37.
Tao abides in non-action
yet nothing is left undone
If leaders hold fast to this
the myriad things develop naturally
And if desire should raise its head
it will be restrained by nameless simplicity
which is freedom from desire
Without desire they will be still
and the world will settle down of its own accord
Te: Book 2
38.
A person of high virtue is unaware of virtue,
and therefore has true virtue.
A person of low virtue never looses sight of virtue,
and therefor has no virtue.
A truly good man does nothing,
yet leaves nothing undone.
A foolish man is always doing,
yet much remains to be done.
Those interested in service act with no ulterior motive
Those who are interested in righteousness
act with motives of all sorts
Those who are best versed in ritual act,
and receiving no response, they roll up
their sleeves and use force.
Therefore;
When the way is lost,
afterward comes virtue.
When virtue is lost,
afterward comes benevolence.
When benevolence is lost,
afterward comes justness.
When justness is lost,
afterward comes the rites.
Ritual is the mere husk of good faith and loyalty
and the source of disorder.
Foresight is only the flower of the Tao,
and the beginning of folly.
Therefore the great man sets his heart upon the
substance rather than the husk,
upon the fruit rather than the flower.
He rejects the one and adopts the other.
39.
From ancient times these have attained oneness with the Tao;
Heaven attained oneness and became clear.
Earth attained oneness and became stable.
Spirits attained oneness and became energized.
Valleys attained oneness and became full.
Myriad creatures attained oneness and became fertile.
Lords and princes attained oneness and became leaders of the empire.
All are what they are by virtue of oneness.
Without its clarity heaven will fall.
Without its stability the earth will quake.
Without its energy the spirits wither away.
Without its fullness the valley runs dry.
Without fertility the myriad creatures perish.
Without oneness Lords and princes will fall.
Therefore nobility is rooted in humility.
Loftiness is based on lowness.
This is why noble people refer to themselves
as, alone, lacking and unworthy.
Is this not being rooted in humility?
So there is no praise in repeated praise;
It is not wise to shine like jade
and resound like stone chimes.
40.
Turning back is how the way moves;
Yielding is the means the way employs.
The myriad creatures are born from being,
and being from nonbeing.
