Dao De Jing by Laozi, Chapter 12

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Chapter 12


"The five colors combined
the human eye will blind;
The five notes in one sound
the human ear confound;
The five tastes when they blend
the human mouth offend.

Racing and hunting will human hearts turn mad,
Treasures high-prized make human conduct bad.

Therefore,
The sage attends to the inner and not to the outer.
He abandons the latter and chooses the former."
- Translated by Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 12 

"The meaning of the verses quoted in Chapter 12 carries out the principle enunciated in Chapter 11. The utility of things, as well as the worth of life, is attained not by having everything in completion and in fullness, but by selecting some parts and omitting others, by moderation and by discrete elimination. Together, all the colors blind you, while a discrete selection will make a picture. Together, all the notes just make noise, while a few of them in proper succession make a melody. Together, all the tastes mixed together are offensive, but a choice of them is pleasant. Such is Lao-Tzu's method of teaching that the form of things is more important that the substance. The phrase 'he attends to the inner and not to the outer: reads in a literal translation 'acts on the stomach, not acts on the eye'. The outer and the inner are called in Chapter 38 the flower and the fruit, the former being more show, while the latter is the true import of life."
- Paul Carus, 1913

The Teachings of Lao-Tzu: The Tao Te Ching. Translation, commentary, and notes by Paul Carus, 1913. New York, St. Martin's Press, 2000. ISBN: 0312261098.  D.T. Suzuki worked and studied with Paul Carus around 1905 in Illinois, and translated together the Tao Te Ching.   

"The five colors cause man's eyes to be blinded.
The five tones cause man's ears to be deafened.
The five flavors cause man's palate to be cloyed.
Racing about on horseback and hunting cause man's mind to be maddened.
Hard to obtain merchandise cause mankind to do wrong,
So the Sage concerns himself with the abdomen and not the eyes.
Therefore, he rejects the one and chooses the other."
- Cheng Man-ch'ing, 1981, Chapter 12


"Color's five hues from the eyes their sight will take;
Music's five notes the ears as deaf can make;
The flavors five deprive the mouth of taste;
The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste
Make mad the mind;
And objects rare and strange,
Sought for,
Men's conduct will to evil change.
Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy the craving of the belly,
and not the insatiable longing of the eyes.
He puts from him the latter, and prefers to seek the former."
-   Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 12  


"The five colors
blind our eyes.
The five notes
deafen our ears.
The five flavors
dull our taste.
Racing, chasing, hunting,
drives people crazy.
Trying to get rich
ties people in knots.
So the wise soul
watches with the inner
not with the outward eye,
letting that go,
keeping this."
-  Translation by Ursula K. Le Guin, 2009, Chapter 12  


"An excess of light blinds the human eye; an excess of noise ruins the ear; an excess of condiments deadens the taste.
The effect of too much horse racing and hunting is bad, and the lure of hidden treasure tempts one to do evil.
Therefore the wise man attends to the inner significance of things and does not concern himself with outward appearances.
Therefore he ignores matter and seeks the spirit."
-  Translated by Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel, 1919, Chapter 12 


"The fives colours confuse the eye,
The fives sounds dull the ear,
The five tastes spoil the palate.
Excess of hunting and chasing
Makes minds go mad.
Products that are hard to get
Impede their owner's movements.
Therefore the Sage
Considers the belly not the eye.
Truly, “he rejects that but takes this”."
-  Translated by Arthur Waley, 1934, Chapter 12 



"Five excessive colors make people blind;
five excessive sounds make people deaf;
five excessive flavors rob people's taste;
racing and hunting make people mad;
and rare goods make people steal.
Thus a Sage ruler took care of people's basic-needs (stomachs),
not their excessive-desires (luxuries).
Thus he eliminated desires and supplied needs."
-  Translated by Tang Zi-Chang, Chapter 12 

"Los cinco colores ciegan el ojo.
Las cinco notas ensordecen el oído.
Los cinco sabores empalagan el paladar.
La carrera y la caza enloquecen la mente.
Los objetos preciosos tientan al hombre a hacer el mal.
Por eso, el Sabio cuida del vientre, y no del ojo.
Prefiere lo que está dentro a lo que está afuera."
-  Translated into Spanish by Alfonso Colodrón from the English translation by
    John C. H. Wu, 1993, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 12  

