The Nourishment of the Tao, Virtue as a Nurse, Guiding, Creativity, Mystical
Power,
Freedom, Nature, Follow the Tao, Harmony, Honor Virtue, 養德
"The Way conceives them.
Integrity receives them.
Matter allows them.
Nature endows them.
All creatures thus respect the Way
and honor its Integrity.
No one demands that this be so.
Their respect by nature ever flows.
The Way gives birth to them and nurtures them.
It shapes them, develops them,
shelters them, strengthens them,
sustains them, preserves them.
Creating, not claiming as one's own,
working, not waiting for return,
guiding, not seeking to control:
such is the wonder of integrity."
- Translated by
Douglas Allchin,
Chapter 51
"The Way produces all things.
Power nourishes them.
Matter gives them physical form.
Environment shapes their abilities.
Therefore all things respect the Way and honor power.
The Way is respected, and power is honored
without anyone's order and always naturally.
Therefore the Way produces all things,
and power nourishes them,
caring for them and developing them,
sheltering them and comforting them,
nurturing them and protecting them,
producing them but not possessing them,
helping them but not obligating them,
guiding them but not controlling them.
This is mystical power."
- Translated by
Sanderson Beck,
Chapter 51
Translation and elucidation by Hua Ching Ni
Translated by Brian Walker
Translated by Arthur Waley
Translated by Lionel and and Herbert Giles
By Eva Wong
"Ten thousand Dao begets and breeds,
Which its power tends and feeds
As objects all take varied shape,
As things to use reach final form.
For this the natural myriad
Honour the Way, esteem its power.
Such honour and such high esteem
No mandate from above decreed;
It is their norm of self-becoming.
Dao indeed begets and breeds
All its power tends and feeds
And fosters and then raises up
And brings to full maturity
And still preserves and still protects.
For Dao begets but does not keep,
Works its way but does not bind:
Authority that does not rule.
Such is the meaning of “hidden power”."
- Translated by
Moss Roberts,
Chapter 51
"Tao brings all the creatures of the world to be born
And by following the way they come to fill their nature
Thus do they follow the tao and honor virtue
No one asks them to; they do it without thinking
It creates them but doesn't own them
It supplies them but doesn't make them dependent
It matures them but doesn't command them
This is the ideal of virtue."
- Translated by
Ted Wrigley,
Chapter 51
"All things are produced by the Tao, and nourished by
its outflowing operation. They receive their forms according to the nature of
each, and are completed according to the circumstances of their condition.
Therefore all things without exception honour the Tao, and exalt its outflowing
operation.
This honouring of the Tao and exalting of its operation is not the result of any
ordination, but always a spontaneous tribute.
Thus it is that the Tao produces (all things), nourishes them, brings them to
their full growth, nurses them, completes them, matures them, maintains them,
and overspreads them.
It produces them and makes no claim to the possession of them; it carries them
through their processes and does not vaunt its ability in doing so; it brings
them to maturity and exercises no control over them;--this is called its
mysterious operation."
- Translated by
James Legge,
Chapter 51
Translated by Eva Wong 
Translated by Philip Ivahoe
By James Miller
Translated by Stephen Bokencamp
By Alexander and Annellen Simpkins
Translated by Thomas Cleary
By Livia Kohn
"The Tao begets existence.
Intelligence nurtures existence.
Substance forms existence.
Forces complete existence.
For this reason,
Everything in existence, without exception,
Reveres the Tao and honors Intelligence,
Not by any decree, but with utter spontaneity.
Thus, the Tao begets everything in existence,
And Intelligence nurtures it,
Rears it,
Develops it,
Completes it,
Ripens it,
Sustains it,
Protects it.
Giving birth without possessing,
Availing life without claiming,
Promoting growth without controlling,
These are the Profound Virtues of Kosmic Intelligence."
- Translated by
Yasuhiko Genku Kimura,
Chapter 51
"A guide starts it,
virtuosity cultivates it,
Natural kinds model it
and circumstances complete it.
