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Fifty-one
Tao
gives birth to them and Virtue nourishes
them.
Substance gives them form
And their unique capacities complete them.
Therefore the ten thousand things
As for their
veneration
of
Tao and
their
honouring
of
Virtue
-
No one rewards them for it; it is
constantly so on its own.
Tao gives birth to them,
nourishes
them and matures them,
Completes them, rests them,
Rears them, supports them,
And protect
them.
It
gives birth to them
But does not try to own them;
It
acts on their behalf
But does not make them dependent;
It matures them
But does not rule them.
This is
what we call
Profound
Virtue.
Corrected
with the Mawangtui texts
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Fifty-two
The
World
had a
beginning,
Which
can be considerd as
the mother of
the World.
Having attained
the mother,
In order to understand
her
children,
If
you return and hold on to the mother,
Until the end of your life
you will suffer no harm
Block up the holes;
Close the doors;,
And
till the end of your
life
you will not labor.
Open
the holes;
Meddle in affairs;
And
till the end of your life
you will not be saved.
To perceive the small is
called
"discernment".;
To hold on to the pliant is
called "strength".
If
you use the
rays,
to return to
the bright
light,
You
will not abandon your life to peril.
This is
called Following the Constant.
Corrected with the Mawangtui text
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Fifty-three
Were I have
the least
bit of knowledge,
In walking on
a Great
Road
it is
only going stray that I Would fear.
Keeping to the main road is easy,
But people
greatly delight
in
tortuous
paths.
The courts
are swept
very clean;
While
the fields are
full of weeds;
And the granaries are
all empty.
Their
clothing - richly
embroidered and colored,
While
at their waists they carry sharp swords,
And indulge themselves with food and drink;
And
of possessions
they have
plenty.
It is
called thievery!
And
thievery is
certainly not
the way of Tao.
Corrected with the Mawangtui text |
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Fifty-four
What is firmly
set up
cannot be
pulled down.
What is firmly
embraced cannot slip away.
And
our sons and grandsons, as a result,
Will
sacrifice without end.
When
you cultivate
it in your self,
Your virtue
will
then be
genuine;
When
you cultivate it in
your family,
Your virtue
will
then
overflow;
When
you cultivate it in
your village,
Your
virtue will
then be long
lasting;
When
you cultivate it in
your
nation,
Your
virtue will
then
be abundant;
When
you cultivate it
throughout
the world,
Your
virtue will
then
be
widespread.
Use the individual to examine the
individual;
Use the family
to examine
the family;
Use the village
to examine
the village;
Use the nation
to examine
the nation;
And
use the world to examine the world.
How
do I know
that the world is so?
By
this!
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