: 2. All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is. So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other; that (the ideas of) height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other; that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and that being before and behind give the idea of one following another. Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech. All things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show itself; they grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership; they go through their processes, and there is no expectation (of a reward for the results). The work is accomplished, and there is no resting in it (as an achievement). The work is done, but how no one can see; 'Tis this that makes the power not cease to be.

Lindauer: 2. In the world each knows how beauty acts Where there is beauty ugliness begins Each knows how to value Where there is value lack of value begins. In this manner

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Presence and absence give birth to each other Difficult and easy complete each other Long and short contrast each other High and low attract each other Tone and voice harmonize each other Front and back follow each other. Appropriately it happens that sages Dwell absent of acting with effort Do things without explaining in words Make the 10000 things blend yet without trying to describe them Give birth yet without possessing Act yet without relying on results Are of outstanding service yet aren't willing to reside therein. In the end, only be unwilling to reside therein Appropriately, a lack of detachment happens.

McCarroll: 2. All under heaven see beauty as beauty only because they also see ugliness. All announce that good is good only because they also denounce what is bad. Therefore, something and nothing give birth to one another Difficult and easy complete one another. Long and short fashion one another. High and low arise from one another. Notes and tones harmonize with one another. Front and back follow one another. Thus, the True Person acts without striving and teaches without words. Deny nothing to the ten thousand things. Nourish them without claiming authority, Benefit them without demanding gratitude, Do the work, then move on. And, the fruits of your labor will last forever. McDonald: 2. When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created. Being and non-being produce each other. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short define each other. High and low oppose each other. Fore and aft follow each other.

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Therefore the Master can act without doing anything and teach without saying a word. Things come her way and she does not stop them; things leave and she lets them go. She has without possessing, and acts without any expectations. When her work is done, she takes no credit. That is why it will last forever.

Merel: 2. Abstraction. When beauty is abstracted Then ugliness has been implied; When good is abstracted Then evil has been implied. So alive and dead are abstracted from nature, Difficult and easy abstracted from progress, Long and short abstracted from contrast, High and low abstracted from depth, Song and speech abstracted from melody, After and before abstracted from sequence. The sage experiences without abstraction, And accomplishes without action; He accepts the ebb and flow of things, Nurtures them, but does not own them, And lives, but does not dwell.

Mitchell: 2. When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad. Being and non-being create each other. Difficult and easy support each other. Long and short define each other. High and low depend on each other. Before and after follow each other. Therefore the Master acts without doing anything and teaches without saying anything. Things arise and she lets them come; things disappear and she lets them go. She has but doesn't possess, acts but doesn't expect. When her work is done, she forgets it. That is why it lasts forever.

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Muller: 2. All in the world recognize the beautiful as beautiful. Herein lies ugliness. All recognize the good as good. Herein lies evil. Therefore Being and non-being produce each other. Difficulty and ease bring about each other. Long and short delimit each other. High and low rest on each other. Sound and voice harmonize each other. Front and back follow each other. Therefore the sage abides in the condition of wu-wei (unattached action). And carries out the wordless teaching. Here, the myriad things are made, yet not separated. Therefore the sage produces without possessing, Acts without expectations And accomplishes without abiding in her accomplishments. It is precisely because she does not abide in them That they never leave her. Rosenthal: 2. LETTING GO OF COMPARISONS. We cannot know the Tao itself, nor see its qualities direct, but only see by differentiation, that which it manifests. Thus, that which is seen as beautiful is beautiful compared with that which is seen as lacking beauty; an action considered skilled is so considered in comparison with another, which seems unskilled. That which a person knows he has is known to him by that which he does not have, and that which he considers difficult seems so because of that which he can do with ease. One thing seems long by comparison with that which is, comparatively, short. One thing is high because another thing is low; only when sound ceases is quietness known, and that which leads is seen to lead only by being followed. In comparison, the sage, in harmony with the Tao, needs no comparisons, and when he makes them, knows that comparisons are judgments, and just as relative to he who makes them, and to the situation, as they are to that on which the judgment has been made. Through his experience,

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the sage becomes aware that all things change, and that he who seems to lead, might also, in another situation, follow. So he does nothing; he neither leads nor follows. That which he does is neither big nor small; without intent, it is neither difficult, nor done with ease. His task completed, he then lets go of it; seeking no credit, he cannot be discredited. Thus, his teaching lasts for ever, and he is held in high esteem.

