LIBER CLVII TAO THE KING

A New T r anslation by KO YUEN (Aleister Cr owley) T he Equinox III, Number VIII

Sub Figur CLVII

A. . A. .
Imprimatur: N. Fra. A. . A. .

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TAO THE KING

A New T r anslat ion by KO YUEN (Aleister Cr owley) T he Equinox III, Number VIII

Sub Figur CLVII

I N T R OD U CT I ON I bound mys elf to devote my life to Magick at Eas ter 1898, and r eceived my fir s t initiation on November 18 of that year . My fr iend and climbing companion, Os car Eckens tein, gave me my fir s t ins tr uctions in lear ning the contr ol of the mind ear ly in 1901 in Mex ico City. S hr i Par ananda, S olicitor Gener al of Ceylon and an eminent wr iter upon and teacher of Yoga fr om the or thodox S haivite s tandpoint, and B hikkhu Ananda Metteya, the gr eat Englis h Adept, who was one of my ear lies t ins tr uctor s in Magick and j oined the S angha in B ur ma in 1902, gave me my fir s t gr oundings in mys tical theor y and pr actice. I s pent s ome months of 1901 in K andy, Ceylon, with the latter until s ucces s cr owned my wor k. I als o s tudied all var ieties of As iatic philos ophy, es pecially with r egar d to the pr actical ques tion of s pir itual development, the S ufi doctr ines , the Upanis hads , the S ank hya, Vedanta, the B agavad Gita and Pur ana, the Dhammapada, and many other clas s ics , together with numer ous wr itings on the T antr a and Yoga of s uch men as Patanj ali, Vivekananda, etc. etc. Not a few of thes e teachings ar e as yet wholly unknown to s cholar s . I made the s cope of { 1} my s tudies as compr ehens ive as pos s ible, omitting no s chool of thought however unimpor tant or r epugnant. I made a cr itical ex amination of all thes e teacher s in the light of my pr actical ex per iences . T he phys iological and ps ychological unifor mity of mankind guar anteed that the diver s ity of ex pr es s ion concealed a unity of s ignificance. T his dis cover y, fur ther mor e, was confir med by r efer ence to Jewis h, Gr eek and Celtic tr aditions . One quintes s ential tr uth was common to all cults , fr om the Hebr ides to the Yellow S ea, and even the main br anches pr oved es s entially identical. I t was only the foliage that ex hibited incompatibility. When I walked acr os s China in 1905- 6, I was fully ar med and accoutr ed by the above qualifications to attack the till- then- ins oluble pr oblem of the Chines e conception of r eligious tr uth. Pr actical s tudies of the ps ychology of s uch Mongolians as I had met in my tr avels , had alr eady s ugges ted to me that their acentr ic conception of the univer s e might r epr es ent the cor r es pondence in cons cious nes s of their actual ps ychological char acter is tics . I was ther efor e pr epar ed to ex amine the doctr ines of their r eligious and { 2} philos ophical Mas ter s without pr ej udice s uch as had always r ender ed nugator y the effor ts of mis s ionar y s inologis ts and indeed all or iental s cholar s with the s ingle ex ception of Rhys Davids . Until his time tr ans lator s had invar iably as s umed, with abs ur d naivite, or mor e often ar r ogant bigotr y, that a Chines e wr iter mus t either be putting for th a mor e or les s dis tor ted and degr aded var iation of s ome Chr is tian conception, or utter ly puer ile abs ur dities . Even s o gr eat a man as Max Muller in his intr oduction to the Upanis hads s eems only half inclined to admit that the appar ent tr iviality and folly of many pas s ages in thes e s o- called s acr ed wr itings might owe their appear ance to our ignor ance of the his tor ical and r eligious cir cums tances , a k nowledge of which would r ender them intelligible. Dur ing my s olitar y wander ings among the mountainous was tes of Yun Nan, the s pir itual atmos pher e of China penetr ated my cons cious nes s , thanks to the abs ence

of any intellectual imper tinences fr om the or gan of knowledge. T he T AO T EH K I NG r evealed its s implicity and s ublimity to my s oul, little by little, as the conditions of my phys ical life, no les s than of my s pir itual, penetr ated the { 3} s anctuar ies of my s pir it. T he philos ophy of Lao T z e communicated its elf to me, in des pite of the per s is tent effor ts of my mind to compel it to confor m with my pr econceived notions of what the tex t mus t mean. T his pr oces s , having thus taken r oot in my inner mos t intuition dur ing thos e tr emendous months of wander ing acr os s Yun Nan, gr ew continually thr oughout s ucceeding year s . Whenever I found mys elf able once mor e to withdr aw mys elf fr om the dis s ipations and dis tr actions which contact with civilis ation for ces upon one, no matter how vigor ous ly he may s tr uggle agains t their ins olence, to the s acr ed s olitude of the des er t, whether among the s ier r as of S pain, or the s ands of the S ahar a, I found that the philos ophy of Lao T z e r es umed its s way upon my s oul, s ubtler and s tr onger on each s ucces s ive occas ion. B ut neither Eur ope nor Afr ica can s how s uch des olation as Amer ica. T he pr oudes t, s tubbor nes t, bitter es t peas ant of des er ted S pain; the mos t pr imitive and s uper s titious Ar ab of the r emotes t oas es , thes e ar e a little mor e than kin and never les s than kind at their wor s t; wher eas in the United S tates one is almos t always cons cious of an ins tinctive lack of s ympathy and under s tanding with even the { 4} mos t char ming and cultur ed people. I t was ther efor e dur ing my ex ile in Amer ica that the doctr ines of L ao T z e developed mos t r apidly in my s oul, even for cing their way outwar ds until I felt it imper ious , nay inevitable, to ex pr es s them in ter ms of cons cious thought. No s ooner had this r es olve taken pos s es s ion of me than I r ealiz ed that the tas k appr ox imated to impos s ibility. His ver y s imples t ideas , the pr imitive elements of his thought, had no tr ue cor r es pondences in any Eur opean ter minology. T he ver y fir s t wor d " T ao" pr es ented a completely ins oluble pr oblem. I t had been tr ans lated " Reas on," the " Way," " T O ON." None of thes e covey the faintes t conception of the T ao. T he T ao is " Reas on" in this s ens e, that the s ubs tance of things may be in par t appr ehended as being that neces s ar y r elation between the elements of thought which deter mines the laws of r eas on. I n other wor ds , the only r eality is that which compels us to connect the var ious for ms of illus ion as we do. I t is thus evidently unknowable, and ex pr es s ible neither by s peech nor by s ilence. All that we can know about it is that ther e is inher ent in it a { 5} power (which, however , is not its elf) by vir tue wher eof all beings appear in for ms congr uous with the natur e of neces s ity. T he T ao is als o the Way - - in the following s ens e. Nothing ex is ts ex cept as a r elation with other s imilar ly pos tulated ideas . Nothing can be known in its elf, but only as one of the par ticipants in a s er ies of events . Reality is ther efor e in the motion, not in the things moved. We cannot appr ehend anything ex cept as one pos tulated element of an obs er ved impr es s ion of change. We may ex pr es s this in other ter ms as follows . Our knowledge of anything is in r eality the s um of our obs er vations of its s ucces s ive movements , that is to s ay, of its path fr om event to event. I n this s ens e the T ao may be tr ans lated as the Way. I t is not a thing in its elf in the s ens e of being an obj ect s us ceptible of appr ehens ion by s ens e or mind. I t is not the caus e of any thing, but the categor y under lying all ex is tence or event, and ther efor e tr ue and r eal as they ar e illus or y, being mer ely landmar ks invented for convenience in des cr ibing our ex per iences . T he T ao pos s es s es no power to caus e anything to ex is t or to take place. Yet our ex per ience when analyz ed tells { 6} us that the only r eality of which we may be s ur e is this path or Way which r es umes the whole of our k nowledge. As for T O ON, which s uper ficially might s eem the bes t tr ans lation of T ao as des cr ibed in the tex t, it is the mos t mis leading of the thr ee. For T O ON pos s es s es an ex tens ive connotation implying a whole s ys tem of Platonic concepts than which nothing can be mor e alien to the es s ential quality of the T ao. T ao is neither being nor not- being in any s ens e which Eur ope could under s tand. I t is neither ex is tence nor a condition or for m of ex is tence. At the s ame time, T O MH ON gives no idea of

