將欲取天下而為之，吾見其不得已。天下神器，不可為也，為者敗之，執者失之。故物或行或隨；或歔或吹；或強或羸；或挫或隳。是以聖人去甚，去奢，去泰。 1. If any one should wish to get the kingdom for himself, and to effect this by what he does, I see that he will not succeed. The kingdom is a spirit-like thing, and cannot be got by active doing. He who would so win it destroys it; he who would hold it in […]
Continue readingChapter 2 The nourishment of the person
天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已。皆知善之為善，斯不善已。故有無相生，難易相成，長短相較，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。是以聖人處無為之事，行不言之教；萬物作焉而不辭，生而不有。為而不恃，功成而弗居。夫唯弗居，是以不去。 1. All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is. 2. So it is that existence and non-existence […]
Continue readingChapter 74 Restraining delusion
民不畏死，奈何以死懼之？若使民常畏死，而為奇者，吾得執而殺之，孰敢？常有司殺者殺。夫司殺者，是大匠斲，夫代大匠斲者，希有不傷其手矣。 1. The people do not fear death; to what purpose is it to (try to) frighten them with death? If the people were always in awe of death, and I could always seize those who do wrong, and put them to death, who would dare to do wrong? 2. There is always One who […]
Continue readingQi
I. Definition A. Broad: Basic substance constituting the universe. Everything in the universe is a result of the movement and change of Qi • Earth = Yin Qi = land and water • Heavens = Yang Qi = sky and air • Qi is material, but in a non-material form • Energy and function • […]
Continue readingTǔ – 土 – Earth
Governs transportation and transformation of; Food into qi and blood, Water transformation, Raising of the pureControls the blood (Qi holds the blood in the vessels)Dominates the muscle and the four limbsOpens into the mouth, reflected on the lipsPaired with: StomachReceives and decomposes food The Chinese think Earth is associated with the qualities of patience, thoughtfulness, […]
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Yin and Yang Functions
Yin is the material basis for Yang Yang is the functional manifestation of Yin An excess of yang implies a deficiency of Yin and vice versa. This is the general characteristic of acute conditions In chronic conditions, a deficiency of one aspect does not always cause an excess of the opposite In extreme chronic conditions […]
Continue readingWind – Feng
http://www.itmonline.org/articles/feng/feng.htmITM Home Page | Article IndexFENG: The Meaning of Wind in Chinese Medicinewith special attention to acupoint fengchi (GB-20)by Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, OregonA term in the field of traditional Chinese medicine that causes considerable difficulty for modern practitioners is wind (feng). It is known as:one of the six external […]
Continue readingChapter 28 Returning to simplicity
知其雄，守其雌，為天下谿。為天下谿，常德不離，復歸於嬰兒。知其白，守其黑，為天下式。為天下式，常德不忒，復歸於無極。知其榮，守其辱，為天下谷。為天下谷，常德乃足，復歸於樸。樸散則為器，聖人用之，則為官長，故大制不割。 1. Who knows his manhood’s strength, Yet still his female feebleness maintains; As to one channel flow the many drains, All come to him, yea, all beneath the sky. Thus he the constant excellence retains; The simple child again, free from all stains. Who knows how white attracts, Yet always keeps himself within black’s […]
Continue readingChapter 48 Forgetting Knowledge
為學日益，為道日損。損之又損，以至於無為。無為而無不為。取天下常以無事，及其有事，不足以取天下。 1. He who devotes himself to learning (seeks) from day to day to increase (his knowledge); he who devotes himself to the Tao (seeks) from day to day to diminish (his doing). 2. He diminishes it and again diminishes it, till he arrives at doing nothing (on purpose). Having arrived at this point of […]
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