Neiye - Section 11 - The Nature of the Dao

[dawei]

Section 11: The Nature of the Dao

 

Eno

 

The Dao is always abundant and dense,
always broad and easy,
always hard and steady.
Guard the good and never release it,
expel excess and let go of narrowness.
Once knowing the extremes,
return to the force of the Dao.

Linnell:

 

凡 道 Always : Dao is
必 周 必 密 Certainly complete, certainly all-pervasive,
必 寬 必 舒 Certainly magnanimous, certainly relaxed,
必 堅 必 固 Certainly hard, certainly strong.
守 善 勿 舍 Maintain your virtue and never give up;
逐 淫 釋 薄 To pursue excess disperses and weakens it.
既 知 其 極 Once you understand the extremes,
反 於 道 德 Return to Dao and De.

 

Roth:

-- Section 17 --
1. For all [to practice] this Way:
2. You must coil, you must contract,
3. You must uncoil, you must expand,
4. You must be firm, you must be regular [in this practice].
5. Hold fast to this excellent [practice]; do not let go of it.
6. Chase away the excessive; abandon the trivial.
7. And when you reach its ultimate limit
8. You will return to the Way and the inner power.

Shazi Daoren: Practicing Dao

-- Section 17 --
To be wholly in accord with Dao,
you must practice, you must focus,
you must expand, you must relax,
you must be firm, you must be regular.
Hold fast to excellence, do not let abandon it.
Chase away excess, let go of the trivial.
Once you know the Ultimate,
you will return to Dao and De.

 

Yueya:

-- Section 17 --
Considering the practice of the Dao,
You must coil, you must contract.
You must uncoil, you must expand.
You must be firm, you must be dedicated.
Guard adeptness and do not become lax.
Chase away the excessive, discard the trivial.
When you reach the ultimate limit,
You will return to the Dao and inner power.

Reid:

208 凡道
Invariably, Dao
209 必周必密,
Is sure to enclose, sure to condense,
210 必寬必舒,
Sure to expand, sure to open,
211 必堅必固。
Sure to strengthen, sure to solidify.
212守善勿舍,
It preserves excellence (yet) does not dwell.
213 逐淫澤薄。
It removes excess and nourishes {24} where there is weakness.
214 既知其極,
Having known the furthest limits,
215 反於道德。
Return to Dao and Virtue.

24 “澤 Swamp, fertilize” is usually replaced here with “釋 release”

[dawei]

On 7/26/2019 at 11:37 AM, dawei said:

Section 11: The Nature of the Dao

 

Roth:

-- Section 17 --
1. For all [to practice] this Way:
2. You must coil, you must contract,
3. You must uncoil, you must expand,
4. You must be firm, you must be regular [in this practice].
5. Hold fast to this excellent [practice]; do not let go of it.
6. Chase away the excessive; abandon the trivial.
7. And when you reach its ultimate limit
8. You will return to the Way and the inner power.

 

 

Roth seems to have translated this very closely to his translation of the Jade inscription, founded in 400 BC:

 

Quote

To circulate the Vital Breath:

Breathe deeply, then it will collect.

When it is collected, it will expand.

When it expands, it will descend.

When it descends, it will become stable.

When it is stable, it will be regular.

When it is regular, it will sprout.

When it sprouts, it will grow.

When it grows, it will recede.

When it recedes, it will become heavenly.

The dynamism of Heaven is revealed in the ascending;

The dynamism of Earth is revealed in the descending.

Follow this and you will live; oppose it and you will die.

Edited July 31, 2019 by dawei