T ao. T ao is altogether alien to all that clas s of thought. Fr om its connection with " that pr inciple which neces s ar ily under lies the fact that events occur " one might s uppos e that the " B ecoming" of Her aclitus might as s is t us to des cr ibe the T ao. B ut the T ao is not a pr inciple at all of that kind. T o under s tand it r equir es an altogether differ ent s tate of mind to any with which Eur opean thinker s in gener al ar e familiar . I t is neces s ar y to pur s ue unflinchingly the path of s pir itual development on the lines indicated by the S ufis , the Hindus and the B uddhis ts ; { 7} and having r eached the T r ance called Ner odha- S ammapati, in which ar e des tr oyed all for ms s oever of cons cious nes s , ther e appear s in that abys s of annihilation the ger m of an entir ely new type of idea, whos e pr incipal char acter is tic is this : that the entir e concatention of one's pr evious ex per iences and conceptions could not have happened at all, s ave by vir tue of this indes cr ibable neces s ity. I am only too painfully awar e that the above ex pos ition is faulty in ever y r es pect. I n par ticular it pr es uppos es in the r eader cons ider able familiar ity with the s ubs tance, thus pr actically begging the ques tion. I t mus t als o pr ove almos t wholly unintelligible to the aver age r eader , him in fact whom I es pecially aim to inter es t. For his s ake I will tr y to elucidate the matter by an analogy. Cons ider electr icity. I t would be abs ur d to s ay that electr icity is any of the phenomena by which we know it. We take r efuge in the petitio pr incipii of s aying that electr icity is that for m of ener gy which is the pr inciple caus e of s uch and s uch phenomena. S uppos e now that we eliminate this idea as evidently illogical. What r emains ? We mus t not has tily ans wer , " Nothing { 8} r emains ." T her e is s ome thing inher ent in the natur e of cons cious nes s , r eas on, per ception, s ens ation, and of the univer s e of which they infor m us , which is r es pons ible for the fact that we obs er ve thes e phenomena and not other s ; that we r eflect upon them as we do, and not other wis e. B ut even deeper than this , par t of the r eality of the ins cr utable ener gy which deter mines the for m of our ex per ience, cons is ts in deter mining that ex per ience s hould take place at all. I t s hould be clear that this has nothing to do with any of the Platonic conceptions of the natur e of things . T he leas t abj ect as s et in the intellectual bankr uptcy of Eur opean thought is the Hebr ew Qabalah. Pr oper ly under s tood it is a s ys tem of s ymbolis m infinitely elas tic, as s uming no ax ioms , pos tulating no pr inciples , as s er ting no theor ems , and ther efor e adaptable, if managed adr oitly, to des cr ibe any conceivable doctr ine. I t has been my continual s tudy s ince 1898, and I have found it of infinite value in the s tudy of the T ao T eh K ing. B y its aid I was able to attr ibute the ideas of Lao T z e to an or der with which I was ex ceedingly familiar , and whos e pr actical wor th I had r epeatedly pr oved by us ing { 9} it as the bas is of the analys is and clas s ification of all Ar yan and S emitic r eligions and philos ophies . Des pite the es s ential difficulty of cor r elating the ideas of Lao T z e with any other s , the per s is tent application of the Qabalis tic keys eventually unlocked his tr eas ur e- hous e. I was able to ex plain to mys elf his teachings in ter ms of familiar s ys tems . T his achievement br oke the back of my S phinx . Having once r educe Lao T z e to Qabalis tic for m, it was eas y to tr ans late the r es ult into the language of philos ophy. I had alr eady done much to cr eate a new language bas ed on Englis h with the as s is tance of a few technical ter ms bor r owed fr om As ia, and above all by the us e of a novel conception of the idea of Number and algebr aic and ar ithmetical pr oceedings , to convey the r es ults of s pir itual ex per ience to intelligent s tudents . I t is ther efor e not altogether without confidence that I pr es ent this tr ans lation of the T ao T eh K ing to the public. I hope and believe that car eful s tudy of the tex t, as elucidated by my commentar y, will enable s er ious as pir ants to the hidden wis dom to under s tand with fair accur acy what Lao T z e taught. I t mus t however be laid to { 10} hear t that the es s ence of his s ys tem will inevitably elude intellectual appr ehens ion unles s it be illuminated fr om above by actual living ex per ience of the tr uth. S uch ex per ience is only to be attained by uns wer ving application to the pr actices which he

advocates . Nor mus t the as pir ant content hims elf with the mer e attainment of s pir itual enlightenment, however s ublime. All s uch achievements ar e bar r en unles s they be r egar ded as the means r ather than the end of s pir itual pr ogr es s , and allowed to infiltr ate ever y detail of the life, not only of the s pir it, but of the s ens es . T he T ao can never be known until it inter pr et the mos t tr ivial actions of ever yday r outine. I t is a fatal mis take to dis cr iminate between the s pir itual impor tance of meditation and playing golf. T o do s o is to cr eate an inter nal conflict. " Let ther e be no differ ence made among you between any one thing & any other thing; for ther eby ther e cometh hur t." He who knows the T ao knows it to be the s our ce of all things s oever ; the mos t ex alted s pir itual ecs tas y and the mos t tr ivial inter nal impr es s ion ar e fr om our point of view equally illus ions , wor thles s mas ks , which hide, with gr otes que painted pas teboar d fals e and lifeles s , { 11} the living face of tr uth. Yet, fr om another point of view, they ar e equally ex pr es s ions of the ecs tatic genius of tr uth - - natur al images of the r eaction between the es s ence of ones s elf and one's par ticular envir onment at the moment of their occur r ence. T hey ar e equally tokens of the T ao, by whom, in whom, and of whom, they ar e. T o value them for thems elves is deny the T ao and to be los t in delus ion. T o des pis e them is to deny the omnipr es ence of the T ao, and to s uffer the illus ion of s or r ow. T o dis cr iminate between them is to s et up the accur s d dyad, to per mit the ins anity of intellect, to over whelm the intuition of tr uth, and to cr eate civil war in the cons cious nes s . Fr om 1908 to 1918, the T ao T eh K ing was my continual s tudy. I cons tantly r ecommended it to my fr iends as the s upr eme mas ter piece of initiated wis dom, and I was as cons tantly dis appointed when they declar ed that it did not impr es s them, es pecially as my pr eliminar y des cr iptions of the book had ar ous ed their keenes t inter es t. I thus came to s ee that the fault lay with Legge's tr ans lation, and I felt mys elf impelled to under take the { 12} tas k of pr es enting Lao T z e in language infor med by the s ympathetic under s tanding which initiation and s pir itual ex per ience had confer r ed on me. Dur ing my Gr eat Magical Retir ement on Aes opus I s land in the Huds on River dur ing the s ummer of 1918, I s et mys elf to this wor k, but I dis cover ed immediately that I was totally incompetent. I ther efor e appealed to an Adept named Amalantr ah, with whom I was at that time in almos t daily communion. He came r eadily to my aid and ex hibited to me a codex of the or iginal, which conveyed to me with abs olute cer titude the ex act s ignificance of the tex t. I was able to divine without hes itation or doubt the pr ecis e manner in which Legge had been deceived. He had tr ans lated the Chines e with s ingular fidelity, yet in almos t ever y ver s e the inter pr etation was altogether mis leading. T her e was no need to r efer to the tex t fr om the point of view of s cholar s hip. I had mer ely to par aphr as e his tr ans lation in the light of actual knowledge of the tr ue s ignificance of the ter ms employed. Anyone who car es to take the tr ouble to compar e the two ver s ions will be as tounded to s ee how s light a r emodeling of a par agr aph is s ufficient to dis per s e the obs tinate { 13} obs cur ity of pr ej udice, and let loos e a fountain and a flood of living light, to k indle the gnar led pr os e of s tolid s cholar s hip into the bur geoning blos s om of lyr ical flame. I completed my tr ans lation within thr ee days , but dur ing the las t five year s I have cons tantly r econs ider ed ever y s entence. T he manus cr ipt has been lent to a number of fr iends , s cholar s who have commended my wor k, and as pir ants who have appr eciated its adequacy to pr es ent the s pir it of the Mas ter 's teaching. T hos e who had been dis appointed with Legge's ver s ion wer e enthus ias tic about mine. T his cir cums tance is in its elf s ufficient to as s ur e me that L ove's labour has not been los t, and to fill me with enthus ias tic confidence that the pr es ent publication will abundantly contr ibute to the fulfillment of my T r ue Will for which I came to ear th, and wr ing labour and s or r ow to the utmos t of which humanity is capable, the Will to open the por tals of s pir itual attainment to my fellow men, and br ing them to the enj oyment of that r ealis ation of T r uth, beneath all veils of tempor al fals ehood, which has enlightened mine eyes and filled my mouth with s ong.

CH AP T E R I T H E N AT U R E OF T H E T AO

1. T he T ao- Path is not the All- T ao. T he Name is not the T hing named. 2. Unmanifes ted, it is the S ecr et Father of __________ Heaven __________ __________ and Earth ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____;

manifes ted, it is their Mother . 3. T o under s tand this Mys ter y, one mus t be fulfilling one's will, and if one is not thus fr ee, one will but gain a s matter ing of it. 4. T he T ao is one, and the T eh but a phas e ther eof. T he abys s of this Mys ter y is the Por tal of S er pent- Wonder .

