04道德经英译本85种-第179节
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Consistent character will not falter
(But) return home again as unlimited
Know the honored
(But) keep the humble
Serve as a valley to the world
Serving as valley to the world
Consistent character will then be enough
A return journey home to original nature
Original nature; cut up; is then made into artifacts
Wise ones; using such things;
Are then made into senior officials
And so the greatest governing does the least dividing
29
When taken by desire to take hold of nature
and reconstruct things
We notice that this (will) never reach closure
The world is a spirit vessel
Not suited to reconstruction at all
Those who interfere spoil things
Those who grab lose things
And so the beings sometimes go ahead; sometimes follow
Sometimes snort; sometimes puff
Sometimes are fit; sometimes are feeble
Sometimes hold up; sometimes break down
This is why wise ones avoid the extremes
Avoid the superfluous
Avoid the extravagant
30
Those who use the way to help with human government
Do not use arms (or) force on the world
Such efforts tend to recoil
(In) a place where an army has camped
Thorns and brambles grow now
A great army抯 aftermath is sure to bring bad harvests
Those who are competent succeed and then stop
Not daring (or) thinking to take by force
Succeed but do not glorify
Succeed but with no aggression
Succeed but with no arrogance
Succeed even not having gained the end
Succeed but do not dominate
A being grown mighty will then grow frail
This may be called 搊ff the path?br》 Off the path is soon finished
31
Even the finest weapons are tools of ill omen
Things somehow wrong to hold
So those who have the way do not linger
A noble one; when home; honors the left
When working with weapons; honors the right
Weapons are tools of ill omen
They are not a noble one抯 tools
Failing to gain satisfaction and still using them
Calm indifference is best adopted
Even in triumph there is no beauty
And those who are attracted to this
are in fact delighting in the slaughter of others
Now those who delight in the slaughter of others
Are then ill suited for use
in achieving any goal in the world at all
(In) auspicious affairs the left side is honored
(In) adverse affairs the right side is honored
An army抯 lieutenant commander stays to the left
The army抯 commander in chief stays to the right
A description of the funeral rites held at the end
Where the slaughter of others amounts to a multitude
Have compassion & lament & weep for them
(When) the battle is won
consider the funeral rites being held here
32
The way is continuous; without description
The original nature may be ordinary
But none in the world presumes to master it all
If leaders & sovereigns were able to grasp this
The myriad beings would then submit naturally
(As) heaven and earth join together
Thus to let fall the sweet dew
Nobody has commanded this;
yet the harmony is natural
Begin with rules & definitions appear
And still more definitions are already assumed
Now; more than ever; prepare to learn restraint
Learning restraint is apt to be useful in avoiding trouble
Imagine the place of the path in nature
To be like the streams and valleys
reaching for rivers and ocean
33
To know others means intelligence
To know oneself means clarity
To overcome others is to have strength
To overcome oneself is to be powerful
To know satisfaction means wealth
(To be) energetic in movement means to have purpose
To not forget one抯 own place means enduring
To die and yet not perish means longevity
34
How the great way (is a) flood!
It is apt to go (both) left & right
The myriad beings trust this for life;
yet there are no explanations
The work is completed; in spite of distinctions & claims
The myriad beings are clothed & cared for
yet there is no assumption of leadership
Ever dispassionate; (it) invites a reputation for commonness
(But) the myriad beings return here;
and still there is no acting as master
Inviting a reputation for greatness
Because it never regards itself as great
So it is able to establish its greatness
35
Grasp the big picture
(All) under heaven make progress
Make progress while doing no harm
Security and peace abound
(For) music along with fine food
The passing stranger will linger
(But) the way; as expressed in words
How insipid! It has no flavor
Look at it; there is nothing to satisfy the sight
Listen for it; there is nothing to satisfy the hearing
(But) use it; is not about to be used up
36
When desiring to contract a thing
First be sure to expand it
When desiring to weaken a thing
First be sure to empower it
When desiring to abolish a thing
First be sure to promote it
When desiring to despoil a thing
First be sure to endow it
This may be called 搒ubtle discernment?br》 The adaptable & gentle overcome the firm & strong
Fish should not be removed from the depths
The sharpest instruments of the state
Should not be for showing to others
37
The way always takes no action
Yet nothing remains undone
If leaders & sovereigns were able to grasp this
The myriad beings would evolve by themselves
Evolve and then want to flourish
We can then temper this
with the original nature of namelessness
(With) the original nature of namelessness
Then these too would be without ambition
Being free of ambition is the way to stillness
Nature will then arrange itself
38
The highest virtue is not virtuous
This is how to hold virtue
The inferior virtue will not let go of virtue
This is why virtue is lacking
The highest virtue takes no action and has no motive to act
The inferior virtue acts on things and then has motives to act
The highest benevolence acts on things
but has no motive for action
The highest righteousness acts on things
and also has motives for action
The highest propriety acts on things
and when nobody responds to it
Then rolls up the sleeves and throws things
And so; lose the way and then comes virtue
Lose virtue and then comes benevolence
Lose benevolence and then comes righteousness
Lose righteousness and then comes propriety
Now propriety is (but) the sham of loyalty & trust
And the beginning of confusion
Being ahead in knowledge (is but) the flower of the way
And the beginning of delusion
This is why those who are most mature
Keep to the substance
(And) do not dwell on the sham
Keep to the fruitful
(And) do not dwell on the flower
And so dismiss That to choose This
39
These things; from the beginning; have grasped wholeness:
Heaven attained the whole; becoming resolved
Earth attained the whole; becoming steady
Spirit attained the whole; becoming subtle
The valley attained the whole; becoming replenished
The myriad beings attained the whole; coming to life
Leaders & sovereigns attained the whole
as the way to attend to (all) under heaven
These things found it
Heaven; with no way to resolution;
would threaten to split apart
Earth; with no way to steadiness;
would threaten to open up
Spirit; with no way to subtlety
would probably perish
The valleys; with no way to replenishment;
would likely dry up
The myriad beings; with no way to life;
would likely be extinguished
Leaders and sovereigns;
with no way to dignity & prominence
would likely be toppled
In this way dignity regards the common as root
Prominence regards the humble as basis
This is why leaders & sovereigns refer to themselves
as orphaned & friendless; without worth
Does this not regard the common as root?
Not so?
Just as obtaining tallies of chariots
will not be (real) chariots
Do not long to dazzle & jingle like jade
Clunk & clatter like rocks
40
Reversal is the movement of the way
Yielding is the method of the way
The myriad beings in nature arose out of being
Being arose out of nothing
41
Superior students; hearing of the way;
Are diligent and practice it
Average students; hearing of the way;
Sometimes attend & sometimes forget
Inferior students; hearing of the way;
Laugh greatly about it
Without the laughter there would be no grounds
to regard this as the way
And so the established proverbs hold that:
Brightness; to the way; is as good as darkness
Advance; to the way; is as good as retreat
Evenness; to the way; is as good as roughness
The summit of character is as good as a valley
The greate