Tao Te Ching...

verse for today (*):

Tao has of all things the most honoured place.
No treasures give good men so rich a grace;
Bad men it guards, and doth their ill efface.

(Its) admirable words can purchase honour;
(its) admirable deeds
can raise their performer above others.
Even men who are not good are not abandoned by it.

Therefore when the sovereign occupies his place
as the Son of Heaven,
and he has appointed his three ducal ministers,
though (a prince) were to send in a round symbol-of-rank
large enough to fill both the hands,
and that as the precursor of the team of horses
(in the court-yard),
such an offering would not be equal
to (a lesson of) this Tao,
which one might present on his knees.

Why was it that the ancients prized this Tao so much?
Was it not because it could be got by seeking for it,
and the guilty could escape
(from the stain of their guilt) by it?
This is the reason why all under heaven
consider it the most valuable thing.

(translation by James Legge, 1891)
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The Tao is the center of the universe,
the good man's treasure,
the bad man's refuge.

Honors can be bought with fine words,
respect can be won with good deeds;
but the Tao is beyond all value,
and no one can achieve it.

Thus, when a new leader is chosen,
don't offer to help him
with your wealth or your expertise.
Offer instead
to teach him about the Tao.

Why did the ancient Masters esteem the Tao?
Because, being one with the Tao,
when you seek, you find;
and when you make a mistake, you are forgiven.
That is why everybody loves it.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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The Tao is the wonder of all things
The treasure of the kind person
The protection of the unkind person

Admirable words can win the public's respect
Admirable actions can improve people
Those who are unkind
How can they be abandoned?

Therefore, when crowning the Emperor
And installing the three ministers
Although there is the offering of jade before four horses
None of it can compare to being seated in this Tao

Why did the ancients value this Tao so much?
Is it not said that those who seek will find,
And those with guilt will not be faulted?
Therefore, it is the greatest value in the world

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Clear experience of Nothingness
Is the wealth that dissolves
Even the faint desire of wealth.

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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*) The

Tao Te Ching

is a Chinese classic.
It was written around the 6^th century BC by the sage Lao Tzu.
The short text consists of 81 brief chapters, or verses.
Every day we issue a "verse of the day" for contemplation, at first in two leading English translations (Mitchell and Lin), that nevertheless differ substantially.
Since December 8^th 2013, we had a radically different third translation:

"Nothingness and Zero"
A Post New-Age Approach to Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, published by courtesy of the translator and interpreter.
© Copyright 2013 Jeremy M. Miller. All rights reserved.
Acknowledgments: The hundreds of prior translations, especially that by Arthur Waley.
To Pythagoras, who understood Zero and taught It; and to Chuang Tzu, the ideal poetic student.

On May 31^st 2024, we added the classic James Legge translation from 1891, and put it on top of the other three, in chronological order.

The I Ching is based on the number 2, with its 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 (2⁶) = 64 hexagrams.
The Tao Te Ching is based on the number 3, with its 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 81 chapters.
We now offer it in four translations.
Comparing these four translations can be fascinating.
Perhaps, when reflecting on the four interpretations, the true meaning will emerge.
These 81 verses simply rotate; every day the next number, and after 81, number 1 will appear again.
This is done deliberately; if you want to read the complete text, you should purchase the resp. translations by James Legge, Stephen Mitchell, Derek Lin or Jeremy M. Miller below.
(All four available in Kindle edition as well.)

If you missed yesterday's verse, you can still read it at ICHING.ONLINE, which is always one day behind of I Ching Online.NET.

Tao Te Ching

James Legge