[WEH NOT E: Footnote # 2 above, ex tended her e. I n the or iginal each of the eleven places is enclos ed in a cir cle for one of the ten S ephir oth and Da'at. T his char t pr es ents pr oblems . Cr owley did not pr oper ly dr aw the tr igr ams , but mos tly with unbr oken lines . He als o appear s to have wr itten in the wr ong names for s ome of the T r igr ams . T hes e difficulties have been cor r ected by r efer ence to the diagr am Cr owley made on the blank page pr eceding the table of content in his copy of the Legge Yi K ing. S ee OT O NEWS LET T ER, V. I , No. 3, p. 15.]

The Tao . The Teh, source of the Mother ____ ____ Heaven __________ __________ __________ Ch'ien Water ____ ____ {had {water____ ____ Li, this usually_________ is Chen} is K'an} Fire ____ ____ _________Tui __________ The Tao, source of the Father __________

Sun __________ {had Chen, ____ ____ this is Li} __________ Sun __________ Air __________ ____ ____ __________ ____ ____ Earth ____ ____ Ken Moon ____ ____ __________ K'an ____ ____

Earth ____ ____ ____ ____ K'un ____ ____ {1}

CH AP T E R I I T H E E N E R GY - S OU R CE OF T H E S E L F 1. All men know that beauty and uglines s ar e cor r elatives , as ar e s k ill and clums ines s ; one implies and s ugges ts the other . 2. S o als o ex is tence and non- ex is tence pos e the one the other ; s o als o is it with eas e and difficulty, length and s hor tnes s ; height and lownes s . Als o Mus ick ex is ts thr ough har mony of oppos ites ; time and s pace depend upon contr apos ition. 3. B y the us e of this method, the s age can fulfil his will without action, and utter his wor d without s peech. 4. All things ar is e without diffidence; they gr ow, and none inter fer es ; they change accor ding to their natur al or der , without lus t of r es ult. T he wor k is accomplis hed; yet continueth in its or bit, without goal. T his wor k is done uncons cious ly; this is { 2} why its ener gy is indefatigable. { 3} CH AP T E R I I I QU I E T I N G F OL K 1. T o r ewar d mer it is to s tir up emulation; to pr iz e r ar ities is to encour age r obber y; to dis play des ir able things is to ex cite the dis or der of covetous nes s . 2. T her efor e, the s age gover neth men by keeping their minds and their bodies at r es t, contenting the one by emptines s , the other by fullnes s . He s atis fieth their des ir es , thus fulfilling their wills , and making them fr ictionles s ; and he maketh them s tr ong in body, to a s imilar end. 3. He deliver eth them fr om the r es tles s nes s of knowledge and the cr avings of dis content. As to thos e who have knowledge alr eady, he teacheth them the way of non- action. T his being as s ur ed, ther e is no dis or der in the wor ld. { 4} CH AP T E R I V T H E S P R I N G W I T H OU T S OU R CE 1. T he T ao r es embleth the emptines s of S pace; to employ it, we mus t avoid cr eating ganglia. Oh T ao, how vas t ar t T hou, the Abys s of Abys s es , thou Holy and S ecr et Father of all F ather hoods of T hings ! 2. Let us make our s har pnes s blunt; let us loos en our complex es ; let us tone down our br ightnes s to the gener al obs cur ity. Oh T ao, how s till ar t thou, how pur e, continuous One beyond Heaven! 3. T his T ao hath no Father ; it is beyond all other conceptions , higher than the highes t. { 5} CH AP T E R V T H E F OR MU L A OF T H E VACU U M 1. Heaven and ear th pr oceed without motive, but cas ually in their or der of natur e, dealing with all things car eles s ly, like us ed talis mans . S o als o the s ages deal with their people, not ex er cis ing benevolence, but allowing the natur e of all to move without fr iction. 2. T he S pace between heaven and ear th is their br eathing appar atus : Ex halation is not ex haus tion, but the complement of I nhalation, and this equally of that. S peech ex haus teth; guar d thys elf, ther efor e, maintaining the per fect fr eedom of thy natur e. { 6}

CH AP T E R VI T H E P E R F E CT I N G OF F OR M 1. T he T eh is the immor tal enemy of the T ao, its feminine as pect. Heaven and Ear th is s ued fr om her Gate; this Gate is the Root of their Wor ld- S ycamor e. I ts oper ation is of pur e Joy and Love, and faileth never . { 7} CH AP T E R VI I T H E CON CE AL ME N T OF T H E L I GH T 1. Heaven and Ear th ar e mighty in continuance, becaus e their wor k is deliver ed fr om the lus t of r es ult. 2. T hus als o the s age, s eeking not any goal, attaineth all things ; he doth not inter fer e in the affair s of his body, and s o that body acteth without fr iction. I t is becaus e he meddleth not with per s onal aims that thes e come to pas s with s implicity. { 8} CH AP T E R VI I I T H E N AT U R E OF P E ACE 1. Admir e thou the High Way of Water ! I s not Water the s oul of the life of things , wher eby they change? Yet it s eeketh its level, and abideth content in obs cur ity. S o als o it r es embleth the T ao, in this Way ther eof! 2. T he vir tue of a hous e is to be well- placed; of the mind, to be at eas e in s ilence as of S pace; of s ocieties , to be well- dis pos ed; of gover nments , to maintain quietude; of wor k, to be s killfully per for med; and of all motion, to be made at the r ight time. 3. Als o it is the vir tue of a man to abide in his place without dis content; thus offendeth he no man. { 9} CH AP T E R I X T H E W AY OF R E T I CE NCE 1. F ill not a ves s el, les t it s pill in car r ying. Meddle not with a s har pened point by feeling it cons tantly, or it will s oon become blunted. 2. Gold and j ade endanger the hous e of their pos s es s or . Wealth and honor s lead to ar r ogance and envy, and br ing r uin. I s thy way famous and thy name becoming dis tinguis hed? Withdr aw, thy wor k once done, into obs cur ity; this is the way of Heaven. { 10} CH AP T E R X T H I NGS AT T AI N AB L E 1. When s oul and body ar e in the bond of love, they can be kept together . B y concentr ation on the br eath it is br ought to per fect elas ticity, and one becomes as a babe. B y pur ifying ones elf fr om S amadhi one becomes whole. 2. I n his dealing with individuals and with s ociety, let him move without lus t of r es ult. I n the management of his br eath, let him be like the mother - bir d. Let his intelligence compr ehend ever y quar ter ; but let his knowledge ceas e. 3. Her e is the Mys ter y of Vir tue. I t cr eateth all and nour is heth all; yet it doth not adher e to them; it oper ateth all, but knoweth not of it, nor pr oclaimeth it; it dir ecteth all, but without cons cious contr ol. { 11}

CH AP T E R XI T H E VAL U E OF T H E U N E XP R E S S E D 1. T he thir ty s pokes j oin in their nave, that is one; yet the wheel dependeth for us e upon the hollow place for the ax le. Clay is s hapen to make ves s els ; but the contained s pace is what is us eful. Matter is ther efor e of us e only to mar k the limits of the s pace which is the thing of r eal value. { 12} CH AP T E R XI I T H E W I T H D R AW AL F R OM T H E E XT E R N AL 1. T he five color s film over S ight; T he five s ounds make Hear ing dull; T he five flavour s conceal T as te; occupation with motion and action bedevil Mind; even s o the es teem of r ar e things begetteth covetous nes s and dis or der . 2. T he wis e man s eeketh ther efor e to content the actual needs of the people; not to ex cite them by the s ight of lux ur ies . He banneth thes e, and concentr ateth on thos e. { 13} CH AP T E R XI I I T H E CON T E MP T F OR CI R CU MS T AN CE 1. Favor and dis gr ace ar e equally to be s hunned; honour and calamity to be alike r egar ded as adher ing to the per s onality. 2. What is this which is wr itten concer ning favour and dis gr ace? Dis gr ace is the fall fr om favour . He then that hath favour hath fear , and its los s begetteth fear yet gr eater of a fur ther fall. What is this which is wr itten concer ning honour and calamity? I t is this attachment to the body which maketh calamity pos s ible; for wer e one bodiles s , what evil could befall him? 3. T her efor e let him that r egar deth hims elf r ightly adminis ter als o a kingdom; and let him gover n it who loveth it as another man loveth hims elf. { 14} CH AP T E R XI V T H E S H E W I NG-F OR T H OF T H E MY S T E R Y 1. We look at it, and s ee it not; though it is Omnipr es ent; and we name it the RootB alance. We lis ten for it, and hear it not, though it is Omnis cient; and we name it the S ilence. We feel for it, and touch it not, though it is Omnipotent; and we name it the Concealed. T hes e thr ee Vir tues hath it, yet we cannot des cr ibe it as cons is ting of them; but, mingling them ar ight, we appr ehend the One. 2. Above, it s hineth not; below, it is not dar k. I t moveth all continuous ly, without Ex pr es s ion, r etur ning into Naught. I t is the F or m of T hat which is beyond For m; it is the I mage of the I nvis ible; it is Change, and Without Limit. 3. We confr ont it, and s ee not its Face; { 15} we pur s ue it, and its B ack is hidden fr om us . Ah! but apply the T ao as in old T ime to the wor k of the pr es ent; know it as it was known in the B eginning; follow fer vently the T hr ead of the T ao. { 16} CH AP T E R XV T H E AP P E AR AN CE OF T H E T R U E NAT U R E 1. T he adepts of pas t ages wer e s ubtle and keen to appr ehend this Mys ter y, and their pr ofundity was obs cur ity unto men. S ince then they wer e not known, let me declar e their natur e.

