57
You govern a kingdom by normal rules;
You fight a war by exceptional moves;
But you win the world by letting alone.
How do I know that this is so?
By what is within me!
You fight a war by exceptional moves;
But you win the world by letting alone.
How do I know that this is so?
By what is within me!
The more taboos and inhibitions there are in the world,
The poorer the people become.
The sharper the weapons the people possess,
The greater confusion reigns in the realm.
The more clever and crafty the men,
The oftener strange things happen.
The more articulate the laws and ordinances,
The more robbers and thieves arise.
The poorer the people become.
The sharper the weapons the people possess,
The greater confusion reigns in the realm.
The more clever and crafty the men,
The oftener strange things happen.
The more articulate the laws and ordinances,
The more robbers and thieves arise.
Therefore, the Sage says:
I do not make any fuss, and the people transform
themselves.
I love quietude, and the people settle down in their
regular grooves.
I do not engage myself in anything, and the people
grow rich.
I have no desires, and the people return to
Simplicity.
I do not make any fuss, and the people transform
themselves.
I love quietude, and the people settle down in their
regular grooves.
I do not engage myself in anything, and the people
grow rich.
I have no desires, and the people return to
Simplicity.
Translated by John C. H. Wu
Interpretation by Bill Bernsen
SIMPLIFY
Control
Situation
With no intent
Use apprehension
Don’t make corrections
To soon
Wait until they ask
Verbally
Or visionally
In their form
Oversee a class
By following
The Masters
Success
By silently
Succeeding
Push hands
With incomparable
Changes
Be in a state
Of Wu Wei
Being without
Yu Pei Shih
It is not successful
Tai Chi Chuan
Let Tao #57
Work thru me
I am a conduit
For the art
The art is a conduit
For nature
If students
Are connected
The changes
Come ready or not
Don’t try to stop
The changes
It will be interfering
With the Masters’ plan
Just guide them
To relax/stay calm
If they are suppose too
Curbing desires
People return to
Straightforwardness
Have no intent
To do
Anything/everything
Apprehension rules
Control class
By being specific
Can’t control
The school
The Masters
Are being ignored
Simplicity
Teach by
What is within
When the Masters
Are ready
It will come out
Tai Chi Chuan
Potentiality infinite
Its uses
Wide-ranging
Do not advertise
Just think it
Worthy students
Will come
Via the Masters
Practice
Slow set
By the principles
Do push hands
After understanding
Principles
Practice
By normal principles
Demonstrate/fight
By exceptional
Variations
Win others
By not being
Antagonistic
Simplify
By just working
On self
To teach classes
Use the directions
Of the Masters
To take on
A challenge
Be empty of intent
To win the world
Become a Master
Of animal
Like apprehension
When living
In normal times
Go calmly/listen
Warrior going
Into battle
It is the same
Calmly/listen
To win
The conflict
Lessen
Intent
Increase
Apprehension
Anchor
Gestures
Change with change
Practice push hands
Normal rules
Bout with unanticipated
Calm gestures
Have no desire
To fight
Return
To slow set
Leave them alone
Let the Masters
Take care
Win by being
Hollow
Have no intent
Opponent lacking
Any knowledge
Of my resolve
Practice
To make
Corrections
And repairs
In body/mind
Practice
To prevent injury
To self/others
Practice
Tai Chi Chuan
Slow set softly
Push hands scarcely
If ever
To know
Normal rules
Is a secret
To be worthy
Know/understanding
The secret
Remain calm
Apprehensive
Hear
Opponent fall
Under the weight
Of his intent
Let
Masters guide
Once they trust
They will let me
Be free
And make my
Own decisions
Live life
Like Tai Chi Chuan
Just listen
Think passive
Procedures
Do not
do anything
Others find
Enjoyable
Practice
In a normal state
Push hands
Fight or flight
In circles
Do slow set
Normally
Push hands
With apprehension
Triumph
Without intent
Win over
Opponent
By not having intent
To win
Have apprehension
To lose
Be apprehensive
Leads
To achievement
How to teach
Push hands
Practice slow set
With normal principles
Do push hands
With spontaneous gestures
Win having
No intent
To win
Let go!
