"Ambition
Those who wish to change the world
According with their desire
Cannot succeed.

The world is shaped by the Way;
It cannot be shaped by the self.
Trying to change it, you damage it;
Trying to possess it, you lose it.

So some will lead, while others follow.
Some will be warm, others cold
Some will be strong, others weak.
Some will get where they are going
While others fall by the side of the road.

So the sage will be neither wasteful nor violent.
-  Translated by Peter Merel, Chapter 29

 

 

 

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

 

                    

 

 

 

 

"As for those who would take the whole world
To tinker as they see fit,
I observe that they never succeed:
For the world is a sacred vessel
Not to be altered by man.
The tinker will spoil it;
Usurpers will lose it.

For indeed there are things
That must move ahead,
While others must lag;
And some that feel hot,
While others feel cold;
And some that are strong,
While others are weak;
And vigorous ones,
While others worn out.

So the Wise Man discards
Extreme inclinations
To make sweeping judgments,
Or to a life of excess."
-   Translated by Raymond B. Blakney, Chapter 29 

 

 

"One who desires to take the world and act (wei) upon it,
I see that it cannot be done.
The world (t'ien hsia) is a spirit vessel (shen ch'i),
Which cannot be acted (wei) upon.
One who acts (wei) on it fails,
One who holds on to it loses (shih).
Therefore things either move forward or follow behind;
They blow hot or blow cold;
They are strong (ch'iang) or weak;
They get on or they get off.
Therefore the sage gets rid of over-doing,
Gets rid of extravagances,
Gets rid of excesses."
-   Translated by Ellen M. Chen, Chapter 29 

 

 

 

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 external world is fragile,
and he who meddles with its natural way,
risks causing damage to himself.
He who tries to grasp it,
thereby loses it.

It is natural for things to change,
sometimes being ahead, sometimes behind.

There are times when even breathing
may be difficult,
whereas its natural state is easy.

Sometimes one is strong,
and sometimes weak,
sometimes healthy,
and sometimes sick,
sometimes is first,
and at other times behind.

The sage does not try
to change the world by force,
for he knows that force results in force.
He avoids extremes and excesses,
and does not become complacent."
-   Translated by Stan Rosenthal, Chapter 29

 

 

"There are those who will conquer the world
And make of it (what they conceive or desire).
I see that they will not succeed.
(For) the world is God's own Vessel
It cannot be made (by human interference).
He who makes it spoils it.
He who holds it loses it.
For:  Some things go forward,
Some things follow behind;
some blow hot,
And some blow cold;
Some are strong,
And some are weak;
Some may break,
And some may fall.
Hence the Sage eschews excess, eschews extravagance,
Eschews pride."
-   Translated by Lin Yutang, Chapter 29

 

 

 

Simple Taoism: A Guide to Living in Balance  By Alexander Simkins. 

The Tao of Daily Life: The Mysteries of the Orient Revealed  By Derek Lin. 

Everyday Tao: Living with Balance and Harmony   By Ming-Dao Deng. 

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

The Tao of Pooh   By Benjamin Hoff. 

Scholar Warrior: An Introduction to the Tao in Everyday Life  By Ming-Dao Deng. 

Vitality, Energy, Spirit: A Taoist Sourcebook  Translated by Thomas Cleary. 

 

                             

 

 

 

"One who desires to take and remake the Empire will fail.
The Empire is a divine thing that cannot be remade.
He who attempts it will only mar it.
He who seeks to grasp it, will lose it.
People differ, some lead, others follow; some are ardent, others are formal;
some are strong, others weak; some succeed, others fail.
Therefore the wise man practices moderation; he abandons pleasure, extravagance and indulgence."
-   Translated by Dwight Goddard, Chapter 29

 

 

"Do you want to change the world?
You cannot possibly succeed
The given cannot be improved
On this the seers are agreed

At times you find you're out in front
At other times you fall behind

Sometimes you're all commotion
But afterwards you must unwind

When all around is turmoil
Just stay with the serene
You are the quiet center
Of the ever changing scene

Can you see things as they are
And let them be all on their own?
Remain in pure awareness
You never need to stray from home"
-   Translated by Jim Caltfelter, Chapter 29 