2. T o all s eeming, they wer e fear ful as men that cr os s a tor r ent in winter flood; they wer e hes itating like a man in appr ehens ion of them that ar e about him; they wer e full of awe like a gues t in a gr eat hous e; they wer e r eady to dis appear like ice in thaw; they wer e unas s uming like unwor ked wood; they wer e empty as a valley; and dull as the water s of a mar s h. 3. Who can clear muddy water ? S tillnes s will accomplis h this . Who can obtain r es t? Let motion continue equably, and it will its elf be peace. 4. T he adepts of the T ao, cons er ving its way, s eek not to be actively s elf- cons cious . B y their emptines s of S elf { 17} they have no need to s how their youth and per fection; to appear old and imper fect is their pr ivilege. { 18} CH AP T E R XVI T H E W I T H D R AW AL T O T H E R OOT 1. Emptines s mus t be per fect, and S ilence made abs olute with tir eles s s tr ength. All things pas s thr ough the per iod of action; then they r etur n to r epos e. T hey gr ow, bud, blos s om and fr uit; then they r etur n to the r oot. T his r etur n to the r oot is this s tate which we name S ilence; and this S ilence is Witnes s of their Fulfilment. 2. T his cycle is the univer s al law. T o know it is the par t of intelligence; to ignor e it br ingeth folly of action, wher eof the end is madnes s . T o know it br ingeth under s tanding and peace; and thes e lead to the identification of the S elf with the Not- S elf. T his identification maketh man a king; and this kinglines s gr oweth unto godhood. T hat godhood bear eth fr uit in the mas ter y of the T ao. T hen the man, the T ao per meating him, endur eth; and his bodily pr inciples ar e in har mony, { 19} pr oof agains t decay, until the hour of his Change. { 20} CH AP T E R XVI I T H E P U R I T Y OF T H E CU R R E N T 1. I n the Age of Gold, the people wer e not cons cious of their r uler s ; in the Age of S ilver , they loved them, with s ongs ; in the Age of B r as s , they fear ed them; in the Age of I r on, they des pis ed them. As the r uler s los t confidence, s o als o did the people los e confidence in them. 2. How hes itating did they s eem, the Lor ds of the Age of Gold, s peaking with deliber ation, awar e of the weight of their wor d! T hus they accomplis hed all things with s ucces s ; and the people deemed their well- being to be the natur al cour s e of events . { 21} CH AP T E R XVI I I T H E D E CAY OF MAN N E R S 1. When men abandoned the Way of the T ao, benevolence and j us tice became neces s ar y. T hen als o was need of wis dom and cunning, and all fell into illus ion. When har mony ceas ed to pr evail in the s ix s pher es it was needful to gover n them by manifes ting S ons . When the kingdoms and r aces became confus ed, loyal minis ter s had to appear . { 22} CH AP T E R XI X R E T U R N I N G T O T H E P U R I T Y OF T H E CU R R E N T 1. I f we for got our s tates mans hip and our wis dom, it would be an hundr ed times better for the people. I f we for got our benevolence and our j us tice, they would

become again like s ons , folk of good will. I f we for get our machines and our bus ines s , ther e would be no knaver y. 2. T hes e new methods des pis ed the olden Way, inventing fine names to dis guis e their banenes s . B ut s implicity in the doing of the will of ever y man would put an end to vain ambitions and des ir es . { 23} CH AP T E R XX T H E W I T H D R AW AL F R OM T H E COMMON W AY 1. T o for get lear ning is to end tr ouble. T he s malles t differ ence in wor ds , s uch as " yes " and " yea" , can make endles s contr over s y for the s cholar . Fear ful indeed is death, s ince all men fear it; but the abys s of ques tionings , s hor eles s and bottomles s , is wor s e! 2. Cons ider the pr ofane man, how he pr eeneth, as if at feas t, or gaz ing upon S pr ing fr om a tower ! B ut as for me, I am as one who yawneth, without any tr ace of des ir e. I am like a babe befor e its fir s t s mile. I appear s ad and for lor n, like a man homeles s . T he pr ofane man hath his need filled, ay, and mor e als o. For me, I s eem to have los t all I had. My mind is as it wer e s tupefied; it hath no definite s hape. T he pr ofane man looketh lively and keen- witted; I alone appear blank in my mind. T hey s eem eager ly cr itical; I appear car eles s and without per ception. I s eem to be as one adr ift upon the s ea, with { 24} no thought of an har bor . T he pr ofane have each one his definite cour s e of action; I alone appear us eles s and uncompr ehending, like a man fr om the bor der . Yea, thus I differ fr om all other men: but my j ewel is the AllMother ! { 25} CH AP T E R XX I T H E I NF I N I T E W OMB 1. T he s ole s our ce of ener gy is the T ao. Who may declar e its natur e? I t is beyond S ens e, yet all for m is hidden within it. I t is beyond S ens e, yet all Per ceptibles ar e hidden within it. I t is beyond S ens e, yet all Per ceptibles ar e hidden within it. I t is beyond S ens e, yet all B eing is hidden within it. T his B eing ex cites Per ception, and the Wor d ther eof. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever s hall be, its Name oper ateth continuous ly, caus ing all to flow in the cycle of Change, which is Love and B eauty. How do I know this ? B y my compr ehens ion of the T ao. { 26} CH AP T E R XX I I T H E GU E R D ON OF MOD E S T Y 1. T he par t becometh the whole. T he cur ve becometh s tr aight; the void becometh full; the old becometh new. He who des ir eth little accomplis heth his Will with eas e; who des ir eth many things becometh dis tr acted. 2. T her efor e, the s age concentr ateth upon one Will, and it is as a light to the whole wor ld. Hiding hims elf, he s hineth; withdr awing hims elf, he attr acteth notice; humbling hims elf, he is ex alted; dis s atis fied with hims elf, he gaineth for ce to achieve his Will. B ecaus e he s tr iveth not, no man may contend agains t him. 3. T hat is no idle s aw of the men of old; " T he par t becometh the whole" ; it is the Canon of Per fection. { 27} CH AP T E R XXI I I T H E VOI D OF N AU GH T 1. T o keep s ilence is the mar k of one who is acting in full accor dance with his Will. A fier ce wind s oon falleth; a s tor m- s hower doth not las t all day. Yet Heaven and Ear th

caus e thes e; and if they fail to make violence continue, how much les s can man abide in s pas m of pas s ion! 2. With him that devoteth him to T ao, the devotees of T ao ar e in accor d; s o als o ar e the devotees of T eh, yea, even they who fail in s eeking thos e ar e in accor d. 3. S o then his br other s in the T ao ar e j oyful, attaining it; and his br other s in the T eh ar e j oyful, attaining it; and they who fail in s eeking thes e ar e j oyful, par taking of it. B ut if he hims elf r ealiz e not the T ao with calm of confidence, then they als o appear lacking in confidence. { 28} CH AP T E R XXI V E VI L MAN N E R S 1. He who s tandeth a- tiptoe s tandeth not fir m; he who maketh r igid his legs walketh ill. He who pr eeneth hims elf s hineth not; he who talketh pos itively is vulgar ; he who boas theth is r efus ed acceptance; he who is wis e in his own conceit is thought infer ior . S uch attitudes , to him that hath the view given by under s tanding the T ao, s eem like gar bage or like cancer , abhor r ent to all. T hey then who follow the Way do not admit them. { 29} CH AP T E R XX V I MAGE S OF T H E MY S T E R Y 1. Without Limit and Per fect, ther e is a B ecoming, beyond Heaven and Ear th. I t hath nor motion nor For m; it is alone, it changeth not; it ex tendeth all ways ; it hath no Adver s ar y. I t is like the All- Mother . 2. I know not its Name, but I call it the T ao. Mor eover , I ex er t mys elf, and call it Vas tnes s . 3. Vas tnes s , the B ecoming! B ecoming, it flieth afar . Afar , it dr aweth near . Vas t is this T ao; Heaven als o is Vas t; Ear th is vas t; and the Holy K ing is vas t als o. I n the Univer s e ar e Four Vas tnes s es , and of thes e is the Holy K ing. 4. Man followeth the for mula of Ear th; Ear th followeth that of Heaven, and Heaven that of the T ao. T he for mula of the T ao is its own Natur e. { 30} CH AP T E R XX VI T H E N AT U R E OF MAS S 1. Mas s is the fulcr um of mobility; s tillnes s is the father of motion. 2. T her efor e the s age K ing, though he tr avel afar , r emaineth near his s upplies . T hough oppor tunity tempt him, he r emaineth quietly in pr oper dis pos ition, indiffer ent. S hould the mas ter of an hos t of char iots bear hims elf fr ivolous ly? I f he attack without s uppor t, he los eth his bas e; if he become a r aider , he for feiteth his thr one. { 31} CH AP T E R XX VI I S K I L L I N T H E ME T H OD 1. T he ex per ienced tr aveler concealeth his tr acks ; the clever s peaker giveth no chance to the cr itic; the s killed mathematician us eth no abacus ; the ingenious s afes mith baffleth the bur glar without the us e of bolts , and the cunning binder without r opes and knots . S o als o the s age, s killed in man- emancipation- cr aft, us eth all men; under s tanding the value of ever ything, he r ej ecteth nothing. T his is called the Occult Regimen.

