1
The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and Earth.
The named is the mother of the ten thousand things.
Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.
Ever desiring, one sees the manifestations.
These two spring from the same source but differ in name;
this appears as darkness.
Darkness within darkness.
The gate to all mystery.
How ironic that Lao Tzu begins his book - a collection of words - by telling us that the Tao cannot be captured in words. As people, we often rely heavily on words and thoughts to understand things. And though words are powerful, they fall short of conveying the full truth of something, especially something as powerful as the Tao. So while we read and think to become acquainted with a new idea, to truly understand we need to experience and feel as well. But both are required. The tao, the intangible, is manifest through the tangible world. They don't exist without one another. But it is the tao within the tangible that gives them life. The implication is that we need to live in the tangible world but never forget that the true power of all things lies in the intangible, in the tao. This chapter also reminds us that the tao is too powerful and complex for us to ever fully comprehend it.
2
Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness.
All can know good as good only because there is evil.
Therefore having and not having arise together.
Difficult and easy complement each other.
Long and short contrast each other:
High and low rest upon each other;
Voice and sound harmonize each other;
Front and back follow one another.
Therefore the sage goes about doing nothing, teaching no-talking.
The ten thousand things rise and fall without cease,
Creating, yet not possessing.
Working, yet not taking credit.
Work is done, then forgotten.
Therefore it lasts forever.
We want to label everything, but just as we label something "good," or "beautiful," we notice that it is not entirely good or entirely beautiful. It is impossible to capture the full essence of something in a single word, or even 1000 words. Life is beyond words. All things contain both positive and negative energy; one cannot exist without the other. It's better to recognize and value both energies rather than decide one is better than the other. Balance is a better solution than compartmentalization. Contentment is a better solution than striving for what seems to be a more positive situation. There is good and bad in all things; the wise person has the eyes to see this.
3
Not exalting the gifted prevents quarreling.
Not collecting treasures prevents stealing.
Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart.
The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies, by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.
If men lack knowledge and desire, then clever people will not try to interfere.
If nothing is done, then all will be well.
When we adore something, we often fight hard to get it and do things that work against our peace. If we place too much value on wealth or the obtainment of things, we may disregard our true, good nature in order to get that wealth or those things. We become driven by lust or greed rather than our true nature, which is selfless and loves peace. The solution to not being driven by greed, lust or envy is to empty one's heart of base desires. In other words, focus your mind and eyes on the perfection of the present moment and on one's true nature. Again, rather than seeing what we want and then being driven by what we think we want, we stay focused on what is and we appreciate the completeness and beauty of what is. We are not driven by the insatiable and misguided desires of our eyes and heart.
4
The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled.
Oh, unfathomable source of ten thousand things!
Blunt the sharpness,
Untangle the knot,
Soften the glare,
Merge with dust.
Oh, hidden deep but ever present!
I do not know from whence it comes.
It is the forefather of the gods.
Typically in life we value the full and the complete. I don't want an empty bowl, I want a bowl full of ice cream. I don't want nothing in life, I want money and houses and cars. I don't want to live in an unknowing state; I want the answers to everything. But Verse 4 reminds us that the value is in the void. It is by being empty and unfinished that we are open to life. If we are already full, we have no room for what is truly beautiful and natural. So rather than seeking to have it all and have it all figured out, I seek to remain open and unfinished.
5
Heaven and Earth are impartial;
They see the ten thousand things as straw dogs.
The wise are impartial;
They see the people as straw dogs.
The space between heaven and Earth is like a bellows.
The shape changes but not the form;
The more it moves, the more it yields.
More words count less.
Hold fast to the center.
The Tao is; it nourishes the ten thousand things, but it lets go of concern for the ten thousand things, because concern is unneeded. What will be will be, and I don't take it personally. Wise people are not partial; they do good and what will be will be. Though things change, what matters stays the same. Peace lies at the stripped down center.
6
The valley spirit never dies;
It is the woman, primal mother.
Her gateway is the root of heaven and Earth.
It is like a veil barely seen.
Use it; it will never fail.
The spirit of the Tao is always there, ready for us to access. But that spirit isn't aloft in the sky; it is low, in the valley. It is quiet and barely visible. Yet in its simplicity, it is the gateway to all life both in heaven and earth. To live our lives the way they are intended, we need to hear and hold to that still, small voice that is so easily drowned out by the noise of the world and our own ego and anxieties.
7
Heaven and Earth last forever.
Why do heaven and Earth last forever?
They are unborn,
So ever living.
The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead.
He is detached, thus at one with all.
Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment.
So often in life we seek completion, but it is really the incomplete thing that is more open to the Tao. So often in life we seek to get ahead, but when we are satisfied with being behind, we actually find ourselves ahead. When we let go of our attachment to outcomes, especially outcomes that serve ourselves, we are one with the Tao and attain fulfillment.