Translation Info: beck | blakney | byrn | feng | ganson | gnl | hansen | legge | mccarroll | mcdonald | merel | merel2 | mitchell | muller | rosenthal |
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Whoever has Teh never boasts of it,
and so truly possesses it.
Whoever has Teh and boasts of it,
no longer possesses it.

Possessing Teh is to be serene;
with little effort much is done and motives diminish.
Losing Teh is to be hasty;
with great effort much is wasted and motives increase.

Possessing Teh is to act out of love without ulterior motive;
losing Teh is to act self-righteous with an ulterior motive.
When a person of high station directs but sees no following
of that direction, he shows his hand and forces direction.

When Tao is lost "compassion" becomes doctrine;
when compassion is lost "justice" becomes doctrine;
when justice is lost ritual becomes doctrine.
Ritual is the slow loss of loyalty,
the beginning of unprincipled confusion.

Foreknowledge is Tao blossoming;
it is also the flower of folly.
The truly wise seek the center, not the surface;
take the fruit, leaving the flower.
Accept one and reject the other.


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