Dao De Jing, Chapter 17

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 17

"Those of preeminent wisdom and purity knew this Tao intuitively from their birth,
and so possessed it.
Those of the second rank—the men of virtue—approached it nearly, and eulogised it.
Those of the third rank—who were still above the commonalty—stood in awe of it.
Those of the lowest rank held it in light esteem.
Their belief in it was superficial, or imperfect; while there were even some who did not believe in it at all.
The first spoke only with forethought and calculation, as though honouring their words.
When their public labours were achieved, and affairs progressed unimpeded, the  people all said,
"This is our natural and spontaneous condition.""
-  Translated by Frederic Henry Balfour, 1884, Chapter 17


"A leader is best
When people barely know that he exists,
Not so good when people obey and acclaim him,
Worst when they despise him.
'Fail to honor people,
They fail to honor you;'
But of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will all say, 'We did this ourselves.'"
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 17  


"In the highest antiquity people scarce knew
That rulers existed among them; In the next age attachment and praise for them grew, In the next people feared they might wrong them;  And then in the next age the people despised The rulers whom fate set above them, For when faith by the rulers no longer is prized, The people no longer can love them. Those earliest rulers! what caution they had In weighing the words they were using; How successful their deeds! while the people all said We are what we are by our choosing."
-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 17


"Great rising and falling - People only know it exists.
Next they see and praise.
Soon they fear.
Finally they despise.
Without fundamental trust There is no trust at all.
Be careful in valuing words.
When the work is done,
Everyone says
"We just acted naturally."  "
-  Translated by Stephen Addis, 1993, Chapter 17


"With the highest rulers -
Those below simply know they exist.
With those one step down -
They love and praise them.
With those one further step down -
They fear them.
And with those at the bottom -
They ridicule and insult them.

Who does not trust enough
will not be trusted.
Hesitant and undecided!
Like this is his respect for speaking.
He completes his tasks and finishes his affairs
Yet the common people say,
"These things all happened by nature."
-  Translated by Bram den Hond, Chapter 17 



太上下知有之.
其次親而譽之.
其次畏之.
其次侮之.
信不足焉有不信焉.
悠兮其貴言.
功成事遂百姓皆謂我自然.  -  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17


t'ai shang hsia chih yu chih.
ch'i tz'u ch'in erh yü chih.
chi tz'u wei chih.
ck'i tz'u wu chih.
hsin pu tsu yen yu pu hsin yen.
yu hsi ch'i kuei yen.
kung ch'êng shih sui pai hsing chieh wei wo tzu jan.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17


"Of great rulers the subjects do not notice the existence.
To lesser ones people are attached; they praise them.
Still lesser ones people fear, and the meanest ones people despise.
For it is said: 'If your faith be insufficient, verily, you will receive no faith.'
How reluctantly the great rulers considered their words!
Merit they accomplished; deeds they performed; and the hundred families thought: 'We are independent.' "
-  Translated by D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 17    


"Of the best ruler,
The people only know he exists.
Next comes one the love and praise.
Next comes one they fear.
Next comes one they abhor.
When you are lacking in trust,
Others have no trust in you.
Of the work of one who is short with his words,
The hundred families say,
We have done it ourselves!"
-  Translated by Herrymoon Maurer, 1985, Chapter 17 



"The best leader is one whose existence is barely known.
Next best is one who is lived and praised.
Next is one who is feared.
Worst of all is a leader who is despised.
If you fail to trust people, they won't turn out to be trustworthy.
Therefore, guide others by quietly relying on Tao.
Then, when the work is done, the people can say,
"We did this ourselves." "
-  Translated by Brian Browne Walker, 1996, Chapter 17


"Acerca de los antiguos todo lo que se sabe es que existían.
Los sucesores fueron amados y alabados, y los siguientes fueron temidos.
Los que vinieron después aborrecidos.
Sí no te tienes plena confianza, otros te serán infieles.
Entonces las palabras rituales estaban medidas.
El mérito de las obras tenía plenitud.
Todo el mundo decía:
"Estamos en armonía con nosotros mismos"."
-  Translation from Logia Medio Dia, 2015, Capítulo 17


"Of the best rulers
The people only know that they exist;
The next best the love and praise;
The next they fear;
And the next they revile.