2. T he adept is then mas ter to the z elator , and the z elator as s is teth and honor eth the adept. Yet unles s thes e r elations wer e manifes t, even the mos t intelligent obs er ver might be per plex ed as to which was which. T his is called the Cr own of Mys ter y. { 32} CH AP T E R XX VI I I T H E R E T U R N T O S I MP L I CI T Y 1. B alance thy male s tr ength with thy female weaknes s and thou s halt attr act all things , as the ocean abs or beth all r iver s ; for thou s halt for mulate the ex cellence of the Child eter nal, s imple, and per fect. K nowing the light, r emain in the Dar k. Manifes t not thy Glor y, but thine obs cur ity. Clothed in this Child- ex cellence eter nal, thou has t attained the Retur n of the F ir s t S tate. K nowing s plendour of F ame, cling to Obloquy and I nfamy; then s halt thou r emain as in the Valley to which flow all water s , the lodes tone to fas cinate all men. Yea, they s hall hail in thee this Ex cellence, eter nal, s imple and per fect, of the Child. 2. T he r aw mater ial, wr ought into for m, pr oduceth ves s els . S o the s age K ing for mulateth his Wholenes s in diver s Offices ; and his Law is without violence or cons tr aint. { 33} CH AP T E R XX I X R E F R AI N I N G F R OM ACT I ON 1. He that, des ir ing a kingdom, ex er teth hims elf to obtain it, will fail. A K ingdom is of the natur e of s pir it, and yieldeth not to activity. He who gr as peth it, des tr oyeth it; he who gaineth it, los eth it. 2. T he wheel of natur e r evolveth cons tantly; the las t becometh fir s t, and the fir s t las t; hot things gr ow cold, and cold things hot; weaknes s over cometh s tr ength; things gained ar e los t anon. Hence the wis e man avoideth effor t, des ir e and s loth. { 34} CH AP T E R XX X A W AR N I N G AGAI N S T W AR 1. I f a king s ummon to his aid a Mas ter of the T ao, let Him not advis e r ecour s e to ar ms . S uch action cer tainly br ingeth the cor r es ponding r eaction. 2. Wher e ar mies ar e, ar e weeds . B ad har ves ts follow gr eat hos ts . 3. T he good gener al s tr iketh decis ively, once and for all. He does not r is k by over boldnes s . He s tr iketh, but doth not vaunt his victor y. He s tr ik eth accor ding to s tr ict law of neces s ity, not fr om des ir e of victor y. 4. T hings become s tr ong and r ipe, then age. T his is dis cor d with the T ao; and what is not at one with the T ao s oon cometh to an end. { 35} CH AP T E R XX XI COMP OS I N G QU AR R E L 1. Ar ms , though they be beautiful, ar e of ill omen, abominable to all cr eated beings . T hey who have the T ao love not their us e. 2. T he place of honour is on the r ight in war time; s o thinketh the man of dis tinction. S har p weapons ar e ill- omened, unwor thy of s uch a man; he us eth them only in neces s ity. He valueth peace and eas e, des ir eth not violence of victor y. T o des ir e victor y is to des ir e the death of men; and to des ir e that is to fail to pr opitiate the people.

3. At feas ts , the left hand is the high s eat; at funer als , the r ight. T he s econd in command of the ar my leadeth the left wing, the commander - in- chief, the r ight wing; it is as if the battle wer e a r ite of mour ning! He that hath s lain mos t men s hould weep for them mos t bitter ly; s o then the place of the victor is as s igned to him with philos ophical pr opr iety. { 36} CH AP T E R XX XI I T H E W I S D OM OF T E H 1. T he All- T ao hath no name. 2. I t is T hat Minute Point yet the whole wor ld dar e not contend agains t him that hath it. Did a lor d or king gain it and guar d it, all men would obey him of their own accor d. 3. Heaven and Ear th combining under its s pell, s hed for th dew, ex tending thr oughout all things of its own accor d, without man's inter fer ence. 4. T ao, in its phas e of action, hath a name. T hen men can compr ehend it; when they do this , ther e is no mor e r is k of wr ong or ill- s ucces s . 5. As the gr eat r iver s and the oceans ar e to the valley s tr eams , s o is the T ao to the whole univer s e. { 37} CH AP T E R XX XI I I T H E D I S CR I MI N AT I ON ( VI VE K A) OF T E H 1. He who under s tandeth other s under s tandeth T wo; but he who under s tandeth hims elf under s tandeth One. He who conquer eth other s is s tr ong; but he who conquer eth hims elf is s tr onger yet. Contentment is r iches ; and continuous action is Will. 2. He that adapteth hims elf per fectly to his envir onment, continueth for long; he who dieth without dying, liveth for ever . { 38} CH AP T E R XX XI V T H E ME T H OD OF AT T AI N ME NT 1. T he T ao is immanent; it ex tendeth to the r ight hand as to the left. 2. All things der ive fr om it their being; it cr eateth them, and all comply with it. I ts wor k is done, and it pr oclaimeth it not. I t is the or nament of all things , yet it claimeth not fief of them; ther e is nothing s o s mall that it inhabiteth not, and infor meth it. All things r etur n without knowledge of the Caus e ther eof; ther e is nothing s o gr eat that it inhabiteth not, and infor meth it. 3. I n this manner als o may the S age per for m his Wor ks . I t is by not thr us ting hims elf for war d that he winneth to his s ucces s . { 39} CH AP T E R XX XV T H E GOOD W I L L OF T H E T E H 1. T he whole wor ld is dr awn to him that hath the likenes s of the T ao. Men flock unto him, and s uffer no ill, but gain r epos e, find peace, enj oy all eas e. 2. S weet s ounds and cates lur e the tr aveler fr om his way. B ut the Wor d of the T ao; though it appear har s h and ins ipid, unwor thy to hear ken or to behold; hath his us e all inex haus tible. { 40}

CH AP T E R XX XVI T H E H I D I N G OF T H E L I GH T 1. I n or der to dr aw br eath, fir s t empty the lungs ; to weaken another , fir s t s tr engthen him; to over thr ow another , fir s t ex alt him; to des poil another , fir s t load him with gifts ; this is called the Occult Regimen. 2. T he s oft conquer eth the har d; the weak pulleth down the s tr ong. 3. T he fis h that leaveth ocean is los t; the method of gover nment mus t be concealed fr om the people. { 41} CH AP T E R XX XVI I T H E R I GH T U S E OF GOVE R N ME NT 1. T he T ao pr oceedeth by its own natur e, doing nothing; ther efor e ther e is no doing which it compr ehendeth not. 2. I f kings and pr inces wer e to gover n in this manner , all things would oper ate ar ight by their own motion. 3. I f this tr ans mutation wer e my obj ect, I s hould call it S implicity. S implicity hath no name nor pur pos e; s ilently and at eas e all things go well. { 42}

PART II
CH AP T E R XX XVI I I CON CE R N I N G T H E T E H 1. T hos e who pos s es s ed per fectly the power s did not manifes t them, and s o they pr es er ved them. T hos e who pos s es s ed them imper fectly fear ed to los e them, and s o los t them. 2. T he for mer did nothing, nor had need to do. T he latter did, and had need to do. 3. T hos e who pos s es s ed benevolence ex er cis ed it, and had need it; s o als o was it with them who pos s es s ed j us tice. 4. T hos e who pos s es s ed the conventions dis played them; and when men would not agr ee, they made r eady to fight them. 5. T hus , when the T ao was los t, the Magick Power s appear ed; then, by s ucces s ive degr adations , came B enevolence, Jus tice, Convention. { 43} 6. Now convention is the s hadow of loyalty and good will, and s o the her ald of dis or der . Yea, even Under s tanding is but a B los s om of the T ao, and for es hadoweth S tupidity. 7. S o then the T ao- Man holdeth to Mas s , and avoideth Motion; he is attached to the Root, not to the flower . He leaveth the one, and cleaveth to the other . { 44} CH AP T E R XX XI X T H E L AW OF T H E B E GI N N I N G 1. T hes e things have pos s es s ed the T ao fr om the beginning: Heaven, clear and s hining; Ear th, s teady and eas y; S pir its , mighty in Magick ; Vehicles , over flowing with Joy; all that hath life; and the r uler s of men. All thes e der ive their es s ence fr om the T ao. 2. Without the T ao, Heaven would dis s olve Ear th dis r upt, S pir its become impotent; Vehicles empty; living things would per is h and r uler s los e their power . 3. T he r oot of gr andeur is humility, and the s tr ength of ex altation in its bas e. T hus r uler s s peak of thems elves as " Father les s ," " Vir tueles s ,' " Unwor thy," pr oclaiming by this that their Glor y is in their s hame. S o als o the vir tue of a Char iot is not any of the par ts of a Char iot, if they be number ed. T hey do not s eek to appear fine like j ade, but incons picuous like common s tone. { 45} CH AP T E R XL OMI T T I N G U T I L I T Y 1. T he T ao pr oceeds by cor r elative cur ves , and its might is in weaknes s . 2. All things ar os e fr om the T eh, and the T eh budded fr om the T ao. { 46} CH AP T E R XL I T H E I D E N T I T Y OF T H E D I F F E R E N T I AL 1. T he bes t s tudents , lear ning of the T ao, s et to wor k ear nes tly to pr actice the Way. Mediocr e s tudents now cher is h it, now let it go. T he wor s t s tudents mock at it. Wer e it not thus mocked, it wer e unwor thy to be T ao.