"wu se ling ren mu mang.
wu yin ling ren er long.
wu we ling ren kou shuang.
chi cheng tian lie, ling ren xin fa kuang.
nan de zhi huo, ling ren xing fang.
shi yi sheng ren wei fu bu wei mu.
gu qu bi qu ci."
-  Hanyu Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 12

  "Iridescent colours cause blindness.
 Beautiful music causes deafness.
 Delicious food causes loss of taste.
 Racing and hunting cause madness.
 Rare goods tempt people to rob and steal.
 Therefore the sage only wants to feed the people rather than to dazzle them.
 That's why he goes for the former and turns down the latter."
 -  Translated by Jiyu Ren, 1985, Chapter 12 

"The five colours blind the eyes of men.
The five tones deafen their ears.
The five flavours vitiate their palates.
Galloping and hunting induce derangement of the mind.
Objects that are difficult of attainment lead them to incur obstacles or injury.
Thus the Sage cares for his inner self, and not for that which his eye can see;
for which reason he discards the latter and preserves the former."
- Translated by Frederic Henry Balfour, 1884, Chapter 12

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 12, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.  Complied by Mike Garofalo.  

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     
A Daoist Druid's Final Journey  

An Old Philosopher's Notebooks

Cape Lookout State Park, Coastal Northwest Oregon, Trip Day 2

 Cape Lookout State Park, Coastal Northwest Oregon

Netarts Cabin Camping Trip, Day 2, December 10, 2024, Tuesday

Near the town of Tillamook, Oregon, Netarts Bay and Three Arch Rocks.

Very foggy and cold most of the day at Netarts Bay campground.

Breakfast in Tillamook at Fern's restaurant.

Trip to Munson Falls wild canyon.

Sat by the fire pit, cut wood, tended the fire. Enjoyed the view into the old growth Sitka Spruce forest, lots of Salal shrubbery, plenty of Western sword ferns, and a mix of Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, huckleberry, and fungus plants.

Dinner at Schooner's in Netarts Bay. Oysters Rockefeller, Oregon Bay Shrimp, clam chowder, and a four cheese pizza. Charity special drinks, and one Pelican Bay Pilsner.

Heavy surf.  King Tides officially here in three days. 

LOUD!! 

RUMBLIMG!!

THUDDING!!

CRASHING into the rocky cape side cliffs!!!!!!

Fog, foggy, gray, gloomy, damp, dark ....

Images from the Internet of the Oregon Coast:

Cape Lookout State Park, Coastal Northwest Oregon, Trip Day 1

Cape Lookout State Park, Coastal Northwest Oregon

Cabin Camping Trip, Day 1, December 9, 2024, Monday

We left Vancouver at 8:30 am. Drove into Portland, then out OR 26 to Beaverton and Hillsborough, then OR 6 from Banks through the coastal mountains for 80 miles into Tillamook.  

We ate Japanese Food at the Tori Sushi lounge in Tillamook. Decent tempura and good sushi. Shop in Tillamook.

We walked on the raised wood trails in the Sitka forest swamp
in Rockaway Beach.

Check in cabin at Cape Lookout at 3:45 pm. A bit of a hassle with the key not working. Had to carry our camping gear uphill to the Netarts Cabin. A very nice clean cabin with restroom. Great Sitka Spruce forest views from firepit outside this cabin.

Images from the Internet of the Oregon Coast:

Then There's the Day ....

 

"Human beings live in the dirt,
like bugs in a filthy bowl.
All day long crawling around and around,
never getting over the edge.

Even spiritual masters can't make it,
wracking their brains for schemes and plans.
The months and the years, a running river:
Then there's the day you wake up old."

- Han Shan, Circa 850 CE

Poetry, Poets, Poetry and Buddhism, Zen Poetry, Haiku

Beneath a Single Moon: Buddhism in Contemporary American Poetry. Edited by Kent Johnson and Craig Paulenich. Introduction by Gary Snyder. Shambhala, 1991, 331 pages. Includes short essays and poetry by Diane de Prima, Norman Fischer, Nelson Foster, Sam Hamill, Alan Ginsberg, Jane Hirshfield, Lucien Stryk, Gary Snyder, Anne Waldman, and others. VSCL, Paperback.

