"Gravity is the source of lightness,
Calm, the master of haste.
A lone traveller will journey all day, watching over his belongings;
Yet once safe in his bed he will lose them in sleep.
The captain of a great vessel will not act lightly or hastily.
Acting lightly, he loses sight of the world,
Acting hastily, he loses control of himself.
A captain can not treat his great ship as a small boat;
Rather than glitter like jade
He must stand like stone."
-  Translated by Peter Merel, Chapter 26   

 

 

"The Solid is the root of the light;
The Quiescent is the master of the Hasty.
Therefore the Sage travels all day
Yet never leaves his provision-cart.
In the midst of honor and glory,
He lives leisurely, undisturbed.
How can the ruler of a great country
Make light of his body in the empire by rushing about?
In light frivolity, the Center is lost;
In hasty action, self-mastery is lost."
-  Translated by Lin Yutang, 1955, Chapter 26

 

 

 

Lieh-Tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living  Translated by Eva Wong

The Daodejing of Laozi   Translated by Philip Ivahoe 

Daoism: A Beginner's Guide   By James Miller

Early Daoist Scriptures  Translated by Stephen Bokencamp

Lifestyle Advice for Wise Persons

Simple Taoism: A Guide to Living in Balance  By Alexander and Annellen Simpkins

Practical Taoism  Translated by Thomas Cleary

Daoism and Chinese Culture  By Livia Kohn

 

                    

 

 

 

"The heavy is of the light the root, and rest is motion's master.  
Therefore the holy man in his daily walk does not depart from gravity.
Although he may have magnificent sights, he calmly sits with liberated mind. 
But how is it when the master of the ten thousand chariots in his personal conduct is too light for the empire?
If he is too light he will lose his vassals.
If he is too passionate he will lose the throne."
-   Translated by Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 26  

 

 

"The Place of Peace ...
The heavy is foundation for the light;
So quietness is master of the deed.
The Wise Man, though he travel all the day,
Will not be separated from his goods.
So even if the scene is glorious to view,
He keeps his place, at peace, above it all.
For how can one who rules
Ten thousand chariots
Give up to lighter moods
As all the world may do?
If he is trivial,
His ministers are lost;
If he is strenuous,
There is no master then."
-  Translated by Raymond Blackney, 1955, Chapter 26  

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching  Translated by Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo  

Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching  Translated by John C. Wu

Lao-Tzu and the Tao-Te-Ching  Translated by Livia Kohn

Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way Translated by Moss Roberts

 

                             

 

 

 

"The natural way is the way of the sage,
serving as his dwelling, 
providing his centre deep within, 
whether in his home or journeying.
Even when he travels far, 
he is not separate
from his own true nature.
Maintaining awareness of natural beauty, 
he still does not forget his purpose.  
Although he may dwell in a grand estate,
simplicity remains his guide, 
for he is full aware, that losing it,
his roots as well would disappear.
So he is not restless,
lest he loses the natural way.  
Similarly, the people's leader 
is not flippant in his role, nor restless, 
for these could cause the loss 
of the roots of leadership."
-  Translated by Stan Rosenthal, 1984, Chapter 26  

The solid is the platform of the light, and the heavy is the root of the light.
Quiet strength rules over activity, the not-so-active could be the big boss of the hasty.
So the wise man travels all day and never leaves his baggage;
He who travels all day hardly likes to be separated from his provision-chart:
However great and glorious the view, he sits quiet and dispassionate.
So the lord with ten thousand chariots can seldom allow himself to be light-spirited and lighter than those he rules.
The ruler of a great country should never make light of his body - anywhere.
In light frivolity, the controller's centre is lost; in hasty action, such self-mastery.
If the ruler is light-hearted, the minister will be destroyed.
If he is light, the foundation is lost;
If he is active, the lord is lost."
-  Translated by Tormond Kinnes, Chapter 26

Revealing the Tao Te Ching: In-Depth Commentaries on an Ancient Classic  By Hu Xuzehi

Tao Te Ching  Annotated translation by Victor Mair  

Reading Lao Tzu: A Companion to the Tao Te Ching with a New Translation  By Ha Poong Kim

The Philosophy of the Daodejing  By Hans-Georg Moeller  

Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation  By Roger T. Ames and David T. Hall

Be Enlightened! A Guidebook to the Tao Te Ching and Taoist Meditation: Your Six-Month Journey to Spiritual Enlightenment   By Wes Burgess

The Way and Its Power: Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought   By Arthur Waley

 

                             

 

 

 

"The heavy is the root of the Light.
The quiet the master of motion.
Therefore the wise man in all the experience of the day will not depart from dignity.
Though he be surrounded with sights that are magnificent,
he will remain calm and unconcerned.
How does it come to pass that the Emperor,
master of ten thousand chariots,
has lost the mastery of the Empire?
Because being flippant himself, he has lost the respect of his subjects;
being passionate himself, he has lost the control of the Empire."
-  Translated by Dwight Goddard, 1919, Chapter 26

 

 

"The heavy is the root of the light.
The still is the master of unrest.
Therefore the sage, traveling all day,
Does not lose sight of his baggage.
Though there are beautiful things to be seen,
He remains unattached and calm.
Why should the lord of ten thousand chariots act lightly in public?
To be light is to lose one's root.
To be restless is to lose one's control."
-  Translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English, 1989, Chapter 26 

 

 

 

The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching & Hua Hu Ching   Translation and elucidation by Hua Ching Ni

The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu   Translated by Brian Walker

Tao Te Ching  Translated by Arthur Waley

Tao - The Way   Translated by Lionel and and Herbert Giles

Taoism: An Essential Guide   By Eva Wong

 

                             

 

 

 

"Weight underlies lightness, quiescence underlies motion.
Therefore the Sage never loses his gravity and quiescence from day to day.
Though glorious palaces should belong to him, he would dwell in them peacefully, without attachment.
Alas that a king with many chariots should conduct himself with frivolity in the midst of his kingdom!
By levity he loses his ministers, and by inconstancy his throne."
-  Translated by Walter Gorn-Old, 1904, Chapter 26

 

 

"As the heavy must be the foundation of the light,
So quietness is lord and master of activity.
Truly, “A man of consequence though he travels all day
Will not let himself be separated from his baggage-wagon,
However magnificent the view, he sits quiet and dispassionate”.
How much less, then, must be the lord of ten thousand chariots
Allow himself to be lighter than these he rules!
If he is light, the foundation is lost;
If he is active, the lord and master is lost."
-  Translated by Arthur Waley, 1934, Chapter 26

 

 

 

Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching by Robert Meikyo Rosenbaum

The Tao of Zen by Ray Grigg

Tao Te Ching: Zen Teachings on the Taoist Classic by Takuan Soho 

Buddhism and Taoism Face to Face: Scripture, Ritual, and Iconographic Exchange in Medieval China by Christine Mollier  

 

                                     

 

 

 

"Gravity is the root of lightness,
Quiescence is the master of motion.
That is why a king's son though he may travel all day long, does not cease to be quiet and grave; though he may achieve glory he abides in restfulness, he affirms his detachment.
How sad it would be if the Lord of a thousand chariots should conduct himself lightly in the kingdom!
If his conduct is light, he will fail as a Minister;
If he is hasty in action, he will fail as a Ruler."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 26