 

 

 

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

 

                             

 

 

 

"Those who would take over the earth
And shape it to their will
Never, I notice, succeed.
The earth is like a vessel so sacred
That at the mere approach of the profane
It is marred
And when they reach out their fingers it is gone.
For a time in the world some force themselves ahead
And some are left behind,
For a time in the world some make a great noise
And some are held silent,
For a time in the world some are puffed fat
And some are kept hungry,
For a time in the world some push aboard
And some are tipped out:
At no time in the world will a man who is sane
Over-reach himself,
Over-spend himself,
Over-rate himself."
-   Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 29 

 

 

"Do you think you can take over the universe and improve it?
I do not believe it can be done.
The universe is sacred.
You cannot improve it.
If you try to change it, you will ruin it.
If you try to hold it, you will lose it.

So sometimes things are ahead and sometimes they are behind;
Sometimes breathing is hard, sometimes it comes easily;
Sometimes there is strength and sometimes weakness;
Sometimes one is up and sometimes down.

Therefore the sage avoids extremes, excesses, and complacency."
-   Translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English, 1972, Chapter 29 

 

 

 

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

 

                             

 

 

 

"How would you improve the universe?
I see no way to finish the task.
The universe is a holy vessel, and should not be tampered with.
If you alter it, you will hurt it; if you hold it, you will lose it.
Sometimes ahead, and sometimes behind;
sometimes hot, and sometimes cold;
sometimes strong, sometimes weak;
sometimes building up, sometimes breaking down;
thus the sage avoids extremes, excess and indulgence."
-   Translated by Ned Ludd, Chapter 29

 

 

"When a man desires to obtain the Empire, and govern it [by acting on this principle of simplicity], I see that he does so in spite of himself. The insignia of royalty may not be used by such.

* The sacred vessels, or tripods, of the Empire were those made after the semblance of the constellation ### by the Yellow Emperor. See K‘ang Hsi, under the character ###. The idea of the Commentator, which is exceedingly difficult to catch, is that the man who embraces the simplicity of TAO, referred to in the previous chapter, should, to be consistent, have nothing to do with the pomp and trappings of Imperial state. It is true that the rendering of ### by "used" is a liberty, and the idea apparently is that in the reign of such an Emperor as Lao Tsze is supposing such things should not even be made.

Those who make them will break them; those who clutch at them will lose them. For among the things of the world there are those who lead and those who follow; there are ejaculations of grief and ejaculations of gladness; there are those who are strong and those who are weak; there are those who sustain loads and those who are good for nothing. For this reason the Sage puts away excess, display, and pride."
-   Translated by Frederic Henry Balfour, 1884, Chapter 29 

 

 

"Trying to govern the world with force I see this not succeeding
the world is a spiritual thing it can't be forced to force it is to harm it to control it is to lose it
sometimes things lead sometimes they follow sometimes blow hot sometimes blow cold sometimes expand sometimes collapse
therefore the sage avoids extremes avoids extravagance avoids excess"
-   Translated by Red Pine, Bill Porter, 1996, Chapter 29

 

 

"There are those who will conquer the world
And make of it what they conceive or desire.
I see that they will not succeed.
For the world is God's own Vessel
It cannot be made by human interference.
He who makes it spoils it.
He who holds it loses it.

Some things go forward,
Some things follow behind;
some blow hot,
And some blow cold;
Some are strong,
And some are weak;
Some may break,
And some may fall.
Hence the Sage eschews excess, eschews extravagance, eschews pride."
-  Translated by Lin Yutang, 1948, Chapter 29 

 

 

 

 

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  

 

                                     

 

 

 

"If you desire to gain the kingdom by action,
I see that you will not succeed.
The kingdom is a spiritual vessel,
It cannot be gained by action.
He who acts, destroys it
He who grasps, loses it.
Therefore behold the animals:
Some go in front, others follow;
Some are warm, others cold;
Some are strong, others feeble;
Some keep moving, others are still.
That is why the self-controlled man puts away excess, he puts away egotism, he puts away easy living."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 29