For this reason, among the ten-thousand natural kinds,
None fail to respect a guide and value virtuosity.
This respecting of guides
and valuing of virtuosity
is not, in general, commanded in words instead it treats self-so-ingas constant.
Hence a guide starts it,
virtuosity cultivates it,
Acts as its elder, educates it,
shades it, poisons it,
nourishes it and returns it.
Gives rise to and not 'exist,'
Deem:act and not rely on anything.
Acts as elder and does not rule.
This would be called 'profound virtuosity.'"
- Translated by
Chad Hansen,
Chapter 51
By Hu Xuzehi
Annotated translation by Victor Mair 
By Ha Poong Kim
By Hans-Georg Moeller 
By Roger T. Ames and David T. Hall
By Wes Burgess
By Arthur Waley
"Tao creates all things,
Virtue nurtures them.
Matter gives them forms, and
Environment allows them to succeed.
Thus all things honour Tao and value Virtue.
Tao being honoured and Virtue being valued,
They always occurred naturally without being dictated by anyone.
Thus:
Tao creates all thing.
Virtue nurtures them:
They grow and develop;
Bear fruits and mature; and
Are cared for and protected.
To create, but not to possess;
To care for, but not to control;
To lead, but not to subjugate.
This is called the profound virtue."
- Translated by
Cheng, Chapter 51
The Way bears all things;
Harmony nurtures them;
Nature shapes them;
Use completes them.
Each follows the Way and honours harmony,
Not by law,
But by being.
The Way bears, nurtures, shapes, completes,
Shelters, comforts, and makes a home for them.
Bearing without possessing,
Nurturing without taming,
Shaping without forcing,
This is harmony.
- Translated by
Peter Merel,
Chapter 51
"Tao gives life to all creatures; teh feeds them;
materiality shapes them; energy completes them.
Therefore among all things there is none that does not honor Tao and esteem teh.
Honor for Tao and esteem for teh is never compelled, it is always spontaneous.
Therefore Tao gives life to them, but teh nurses them, raises them, nurtures,
completes, matures, rears, protects them.
Tao gives life to them but makes no claim of ownership; teh forms them but makes
no claim upon them, raises them but does not rule them.
This is profound vitality (teh)."
- Translated by
Dwight Goddard,
Chapter 51
"Tao gives life to all things.
Virtue nourishes them.
Material world gives them form.
Circumstances make them complete.
Therefore of the myriad things,
Each one reveres Tao
And each one pays tribute to virtue.
They do so without being ordered.
They do so of themselves.
Tao gives life to them.
Virtue nourishes and matures them.
It teaches them and protects them.
It rests them, supports them and guards them.
Tao gives life to them but it does not possess them.
It toils for them but expects no praise.
It guides them but does not dominate them.
This is the secret virtue."
- Translated by
Agnieszka Solska,
Chapter 51
By Alexander Simkins. 
By Derek Lin.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
By Benjamin Hoff.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
Translated by Thomas Cleary.
Tao Te Ching
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Lao-tzu's Taoteching
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Lao Tzu: Te-Tao Ching - A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui
Texts (Classics of Ancient China)
Revealing the Tao Te Ching: In Depth Commentaries on an Ancient Classic.
By Hu Huezhi. Edited by Jesse Lee Parker. Seven Star Communications,
2006. 240 pages.
Cloud Hands Blog
Mike Garofalo writes about Taoism, Gardening, Taijiquan, Walking, Mysticism,
Qigong, and the Eight Ways.
Tao Te
Ching: A New Translation and Commentary. By Ellen Chen. Paragon
House, 1998. 274 pages.
The Tao
and Method: A Reasoned Approach to the Tao Te Ching. By Michael
Lafargue. New York, SUNY Press, 1994. 660 pages.
The
Whole Heart of Tao: The Complete Teachings from the Oral Tradition of Lao-Tzu.
By John Bright-Fey. Crane Hill Publishers, 2006. 376 pages.
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The Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) circa 500 BCE