Books About Zen Poetry

Haiku and Zen Poetry

A Poets Guide to Poetry. By Mary Kinzie. University of Chicago, 1999, index, credits, 561 pages. VSCL, Paperback. Ways to improve your reading, study, and writing of poetry. A detailed and challenging college textbook.

The Poetry of Michael P. Garofalo

The Poetry of Zen. Translated by Sam Hamill and J.P. Seaton. Shambhala, 2007, 208 pages.

Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter. Translated and commentary by Lucien Stryk and Takashi Ikemoto. Grove Press, 1995, 124 pages. VSCL, Paperback.

Great Compassion "For the Sake of Others"

Zen Master Torei (1721-1792), The Undying Lamp of Zen

"So great compassion is like the sky, because it covers all living beings; great compassion is like the earth, because it produces all the teachings; great compassion makes it possible to see Buddha-nature, by first clarifying real knowledge for the sake of others. Great compassion makes it possible to pass through unyielding barriers, by plumbing the profound teachings more for the sake of others. Great compassion makes it possible to penetrate the transcendental, by seeking a life beyond for others. Great compassion can develop powerful application, by striving on this path for the sake of others. Great compassion can activate intrepidness, by keeping a vigorous will alive for the sake of others. Great compassion makes it possible to get beyond regression, because the mind is settled for the sake of others. Great compassion can produce broad learning, by studying everything for the sake of others. Great compassion can produce erudition, by deep deduction on the principles of things for the sake of others. Great compassion can produce blessings, by always coming up with expedients for others. Great compassion can annihilate afflictions, by sacrificing body, life, and goods for others. Great compassion can extirpate conceit, by acting benevolently for others. Great compassion enble detachement from fame and profit, by basing everything on truth for the sake of others. Great compassion enables entry in the realm of reality, because there is nowhere it does not go for the sake of others. 

The virtues of great compassion are infinite; they could be expounded upon forever without exhausting them, but it boils down to this: Whoever has great compassion can extinguish all obstructions caused by past action and can fulfill all virtues, no principle cannot be understood, no path cannot be practiced, no knowledge cannot be obtained, no virtue not developed."

- Zen Master Torei (1721-1792), The Undying Lamp of Zen, p. 24

 "The practice of the four universal vows first makes liberation of others the number one pledge, along with clarifying your own nature, cutting of the root of afflictions, studying all teachings, and carrying out the activities of Bodhisattvas, so compassion and knowledge are completely fulfilled. This is called the way of Buddhas."
- Zen Master Torei (1721-1792), The Undying Lamp of Zen, p. 22

"Four Universal Vows:
Living beings are infinite, I vow to liberate them.
Afflictions are endless, I vow to stop them.
The teachings are innumerable, I vow to study them.
The way of the Buddhas is supreme, I vow to fulfill it."
- Thomas Cleary

Rinzai Zen Buddhist and Daoist Studies
By Michael P. Garofalo

The Undying Lamp of Zen: The Testament of Zen Master Torei. By Torei Enji (1721-1792). Translated and edited by Thomas Cleary. Shambhala, 2010, 144 pages. VSCL, Paperback.

Ch'an (Zen) Buddhist  Poems, Verses, Sayings, Quotations, Quips, and Koans.  Selected Quotations:  One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine 
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 11

Daodejing by Laozi
Chapter 11

"Thirty spokes unite in a nave, but the nothingness in the hub

Gives to the wheel its usefulness, for thereupon it goes round;
The potter kneads the clay as he works, with many a twist and rub,
But in the nothingness within, the vessel's use is found;
Doors and windows cut in the walls thereby a room will make,
But in its nothingness is found the room' s utility;
So the profit of existences is only for the sake
Of non-existences, where all the use is found to be."

-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 11 

"Thirty spokes share one hub.
Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of the cart.
Knead clay in order to make a vessel.
Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of the vessel.
Cut out doors and windows in order to make a room.
Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of the room.
Thus what we gain is Something, yet it is by virtue of Nothing that this can be put to use."
-  Translated by D. C. Lau, 1963, Chapter 11 

"Thirty spokes share one hub.
It is just the space (the Nothingness) between them
That makes a cart function as a cart.
Knead clay to make a vessel
And you find within it the space
That makes a vessel as a vessel.
To build a house with doors and windows
And you find within them the space
That makes a house function as a house.
Hence the Being (substance) can provide a condition
Under which usefulness is found,
But the Nothingness (space) is the usefulness itself."