Tao Te Ching - 3
Beck: 3. Simplicity. Do not exalt the worthy, so that people will not compete. Do not value rare treasure, so that people will not steal. Do not display objects of desire, so that people's hearts will not be disturbed. Therefore the wise lead by keeping their hearts pure, their bellies full, their ambitions weak, and their bones strong, so that the people may be purified of their thoughts and desires; and the cunning ones will not interfere. By acting without interfering, all may live in peace. Blakney: 3. If those who are excellent find no preferment, The people will cease to contend for promotion. If goods that are hard to obtain are not favored, The people will cease to turn robbers or bandits. If things much desired are kept under cover, Disturbance will cease in the minds of the people. The Wise Man's policy, accordingly, Will be to empty people's hearts and minds, To fill their bellies, weaken their ambition, Give them sturdy frames and always so, To keep them uninformed, without desire, And knowing ones not venturing to act. Be still while you work And keep full control Over all.

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Byrn: 3. Stop looking for rare, moral persons (hsien) to put in power. There will be jealousies among people, jealousies and strife. If we cease to set store by products that are hard to get, there will be less outright thieves. If the people never see such things as excite desire, their hearts can remain placid and undisturbed. Therefore the wise one rules by emptying their hearts [like the clown]. He fills their bellies, weakens their brightness and toughens their bones, ever striving to make the people without knowledge. He sees to it that if there are any who are bright and clever, they dare not interfere. Through his non-do actions all [such subjection] runs well [for some time]. Crowley: 3. QUIETING FOLK. To reward merit is to stir up emulation; to prize rarities is to encourage robbery; to display desirable things is to excite the disorder of covetousness. Therefore, the sage governeth men by keeping their minds and their bodies at rest, contenting the one by emptiness, the other by fullness. He satisfieth their desires, thus fulfilling their wills, and making them frictionless; and he maketh them strong in body, to a similar end. He delivereth them from the restlessness of knowledge and the cravings of discontent. As to those who have knowledge already, he teacheth them the way of non-action. This being assured, there is no disorder in the world. Feng - English: 3. Not exalting the gifted prevents quarreling. Not collecting treasures prevents stealing. Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart. The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies, by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones. If men lack knowledge and desire, then clever people will not try to interfere. If nothing is done, then all will be well.

Ganson: 3. Leaders Work Humbly Leaders should not seek power or status; people will not then crave power or status. If scarce goods are not valued highly, people will have no need to steal them. If there is nothing available to arouse passion, people will remain content and satisfied. The truly wise do lead by instilling humility and open-mindedness, by providing for fair livelihoods, by discouraging personal ambition, by strengthening the bone-structure of the people.

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The wise avoid evil and radical reform; thus the foolish do not obstruct them. They work serenely, with inner quiet. Hansen: 3. Prescriptions for Politics. Don't glorify the high-brow: cause people not to wrangle. Don't value limited commodities: cause people not to contemplate stealing. Don't display the desirable: prevent confusing the people's hearts-'n-minds. Using these: The governance of sages: empties their hearts-'n-minds, stuffs their guts Weakens their resolve, and strengthens their bones. He treats causing the people to lack both knowledge and desire as constants. Causing those with knowledge not to venture deeming-actions. They deem the absence of deeming-action and thus nothing is ungoverned.

Kwok - Palmer - Ramsay: 3. If the sage refuses to be proud then people won't compete for his attention: If the sage does not buy treasures Then the people won't want to steal them: If the sage governs with vision Then his people will not go wrong. So in his wisdom, he restrains himself: - by not being greedy for food - by not dominating the State - by keeping himself healthy and fit. The sage always makes sure that the people don't know what he's done, so they never want to be in control and are never driven by ambition. He keeps them in truth like this acting invisibly. You see, if there is nothing to fight for then there is nothing that can break the flow. Lau: 3. Not to honor men of worth will keep the people from contention; not to value goods which are hard to come by will keep them from theft; not to display what is desirable will keep them from being unsettled of mind. Therefore in governing the people, the sage empties their minds but fills their bellies, weakens their wills but strengthens their bones.