Leave others alone
Unless
They make contact
Mentally or physically
Quietude
By negating
Entertainment/news
Win
Without intent
Follow/listen
Have mercy
Opponent will fall
Be alone
To discover yourself
First
Then find others
When they are alone
Master takes
No action
I improve
Because I am
Worthy
Direct body
By following
Laws of physics
Fight
An occurrence
Physical/mental
With unforeseen
Tai Chi Chuan
Gestures
Success
By letting go
Achievement by
Being alone
Be serene/authentic
Tranquil means
Calm/listening
Honest means
Firm foundation
For gestures
Run class
With normal rules
Challenges
From students/opponents
By giving no rules
Those that do not
Know the rules
Will break them
This is revealing
Win over
The class
By thinking
The rules
See who is listening
Win
Over the gestures
With tranquility
Conquest
With mercy
Respond
Positively
No requirements
Students arrive
At effortlessness
If they are worthy
Allying
An application
By following
Slow set
Principles
I never do anything
That I might enjoy
Regarding
Euphoria and pain
Relax
It will go away
But still be there
Practice
Tai Chi Chuan
By following nature
Negate
Entertainment
It is not natural
Returning
To simplicity
Of a child
Let go!
The sum
Of the parts
Of a tiger = tiger
One piece of fur
Of the tiger = tiger
I have all
The answers
From nature
I am part
Of nature
Stay
Cloistered
Within
Interfering
Causes desire
More entertainment
More desire
Less entertainment
Less creativity
Simple
Create my own
Entertainment
I don’t include
Myself in
The news
Everything
Is fine
Whatever I have done
In my life
Up to this point
In time
Must be right
Because I am
Still here
Negate intent
Apprehension
Rules the day
Masters
Are in
My custody
Every
Tao Te Ching
Poem
Must be
Interpreted as
Tai Chi lineage secret
Must connect
To Masters
To understand
Negate intent
Get students
To align
Most resign
Physically
Poor spiritual
alignment
The rest quit
Win the students
By letting
Them alone
They will transform
Themselves
If they are worthy
Open waist
Opens the mind
Govern a class
By following
Masters
Practice a gesture
With elastic moves
Go further
Into the joints
Go until bones bend
Win over body
By letting go
Of the old shortcomings
Clear mind
Master
will answer
Sometimes giving
Exceptional
Moves and answers
Wu-wei
Is never
Calling a student
It interferes
With their lives
They must call me
Connect to nature
Others will follow
If they are worthy
Have
No intent
Just follow
With apprehension
A true Master
Follows
His students
Be hollow of
Intent
It leads to
Pleasure and pain
Handle conflict
With others
With unforeseen
Tai Chi Chuan
Exchanges
Conduct
By normal rules
Fight old problems
By exceptional thoughts
Don’t interfere
With others
Run class/school
By normal rules
Take on challenges
By unique
Interchanges
Body can
Be governed
By laws of physics
The mind guided
By the spirit
Within mind /body
Can only be won
If intent
Is fragmented
Win the students
By letting go
So they can find
Their own way
They must be
Worthy
This is the rule
Corrections come
With unexpected
Moments
Remain
In primitive simplicity
Kow tow
When beginning
Form practice
Beginning
This journal
With blank pages
To fathom
The unknown
Oversee a class
By following nature
Students are part
Of nature
Watch them
A conflict
In class
Does something
Unexpected
Resulting in
A push hands lesson
Simplicity
The more
I govern students
The more
I have to oversee them
The more
I tell them
The more
I have to justify
The more
I try to control them
The more
They end up
Controlling me
Push hands
Can be accomplished
If guidelines
Are broken
Means unexpected
Maneuvers
Trying to solve
Problems
By going to others
Is like going
To another discipline
To understand
Tai Chi Chuan
The answer is inside
If worthy
And connect
To the lineage
Don’t be
In such a hurry
To solve a problem
Unless it is life threatening
Like Master said
If people are not close
Enough to touch
There is not
A threat
But if they can touch
Do push hands
Somebody seems like
No body
Nobody seems like
Somebody
The upstarts
Is an example
Of the above
When teaching a group
Give one student
(A straw dog)
The power
And watch the others
Laws/ordinances
Are formed
Because of thieves
The more thieves
The more laws
Rules/laws are formed
By nature
Cannot go
Against the laws
Like a flood
But can make it a rule
Not to build a house
In a
Flood plan
Be strong/healthy
To follow nature
Let natures energy
Past thru
To students
Highest level
Of teaching
Is to become
A channel/conduit
For the Masters
The more I act
The more
I have to react
In all directions
Past thoughts
Present thought
Future thoughts
Success
At push hands
By letting go of
Previous applications
Proscriptions
Effect the past
Present
Future thoughts
The more laws
Result in more weapons
To enforce the laws
All the above applies
Only if I have given
Myself up
After knowing
Myself first
By following
Myself first
Get students
To become
A child again
Eventually
An animal again
With the wisdom
Of an adult
As I abstain
Students will
Transform/ preserve
Sincerity
Do not try
To validate
Just listen
Say O.K.
