Lynn's - Daode jing of Laozi

The Dao begets the One; the One begets two; two beget three; and three beget the myriad things.  The myriad things, bearing yin and embracing yang, form a unified harmony through the fusing of these vital forces.  What people most hate are "the orphan", "the widower", and "the unworthy", yet lords and princes use these terms to refer to themselves. (1)  Thus it is that some are augmented by being diminished, and others are diminished by being augmented.

1.  Although the myriad things exist in a myriad forms, they all revert to the One.  What is it due to that they all ultimately become One ?  It is due to nothingness [wu].  Because it is from nothingness that One comes, One can be called "nothingness".  Because we already call it "One", how can there not be a word for it ?  Because we have this word and because we have the One, how can there not be two ?  Because we have the One and have these two [the word "one" and the word "two"], this consequently gives birth to three [the word "one", the word "two", and the One].  The numbers involved in the transition from nothingness to existence are all accounted for here.  If one passes this point and keeps on going, any such path will not be the course of the Dao.

2.  Therefore the myriad things are begotten, and I know the master that controls this.  Although they have a myriad forms, the fusion of vital forces makes One out of them all.  Each of the common folk has his own heart/mind, and customs differ from state to state, yet any lord or prince who attains to the One becomes master over them all.  Because he becomes master thanks to the One, how could the One ever be discarded ?

3.  The more one has, the farther removed he is, but being diminished gets him closer to it [the One].  When diminution goes as far as it can go, there its ultimate value [the One] is obtained. (2)  Because calling it "the One" already brings us to three, how much less likely is it that someone rooted in something other than the One could ever get close to the Dao ? (3)  So saying that one is "augmented by being diminished and  . . . diminished by being augmented" is certainly not mere empty talk !

What others teach, I also teach.

My teaching of others does not consist of forcing them to follow what I teach but of helping them make use of the Natural [ziran], which I cite as perfect principle [zhili], compliance with which means good fortune and opposition to which means misfortune. (4)  Thus, concerning what people teach each other, if one opposes it, he surely will bring misfortune on himself.  So I also teach others in such a way that I do not oppose them.

The dangerously bold do not get to die a natural death, so I am going to use them as the fathers of my teaching.

If one is dangerously bold, (5) he surely will not get to die a natural death. (6)  People teach each other to be dangerously bold, and this surely is just as good as my teaching them that one should not be dangerously bold, for is not the occasion of the dangerously bold not getting to die a natural death a form of teaching ?  This is just as good as my saying, "Comply with my teaching, and you will have good fortune."  Therefore I have caught those fellows who are lawbreakers, for they are just right to use as the fathers of my teaching. (7)

Text, in Italics above, is Wang Bi's commentary.

The notes below, are from the translator, Richard John Lynn -

(deb's note - "section" is used for verse in these notes.)

(1)  Cf. section 39, fourth passage.

(2)  Cf. Wang's commentary to section 22, fifth passage.

(3)  Cf. Zhuangzi: "Heaven and Earth were born at the same time as I was, and the ten thousand things are one with me.  We have already become one, so how can I not be saying something ?  The One and what I said about it make two, and two and the original One make three.  If we go on this way, then even the cleverest mathematician can't tell where we'll end, much less the ordinary man.  If by moving from nonbeing [wu, nothingness] to being [you, existence] we get to three, how far will we get if we move from being to being ?  Better not to move, but to let things be !"  (Zhuangzi yinde, 5/2/52; cf. Watson, Complete Works of Chuang Tzu, 43).  Alan Chan provides a detailed discussion of this passage in Wang's commentary; see Two Visions of the Way, 47-48 and 55-56.

(4)  Cf. Wang's commentary to section 72, sixth passage.

(5)  Cf. Wang's commentary to section 36, first passage.

(6)  Cf. Wang's commentary to section 73, first passage.

(7)  This is a difficult passage, but I have translated the base text as it stands.  Both Tao Hongqing and Hatano Taro are dissatisfied with the text and suggest various ways to amend it, all of which seem unnecessary and misleading.  Lou Yulie, on the other hand, thinks the base text makes sense and should be read in the light of the previous passage of Wang's commentary.  See Hatano, Roshi Dotokukyo kenkyu, 294; and Lou, Wang Bi ji jiaoshi, 119n. 12.

From Stephen Mitchell - tao te ching - A New English Version

The Tao gives birth to One.

One gives birth to Two.

Two gives birth to Three.

Three gives birth to all things.

All things have their backs to the female

and stand facing the male.

When male and female combine,

all things achieve harmony.

Ordinary men hate solitude.

But the Master makes use of it,

embracing his aloneness, realizing

he is one with the whole universe.