2. T hus s pake the maker s of S aws : the T ao at its br ightes t is obs cur e. Who advanceth in that Way, r etir eth. I ts s mooth Way is r ough. I ts s ummit is a valley. I ts beauty is uglines s . I ts wealth is pover ty. I ts vir tue, vice. I ts s tability is change. I ts for m is without for m. I ts fullnes s is vacancy. I ts utter ance is s ilence. I ts r eality is illus ion. 3. Nameles s and imper ceptible is the T ao; but it infor meth and per fecteth all things . { 47} CH AP T E R XL I I T H E VE I L S OF T H E T AO 1. T he T ao for mulated the One. T he One ex haled the T wo. T he T wo wer e par ents of the T hr ee. T he T hr ee wer e par ents of all things . All things pas s fr om Obs cur ity to Manifes tation, ins pir ed har monious ly by the B r eath of the Void. 2. Men do not like to be father les s , vir tueles s , unwor thy: yet r uler s des cr ibe thems elves by thes e names . T hus incr eas e br ingeth decr eas e to s ome, and decr eas e br ingeth incr eas e to other s . 3. Other s have taught thus ; I cons ent to it. Violent men and s tr ong die not by natur al death. T his fact is the foundation of my law. { 48} CH AP T E R XL I I I T H E COS MI C ME T H OD 1. T he s oftes t s ubs tance hunteth down the har des t; the uns ubs tantial penetr ateth wher e ther e is no opening. Her e is the Vir tue of I ner tia. 2. Few ar e they who attain: whos e s peech is S ilence, whos e Wor k is I ner tia. { 49} CH AP T E R XL I V MON I T OR I AL 1. What s hall it pr ofit a man if he gain fame or wealth, and los e his life? 2. I f a man cling to fame or wealth, he r is keth what is wor th mor e. 3. B e content, not fear ing dis gr ace. Act not, and r is k not cr iticis m. T hus live thou long, without alar m. { 50} CH AP T E R XL V T H E OVE R F L OW I N G OF T E H 1. Des pis e thy mas ter pieces ; thus r enew the vigor of thy cr eation. Deem thy fullnes s emptines s ; thus s hall thy fullnes s never be empty. Let the s tr aight appear cr ooked to thee, thy Cr aft clums ines s ; thy Mus ick dis cor d. 2. Ex er cis e moder ateth cold; s tillnes s heat. T o be pur e and to keep s ilence, is the T r ue Law of all that ar e beneath Heaven. { 51} CH AP T E R XL VI T H E W I T H D R AW AL F R OM AMB I T I ON 1. When the T ao bear eth away on Ear th, men put s wift hor s es to night- car ts . When it is neglected, they br eed char ger s in the bor der mar ches .

2. T her e is no evil wor s e than ambition; no mis er y wor s e than dis content; no cr ime gr eater than gr eed. Content of mind is peace and s atis faction eter nal. { 52} CH AP T E R XL VI I T H E VI S I ON OF T H E D I S T ANT 1. One need not pas s his thr es hold to compr ehend all that is under Heaven, nor to look out fr om his lattice to behold the T ao Celes tial. Nay! but the far ther a man goeth, the les s he k noweth. 2. T he s ages acquir ed their knowledge without tr avel; they named all things ar ight without beholding them; and, acting without aim, fulfilled their Wills . { 53} CH AP T E R XL VI I I OB L I VI ON OVE R COMI NG K N OW L E D GE 1. T he s cholar s eeketh daily incr eas e of knowing; the s age of T ao daily decr eas e of doing. 2. He decr eas eth it, again and again, until he doth no act with the lus t of r es ult. Having attained this I ner tia all accomplis heth its elf. 3. He who attr acteth to hims elf all that is under Heaven doth s o without effor t. He who maketh effor t is not able to attr act it. { 54} CH AP T E R XL I X T H E AD AP T AB I L I T Y OF T H E T E H 1. T he wis e man hath no fix ed pr inciple; he adapteth his mind to his envir onment. 2. T o the good I am good, and to the evil I am good als o; thus all become good. T o the tr ue I am tr ue, and to the fals e I am tr ue; thus all become tr ue. 3. T he s age appear eth hes itating to the wor ld, becaus e his mind is detached. T her efor e the people look and lis ten to him, as his childr en; and thus doth he s hepher d them. { 53} CH AP T E R L T H E E S T I MAT I ON OF L I F E 1. Man cometh into life, and r etur neth again into death. 2. T hr ee men in ten cons er ve life; thr ee men in ten pur s ue death. 3. T hr ee men als o in ten des ir e to live, but their acts has ten their j our ney to the hous e of death. Why is this ? B ecaus e of their effor ts to pr es er ve life. 4. B ut this I have hear d. He that is wis e in the economy of his life, wher eof he is war den for a s eas on, j our neyeth with no need to avoid the tiger or the r hinocer os , and goeth uncor s leted among the war r ior s with no fear of s wor d or lance. T he r hinocer os findeth in him no place vulner able to its hor n, the tiger to its claws , the weapon to its point. Why is this ? B ecaus e ther e is no hous e of death in his whole body. { 56} CH AP T E R L I T H E T E H AS T H E NU R S E 1. All things pr oceed fr om the T ao, and ar e s us tained by its for th- flowing vir tue. Ever y one taketh for m accor ding to his natur e, and is per fect, each in his par ticular

Way. T her efor e, each and ever y one of them glor ify the T ao, and wor s hip its for thflowing Vir tue. 2. T his glor ifying of the T ao, this wor s hip of the T eh, is cons tantly s pontaneous , and not by appointment of Law. 3. T hus the T ao buddeth them out, nur tur eth them, developeth them, s us taineth them, per fecteth them, r ipeneth them, upholdeth them, and r eabs or beth them. 4. I t buddeth them for th, and claimeth not lor ds hip over them; it is over s eer of their changes , and boas teth not of his puis s ance; per fecteth them, and inter fer eth not with their Ways ; this is called the Mys ter y of its Vir tue. { 57} CH AP T E R L I I T H E W I T H D R AW AL I N T O T H E S I L E N CE 1. T he T ao buddeth for th all things under Heaven; it is the Mother of all. 2. K nowing the Mother , we may know her offs pr ing. He that knoweth his Mother , and abideth in Her natur e, r emaineth in s ur ety all his days . 3. With the mouth clos ed, and the Gates of B r eath contr olled, he r emaineth at eas e all his days . With the mouth open, and the B r eath dir ected to outwar d affair s , he hath no s ur ety all his days . 4. T o per ceive that Minute Point is T r ue Vis ion; to maintain the S oft and Gentle is T r ue S tr ength. 5. Employing har monious ly the Light Within s o that it r etur neth to its Or igin, one guar deth even one's body fr om evil, and keepeth S ilence befor e all men. { 58} CH AP T E R L I I I T H E W I T N E S S OF GR E E D 1. Wer e I dis cover ed by men, and char ged with gover nment, my fir s t would be les t I s hould become pr oud. 2. T he tr ue Path is level and s mooth; but men love by- paths . 3. T hey ador n their cour ts , but they neglect their fields , and leave their s tor ehous es empty. T hey wear elabor ate and embr oider ed r obes ; they gir d thems elves with s har p s wor ds ; they eat and dr ink with lux ur y; they heap up goods ; they ar e thievis h and vainglor ious . All this is oppos ite to the Way of T ao. { 59} CH AP T E R L I V T H E W I T N E S S OF W I S D OM 1. I f a man plant accor ding to the T ao it will never be upr ooted; if he thus gather , it will never be los t. His s ons and his s on's s ons , one following another , s hall honour the s hr ine of their ances tor . 2. T he T ao, applied to ones elf, s tr engtheneth the B ody, to the family, br ingeth wealth; to the dis tr ict, pr os per ity; to the s tate, gr eat for tune. Let it be the L aw of the K ingdom, and all men will incr eas e in vir tue. 3. T hus we obs er ve its effect in ever y cas e, as to the per s on, the family, the dis tr ict, the s tate, and the kingdom. 4. How do I know that this is thus univer s al under Heaven? B y ex per ience. { 60}

