韋恩戴爾道德經

韋恩戴爾道德經

Tao Te Ching

Translated by Wayne Dyer

 

The Conplete Tao Te Ching and Affirmations (Easyread Large Edition) Dr Wayne W Dyer. I choose to enjoy living the great mystery.

 

The Tao that can be named is not the Tao.

 

[01]

1st Verse

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The Tao is both named and nameless.

As nameless it is the origin of all things; as named it is the Mother of 10,000 things.

Ever desireless one can see  the mystery:

ever desiring,  one sees only  manifestations.

And the mystery itself is the doorway to all understanding.

Δ

When my work is done,

it is forgotten. That is why

it lasts forever.

 

[02]

2nd Verse

Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty,

only because there is ugliness.

All can know good as good only because there is evil.

Being and nonbeing produce each other.

The difficult is born in the easy.

Long is defined by short, the high by the low.

Before and after go along with each other.

So the sage lives openly with apparent duality and

paradoxical unity.

The sage can act without effort and teach without

words.

Nurturing things without possessing them,

he works, but not for rewards;

he competes, but not for results.

When the work is done, it is forgotten.

That is why it lasts forever.

Δ

I know that there

is no way to happiness.

Happiness is the Way.

 

[03]

3rd Verse

Putting a value on status will create contentiousness,

If you overvalue possessions,

people begin to steal.

By not displaying what is desirable, you will cause the

people’s hearts to remain undisturbed.

The sage governs by emptying minds and hearts,

by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.

Practice not doing..

When action is pure and selfless,

everything settles into its own perfect place.

Δ

The-providing Tao is empty, yet inexhaustible.

 

[04]

4th Verse

The Tao is empty but inexhaustible, bottomless, the ancestor of it all.

Within it, the sharp edges become smooth; the twisted knots loosen; the sun is softened by a cloud; the dust settles into place.

It is hidden but always present.

I do not know who gave birth to it.

It seems to be the common ancestor of all, the father of things.

Δ

I work at

eliminating all

of my judgments

of others.

 

[05]

5th Verse

Heaven and earth are impartial;

they see the 10,000 things as straw dogs.

The sage is not sentimental;

he treats all his people as straw dogs.

The sage is like heaven and earth:

To him none are especially dear,

nor is there anyone he disfavors.

He gives and gives, without condition, offering his treasures to everyone.

Between heaven and earth is a space like a bellows;

empty and inexhaustible,

the more it is used, the more it produces.

Hold on to the centre.

Man was made to sit quietly and find the truth within.

Δ

I pay attention

to my inner callings

and apply my

own uniqueness

to everything

I undertake.

 

[06]

6th Verse

The spirit that never dies is called the mysterious

feminine.

Although she becomes the whole universe,

her immaculate purity is never lost.

Although she assumes countless forms,

her true identity remains intact.

The gateway to the mysterious female is called the

root of creation.

Listen to her voice,

hear it echo through creation.

Without fail, she reveals her presence.

Without fail, she brings us to our own perfection.

Although it is in visible, it endures;

it will never end.

Δ

It is through selfless

action that I experience

my own fulfillment.

 

[07]

7th Verse

Heaven is eternal — the earth endures.

Why do heaven and earth last forever?

They do not live for themselves only.

This is the secret of durability.

For this reason the sage puts himself last

and so ends up ahead.

He stays a witness to life,

so he endures.

Serve the needs of others

And all your own needs will be fulfilled.

Through selfless action, fulfillment is attained.

Δ

I live in accordance with nature

and therefore

never go against the way of things.

 

[08]

8th Verse

The supreme good is like water,

which nourishes all things without trying to.

It flows to low places loathed by all men.

Therefore, it is like the Tao.

 

Live in accordance with the nature of things.

In dwelling, be close to the land.

In meditation, go deep in the heart.

In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.

Stand by your word.

Govern with equity.

Be timely in choosing the right moment.

 

One who lives in accordance with nature does not go

against the way of things.

He moves in harmony with the present moment,

always knowing the truth of just what to do.

Δ

When my cup is full,

I stop pouring.

 

[09]

9th Verse

To keep on filling is not as good as stopping.

Overfilled, the cupped hands drip,

better to stop pouring.

 

Sharpen a blade too much and its edge will soon be

lost.

Fill your house with jade and gold and it brings

insecurity.

Puff yourself with honor and pride and no one can

save you from a fall.

 

Retire when the work is done;

this is the way of heaven.

Δ

I suspend my belief in opposites by seeing myself in all.

