Tao Te Ching Chapter 64 – 守微 (道德经 第64章)
Paul PengShare
Tao Te Ching — Chapter 64: Guarding the Minute
道德经 第六十四章 · 守微 · Lao Tzu · Bilingual Edition with Classical Commentaries
Original Text — 原文
English Translation — James Legge
That which is at rest is easily kept hold of; before a thing has given indications of its presence, it is easy to take measures against it; that which is brittle is easily broken; that which is very small is easily dispersed. Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance; order should be secured before disorder has begun.
The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from a small heap of earth; the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step. As shown in Chapter 63, all great things begin from what is small, and all difficult things from what is easy.
He who acts with an ulterior purpose does harm; he who takes hold of a thing in the same way loses his hold. The sage does not act so, and therefore does no harm; he does not lay hold so, and therefore does not lose his hold. But people in their conduct of affairs are constantly ruining them when they are on the eve of success. If they were careful at the end, as they should be at the beginning, they would not so ruin them.
Therefore the sage desires what other men do not desire, and does not prize things difficult to get; he learns what other men do not learn, and turns back to what the multitude of men have passed by. Thus he helps the natural development of all things, and does not dare to act with an ulterior purpose of his own.
✦ Key Insight
Chapter 64 is a chapter of beginnings and endings. Act before things arise; order before disorder begins. The great tree grew from a tiny sprout; the nine-storey tower rose from a heap of earth; the thousand-li journey began with one step. People ruin things when they are almost done — because they relax at the end. The sage is as careful at the end as at the beginning. He desires what others do not desire, learns what others do not learn, and returns to what others have passed by. He helps all things find their own nature, and does not dare to impose his own.
Classical Commentaries — 古典注释
王弼注 Wang Bi's Commentary
Wang Bi advises acting before things arise, ordering before disorder begins. The mighty tree grows from a tiny shoot; the great tower rises from a pile of earth; the long journey begins with a single step. The sage desires without desiring, learns without learning, and helps all things find their own nature.
河上公注 Heshang Gong's Commentary
Heshang Gong says what is still is easy to hold; what has not sprouted is easy to prevent. Act before things begin. The sage desires what others do not desire — obscurity instead of fame. He learns what others do not learn — naturalness instead of artifice.
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is the curator of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
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