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<title>08 - Chapters 51 - 56</title>
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51.

Tao is the source of all living things,
and they are nourished 
by Tao's power.
They are influenced 
by the other living things around them,
and they are shaped 
by their circumstances.

Everything respects Tao
and honors its power.
That's just the way it is.

Tao gives life to all things, 
and its power watches out for them,
cares for them, helps them grow, 
protects them, and comforts them.

Create something 
without holding on to it.
Do the work 
without expecting credit for it.
Lead people 
without giving them orders.
That's the secret of the power of Tao.


52.

Everything starts with Tao,
the mother of all things.
If you know the mother,
you know the children.
If you know the children 
and remember the mother,
you have nothing to fear in your life.

Shut your mouth and keep still,
and your life will be full of happiness.
If you talk all the time,
always doing something,
your life will be hopeless.

It takes insight to see subtlety.
It takes strength 
to yield gently to force.
Use that strength 
to hang on to your insight,
and you will always be at peace.
That's how to get right with Tao.



53.

If I had any sense,
I'd be trying to get right with Tao,
and the only thing I'd worry about 
would be messing up.
It's not that hard to get right with Tao,
but people are easily distracted.

"When the king's palace is full of treasure," 
Lao Tzu said,
"ordinary people's fields 
are smothered with weeds,
and the food supplies run out."

Today, you see sharply dressed people
carrying flashy weapons 
and living the high life.

They own more 
than they could ever use, 
let alone need.

They're nothing 
but gangsters and crooks.
That's not what Tao's about.


54.

Tao's power is so deeply entrenched 
it can never be uprooted.
Tao's power clings so tightly
it can never slip away.
It will endure for generations.

If you get in touch 
with the power of Tao,
it will become real.
If your family gets in touch 
with the power of Tao,
the power will flourish.

If your community gets in touch 
with the power of Tao,
the power will grow even stronger.
If your country gets in touch 
with the power of Tao,
the power will become abundant.

If the world gets in touch 
with the power of Tao,
the power will be everywhere.

How can I know this?
I just do.


55.

A person filled with the power of Tao 
is like a baby boy:
bees can't sting him, 
wild beasts can't attack him.

A baby has soft bones 
and weak muscles, 
but a firm grip.
He hasn't had sex, 
but he can get an erection.
That's because he's got lots of energy.
He can cry all day
and never lose his voice.
That's because he's at one with his world.

If you're at one with the world, 
you know constancy.
And if you know constancy, 
you've been enlightened.

It's not healthy 
to try to prolong your life.
It's unnatural to impose the mind's will 
upon the body.
People waste time and energy
trying to be strong or beautiful,
and their strength and beauty fade.
They've lost touch with Tao,
and when you lose touch with Tao,
you might as well be dead.


56.

Those who know, don't talk.
Those who talk, don't know.

Shut your mouth.
Be still. Relax.
Let go of your worries.
Stay out of the spotlight.
Be at one with the world 
and get right with Tao.

If you get right with Tao,
you won't be worried 
about praise or scorn,
about winning or losing,
about honor or disgrace.
That's the way to be. 


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