道德經摘要 Excerpts from Dao-De Jing

 道德經摘要 Excerpts from Dao-De Jing

1.

道可道、非常道。

Any path to truth which can be explained in its entirety cannot represent Ultimate Truth. 

名可名、非常名。

Any name given to something is arbitrary and is unable to reflect fully its true essence. 

無名，天地之始，

How the world began is unknown,

有名，萬物之母。

but we can understand something about the natural world we see around us. 

故常無，欲以觀其妙，

Men naturally desire to peer into the mysteries of creation,

常有，欲以觀其徼。

and they test the limits of their knowledge by observing the world. 

此兩者同出而異名。

Actually, these two thing are inextricably intertwined. 

同謂之玄，

They are both part of the same enigma, 

玄之又玄、

and there is mystery within mystery. 

衆妙之門。

Only penetrating to the very heart of these would open the door to understanding Ultimate Reality.  

2.

天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已；

When all people know beauty as beauty,

in contrast there arises the concept of ugliness.


皆知善之為善，斯不善矣。

When all people know good as good,

in contrast there arises the concept of evil.


有無相生，難易相成，長短相形，高下相盈，音聲相和，前後相隨，恒也。

Thus these are eternal truths:

Existence and non-existence create each other;

Difficult and easy complement each other;

Long and short form each other;

High and low rest on each other;

Musical tones and voice interdepend in harmony;

First and last follow each other.


是以聖人處無為之事，

Therefore the wise one manages affairs without action;

行不言之教，

Provides instruction without words;

萬物作而弗始，

All things take place naturally, but he does not deliberately initiate them;


生而弗有，

They occur, but he does not attempt to appropriate them;


為而弗恃，

He acts, but does not try to impose his own will on events;


功成而弗居。

He accomplishes, but claims no credit.


夫唯弗居，是以不去。

And it is because he does not seek to be honored,

that honor cannot be taken away from him.