Religion

Thirty-eight - First part

The highest virtue is not virtuous;
Therefore it truly has virtue.
The lowest virtue never loses sight of its virtue;
Therefore it has no true virtue.

The highest virtue takes no action
Yet it has no reasons for acting this way.
The highest humanity takes action,
Yet it has no reasons for acting this way.

The highest righteousness takes action
And it has its reasons for acting this way;
The highest propriety takes action
And when no one responds to it,
Then it angrily rolls up its sleeves
And forces people to comply.

Corrected with the Mawangtui texts

Thirty-eight - Second part

Therefore when Tao is lost,
Only then do we have virtue.
When virtue is lost, only then do we have humantiy.
When humanity is lost, there is righteousness.
And when righteousness is lost,
Only then do we have propriety.
As for propriety,
It is but the thin edge of loyalty and sincerity,
And the beginning of disorder.
And knowledge of the future
Is only a flowery trapping of Tao.
It is the beginning of folly. 

Therefore the great man
dwells in the Thick and not in what is thin.
and not what is on the surface,
Dwells in the fruit and not in what is a flower.
Therefore accept the One and reject the other.

Wholeness

Thirty-nine

Of Those in ancient times
That attained the one -
Heaven by attaining the One became clear;
Earth by attaining the One became stable;
Gods by attaining the One became divine;
Valleys by attaining the One became full;
Kings and lords by attaining the One,
Made the whole land ordered and secure.

Talking this to its logical conclusion we would say -
If Heaven were not by means of it clear,
It would, I'm afraid, shatter.
If the Earth were not by means of it stable,
It would, I'm afraid, let go.
If the gods were not by means of it divine,
They would, I,m afraid be powerless.
If the valleys were not by means of it full,
They would, Im afraid, dry up.
And if kings and nobles
were not by means of it noble and high,
They would, I'm afraid, topple and fall.

Therefore it must be the case 
That the noble has the base as its root; 
And it must be the case
That the high has the low for its foundation.
Therefore kings and nobles call themselves
"The orphan", "The widower" and "The one without grain".
This is taking the base as one's root, is it not?!

Therefore they regard their large numbers of carriages
As having no carriage.
And because of this,
They desire not to dazzle and glitter like jade,
But to remain firm and strong like stone.

  Corrected with the Mawangtui texts  

Travellers

Forty-one  (Forty in the Mawangtui texts)

When the highest type of men hear of Way 
With diligence they are able to practice it;
When average men hear of Tao 
Some things they retain and others they lose.
When the lowest type of men hear of Way 
They laugh out loud at it.
If they did not laugh at it, 
It could not be regarded as the Way. 

Therefore, there is a set saying about this that goes:

The bright Way appears to be dark;
The Way that goes forward appears to retreat;
The smooth Way appears to be uneven;
The highest Virtue is empty like a valley;
The purest white appears to be soiled;
Vast Virtue appears to be insufficient;
Firm Virtue appears to be thin and weak;
The simplest reality appears to change.

The Great Square has no corners;
The Great Vessel takes long to complete;
The Great Tone makes little sound;
The Great Image has no shape.

The Way is great but has no name.
Only the Way is good at beginning things 
and also good to bring everything to fulfillment.

  Corrected with the Mawangtui texts