Why　then　so　little　faith？
  Why　can　no　one　practice　it？
  So　the　Sages　say；　fulfill　even　the　lowest　position　love　even　the　weakest　creature
  Then　you　will　be　called　揕ord　of　every　offering？？King　of　all　below　Heaven？br》
  79
  After　settling　a　great　dispute　some　resentment　is　sure　to　remain
  Being　content　with　what　you　have　is　always　best　in　the　end
  The　Sage　always　assumes　the　debt　as　if　holding　the　left　side　of　a　contract
  He　gives　and　gives；　and　wants　nothing　in　return
  One　with　true　virtue　always　seeks　a　way　to　give
  One　who　lacks　true　virtue　always　seeks　a　way　to　get
  To　the　giver　comes　the　fullness　of　life　to　the　taker　just　an　empty　hand
  Though　the　Tao　of　Heaven　has　no　favourites　it　always　sides　with　the　one　who　has　a　pure　heart
  80
  Let　every　state　be　simple　like　a　small　village　with　few　people
  There　may　be　tools　to　speed　things　up　ten　or　a　hundred　times　yet　no　one　will　care　to　use　them
  There　may　be　boats　and　carriages　yet　they　will　remain　without　riders
  There　may　be　armour　and　weaponry　yet　they　will　sit　collecting　dust
  The　people　must　take　death　seriously　and　not　waste　their　lives　in　distant　lands
  Let　them　return　to　the　knotting　of　cord
  Let　them　enjoy　their　food　and　care　for　their　clothing
  Let　them　be　content　in　their　homes　and　joyful　in　the　way　they　live
  Neigbouring　villages　are　within　sight　of　each　other
  Roosters　and　dogs　can　be　heard　in　the　distance
  Should　a　man　grow　old　and　die　without　ever　leaving　his　village　let　him　feel　as　though　there　was　nothing　he　missed
  81
  Words　born　of　the　mind　are　not　true
  True　words　are　not　born　of　the　mind
  Those　who　have　virtue　do　not　look　for　faults
  Those　who　look　for　faults　have　no　virtue
  Those　who　come　to　know　it　do　not　rely　on　learning
  Those　who　rely　on　learning　do　not　come　to　know　it
  The　Sage　sees　the　world　as　an　expansion　of　his　own　self
  So　what　need　has　he　to　accumulate　things？
  By　giving　to　others　he　gains　more　and　more
  By　serving　others　he　receives　everything
  Heaven　gives　and　all　things　turn　out　for　the　best
  The　Sage　lives；　and　all　things　go　as　Tao　goes　all　things　move　as　the　wind　blows
  English_Suzuki_TTK
  Das　Tao　Te　King　von　Lao　Tse
  Chinese　…　English　by
  D。T。　Suzuki　&　Paul　Carus；　1913
  Vorwort/Foreword
  This　booklet；　The　Canon　of　Reason　and　Virtue；　is　an　extract　from　the　author's　larger　work；　Lao…Tze's　Tao　Teh　King；　and　has　been　published　for　the　purpose　of　making　our　reading　public　more　familiar　with　that　grand　and　imposing　figure　Li　Er；　who　was　honored　with　the　posthumous　title　Poh…Yang；　i。　e。；　Prince　Positive　（representing　the　male　or　strong　principle）；　but　whom　his　countrymen　simply　call　Lao…tze；　the　Old　Philosopher。
  Sze…Ma　Ch慽en；　the　Herodotus　of　China；　who　lived　about　136…85　B。　C。；　has　left　a　short　sketch　of　Lao…tze's　life　in　his　Shi　Ki　（Historical　Records）　which　is　here　prefixed　as　the　most　ancient　and　only　well…attested　account　to　be　had　of　the　Old　Philosopher。
  Born　in　604　B。　C。；　Lao…tze　was　by　about　half　a　century　the　senior　of　Confucius。　He　must　have　attained　great　fame　during　his　life；　for　Confucius　is　reported　to　have　sought　an　interview　with　him。　But　the　two　greatest　sages　of　China　did　not　understand　each　other；　and　they　parted　mutually　disappointed。
  Confucius's　visit　to　Lao…tze　has　been　doubted。　If　it　is　not　historical　it　certainly　is　ben　trovato；　for　the　contrast　between　these　two　leaders　of　Chinese　thought　remains　to　the　present　day。　The　disciples　of　Confucius；　the　so…called　〃literati；〃　are　tinged　with　their　master's　agnosticism　and　insist　on　the　rules　of　propriety　as　the　best　methods　of　education；　while　the　Tao　Sze；　the　believers　in　the　Tao；　or　divine　Reason；　are　given　to　philosophical　speculation　and　religious　mysticism。　The　two　schools　are　still　divided；　and　have　never　effected　a　conciliation　of　their　differences　that　might　be　attained　on　a　common　higher　ground。
  Chwang…tze；　one　of　Lao…tze's　disciples；　who　lived　about　330　B。　C。；　has　preserved　another；　an　older　and　more　elaborate；　report　of　the　meeting　between　Confucius　and　the　Old　Philosopher。　Sze…Ma　Ch慽en　（163…85　B。　C。）　is　sometimes　supposed　to　have　derived　his　account　from　Chwang…tze；　but　Chwang…tze's　story　bears　traces　of　legendary　elements　which　can　not　but　be　regarded　as　fiction；　and　it　is　difficult　to　believe　that　the　historian　should　have　taken　his　sober　sketch　from　the　fantastic　tale　of　a　poet…philosopher。