-  Translated by Gu Zengkun, Chapter 11 



"Thirty spokes surround one nave, the usefulness of the wheel is always in that empty innermost.
You fashion clay to make a bowl, the usefulness of the bowl is always in that empty innermost.
You cut out doors and windows to make a house, their usefulness to a house is always in their empty space.
Therefore profit comes from external form, but usefulness comes from the empty innermost."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 11 

"Although the wheel has thirty spokes its utility lies in the emptiness of the hub.
The jar is made by kneading clay, but its usefulness consists in its capacity.
A room is made by cutting out windows and doors through the walls, but the space the walls contain measures the room's value.
In the same way matter is necessary to form, but the value of reality lies in its immateriality.
Or thus: a material body is necessary to existence, but the value of a life is measured by its immaterial soul."
-  Translated by Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel, 1919, Chapter 11


"Thirty spokes will converge
In the hub of a wheel;
But the use of the cart
Will depend on the part
Of the hub that is void.
With a wall all around
A clay bowl is molded;
But the use of the bowl
Will depend on the part
Of the bowl that is void.
Cut out windows and doors
In the house as you build;
But the use of the house
Will depend on the space
In the walls that is void.
So advantage is had
From whatever is there;
But usefulness rises
From whatever is not."
-  Translated by Raymond Blackney, 1955, Chapter 11   

"Treinta rayos convergen en el medio,
pero el vacío mediano
hace andar al carro.

Se modela la arcilla para hacer jarrones con ella,

pero de su vacío interno
depende su utilización.
Una casa está abierta con puertas y ventanas,
otra vez el vacío
permite que se habite en ella.
El Ser da posibilidades,
sólo se utilizan a través del no-ser."
-  Translated by Alba, 1998, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 11 

"Though thirty spokes may be joined in one hub, the utility of the carriage lies in what is not there.
Though clay may be moulded into a vase, the utility of the vase lies in what is not there
Though doors and windows may be cut to make a house, the utility of the house lies in what is not there.
Therefore, taking advantage of what is, we recognize the utility of what is not."
-  Translated by Jan J. L. Duyvendak, 1954, Chapter 11 


"Thirty spokes share the hub of a wheel;
 yet it is its center that makes it useful.
 You can mould clay into a vessel;
 yet, it is its emptiness that makes it useful.
 Cut doors and windows from the walls of a house;
 but the ultimate use of the house
 will depend on that part where nothing exists.
 Therefore, something is shaped into what is;
 but its usefulness comes from what is not."
 -  Translated by Kari Hohne, 2009, Chapter 11 


三十輻共一轂.
當其無, 有車之用.
埏埴以為器.
當其無有器之用.
鑿戶牖以為室.
當其無, 有室之用.
故有之以為利.
無之以為用.
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 11   



san shih fu kung yi ku.
tang ch'i wu, yu ch'ê chih yung.
yen ch'ih yi wei ch'i.
tang ch'i wu yu ch'i chih yung.
tso hu yu yi wei shih.
tang ch'i wu, yu shih chih yung.
ku yu chih yi wei li.
wu chih yi wei yung.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 11   



"Thirty spokes unite in one hub: on what in it is nothing
depends the usefulness of the cart.
Clay may be made into vessels: on what in them is nothing
depends the usefulness of the vessels.
We cut out doors and windows to make a house: on what in them
is nothing depends the usefulness of the house.
So the existent may be regarded as profitable; the non-existent
may be regarded as useful. The sage discards the outer life in favour of the inner."
-  Translated by P. J. Maclagan, 1898, Chapter 11

"Thirty Spokes converge upon a single hub;
It is on the hole in the center that the use of the cart hinges.
We make a bowl or cup from a lump of clay;
It is the empty space within the vessel that makes it useful.
We make doors and windows for a room;
It is the empty spaces that make the room livable.
Thus, take advantage of what is visible, by making use of what is not visible."
-  Translated by J. L. Trottier, 1994, Chapter 11

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 11, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.  Complied by Mike Garofalo.  

