Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu – Chapter 32


道常無名。

樸雖小,1天下莫能臣也。

侯王若能守之,萬物將自賓。

天地相合,以降甘露,民莫之令而自均。

始制有名,名亦既有,夫亦將知止,知止所以不殆。

譬道之在天下,猶川谷之與江海。

The Tao is always nameless.
Though in its simple and primordial state, it may be small,
But no one in the world can conquer it,
If a feudal prince or the king could guard and hold it, all would spontaneously submit themselves to it.

Heaven and Earth (under its guidance) unite together and send down the sweet dew, which, without the directions of men, reaches equally everywhere as of its own accord.

As soon as the system is established, there are names.
Once the names (positions) appear, men need to stop before going too far.
They can be free from all risk of failure and error when they know to stop.
Tao in the world is like a river flowing home to the sea.

Image result for image of river flow into the sea

The relation of the Tao to the world is like that of the rivers and seas to the streams from the valleys.

In this chapter, through the no-name, simple, and small property of Tao, it does not contend with the world, so that the ruler can uphold the nature of the Tao, and then apply it to daily life, where all things will submit.

When the Yin and Yang of heaven and earth meet, the dew will come down evenly without the orders of the king.

When we start to have the system, the names appear, thereby fame and fortune follow, and it is up to us to know where to stop. Only then we will be free from dangers. For example, “Tao” has all things, and does not expect anything in return; it is like the water of valley, flows into the sea, and never expect anything back.

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