Secret Life

道生一
一生二
二生三
三生萬物
萬物負陰而抱陽
沖氣以為和

Tao generates the One.
The One generates the Two.
The Two generates the Three.
The Three generates all things.
All things have darkness at their back
and strive towards the light,
and the flowing power gives them harmony.

故常無欲以觀其妙
常有欲以觀其徼
此兩者同出而異名
同謂之玄
玄之又玄
眾妙之門

Therefore does the direction towards non-existence
lead to the sight of the miraculous essence,
the direction towards existence
to the sight of spatial limitations.
Both are one in origin
and different only in name.
In its unity it is called the secret.
The secret`s still deeper secret
is the gateway through which all miracles emerge.

All things have darkness at their back
and strive towards the light,
and the flowing power gives them harmony.

Therefore does the direction towards non-existence
lead to the sight of the miraculous essence,
the direction towards existence
to the sight of spatial limitations.

Tao generates the One.
The One generates the Two.
The Two generates the Three.
The Three generates all things.

Both are one in origin
and different only in name.
In its unity it is called the secret.
The secret`s still deeper secret
is the gateway through which all miracles emerge.

Tao generates the One.
The One generates the Two.
The Two generates the Three.
The Three generates all things.

萬物負陰而抱陽 沖氣以為和
故常無欲以觀其妙 常有欲以觀其徼
道生一 一生二 二生三 三生萬物
此兩者同出而異名 同謂之玄 玄之又玄 眾妙之門
道生一 一生二 二生三 三生萬物.

By not preferring the competent

One brings about
that people do not quarrel.
By not treasuring precious things

One brings about
that people do not steal.
By not preferring the competent
By not treasuring precious things
By not displaying desirable things

One brings about
that people`s, that people`s hearts are not confused.
By not displaying desirable things
One brings about
that people`s hearts are not confused.

Therefore the Man of Calling, of Calling governs thus:
He empties their hearts and fills their bellies.
He weakens their will and strengthens their bones
and brings about that the people remain without knowledge
and without wishes,
and he takes care
that those who know dare not act.
He does the non-doing,
and thus everything falls into place.
falls into place...

Therefore the Man of Calling, of Calling governs thus:
He empties their hearts and fills their bellies.
He weakens their will and strengthens their bones
and brings about that the people remain without knowledge

不尚賢 使民不爭 不貴難得之貨 使民不為盜 不見可欲 使民心不亂
不尚賢 不貴難得之貨
不見可欲 使民心不亂
是以聖人之治 虛其心 實其腹 弱其志 強其骨 常使民無知、 無欲 使夫智者不敢為也 為無為 則無不治
是以聖人之治 虛其心 實其腹 弱其志 強其骨 常使民無知

Its highest is not light,
its lowest is not dark.
Welling up without interruption,
one cannot name it.
It returns again to non-existence.
This is called the formless form,
the objectless image.
One looks for it and does not see it:
its name is ’seed’.
One listens for it and does not hear it:
its name is ’subtle’.

This is called the darkly chaotic.
Walking towards it one does not see its face;
following it one does not see its back.
One reaches for it and does not feel it:
its name is ’small’.

These three cannot be separated,
therefore, intermingled they form the One.

If one holds fast to the TAO of antiquity
in order to master today`s existence
one may know the ancient beginning.
This means: TAO`S continuous thread.

One reaches for it and does not feel it:
its name is ’small’.
These three cannot be separated,
therefore, intermingled they form the One.

Can you educate your soul
so that it encompasses the One
without dispersing itself?
Can you make your strength unitary
and achieve that softness
that makes you like a little child?
Can you cleanse your secret seeing
so that it becomes
free of stain?

Generating and nourishing,
secret LIFE
generating and not possessing,
secret LIFE
being effective and not retaining,
(secret LIFE)
increasing and not dominating:
this is the secret LIFE
... not dominating
the secret LIFE

Can you love men and rule the state
so that you remain
without knowledge? (can ya... can ya... can ya... can you)
Can you, when the gates of Heaven
open and close,
be like the female bird?

Can you penetrate everything
with your inner clarity and purity
without having need for action?

Generating and nourishing,
secret LIFE
generating and not possessing,
secret LIFE
being effective and not retaining,
(secret LIFE)
increasing and not dominating:
this is the secret LIFE
... not dominating
the secret LIFE

載營魄抱一 能無離乎 專氣致柔 能如嬰兒乎 滌除玄覽 能無疵乎
生之畜之
玄德 生而不有
玄德
為而不恃
(玄德)
長而不宰 是謂玄德
不宰 玄德.
愛國治民 能無為乎 天門開闔 能為雌乎 明白四達 能無知乎
生之畜之
玄德 生而不有
玄德
為而不恃
(玄德)
長而不宰 是謂玄德
不宰 玄德

Things in all their multitude:
each one returns to its root.
Return to the root means stillness.
Stillness means return to fate.
Return to fate means eternity.
Cognition of eternity means clarity.
If one does not recognise the eternal
one falls into confusion and sin.