CH AP T E R L V T H E S P E L L OF T H E MY S T E R Y 1. He that hath the Magick power s of the T ao is like a young child. I ns ects will not s ting him or beas ts or bir ds of pr ey attack him. 2. T he young child's bones ar e tender and its s inews ar e elas tic, but its gr as p is fir m. I t knoweth nothing of the Union of Man and Woman, yet its Or gan may be ex cited. T his is becaus e of its natur al per fection. I t will cr y all day long without becoming hoar s e, becaus e of the har mony of its being. 3. He who under s tandeth this har mony knoweth the mys ter y of the T ao, and becometh a T r ue S age. All devices for inflaming life, and incr eas ing the vital B r eath, by mental effor t ar e evil and factitious . 4. T hings become s tr ong, then age. T his is in dis cor d with the T ao, and what is not at one with the T ao s oon cometh to an end. { 61} CH AP T E R L VI T H E E XCE L L E N CE OF T H E MY S T E R Y 1. Who knoweth the T ao keepeth S ilence; he who babbleth knoweth it not. 2. Who knoweth it clos eth his mouth and contr olleth the Gates of his B r eath. He will make his s har pnes s blunt; he will loos en his complex es ; he will tone down his br ightnes s to the gener al obs cur ity. T his is called the S ecr et of Har mony. 3. He cannot be ins ulted either by familiar ity or aver s ion; he is immune to ideas of gain or los s , of honour or dis gr ace; he is the tr ue man, unequalled under Heaven. { 62} CH AP T E R L VI I T H E T R U E I N F L U E N CE 1. One may gover n a s tate by r es tr iction; weapons may be us ed with s kill and cunning; but one acquir eth tr ue command only by fr eedom, given and taken. 2. How am I awar e of this ? B y ex per ience that to multiply r es tr ictive laws in the kingdom impover is heth the people; the us e of machines caus eth dis or der in s tate and r ace alike. T he mor e men us e s kill and cunning, the mor e machines ther e ar e; and the mor e laws ther e ar e, the mor e felons ther e ar e. 3. A wis e man has s aid this : I will r efr ain fr om doing, and the people will act r ightly of their own accor d; I will love S ilence, and the people will ins tinctively tur n to per fection; I will take no meas ur es , and the people will enj oy tr ue wealth; I will r es tr ain ambition, and the people will attain s implicity. { 63} CH AP T E R L VI I I AD AP T AT I ON T O E N VI R ON ME N T 1. T he gover nment that ex er cis eth the leas t car e s er veth the people bes t; that which meddleth with ever ybody's bus ines s wor keth all manner of har m. S or r ow and j oy ar e bedfellows ; who can divine the final r es ult of either ? 2. S hall we avoid r es tr iction? Yea; r es tr iction dis tor teth natur e, s o that even what s eemeth good in it is evil. For how long have men s uffer ed fr om mis under s tanding of this .

3. T he wis e man is four s quar e, and avoideth aggr es s ion; his cor ner s do not inj ur e other s . He moveth in a s tr aight line and tur neth not as ide ther efr om; he is br illiant but doth not blind with his br ightnes s . { 64} CH AP T E R L I X W AR D I NG T H E T AO 1. T o balance our ear thly natur e and cultivate our heavenly natur e, tr ead the Middle Path. 2. T his Middle Path alone leadeth to the T imely Retur n to the T r ue Natur e. T his T imely Retur n r es ulteth fr om the cons tant gather ing of Magick Power s . With that Gather ing cometh Contr ol. T his Contr ol we know to be without Limit and he who knoweth the L imitles s may r ule the s tate. 3. He who pos s es s eth the T ao continueth long. He is like a plant with well- s et r oots and s tr ong s tems . T hus it s ecur eth long continuance of its life. { 65} CH AP T E R L X T H E D U T Y OF GOVE R N ME N T 1. T he gover nment of a kingdom is like the cooking of fis h. 2. I f the kingdom be r uled accor ding to the T ao, the s pir its of our ances tor s will not manifes t their T eh. T hes e s pir its have this T eh, but will not tur n it agains t men. I t is able to hur t men; s o als o is the Wis e K ing; but he doth not. 3. When thes e power s ar e in accor d, their Good Will pr oduceth the T eh, endowing the people ther ewith. { 66} CH AP T E R L XI T H E MOD E S T Y OF T H E T E H 1. A s tate becometh power ful when it r es embleth a gr eat r iver , deep- s eated; to it tend all the s mall s tr eams under Heaven. 2. I t is as with the female, that conquer eth the male by her S ilence. S ilence is a for m of Gr avity. 3. T hus a gr eat s tate attr acteth s mall s tates by meeting their views , and s mall s tates attr act the gr eat s tate by r ever ing its eminence. I n the fir s t cas e this S ilence gaineth s uppor ter s ; in the s econd, favour . 4. T he gr eat s tate uniteth men and nur tur eth them; the s mall s tate wis heth the good will of the gr eat, and offer eth s er vice; thus each gaineth its advantage. B ut the gr eat s tate mus t keep S ilence. { 67} CH AP T E R L XI I T H E W OR K I N GS OF T H E T AO 1. T he T ao is the mos t ex alted of all things . I t is the or nament of the good, and the pr otection and pur ification of the evil. 2. I ts wor ds ar e the fountain of honour , and its deeds the engine of achievement. I t is pr es ent even in evil. 3. T hough the S on of Heaven wer e enthr oned with his thr ee Dukes appointed to s er ve him, and he wer e offer ed a r ound s ymbol- of- r ank as gr eat as might fill the hands , with a team of hor s es to follow, this gift wer e not to be matched agains t the T ao, which might be offer ed by the humbles t of men.

4. Why did they of old time s et s uch s tor e by the T ao? B ecaus e he that s ought it might find it, and becaus e it was the Pur ification fr om all evil. T her efor e did all men under Heaven es teem it the mos t ex alted of all things . { 68} CH AP T E R L XI I I F OR E T H OU GH T AT T H E OU T S E T 1. Act without lus t of r es ult; wor k without anx iety; tas te without attachment to flavour ; es teem s mall things gr eat and few things many; r epel violence with gentlenes s . 2. Do gr eat things while they ar e yet s mall, har d things while they ar e yet eas y; for all things , how gr eat or har d s oever , have a beginning when they ar e little and eas y. S o thus the wis e man accomplis heth the gr eates t tas ks without under taking anything impor tant. 3. Who under taketh thoughtles s ly is cer tain to fail in attainment; who es timateth things eas y findeth them har d. T he wis e man cons ider eth even eas y things har d, s o that even har d things ar e eas y to him. { 69} CH AP T E R L XI V AT T E N D I N G T O D E T AI L S 1. I t is eas y to gr as p what is not yet in motion, to withs tand what is not yet manifes t, to br eak what is not yet compact, to dis per s e what is not yet coher ent. Act agains t things befor e they become vis ible; attend to or der befor e dis or der ar is eth. 2. T he tr ee which filleth the embr ace gr ew fr om a s mall s hoot; the tower nines tor ied r os e fr om a low foundation; the ten- day j our ney began with a s ingle s tep. 3. He who acteth wor keth har m; he who gr as peth findeth it a s lip. T he wis e man acteth not, s o wor keth no har m; he doth not gr as p, and s o doth not let go. Men often r uin their affair s on the eve of s ucces s , becaus e they ar e not as pr udent at the end as in the beginning. 4. T he wis e man willeth what other s do not will, and valueth not things r ar e. He lear neth what other s lear n not, and gather ed up what they des pis e. T hus he is in accor d with the natur al cour s e of events , and is not over bold in action. { 70} CH AP T E R L XV T H E P U R I T Y OF T H E T E H 1. T hey of old time that wer e s killed in the T ao s ought not to enlighten the people, but to keep them s imple. 2. T he difficulty of gover nment is the vain knowledge of the people. T o us e clever nes s in gover nment is to s cour ge the kingdom; to us e s implicity is to anoint it. 3. K now thes e things , and make them thy law and thine ex ample. T o pos s es s this Law is the S ecr et Per fection of r ule. Pr ofound and Ex tended is this Per fection; he that pos s es s eth it is indeed contr ar y to the r es t, but he attr acteth them to full accor dance. { 71} CH AP T E R L XVI P U T T I N G ONE ' S S E L F L AS T 1. T he oceans and the r iver s attr act the s tr eams by their s kill in being lower than they; thus ar e they mas ter s ther eof. S o the Wis e Man, to be above men, s peaketh lowly; and to pr ecede them acteth with humility.