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

A Daoist Druid's Final Journey  

An Old Philosopher's Notebooks

December Gardening Chores

Our soil is still very damp from the recent rains.  I will need to put new blades on my John Deere lawn tractor, and do some mowing in the dry afternoon.  Also, pruning back the roses and taking cuttings are also on the agenda for this week.

Our home and property are now for sale.  

December Gardening Chores
Red Bluff, North Sacramento Valley, California, USA
USDA Zone 9

December: Quotes, Poetry, Sayings, Lore

Yule and Winter Solstice Celebrations: Quotes, Poetry, Sayings, Lore

Typical Weather for Our Area

Red Bluff, California.  Natural History Studies at our Home and Gardens

The Spirit of Gardening

Pruning leafless trees and shrubs.
Adding compost and fertilizer to the vegetable and flower gardens.
Planting bare root trees and shrubs.
Pruning back grape vines.
Cleaning, sharpening, and storing tools.
Start taking cuttings from dormant vines and shrubs.
Reading seed and gardening catalogs.
Digging trenches for underground plastic pipe.
Making sure drainage systems are working.
Pruning evergreens for shape.
Moving tender potted plants to protected areas.
Burning large piles of cuttings and weeds.
Protect tender plants (e.g., citrus) from frosts.
Protect valuable garden tools and equipment from the rain and fog.
Tending winter vegetables: cabbage, lettuce, peas, spinach, brocoli, etc.
Putting some bulbs in the ground.
Plant onion and garlic sets.
Watering potted plants as needed if rain is insufficient.
Pruning back flowering plants, like mums.
Prepare new strawberry and berry vine beds.
Spraying some fruit trees (e.g., peaches) to prevent leaf curl.
Dividing dormant herbs.
Raking and composting leaves.
Setting out some color plants, e.g., calendulas.  
Removing dead or dying branches or trees to burn pile.
Cutting Firewood
 

"How like a winter hath my absence been
 From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
 What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!
 What old December’s bareness every where!
 And yet this time remov’d was summer’s time;
 The teeming autumn, big with rich increase,
 Bearing the wanton burden of the prime,
 Like widow’d wombs after their lords’ decease:
 Yet this abundant issue seem’d to me
 But hope of orphans and unfather’d fruit;
 For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,
 And, thou away, the very birds are mute:
 Or, if they sing, ’tis with so dull a cheer,
 That leaves look pale, dreading the winter’s near."
 - William Shakespeare, How Like a Winter Hath my Absence Been (Sonnet 97)

Listening to the Rain

Repost from December 8, 2014, from Red Bluff, California:

We are today getting some much needed rain from a large storm coming up from the South Pacific into California.  Winds are now in excess of 45 miles per hour.  Rainfall up to six  inches is predicted for the next few days.  Temperatures here are between 45F and 55F.  We expect considerable snow in the mountains above 5,000 feet.  We have not had such a ferocious storm in Red Bluff since 2008. 

The elementary school district I work for on a part-time basis, 24 hours per week, is closed today because of dangerous road conditions for our buses and flooding. 

A day for some home chores, reading, exercise, and listening to the storm outside.  

December: Quotes, Poems, Sayings 


Water and Rain: Quotations, Poems, Sayings, Facts

"I have been one acquainted with the night
I have walked out in rain - and back in rain
I have out-walked the furthest city light
I have looked down the saddest city lane
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,
But not to call me back or say goodbye;
And further still at an unearthly height;
One luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night."
-   Robert Frost, Acquainted with the Night


"Water, the Hub of Life. Water is its mater and matrix, mother and medium. Water is the most extraordinary substance! Practically all its properties are anomalous, which enabled life to use it as building material for its machinery. Life is water dancing to the tune of solids.
-  Albert Szent-Gyorgyi  


"Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life."
-  John Updike

Here are some photographs that Karen took around our yard this morning.  We are checking and concerned as the heavy rain continues.    

Banish the Blues

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

Tao Te Ching Index and Concordance

Daodejing, Laozi  or Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Indexed by English, Spanish, and Wade-Giles Romanization

Indexing by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes 20 different English translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 3 Spanish translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, and the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin Romanization of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter.  Each webpage for one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words and terms 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, and other resources for that Chapter.   