When they do not command the people's faith,
Some will lose faith in them,
And then they resort to oaths!
But of the best, when their task is accomplished,
their work done,
The people all remark, "We have done it ourselves.""
-  Translated by Lin Yutang, 1955, Chapter 17


"In ancient times
The people knew that they had rulers.
Then they loved and praised them,
Then they feared them,
Then they despised them.
The rulers did not trust the people,
The people did not trust the rulers.
The rulers were grave, their words were precious.
The people having finished their work,
and brought it to a successful issue, said:
"We affirm the Self.""
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 17 



Audio Recordings in English by Mike Garofalo

Here is an audio recording of selected translations from Chapter 17 of the Tao Te Ching. This reading includes translations by Frederic Henry Balfour 1884, Witter Bynner 1944, Isaac Winter Heysinger 1903, Bram den Hond, Herrymoon Maurer 1985, and Isabella Mears 1916.  Reading and recording by Michael P. Garofalo from the Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove, in Red Bluff, California.  Recorded on November 22, 2016. MP3 format.  7.1 MB.  



A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter.  Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization.  Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter.   

Chapter 17, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey  

European Christians and the American Way

I often see graphics on the Internet, in social media and webpages, that catch my attention.  I don't agree with them and think they are incorrect.  Here is an example:

"European Christians Built this Nation."   ????

First, the word 'Christians' is merely a lump sum statistical term and vague. The fact is that Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, Quakers, Puritans, Presbyterians, Mormons, Southern Baptist Black Churches, Jehovah's Witnesses, Fundamentalists, Mennonites, Church of England, Revivalists, Community Churches, Christian Scientists, etc., don't agree with each other, and often despise and condemn one another.  Shite and Sunni and Sufi Moslems do the same today in the Middle East.  The fanatics in these denominations have a long history of harassing, torturing, and murdering "non-believers" in their illusions.

Yes, those wonderful European Christians (British and Spanish) and Islamics began by kidnapping, shipping, and enslaving millions of Africans in the Americas, and kept exploiting slave labor until 1870.  Those slaves help build this Nation.  

Yes, those kindly European Christians decided to exterminate those savage heathen Native Americans.  They helped unbuild America.

Yes, those hardworking and mean European Christians (i.e., Catholics, Lutherans, and other Protestants) wildly cheered for a loud mouthed demagogue who promised to "Make Germany Great Again". Their foolishness resulted in the genocide of 6 million Jews, the ruin of Europe, and 60 million dead from WWII.

Many of those closed-minded Christian Europeans, especially the WASP, bigoted, racist and violent KKK contingents, hated Catholics, Jews, Blacks, Moslems, and foreigners.

Over 25% of Americans do not belong to any religious group.  So, these hardworking folks had no part in building this Nation?


Many Americans were noted for their independence, self-reliance, and favoring a secular state and religious tolerance.  The ongoing urbanization of America in the 20th century has made us seek new ways of governing ourselves and some shifts in values.  For example, women were denied the vote by 'Christian' macho men and churches until 1920.  The Civil Rights Act was not passed until 1964.

Over the years, those hardworking and poor immigrants, from all over the world, that came to America (and their children and grand children) supported, voted for, and paid taxes for public schools, welfare, Social Security, health care, homeless shelters, sewers, colleges, environmental protection, police, Medicare, courts, social services, libraries, scientific research, roads, parks, museums, etc. Those immigrants knew that America was a better place to live and they paid for the opportunity with their taxes and their lives in our military services.  

Most immigrants to the USA, of all races and religions, are decent, generous, and compassionate.  

