The Book of the Simple Way of Laotze: A New Translation from the Text of the Tao-teh-king |
Contents
| 22 | |
| 23 | |
| 25 | |
| 27 | |
| 29 | |
| 30 | |
| 31 | |
| 33 | |
| 34 | |
| 35 | |
| 37 | |
| 38 | |
| 40 | |
| 41 | |
| 42 | |
| 44 | |
| 46 | |
| 48 | |
| 51 | |
| 52 | |
| 54 | |
| 55 | |
| 57 | |
| 59 | |
| 61 | |
| 63 | |
| 64 | |
| 66 | |
| 68 | |
| 70 | |
| 85 | |
| 86 | |
| 89 | |
| 92 | |
| 93 | |
| 95 | |
| 96 | |
| 98 | |
| 99 | |
| 101 | |
| 103 | |
| 105 | |
| 108 | |
| 110 | |
| 112 | |
| 118 | |
| 125 | |
| 132 | |
| 148 | |
| 160 | |
| 172 | |
| 179 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
acts ambition ancient Arjuna attained body breathing called cause celestial chapter Charity and Duty China Chuang-Tze civilisation Confucian Confucius corrupt cosmogenesis covert agreement danger death desire divine doctrine Elohim endures essence esteem everything evident evil existence expression fear filled follow fourth age fruits of action gentleness getting of wisdom give govern heart Heaven and Earth Hebrew Hindu philosophy honour human humility intelligence Kabalists Kali Yugas king Kwan-yin Laotze says living loses means merit mind Moksha Nature never non-action Non-Existent obscurity occasion requires Old Philosopher oneself original simplicity Path of Tao perfect preservation quipu reason recognised reform regard rest revert root rulers Sage says Laotze Senancour senses Shintoism Siddharta Gautama soul speak Spirit strife supreme Taoism things thought true turn-to unity universal universal channel universal valley valleys virtue of Tao virtuous wealth Whoever Whosoever wisdom wise words
Popular passages
Page 171 - He hath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away.
Page 9 - I am that which began; Out of me the years roll; Out of me God and man; I am equal and Whole; God changes, and man, and the form of them bodily; I am the soul.
Page 16 - The pure men of old acted without calculation, not seeking to secure results. They laid no plans. Therefore, failing, they had no cause for regret ; succeeding, no cause for congratulation.
Page 8 - To Tao, the zenith is not high, nor the nadir low ; no point in time is long ago, nor by lapse of ages has it grown old.
Page 11 - ... their rations of chestnuts that each monkey was to have three in the morning and four at night. But at this the monkeys were very angry, so the keeper said they might have four in the morning and three at night, with which arrangement they were all well pleased. The actual number of the chestnuts remained the same, but there was an adaptation to the likes and dislikes of those concerned." Such is the principle of putting oneself into subjective relation with externals.
Page 110 - The wise man has no fixed opinions to call his own. He accommodates himself to the minds of others. I would return good for good; I would also return good for evil. Virtue is good. I would meet trust with trust; I would likewise meet suspicion with confidence. Virtue is trustful. The wise man lives in the world with modest restraint, and his heart goes out in sympathy to all men. The people give him their confidence, and he regards them all as his children.
Page 152 - Gentleness, Virtue, Wisdom, and Endurance, These are the seals of that most firm assurance Which bars the pit over Destruction's strength; And if, with infirm hand, Eternity, Mother of many acts and hours, should free The serpent that would clasp her with his length; These are the spells by which to reassume An empire o'er the disentangled doom.
Page 15 - Mosquitoes will keep a man awake all night with their biting. And just in the same way this talk of charity and duty to one's neighbour drives me nearly crazy. Sir ! strive to keep the world to its own original simplicity.
Page 79 - He who dies without being corrupted enjoys a good old age. The Old Philosopher, while allowing that the proper study for mankind is man, teaches a more excellent thing, namely, that a man should know himself, and be his own master; for as we are more immediately concerned with our own work in the world than with that of others...
Page 41 - ... about to receive the reward, then is the time to withhold; he must be able, though richly endowed with this world's goods, to dwell among them wholly without attachment. "Light will blind a man's eyes," says the sage, "sound will make him deaf ; taste will ruin his palate ; the chase will make a man wild ; and precious things will tempt him. Therefore does the wise man provide for the soul and not for the senses. He ignores the one and takes the other in both hands.