From Byron Katie - A Thousand Names For Joy

- Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are

Ordinary people hate solitude.

But the Master makes use of it,

embracing her aloneness, realizing

she is one with the whole universe.

We're born alone, we die alone, and we live alone, each on our own planet of perception.  No two people have ever met.  Even the people you know best and love with all your heart are your own projections.  Sooner or later, you're the one who's left.  Do you realize how wonderful that is ?  After all, you're the one you go to sleep with and wake up with, you're the one who orders your favorite food and loves your favorite music.  You've always been your favorite subject -- your only subject.  It's all about you. 

There's nothing sweeter than being with myself, by myself.  The amusement, the wonder of thoughts !  They appear so real in their brilliance, they create the whole world, the majesty and play of it, the life of feelings, the joys that mind brings forth as nectar to itself.  Thoughts appear from nowhere, they move by like clouds, they change, they dissipate, they're gone.  Who named the sky ?  How did he know that ?

I sit with my eyes closed.  Two hours pass, then it occurs to me that not a single thought has happened.  I discover that tears of joy are running down my cheeks.  I don't stop them, even though the joy seems bigger than I can contain.  All that it is, all that it was and ever could be, is invited to live at its highest power, now.  It's all right if it kills me; it doesn't matter, I know not to stop it.  I become so bright, so weightless and lived, so fearlessly allowing, that the joy can have its own full life through me.  And as everything becomes visible, I see its true nature, which is love.  Everything else is burned up as this joy has its way with me.  I could kiss the ground, I could make love with the dirt, with the cement, the leaves, the soil, the texture of reality between fingers that can't even hold it.  There's nothing to grasp, nothing that can be controlled.  I notice that I'm worshiping not with any words, but with palm of hand against cheek.  Where will this love end ?  How could I possibly know ?  And, eventually, the sobbing changes to the softest whisper, a breath, and then not even that.

Dr Dyer's Essay on Verse 42 -

The beginning of this verse reiterates what Lao-tzu has been saying throughout the previous 41 sections of the Tao Te Ching -- that is, the Tao is the hidden force that brings all of the creatures and substances that comprise the 10,000 things into being, as well as being the intangible that we think of as oneness or wholeness.  All carry and embrace the opposites of yin and yang, or the feminine and masculine principles.  This verse reinforces the idea that blending these seemingly opposing forces is the way to achieve harmony.

Lao-tzu reminds you of the things that you probably think cause suffering and suggests that being orphaned, going hungry, or feeling worthless are high on the list.  But then he says that achieving harmony in terms of the Tao involves gaining by losing.  Does he mean that if you lose your home, your mom and dad, your belongings, or your sense of self-esteem, you'll gain all that you need ?  What ?  How is that possible ? 

Your infinite self that originated in, and is animated by, the Tao needs nothing to sustain itself.  Parents, possessions, and self-worth are only necessary to the existence of your mortal self.  Lao-tzu wants you to recognize this difference within the oneness that you are.  He teaches that you gain awareness of your Tao nature through the loss of emphasis on the physical conditions of your life.  In your oneness, you're likely to lose the Tao sensibility in proportion to the emphasis you place on worldly desires.  At the same time, Lao-tzu emphasizes that death of the mortal self is influenced by the way you live.  You will die as you live is the fundamental teaching for the mortal self.  This is the balancing act that's required to truly melt into harmony with the Tao.

The last several lines of this verse insistently drew my attention when I was researching, writing, and meditating on this 42nd passage.  I studied many translations of it, and I spent countless hours communing with Lao-tzu, gazing at his likeness in my writing space.  I discovered that this particular verse was always interpreted with the same kind of dramatic emphasis.  All said something similar to the following: "I take this to be the father of teachings"; "Know this to be the foundation of my teachings"; "Whoever says this is my beloved teacher"; and the one I used here, "That is my fundamental teaching".  My conclusion is that when you're violent in any way -- including in your thoughts, behavior, pronouncements, and allegiances -- then you're choosing to die in the same way.  Of course, you'll draw your own conclusions about the significance of this particularly dramatic instruction of the Tao Te Ching.

The insistence with which this teaching presented itself to me leads me to believe that Lao-tzu wants me to emphasize that its opposite is also true.  That is, a person who embraces the Tao and eschews violence and hatred will live and die naturally . . . which is in harmony with the perfections of the Tao.  So I invite you to change the way you perceive what keeps you from harmonizing with your Source.  The birthing agent of all is also your ultimate place of return when you leave your body in that moment called "death".  You must be willing to give up your attachment to all forms of violence in your life if you want to melt into harmony.