My Italian grandparents immigrated in 1905 to Los Angeles and succeeded. Their children went to public schools, public colleges, used roads, followed business laws, they enjoyed the use of many public facilities, they paid their taxes, collected Social Security and Medicare, and helped build America.  And many poor immigrant folks voted Democratic, were pro-union, or Socialists.

Yes, there were many decent and generous European Christian immigrants that helped build America.  But they never did it alone!  

I think that decent Americans continue to build a kinder and better secular Nation today.  

However, the sub-text, and the wrong assumption and claim, is that immigrant white folks who worshiped at my local church, and think like I do or my parents did, really did actually build America. Balderdash!

Many European Christians and Islamics have hated and feared each other for centuries.  It is no surprise to see that slip into the graphic above.  I dislike Islamic Sharia laws, and I dislike Christian Moral Majority "Sharia" laws.  Both want to force their religious practices and customs and petty rules on the rest of us hardworking, and law abiding citizens who support a secular government.  

The "welfare" inclusion is of course the same old sub-text of not wanting welfare for those lazy blacks and rapist and drug dealing Mexicans (the latest Takeaway Trump version), and Moslem immigrants or citizens who are all radical Jihadis; while conveniently ignoring and forgiving those poor unfortunate white folks who worship at my local church and need welfare to help them get a leg up in hard times.  What is good for the holy white goose is not OK for the discolored or mixed gander.  

As for 'Bitching,' it seems like a sneering phrase used to describe the opinions of people who don't agree with you, e.g., if you disagree with Mr. Trump's lies and takeaways, then you are 'whining' and 'bitching.'  Debating and discussing politics and values has a long and honorable tradition in America.  We have listened to Republicants whine and bitch and proselytize for the last eight years; it is now payback time, but with the truth this time.  

When driving home from work one day two years ago, this is what I saw.  A local red-neck rifleman, probably a "Jeffersonian," spray painted on the side of a bridge over Interstate 5 the following: "Lynch Obama."  [One can't know for sure who the perpetrator is, since he hides like the coward he is; but a local Red Bluff racist redneck is most likely.] He most likely sits in a Christian Church on Sundays, with other white European Christians.  Many of us are not thankful for these belligerent European Christians doing their clandestine political bitching. This freeway is flanked by posters and signs with pro-Christian warnings of hell-fire, and anti-abortion crosses.  Thankfully, a state CALTrans worker removed the racist graffiti from the concrete bridge wall a few days later.  