2. T hus , though he be above them, they feel no bur den; nor , though he pr ecede them, do they feel ins ulted. 3. S o then do all men delight to honour him, and gr ow not wear y of him. He contendeth not agains t any man; ther efor e no man is able to contend agains t him. { 72} CH AP T E R L XVI I T H E T H R E E JE W E L S 1. T hey s ay that while this T ao of mine is gr eat, yet it is infer ior . T his is the pr oof of its gr eatnes s . I f it wer e like anything els e, its s mallnes s would have long been known. 2. I have thr ee j ewels of pr ice wher eto I cleave; gentlenes s , economy, and humility. 3. T hat gentlenes s maketh me cour ageous , that economy gener ous , that humility honour ed. Men of today abandon gentlenes s for violence, economy for ex tr avagance, humility for pr ide: this is death. 4. Gentlenes s br ingeth victor y in fight; and holdeth its gr ound with as s ur ance. Heaven war deth the gentle man by that s ame vir tue. { 73} CH AP T E R L XVI I I AS S I MI L AT I NG ON E ' S S E L F T O H E AVE N 1. He that is s killed in war maketh no fier ce ges tur es ; the mos t efficient fighter bewar eth of anger . He who conquer eth r efr aineth fr om engaging in battle; he whom men mos t willingly obey continueth s ilently with his Wor k. S o it is s aid: " He is mighty who fighteth not; he r uleth who uniteth with his s ubj ects ; he s hineth whos e will is that of Heaven." { 74} CH AP T E R L XI X T H E U S E OF T H E MY S T E R I OU S W AY 1. A gr eat s tr ategis t s aith: " I dar e not take the offens ive. I pr efer the defens ive. I dar e not advance an inch; I pr efer to r etr eat a foot." Place ther efor e the ar my wher e ther e is no ar my; pr epar e for action wher e ther e is no engagement; s tr ike wher e ther e is no conflict; advance agains t the enemy wher e the enemy is not. 2. T her e is no er r or s o gr eat as to engage in battle without s ufficient for ce. T o do s o is to r is k los ing the gentlenes s which is beyond pr ice. T hus when the lines actually engage, he who r egr etteth the neces s ity is the victor . { 75} CH AP T E R L XX T H E D I F F I CU L T Y OF R I GH T AP P R E H E N S I ON 1. My wor ds ar e eas y to under s tand and to per for m; but is ther e anyone in the wor ld who can under s tand them and per for m them? 2. My wor ds der ive fr om a cr eative and univer s al Pr inciple, in accor d with the One Law. Men, not knowing thes e, under s tand me not. 3. Few ar e they that under s tand me; ther efor e am I the mor e to be valued. T he Wis e Man wear eth s ack- cloth, but guar deth his j ewel in his bos om. { 76}

CH AP T E R L XXI T H E D I S T E MP E R OF K NOW L E D GE 1. T o know, yet to know nothing, is the highes t; not to k now, yet to pr etend to knowledge, is a dis temper . 2. Painful is this dis temper ; ther efor e we s hun it. T he wis e man hath it not. K nowing it to be bound up with S or r ow, he putteth it away fr om him. { 77} CH AP T E R L XXI I CON CE R N I N G L OVE OF S E L F 1. When men fear not that which is to be fear ed, that which they fear cometh upon them. 2. Let them not live, without thought, the s uper ficial life. Let them not wear y of the S pr ing of Life! 3. B y avoiding the s uper ficial life, this wear ines s cometh not upon them. 4. T hes e things the wis e man knoweth, not s howeth: he loveth hims elf, without is olating his value. He accepteth the for mer and r ej ecteth the latter . { 78} CH AP T E R L XXI I I E S T AB L I S H I NG T H E L AW OF F R E E D OM 1. One man, dar ing, is ex ecuted; another , not dar ing, liveth. I t would s eem as if the one cour s e wer e pr ofitable and the other detr imental. Yet when Heaven s miteth a man, who s hall as s ign the caus e ther eof? T her efor e the s age is diffident. 2. T he T ao of Heaven contendeth not, yet it over cometh; it is s ilent, yet its need is ans wer ed; it s ummoneth none, but all men come to it of their fr ee will. I ts method is quietnes s , yet its will is efficient. Lar ge ar e the mes hes of Heaven's Net; wide open, yet letting none es cape. { 79} CH AP T E R L XXI V A R E S T R AI NT OF MI S U ND E R S T AN D I N G 1. T he people have no fear of death; why then s eek to awe them by the thr eat of death? I f the people fear ed death and I could put to death evil- doer s , who would dar e to offend? 2. T her e is one appointed to inflict death. He who would us ur p that pos ition r es embleth a hewer of wood doing the wor k of a car penter . S uch an one, pr es umptuous , will be s ur e to cut his own hands . { 80} CH AP T E R L XXV T H E I NJU R Y OF GR E E D 1. T he people s uffer hunger becaus e of the weight of tax ation impos ed by their r uler s . T his is the caus e of famine. 2. T he people ar e difficult to gover n becaus e their r uler s meddle with them. T his is the caus e of bad gover nment. 3. T he people welcome death becaus e the toil of living is intoler able. T his is why they es teem death lightly. I n s uch a s tate of ins ecur ity it is better to ignor e the ques tion of living than to s et s tor e by it. { 81}

CH AP T E R L XXVI A W AR N I N G AGAI N S T R I GI D I T Y 1. At the bir th of man, he is elas tic and weak; at his death, r igid and unyielding. T his is the common law; tr ees als o, in their youth, ar e tender and s upple; in their decay, har d and dr y. 2. S o then r igidity and har dnes s adaptability, of life. ar e the s tigmata of death; elas ticity and

3. He then who putteth for th s tr ength is not victor ious ; even as a s tr ong tr ee filleth the embr ace. 4. T hus the har d and r igid have the infer ior place, the s oft and elas tic the s uper ior . { 82} CH AP T E R L XXVI I T H E W AY OF H E AVE N 1. T he T ao of Heaven is likened to the bending of a bow, wher eby the high par t is br ought down, and the low par t r ais ed up. T he ex tr eme is diminis hed, and the middle incr eas ed. 2. T his is the Way of Heaven, to r emove ex ces s , and to s upplement ins ufficiency. Not s o is the way of man, who taketh away fr om him that hath not to give to him that hath alr eady ex ces s . 3. Who can employ his own ex ces s to the weal of all under Heaven? Only he that pos s es s eth the T ao. 4. S o the Wis e Man acteth without lus t of r es ult; achieveth and boas teth not; he willeth not to pr oclaim his gr eatnes s . { 83} CH AP T E R L XXVI I I A CR E E D 1. Nothing in the wor ld is mor e elas tic and yielding than water ; yet it is pr eeminent to dis s olve things r igid and r es is tant; ther e is nothing which can match it. 2. All men k now that the s oft over cometh the har d, and the weak conquer eth the s tr ong; but none ar e able to us e this law in action. 3. A Wis e Man hath s aid: " He that taketh on the bur den of the s tate is a demigod wor thy of s acr ificial wor s hip; and the tr ue K ing of a people is he that under tak eth the weight of their s or r ows ." 4. T r uth appear eth par adox . { 84} CH AP T E R L XXI X T R U T H I N COVE NANT 1. When enemies ar e r econciled, ther e is always an after math of illwill. How can this be us eful? 2. T her efor e, the Wis e Man, while he keepeth his par t of the r ecor d of a tr ans action, doth not ins is t on its pr ompt ex ecution. He who hath the T eh cons ider eth the s ituation fr om all s ides , while he who hath it not s eeketh only to benefit hims elf. 3. I n the T ao of Heaven, ther e is no dis tinction of per s ons in its love; but it is for the T r ue Man to claim it. { 85}

CH AP T E R L XXX I S OL AT I ON 1. I n a little kingdom of few people it s hould be the or der that though ther e wer e men able to do the wor k of ten men or five s cor e, they s hould not be employed. T hough the people r egar ded death as s or r owful, yet they s hould not wis h to go els ewher e. 2. T hey s hould have boats and wagons , yet no neces s ity to tr avel; cor s lets and weapons , yet no occas ion to fight. 3. For communication they s hould us e knotted cor ds . 4. T hey s hould deem their food s weet, their clothes beautiful, their hous es homes , their cus toms delightful. 5. T her e s hould be another s tate within view, s o that its fowls and dogs s hould be hear d; yet to old age, even to death, the people s hould hold no tr affic with it. { 86} CH AP T E R L XXX I T H E S H E W I N G-F OR T H OF S I MP L I CI T Y 1. T r ue s peech is not elegant; elabor ate s peech is not tr uth. T hos e who know do not ar gue; the ar gumentative ar e without knowledge. T hos e who have as s imilated ar e not lear ned; thos e who ar e gr os s with lear ning have not as s imilated. 2. T he Wis e Man doth not hoar d. T he mor e he giveth, the mor e he hath; the mor e he water eth, the mor e is he water ed hims elf. 3. T he T ao of Heaven is like an Ar r ow, yet it woundeth not; and the Wis e Man, in all his Wor ks , maketh no contention. { 87}

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