  The　names　of　Lao…tze's　birthplace；　state；　province　and　the　locality　of　his　life's　work　might　be　considered　as　invented　purposely　because　of　their　strange　significance　if　they　were　not　geographically　existent。　In　the　first　edition　of　Lao…tze's　Tao　Teh　King　we　translated　Cheu　as　〃the　State　of　Plenty；〃　and　will　only　add　that　the　word　is　made　up　of　the　characters　〃mouth〃　and　〃to　use；〃　its　original　meaning　being　〃to　supply　everywhere；　to　make　a　circuit　all　around　or　everywhere；　and　plenty。〃　The　Cheu　dynasty　was　so　called　because　the　emperor's　power　reached　all　over　the　civilized　world；　according　to　Chinese　notions。　In　the　present　edition　we　have　preferred　to　translate　the　word　Cheu　by　〃the　State　of　Everywhere。〃
  It　would　be　easy　to　say　that　the　Old　Philosopher　was　a　citizen　of　Everywhere；　and　was　born　in　Good　Man's　Bend　to　describe　his　innate　character；　that　his　home　was　situated　in　Thistle　District　of　Bramble　Province　to　indicate　the　poverty　and　difficulties　with　which　his　life　was　surrounded。
  The　plum…tree　is　the　symbol　of　immortality；　and　the　ear　might　signify　the　man　who　was　willing　to　listen。　Accordingly　Lao…tze's　family　name　Li　（plum）　seems　to　be　as　much　justified　as　his　proper　name　Er　（ear）。　What　splendid　material　with　which　to　change　Lao…tze　into　a　mythical　figure！　It　is　as　good　as　the　life　of　Napoleon　of　whom　P閞鑪　made　a　solar　hero；　an　Apollo；　on　account　of　his　name　and　the　several　events　of　his　careerhis　final　sinking　in　the　west　and　disappearance　on　an　island　in　the　Atlantic；　the　ocean　of　sunset。　Nevertheless　the　historicity　of　Lao…tze　and　the　authenticity　of　his　book　seem　to　be　sufficiently　well　ascertained。
  The　historicity　of　Lao…tze's　writing　has　been　doubted　only　once；　but　by　so　great　an　authority　as　H。　A。　Giles。　We　must；　however；　remember　that　the　greater　part　of　the　Tao　Teh　King　is　preserved　in　quotations　in　the　pre…Christian　writings　of　Lieh…tze；　Chwang…tze；　and　Hwai　Nan…tze。　（For　details　see　the　article　in　reply　to　Professor　Giles　in　The　Monist；　XI；　pp。　574…601。）
  Lao…tze's　book　on　Reason　and　Virtue　first　bore　the　title　Tao　Teh。　It　was　in　all　outward　appearances　a　mere　collection　of　aphoristic　utterances；　but　full　of　noble　morals　and　deep　meditation。　It　met　the　reward　which　it　fully　deserved；　having　by　imperial　decree　been　raised　to　the　dignity　of　canonical　authority；　hence　the　name　King　or　〃canon；〃　completing　the　title　Tao　Teh　King；　as　now　commonly　used；　which　we　translate　〃Canon　of　Reason　and　Virtue。〃
  Although　Confucian　philosophy　has　become　the　guiding　star　of　the　Chinese　government　Lao…tze　has　taken　a　firm　hold　on　the　hearts　of　the　people；　and　in　the　progress　of　time　his　figure　has　grown　in　significance　into　the　stature　of　a　Christ…like　superhuman　personality。　So　it　happened　that　later　traditions　added　to　Sze…Ma　Ch慽en's　brief　report　various　details　which　became　more　and　more　fantastic。　We　learn　that　Yin　Hi；　the　officer　of　the　frontier；　was　warned　beforehand　by　astrological　science　of　the　sage's　coming。　He　is　further　reputed　to　have　accompanied　his　master　into　the　deserts　of　the　west；　traveling　in　a　car　drawn　by　black　oxen。
  Still　later　legends　add　to　these　fables　the　story　of　Lao…tze's　miraculous　conception　through　the　influence　of　a　star；　and　claim　that　he　was　the　incarnation　of　the　supreme　celestial　essence；　that　he　had　repeatedly　been　incarnate；　once　in　the　village　of　the　state　of　Tz抲。　This　latter　birth　is　represented　in　analogy　with　Buddha's　nativity；　for　his　mother　brought　forth　the　divine　child　from　her　left　side；　and　her　delivery　took　place　under　a　treein　Lao…tze's　case　it　was　a　plum…tree。　The　infant　at　his　very　birth　pointed　to　the　tree　saying；　〃I　shall　take　my　surname　Li　（plum）　from　this　tree。〃　His　head　was　white；　and　his　countenance　that　of　an　aged　man；　whence　it　is　said　he　derived　his　name　Lao…tze；　which　not　only　means　the　Old　Philosopher　but　also　the　Ancient　Child。　He　is　said　to　have　wandered　to　the　farthest　extremities　of　the　earth；　including　the　countries　Ta　Ts慽n　（which　seems　to　have　represented　the　Roman　Empire）　and　Tu　K慽en；　where　he　preached　his　doctrine　and　converted　the　people　to　the　truth。　In　China　he　is　reported　to　have　helped　Wu　Wang；　the　founder　of　the　famous　Cheu　dynasty；　in　the　year　112　B。　C。
  Lao…tze's　various　disciples　developed　more　and　more　the　mystical　elements　of　Taoism；　the　practical　application　of　which　terminated　in　a　belief　in　alchemy；　especially　in　an　elixir　of　life。
  The　Emperor　Wu　Ti　and　the　emperors　of　the　T慳ng　dynasty　were　staunch　believers　in　the　Old　Philosopher。　When　in　the　year　666　A。　D。　Emperor　Kao　Tsung　canonized　him　he　gave　him　a　rank　among　the　gods　as　the　Great　Supreme　（T慳i　Shang）；　as　the　Emperor…God　of　the　Dark　First　Cause。