Improve Your Mood

Boost Your Mood, Pick Yourself Up
Revitalize Yourself, Banish the Blues  

Be grateful for the good in your life.   
Give yourself permission to be human.
Brighten someone’s day. 
Learn something new. 
Listen to upbeat music.
Do some exercise on a regular basis.
Simplify your life, remove clutter, and clean. 
Go for a walk. 
Enjoy sex and discover romance. 
Get organized.
Do a good deed or volunteer.  
Smile and put on a happy face. 
Indulge your senses. 
Seek and cultivate beauty. 
Take time to breathe deeply. 
Look at some old photos. 
Focus on the positive. 
Forgive yourself. 
Get some fresh air. 
Eat often and eat light. 
Begin a program of meditation or contemplation.
Talk with your physician or counselor.   
Cook and prepare a lovely and tasty meal. 
Eat something nutritious like nuts or fruit. 
Pamper yourself.
Alter your routines in some way. 
Have confidence. 
Talk with your spouse. 
Fake it till you make it. 
Sign a song out loud. 
Tap into your creative side. 
Take up a mind-body practice like Taijiquan, Qigong or Yoga. 
Inhale a calming scent. 
Sit quietly, rest, or sleep. 
Brainstorm a problem for solutions. 
Avoid bad or negative companions, and find good friends. 
Watch a good non-violent movie. 
Work in the garden. 
Cool down strong emotions. 
Take some vacation time for relaxation and retreat. 
Look on the Bright Side.
Small steps of progress are better than no steps. 
Avoid watching the news for a week. 
Don’t take yourself too seriously. 
Focus on past successes, not failures. 
Create a wish list and make one wish come true.
Explore ways to boost your self-esteem. 
Focus on what you can control and what you can change.
Get some more sunlight on your body. 
Choose your attitude and how you will react to life's events. 
Spend less, avoid shopping. 
Stop all cussing, swearing, or rude language. 
Keep a journal or express yourself in writing. 
Go easy on yourself and yield.  
Count your blessings. 
Spend some time with children. 
Take a long shower or refreshing soaking bath. 
Get relevant and accurate information. 
Chat with a friendly person or neighbor.
Things change and time heals. 
Adapt, adapt, adapt. 
Agree to disagree; you don’t need to win every argument.   
Think fast.
Consider vitamin or herbal supplements that lift mood. 
Seek professional help for serious mental health problems. 
Read something inspiring. 
Avoid comparing yourself to others, and envy is a waste of time.
Try praying or chanting. 
Evaluate and revise your goals. 
Don't sweat the small stuff. 
Pet your dog or cat and care for them. 
Get a massage.
Enjoy a non-competitive sport. 
Try fasting or staying up all night. 
Donate your stuff, your skills, or your time.   
Forgive and forget. 
Dance till you are tired. 
Punch a bag or bang on a drum. 
Stop using any recreational drugs. 
Spend some time with children. 
Abandon false ideas and unrealistic aims. 
Enjoy a refreshing drink. 
Make someone laugh. 
Allow yourself to be eccentric, and enjoy some silly thoughts.
Have a bowl of soup or a cup of tea. 
Less talking and more doing. 
Get up, dress up, and show up. 
Observe nature carefully and respectfully.
Visit your public library and borrow some beautiful books. 
Be less self-centered and selfish. 
A spiritual advisor, rituals, or religious beliefs can sometimes help.
Love expands your horizons of caring and happiness. 
Accept the fact that some things are broken and can't be fixed.
Memorize and inspirational saying, prayer, poem or quote. 
Call or visit a sick person. 
Play a game. 

By Mike Garofalo
Valley Spirit Center
Red Bluff, California  

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Ways to Lift Your Spirits (3 pages, PDF Format)