 

[10]

10th Verse

Carrying body and soul and embracing the one,

can you avoid separation?

Can you let your body become as supple as a newborn childs?

In the opening and shutting of heavens gate, can you play the feminine part?

Can you love your people and govern your domain without self-importance?

Giving birth and nourishing; having, yet not possessing;

working. yet not taking credit leading without controlling or dominating.

One who heeds this power brings the Tao to this very earth.

This is the primal virtue.

Δ

The usefulness of what is depends on what is not.

 

[11]

11th Verse

Thirty spokes converge upon a single hub; it is on the hole in the center that the use of the cart hinges.

Shape clay into a vessel; it is the space within that makes it useful.

Carve fine doors and windows, but the room is useful in its emptiness.

The usefulness of what is depends on what is not.

Δ

I choose to ignore the seductive lure of acquisition and fame.

 

[12]

12th Verse

HUNTERS WILL BE EXHAUSTED

 

The five colors blind the eye.

The five tones deafen the ear.

The five flavors dull the taste.

The chase and the hunt craze people’s minds.

Wasting energy to obtain rare objects only impedes one’s growth.

The master observes the world but trusts his inner vision.

He allows things to come and go.

He prefers what is within to what is without.

五色令人目盲；五音令人耳聾；五味令人口爽；馳騁田獵，令人心發狂；

難得之貨，令人行妨。是以聖人為腹不為目，故去彼取此。

Δ

I see myself as everything. I love myself as everyone.

 

[13]

13th Verse

FLATTENED THINGS DO NOT FALL.

 

Favour and disgrace seem alarming.

High status greatly afflicts your person.

Why are favor and disgrace alarming?

Seeking favor is degrading: alarming when it is gotten, alarming when it is lost.

Why does high status greatly afflict your person?

The reason we have a lot of trouble is that we have selves.

If we had no selves, what trouble can we have?

One who sees himself as everything is fit to be guardian of the world.

One who loves himself as everyone is fit to be teacher of the world.

Discovering how things have always been brings me into harmony.

寵辱若驚，貴大患若身。何謂寵辱若驚？寵為下，得之若驚，失之若驚，是謂寵辱若驚。何謂貴大患若身？吾所以有大患者，為吾有身，及吾無身，吾有何患？故貴以身為天下，若可寄天下；愛以身為天下，若可託天下。

Δ

Discovering how things have always been brings me into harmony with the Way.

 

[14]

14 Verse

FROM FORM TO FORMLESS

 

That which cannot be seen is called invisible.

That which cannot be heard is called inaudible.

That which cannot be held is called intangible,

These three cannot be defined;

therefore, they are merged as one

 

Each of these three is subtle for description.

By intuition you can see it,

hear it and feel it.

Then the unseen,

unheard,

and untouched

are present as one.

 

Its rising brings no dawn,

its setting no darkness;

it goes on and on, unnameable,

returning into nothingness.

 

Approach it and there is no beginning;

follow it and there is no end.

You cannot know it, but you can be it,

at ease in your own life.

 

Discovering how things have always been

Brings one into harmony with the Way.

視之不見，名曰夷；聽之不聞，名曰希；搏之不得，名曰微。此三者不可致詰，故混而為一。其上不皦，其下不昧。繩繩不可名，復歸於無物。是謂無狀之狀，無物之象，是謂惚恍。迎之不見其首，隨之不見其後。執古之道，以御今之有。能知古始，是謂道紀。

Δ

The place of my origination is stillness, from which all creation originates.

 

[15]

15th Verse

BE A GUST EVEN IN YOUR OWN HOME

 

The ancient masters were profound and subtle.

Their wisdom was unfathomable.

There is no way to describe it.

One can only describe them vaguely by their appearance.

Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream.

Alert, like men aware of danger.

Simple as uncarved wood.

Hollow like caves.

Yielding, like ice about to melt.

 

He who keeps the Tao does not want to be full.

But precisely because he is never full, he can remain like a hidden sprout and does not rush to early ripening.

古之善為士者，微妙玄通，深不可識。夫唯不可識，故強為之容。豫兮若冬涉川；猶兮若畏四鄰；儼兮其若容；渙兮若冰之將釋；敦兮其若樸；曠兮其若谷；混兮其若濁；孰能濁以靜之徐清？孰能安以久動之徐生？保此道者，不欲盈。夫唯不盈，故能蔽不新成。

Δ

Amidst the rush of worldly comings and goings,

I observe how all endings become beginnings.