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He always keeps them innocent of knowledge and free from desire, and ensures that the clever never dare to act. Do that which consists in taking no action, and order will prevail. Legge: 3. Not to value and employ men of superior ability is the way to keep the people from rivalry among themselves; not to prize articles which are difficult to procure is the way to keep them from becoming thieves; not to show them what is likely to excite their desires is the way to keep their minds from disorder. Therefore the sage, in the exercise of his government, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones. He constantly (tries to) keep them without knowledge and without desire, and where there are those who have knowledge, to keep them from presuming to act (on it). When there is this abstinence from action, good order is universal.

Lindauer: 3.

Being without esteem for principles Results in people who do not contend Being without treasuring goods difficult to obtain Results in people who do not act as thieves Being without seeing what one can desire Results in the minds of people not being confused. Appropriately the governing of sages happens. Baring the mind Solidifying the center Lessening the will Strengthening self-nature These entirely result in people Who are absent of knowing and absent of desire In the end they also result in the wise not venturing to act. Acting absent of acting An absence of being without governing follows. McCarroll: 3. Not exalting the talented prevents rivalry. Not valuing goods that are hard to obtain prevents stealing. Not displaying desirable things prevents confusion of the heart. Therefore, the True Person governs by emptying the heart of desire and filling the belly with food,

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weakening ambitions and strengthening bones. If the people are simple and free from desire, then the clever ones never dare to interfere. Practice action without striving and all will be in order.

McDonald: 3. If you over esteem talented individuals, people will become overly competitive. If you overvalue possessions, people will begin to steal. Do not display your treasures or people will become envious. The Master leads by emptying people's minds, filling their bellies, weakening their ambitions, and making them become strong. Preferring simplicity and freedom from desires, avoiding the pitfalls of knowledge and wrong action. For those who practice not-doing, everything will fall into place. Merel: 3. Without Action.

Not praising the worthy prevents contention, Not esteeming the valuable prevents theft, Not displaying the beautiful prevents desire. In this manner the sage governs people: Emptying their minds, Filling their bellies, Weakening their ambitions, And strengthening their bones. If people lack knowledge and desire Then they can not act; If no action is taken Harmony remains. Mitchell: 3. If you overesteem great men, people become powerless. If you overvalue possessions, people begin to steal. The Master leads by emptying people's minds

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and filling their cores, by weakening their ambition and toughening their resolve. He helps people lose everything they know, everything they desire, and creates confusion in those who think that they know. Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place. Muller: 3. If you do not adulate the worthy, you will make others non-contentious. If you do not value rare treasures, you will stop others from stealing. If people do not see desirables, they will not be agitated. Therefore, when the sage governs, He clears peoples minds, Fills their bellies, Weakens their ambition and Strengthens their bones. If the people are kept without cleverness and desire It will make the intellectuals not dare to meddle. Doing wu-wei, there is no lack of manageability.

Rosenthal: 3. WITHOUT SEEKING ACCLAIM. By retaining his humility, the talented person who is also wise, reduces rivalry. The person who possesses many things, but does not boast of his possessions, reduces temptation, and reduces stealing. Those who are jealous of the skills or things possessed by others, most easily themselves become possessed by envy. Satisfied with his possessions, the sage eliminates the need to steal; at one with the Tao, he remains free of envy, and has no need of titles. By being supple, he retains his energy. He minimizes his desires, and does not train himself in guile, nor subtle words of praise. By not contriving, he retains the harmony of his inner world, and so remains at peace within himself.

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It is for reasons such as these, that an administration which is concerned with the welfare of those it serves, does not encourage status and titles to be sought, nor encourage rivalry. Ensuring a sufficiency for all, helps in reducing discontent. Administrators who are wise do not seek honours for themselves, nor act with guile towards the ones they serve.

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