Virtues and Good Character

Fitness and Well-Being

Aspects of Good Mental Health

Traits and Behaviors of Mental Heath

"Although no group of authorities fully agree on a definition of the term mental health, it seems seems to include several traits and behaviors that are frequently endorsed by leading theorists and therapists (e.g., Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Erich Fromm, Rudolf Dreikurs, Fritz Perls, Abraham Maslow, Marie Jahoda, Carol Rodgers, Rollo May, Albert Ellis, etc.).  These include such traits as self-interest, self-direction, social interest, tolerance, acceptance of ambiguity and uncertainty, flexibility, acceptance of social reality, commitment, risk taking, self-acceptance, rationality and scientific thinking.  Not all mentally healthy individuals possess the highest degree of these traits at all times, but when people seriously lack them or when they have extreme opposing behaviors, we often consider them to be at least somewhat emotionally disturbed. 
Self Interest:  Emotionally healthy people are primarily true to themselves and do not subjugate themselves or unduly sacrifice themselves for others.  Realizing that if they do not primarily take care of themselves no one else will, they tend to put themselves first, a few selected others a close second, and the rest of the world not too far behind.
Self-Direction:  Mentally healthy people largely assume responsibility for their own lives, enjoy the independence of mainly working out their own problems, and, while at times wanting or preferring the help of others, do not think that they absolutely must have such support for their effectiveness and well-being. 
Social Interest:  Emotionally and mentally healthy people are normally gregarious and decide to try to live happily in a social group.  Because they want to live successfully with others, and usually to relate intimately to a few of these selected others, they work at feeling and displaying a considerable degree of social interest and interpersonal competence. 
Tolerance:  Emotionally healthy people tend to give other humans the right to be wrong.  While disliking or abhorring other's behavior, they refuse to condemn them as total persons for performing poor behavior.  They fully accept the fact that all humans seem to be remarkably fallible; they refrain from unrealistically demanding and commanding that any of them be perfect; and they desist from damning people in toto when they err. 
Acceptance of Ambiguity and Uncertainty:  Emotionally mature individuals accept the fact that, as far as has yet been discovered, we live in a world of probability and chance, where there are not, and probably ever will be, absolute necessities or complete certainties.  Living in such a world is not only tolerable but, in terms of adventure, learning and striving, can even be very exciting and pleasurable. 
Flexibility:  Emotionally sound people are intellectually flexible, tend to be open to change at all times, and are prone to take an unbigoted (or at least less bigoted) view of the infinitely varied people, ideas, and things in the world around them.  They can be firm and passionate in their thoughts and feelings, and they comfortably look at new evidence and often revise their notions of "reality" to conform with this evidence. 
Acceptance of Social Reality:  Emotionally healthy people, it almost goes without saying, accept was is going on in the world.  This means several important things: (1) they have a reasonably good perception of social reality and do not see things that do not exist and do not refuse to see things that do; (2) they find various aspects of life, in accordance with their own goals and inclination, "good" and certain aspects "bad" ─ but they accept both these aspects, without exaggerating the "good" ones and without denying or whining about the "bad" ones; (3) they do their best to work at changing those aspects of life they view as "bad," to accept those they cannot change, and to acknowledge the difference between the two.
Commitment:  Emotionally healthy and happy people are usually absorbed in something outside of themselves, whether this be people, things, or ideas.  They seem to live better lives when they have at least one major creative interest, as well as some outstanding human involvement, which they make very important to themselves and around which the structure a good part of their lives.
Risk Taking:  Emotionally sound people are able to take risks.  They ask themselves what they would really like to do in life, and then try to do it, even though they have to risk defeat or failure.  They are reasonably adventurous (though not foolhardy); are will to try almost anything once, if only to see how they like it; and look forward to different or unusual breaks in their usual routines. 
Self-Acceptance:  People who are emotionally healthy are usually glad to be alive and to accept themselves as "deserving" of continued life and happiness just because they exist and because they have some present or future potential to enjoy themselves.  They fully or unconditionally accept themselves.  They try to perform competently in their affairs and win the approval and love of others; but they do so for enjoyment and not for ego gratification or self-deification. 
Rationality and Scientific Thinking:  Emotionally stable people are reasonably objective, rational, and scientific.  They not only construct reasonable and empirically substantiated theories relating to what goes on in the surrounding world (and with their fellow creatures who inhabit this world), but they are also able to supply the rules of logic and of the scientific method to their own lives and their interpersonal relationships. "

-  Albert Ellis, Ph.D.  The Albert Ellis Reader: A Guide to Well-Being Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, 1998, pp. 235-252.  Based on the 1962 essay titled "The Case Against Religion: A Psychotherapist's View."  


How to Live the Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Life Depends on Me

 "This is a great powerful statement from some spiritually achieved ones: 'My life depends on me, not on Heaven.'
     Excessively religious people may think those people had no God, but I don't see it that way.  I think that these were spiritually self-responsible people who did not rely on external authority to make themselves behave correctly.  The did not relinquish authority over their lives to other people and external circumstances, trading in Heaven's support to become dependent on others.  They did what was right and depended upon their own attainment and achievement to see them through life.
     This kind of achievement is called spiritual independence, and it is above the realm of ordinary religious followers.  I regard it as highly respected elucidation of the Way."
 -  Hua-Ching Ni, The Light of All Stars Illuminates the Way, 1994, p.26

"The gods help those that help themselves."
-  Aesop's Fables, Ancient Greece

The Good Life

Self-Reliance and Independence

Lifestyle Advice from Wise Persons

Religion

Spirituality