12.07.2015 Views

The Three Principle Texts of Daoism translated by ... - Bad Request

The Three Principle Texts of Daoism translated by ... - Bad Request

The Three Principle Texts of Daoism translated by ... - Bad Request

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

and stillness are the correct principles for mankind.Without going out <strong>of</strong> doors one may know the wholeworld; without looking out <strong>of</strong> the window, one may seethe Way <strong>of</strong> Heaven. <strong>The</strong> further one travels, the less onemay know. Thus it is that without moving you shallknow; without looking you shall see; without doing youshall achieve.<strong>The</strong> pursuit <strong>of</strong> book-learning brings about dailyincrease. <strong>The</strong> practice <strong>of</strong> Tao brings about daily loss.Repeat this loss again and again, and you arrive atinaction. Practise inaction, and there is nothing whichcannot be done.<strong>The</strong> Empire has ever been won <strong>by</strong> letting things taketheir course. He who must always be doing is unfit toobtain the Empire.Keep the mouth shut, close the gateways <strong>of</strong> sense, and aslong as you live you will have no trouble. Open your lipsand push your affairs, and you will not be safe to the end<strong>of</strong> your days.Practise inaction, occupy yourself with doing nothing.Desire not to desire, and you will not value thingsdifficult to obtain. Learn not to learn, and you willrevert to a condition which mankind in general has lost.Leave all things to take their natural course, and do notinterfere.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!