Create emptiness up to the highest!
Guard stillness up to the most complete.
Then all things may rise together.
I see how they return.

If one recognises the eternal
one becomes forbearing.
Forbearance leads to justice.
Justice leads to mastery.
Mastery leads to Heaven.
Heaven leads to TAO.
TAO leads to duration.
All one`s life long one is not in danger.

Create emptiness up to the highest!
Guard stillness up to the most complete.
Then all things may rise together.
I see how they return.

Those of old who attained the One:
Heaven attained the One and became pure.
Earth attained the One and became firm.
The Gods attained the One and became powerful.
The valley attained the One and fulfilled itself.

All things attained the One and came into existence.
Kings and princes attained the One and became examples to the world.
All this has been effected by the One.
If Heaven were not pure through it, it would have to burst.

For: without its individual parts
there is no carriage.
Do not desire the glitter of the jewel
but the raw roughness of the stone.

If Earth were not firm through it, it would have to falter.
If the gods were not powerful through it,
they would have to become rigid.
If the valley were not fulfilled through it,
it would have to exhaust itself.

If things had not come into existence through it,
they would have to perish.
If kings and princes were not exalted by it,
they would have to tumble.
For: without its individual parts
there is no carriage.

Do not desire the glitter of the jewel
but the raw roughness of the stone.
Therefore: The noble has the lowly for its root.
The high has the low for its foundation.
Therefore princes and kings are thus:
They call themselves ’lonely’, ’orphaned’, ’trifling’.

Through this they name the lowly as their root.
Is it not so?
For: without its individual parts
there is no carriage.

Do not desire the glitter of the jewel
but the raw roughness of the stone.

TAO is forever flowing.
And yet it never overflows in its effectiveness.

It is an abyss like the ancestor of all things.
It mellows their acuity.
It dissolves their confusion.
It mitigates their brightness.

Return is the movement of TAO.
Weakness is the effect of TAO.
All things under Heaven come about in existence.
Existence comes about in non-existence.

It unites itself with their dust.
It is deep and yet as if real.
I do not know whose son it is:
It seems to be earlier than God.

Return is the movement of TAO.
Weakness is the effect of TAO.
All things under Heaven come about in existence.
Existence comes about in non-existence.

For existence and non-existence generate each other.
Heavy and light complete each other.
Long and short shape each other.
High and deep convert each other.
Before and after follow each other.
Thus also is the Man of Calling.
He dwells in effectiveness without action.

If all on earth acknowledge the beautiful as beautiful
then thereby the ugly is already posited.
If all on earth acknowledge the good as good
then thereby’s the non-good already posited.

He practises teaching without talking.
All beings emerge
and he does not refuse himself to them.
He generates and yet possesses nothing.
He is effective and keeps nothing.
When the work is done
he does not dwell with it.
And just because he does not dwell
he remains undeserted.

If all on earth acknowledge the beautiful as beautiful
then thereby the ugly is already posited.
If all on earth acknowledge the good as good
then thereby’s the non-good already posited.

There is one thing that is invariably complete.
Before Heaven and Earth were, it is already there:
so still, so lonely.
Alone it stands and does not change.
It turns in a circle and does not endanger itself.

One may call it ’the Mother of the World’.
I do not know its name.
I call it TAO.
I do not know its name.
I call it TAO.

Painfully giving it a name
I call it ’great’.
Great: that means ’always in motion’.
’always in motion’ means ’far away’.
’Far away’ means ’returning’.

One may call it ’the Mother of the World’.
I do not know its name.
I call it TAO.
I do not know its name.
I call it TAO.

Thus TAO is great, Heaven is great, Earth is great, and Man too is great.
There are in space four Great Ones,
and Man is one of them.
Man conforms to Earth.
Earth conforms to Heaven.
Heaven conforms to TAO.
Tao conforms to itself.

One may call it ’the Mother of the World’.
I do not know its name.
I call it TAO.
I do not know its name.
I call it TAO.

Heaven is eternal and Earth lasting.
They are lasting and eternal
because they do not live for themselves.
Therefore can they live forever.

Thus also is the Man of Calling:
He disregards himself,
and his Self is increased.
He gives himself away
and his Self is preserved.

Heaven is eternal and Earth lasting.
They are lasting and eternal
because they do not live for themselves.
Therefore can they live forever.

Is it not thus:
because he desires nothing as his own
as his own, his own is completed,
is completed?

Heaven is eternal and Earth lasting.
They are lasting and eternal
because they do not live for themselves.
Therefore can they live forever.