  

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 Taoist's Final Journey 


Here is an example of some of the translations and/or interpolations for:

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Daodejing by Laozi

Chapter 10

Here is my indexing of Chapter 10:

English and Chinese (Wade-Giles) Terms:  Physical and Bodily Soul, Chi or Breath or Vital Force (ch'i), Washing or Cleanse (ti), Youthfulness, Mental Clarity, What is Possible, What Can Be Done, Impartiality, Bird, Spontaneity, Wholesome Personality, Kind or Loving or Caring (ai), Separation or Parting (li), Spirit or Soul or Spiritual (ying), Vision or Perception or Insight (lan), Natural Breathing, Close or Shut (ho), One or Unity or Together (yi), Intelligent Activity, Self-Control, Vital Breath, Understanding or Awareness (ming), Cleanse the Mind, Virtue, Leadership, Chi Kung or Qigong, Progress or Advance or Grow (ch'ang), Meditate, Love, Cleansing the Mind, Impurities, Hold or Keep (tsai), People (min), Govern (chih), Country (kuo), Nurturing, Gentle or Tender or Soft (jou), Female, Can or Able to (nêng), Clean or Polish or Wipe (ch'u), Newborn or Infant (ying), Question or "?" Interrogative (hu), Passive, Cleanliness, Cause or Bring About (chih), Cunning or Cleverness (chih), Concentrate or Gather or Focus (chuan), Governing, Embrace or Carry (pao), Faults or Flaws or Blemish (ts'u), Animal Nature or Body or Vitality or Physical Being (p'o), Feed or Nurture (ch'u), Purify, Pure or Clear or Clear Minded (pai), Gate or Door (mên), Dominate or Control (tsai), Without or Free of (wu), Open (k'ai), Mother Bird or Female (tz'u), Four Directions or Four Quarters (ssu), Child or Baby or Innocent (erh), Heaven or Natural (t'ien), Possibilities Through the Dao, Produces or Gives Life (shêng), Without Acti0n (wu wei), Become or Act or Do (wei), Claim or Possess (yu), Profound or Deep or Hidden (hsüan), Virture or Power (tê),  能為   

Términos en Español: Fuerza Vital, Lavado, Limpieza, Juventud, Claridad Mental, ¿Qué es posible, ¿Qué se Puede Hacer, Imparcialidad, Pájaro, Espontaneidad, Personalidad Sana, Amar, Cuidar, Separación, Espíritu, Alma Espiritual, Vision, Percepción, Perspicacia, Respiración Natural, Cerrar, Apagar, Uno, Unidad, Junto, Actividad Inteligente, Autocontrol, Aliento Vital,  Entendimiento, Conciencia, Limpiar la Mente, Virtud, Liderazgo, Progreso, Crecer, Meditar, Impurezas, Mantener, Guardar, Personas, Gobierno, País, Nutrir, Suave, Dócil, Femenino, Puede, Limpie, Polaco, Recién nacido, Lactante, Pregunta, Interrogativo, Pasivo, Causar, Provocar, Astucia, Concentrado, Reunir, Enfoque, Abrazar, Llevar, Fallos, Defectos, Naturaleza Animal, Cuerpo,  Purificar, Puro, Portón, Puerta, Dominar, Mujer, Cuatro Vientos, Niño, Bebé, Inocente, Cielo, Posibilidades, Produce, Vida, Ley, Reclamación, Posser, Profunda, Oculto.  

 

"One can keep the camp whole of the animal soul, by embracing the One alone,

Can bring tenderness by guarding the breath, and be as an infant child,

One can wash and be clean, and, knowing the deep, can be spotless and undefiled,

And, loving the people can rule the land with a rule that is scarcely shown.

Can one not open and close his heavenly gates like a bird on her nest?

When his intellect broadens on every side may its light not remain unknown?

Quickening, feeding, producing, must he still claim the fruit as his own?

