Lao Zi's Tao 2/8 - Português / English
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Both have their origin in Tao, only they are named differently.
They are a mystery. Mystery upon mystery.
Tao is the source of all things in the universe.
The original condition of the universe is 'nonbeing'.
From 'nonbeing', there emerged haven and earth which produced all things
that constitute his colourful and complicated world.
The rise of relative opposites
When the world has the concept of what beauty is.
The concept of ugliness arises.
When the world has the concept of what goodness is.
The concept of evil emerges.
The concepts of 'have' and 'have not' appear upon comparison.
The concepts of 'difficult' and 'easy' are there only upon comparison.
'Long' and 'short' is noticed only when comparison is made.
'High' and 'Low' exist only when they are compared.
Two sounds become harmonised only when they are put together.
The order of 'front' and 'back' comes about when they are compared.
So the sage manages worldly affairs without motives and self-interest
and teaches without using words.
When things develop, you must not interrupt;
when things grow, you must not claim possession of them;
when things turn out successfully,
you must not allege that it is solely due to your ability.
When successful, do not claim credit.
Because the sage abides by selflessness,
his good work endures.
All values and concepts are conceived by people,
and all value judgements arise upon comparison.
The relationship between the opposite objects is always changing
whereas the definition of value judgement
is ever static.Therefore, be clam about the difference between
beauty and ugliness, 'have' and 'have not',
Difficult and easy, long and short,
high and low, front and back.
It is foolish to think that all these values will last forever.
The role of government
Everybody desires to be a sage.
Everyone desires to enjoy a good name.
If one emphasises too much the reputation of a sage,
people will strive to be one.
I respect sages!
Oh, I'm a sage!
You're not! I am!
I'm the real sage!
Despicable!
Look at this... It has turned into an ugly scene!
Stop it! I won't uphold the status of sages any more!
By not upgrading the status of sages,
people will not have the desire to compete.
Jewellery and treasures are hard to obtain.
In order to obtain these valuables,
people become thieves and turn to stealing.
The common man has the tendency to pursue material gains.
Seeking greater and greater gains,.
Thereby giving rise to innumerable competitions and contentions
the numerous tricky and swindling deeds are found.
It thus causes the conflicts and chaos in the society.
The solution is, the government gives her people necessities,
on the other hand, to make them meek and amiable, modest and assertive,
in order to reach a state of non-contention.
Simplicity doesn't mean making people pursue no knowledge
But people are difficult to govern when they are full of wiles.
If people can be like nature which nurtures all impartially,
then the world will be free from rapacity.
Do not treasure things that are hard to obtain
and people will not have the desire to steal.
By not giving importance to wealth,
people will not become avaricious.
So the wise man in government will purify the people's minds,
provide them with food and livelihood, reduce their ambition
and strengthen their physical and spiritual health.
A good government will always help people
to discard hypocrisy and cunning.
It will deter those with a pretence of wisdom from acting arrogantly.
With such a selfless way of governing and acting
according to what is naturally right,
a country will be well-administered.
Honour leads to contention and wealth leads to covetousness.
People become scheming to fulfil their desires.
Such avarice is the root cause of the myriad problems in our society.
The essence of Tao
The essence of Tao is nothingness,
yet its usefulness is limitless.
The immensity of Tao creates all things
and is the source of all things.
It is invisible and shapeless,
it seems insubstantial and yet it exists.
I have no idea from where it originated.
Probably it came into being even before the existence of a Creator.
Tao is fathomless,
insubstantial and yet
it is all-pervading and limitless.
Its use is inexhaustible
and it gives rise to all things.
The impartiality of the universe
The universe is impartial and without self.
It treats all things equally.
It treats all things like sacrifical straw dogs,
showing neither like nor dislike for them.
A sage is also impartial and without self,
treating all the subjects like straw dogs to whom
he shows neither like nor dislike
All are equal in his eyes.
The universe is like a furnace.
The interior is hollow,
and because of its hollowness,
it enables all things to be produced.
From here we can see that the more one tries to be smart and productive,
the more errors one is bound to make, resulting in failure.
It is better to live a simple life,
to observe silence and live effortlessly.
Tao creates all things according to the law of nature,
without favouritism or self-interest.
A monarch must rule his country with this spirit,
living amicably with his subjects.
In this way, the society will naturally become peaceful.
Living a selfless life
The universe can last long
because whatever it does is not out of self-interest;
therefore it endures.
Being humble and noncontentious,
the sage earns the love and respect of other people.
One who is not calculative about gains and losses
when handling matters will reap benefits.
Because the sage does not contend and is selfless,
he knows fulfillment.
Modesty earns one the love and respect of others.
Think of the welfare of others
and your own wishes will be fulfilled.
The characteristics of water
Chapter Three
In this chapter, you can see a virtuous person is just like water.
Water has three special characteristics.
First , being soft.
Water flows into lowly places which people disdain.
It has the ability to nourish all things.
Lao Zi thought virtuous person is just like water.
A virtuous person willingly adopts a humble attitude.
He is willing to go where other people hate to go.
He is willing to do things other hate to do.
Just like a camel, he is humble, remains silent and solitary.
He is always honest and true,
expects no reciprocation for a deed well done.
If a person can adopt this characteristic of water, he is coming close to Tao.
A virtuous person is just like water.
Water has three special characteristics:
Firstly, it has the ability to nourish all things;
Secondly, being soft,
it does not fight against odds but lets things take their natural course;
Thirdly, water flows into lowly places which people disdain.
Just as water is located in a lowly place,
A virtuous person willingly adopts a humble attitude.
Just like the deep and clear water,
a virtuous person remains silent and solitary.
Just as water nourishes all things impartially,
a virtuous person expects no reciprocation for a deed well done.
Whatever a virtuous person utters or does, it is always honest and true;
like the true reflection of an object in the water.
Because of its weak nature,
water can take any shape, depending on what receptacle it is put in.
If a person can adopt this characteristic of water,
he can benefit all things and see spontaneous results,
thereby coming close to Tao.
The danger of overweening success
In this chapter, it talks about the danger of overweening success.
Water will overflow if poured until it reaches the brim.
Being pride is another kind of overflow.
There is only one result for overflowing,
it means toppling.
So Lao Zi advised people not to overflow.
To be successful in life one has to be upright.
This fits into the law of nature.
To retreat isn't mean retirement.
It's not abscondence either.
*** Chun said, “To retreat, not after accomplishment,
but is to accomplish."
To retreat, it means to astringe.
Lao Zi said, after the accomplishment,
One must not have the intention of claiming credit.
What Lao Zi meant about retreat,
it is to advise people to ignore his ego and arrogance.
Water will overflow
if poured until it reaches the brim.
Enough, enough! Three-quarters full is enough.
As long as a knife is sharp enough, do not sharpen it any more.
If it is too sharp, it will break easily.
A person who has too many valuables arouses envy
and attracts the attention of criminals.
This abundance of wealth will cause him to lead a dissolute life until
at last all his wealth is squandered away.
Gone! All my riches have been squandered!
To be successful in life one has to be upright.
This fits into the law of nature.
It's just like creation,
in which you find all the living things.
Creation is without selfish motives;
it is wholesome and quietly accomplished.
Embracing the Tao
If you keep Tao uppermost in your mind, can your thought and body be one,
never to be separated?
Can the mind be naturally quiet
like that of a new-born babe?
Can the mind be totally free of delusions?
In ruling a country, can one love the country and rule the subjects
effortlessly and without self-interest?
In perceiving the outside world with one's senses, can one be calm and alert?
Since perception is limited, one needs to work extra hard.