To uplift all, and yet rule not, is virtue the deepest and best."
-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 10 

"Carrying vitality and consciousness, embracing them as one, can you keep from parting?
Concentrating energy, making it supple, can you be like an infant?
Purifying hidden perception, can you make it flawless?
Loving the people, governing the nation, can you be uncontrived?
As the gate of heaven opens and closes, can you be impassive?
As understanding reaches everywhere, can you be innocent?
Producing and developing, producing without possessing, growing without domineering: this is called mysterious power."
-  Translated by Thomas Cleary, 1991, Chapter 10  



"By clinging to the One with both your spiritual and physical souls, can you prevent them from becoming divorced?
By concentrating your breath until you become soft, can you be like an infant?
By cleansing your secret mirror, can you make it without blemish?
In loving the people and ruling a state, can you be without action?
In opening and closing the natural gates, can you be like a hen?
In penetrating the four quarters with your intelligence, can you be without knowledge?"
-  Translated by Jan J. L. Duyvendak, 1954, Chapter 10



"Can you keep the spirit and embrace the One without departing from them?
Can you concentrate your vital force and achieve the highest degree of weakness like an infant?
Can you clean and purify your profound insight so it will be spotless?
Can you love the people and govern the state without cunning?
Can you play the role of the female in the opening and closing of the gates of Heaven?
Can you understand all and penetrate all without taking any action?
To produce things and to rear them,
To produce, but not to take possession of them,
To act, but not to rely on one's own ability,
To lead them, but not to master them.
This is called profound and secret virtue."
-  Translated by Chan Wing-Tsit, 1953, Chapter 10  



載營魄, 抱一能無離乎?
專氣致柔, 能嬰兒乎?
滌除玄覽, 能無疵乎?
愛民治國, 能無知乎?
天門開闔, 能為雌乎?
明白四達, 能無知乎?
生之畜之.
生而不有.
為而不恃.
長而不宰.
是謂玄德.
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 10


tsai ying p'o, pao yi nêng wu li hu?
chuan ch'i chih jou, nêng ying erh hu?
ti ch'u hsüan lan, nêng wu tz'u hu?
ai min chih kuo, nêng wu chih hu?
t'ien mên k'ai ho, nêng wei tz'u hu? 
ming pai ssu ta, nêng wu wei hu?
shêng chih ch'u chih.
shêng erh pu yu.
wei erh pu shih.
ch'ang erh pu tsai.
shih wei hsüan tê.
-  Wade-Giles (1892) Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 10



 
"creative spirit
vital soul
wondrous bodymind
can you combine these into one phase
and gently hold onto it
one phase one part one moment
can you commune with
and direct the elemental force of life
and enter into the rebirth of gentleness
and be like a newborn 
can you wash and cleanse your mystic inner vision
while clearing it of the refuse left behind you
     ordinary sight
is it possible for you to stay out of your own way
while being your own leader
can you stomp the earth
look to the heavens while being receptive
passive
possessed of quietude
can you be knowledgeable and clever
and regard it as whimsical 
create and nourish
let all creation be the worlds
not your own
have fun when you work
work when you have fun
be a leader without appearing to be
and you will personify fine uncarved wood
in the hands of a master carpenter
can you guess who this master is."
-  Translated by John Bright-Fey, 2006, Chapter 10



"Unir cuerpo y mente en un conjunto
del que no puedan disociarse.
Equilibrar el Chi hasta hacerlo
tan armónico como el de un recién nacido.
Purificar la vision interna hasta
dejarla libre de todo vicio.
Querer al pueblo y gobernar la nación
practicando el Wu-Wei.
Abrir y cerrar las puertas del cielo
siendo como la Mujer Misteriosa.
Conocer y comprenderlo todo
usar la inteligencia.
Engendrar y criar,
Alimentar y educar
engendrar sin apropiarse,
obrar sin pedir nada a cambio,
guiar sin dominar,
esta es la Gran Virtud."
-  Translation from Wikisource, 2013,  Capítulo 10


"Can you hold the door of your tent
Wide to the firmament?
Can you, with the simple stature
Of a child, breathing nature,
Become, notwithstanding,
A man?
Can you continue befriending
With no prejudice, no ban?
Can you, mating with heaven,
Serve as the female part?
Can your learned head take leaven
From the wisdom of your heart?
If you can bear issue and nourish its growing,
If you can guide without claim or strife,
If you can stay in the lead of men without their knowing,
You are at the core of life."
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 10