They will transform
Themselves
If they are worthy
As I listen
Worthy
Students
Will transform
Conform
Body
To the form
Conform
The form
To environment
Conform
Opponent
To my environment
This is done without words
Just think it
Teach slow set
Mention
The lineage
They find it
Master sees them
Tests them
If they are worthy
They are accepted
After they are accepted
Masters then let them go
Their own way
Love Slow Set
Settle down
To its regular
Grooves
More rules
More scoundrels
Pandemonium
Before order
Instruction
After chaos
People
Transform
Themselves
If I cannot
Recall
What I did
This morning
I regard it
As nothingness
Govern
My body
By following nature
Watching animals
Masters
Encounter thru me
Like electricity
Work on my wiring
Stay grounded
I don’t have intent
To shock
Simply be
A live wire
I never do
Anything
Someone else
Would enjoy
Hollow
Of intent
Empties
Center of gravity
Advance apprehension
Thinks from c.o.g
Very few can
Float on the sea
Much less
Find the needle
The old self
Must drown
To see
The needle
At the bottom
Of the sea
Negate intent
To give
Be apprehensive
To receive
This is listening
Being frugal
Not first
Teach/demo
Without soul/shen
Students will learn
Soul/Shen is the next level
It is Tai Chi Chuan
If I have it
Hide it
Just teach
Slow Set
Frugality
Even with
Following
Refrain
Via ward-off
When receiving
Inhibitions
Discreet undoing
Simplicity
Quietude
Is the secret
To an epiphany
The Masters
Decide who
Is worthy
I practice only
What the lineage
Teaches
For I am worthy
And can wait
Humbly
Slow Set
To survive
The journey
Wu Wei
The worthy
The worthy
Follow
the unwritten
Rules
Masters
Control desire
Listen and learn
Weapons/Push Hands
To soon
Impedes
Awareness
I do not do
Anything
I might enjoy
Master
Is in charge
Lineage
Govern
Prevaricate
Intent
Yours and others
To master
Sword
First master
Slow set
Find my fulcrum
Live with a lever
In body/mind
Conserve
Concerns
The worthy
Will be channeled
By the lineage
To concord
Avoid conflict
There is quietude
In being
Quarantined
Quarantine
To pause
A dilemma
Fight
Using Tai Chi
Spirit
Not applications
Simplicity
In solitude
Tranquil
Transfiguration
Relax
It will
Go away
But still
Be there
Don’t
Inhibit with
Their journey
Quarantined
Quietude
Quality
Queries
Do no harm
Heal
Hatred
If I can
Think errors
I can think
Corrections
In self
And others
Worthy
Students arrive
Transform
Via lineage
I am lineage
I desire
Only
Epiphanies
Tai Chi Chuan
Aligns
Body/being
Using
Spirit/gravity
More weapons
More want
More worry
Must wait
To wonder
My only
Desire
Is tranquility
During
Teaching and training
Lead rather
Than teach
Then the
Worthy
Will follow
The lineage
Quietude
Query
Answers
Itself
Spirit
Governs
Daily practice
Gravity
Supports
Gestures
Alone
With others
Not
With legacy
Realm of
Righteousness
Less talk
More practice
More desire
Less wisdom
Physics
Perfect
Pathway to
Practice
Practice
Laws of
Physics
In mind
Postures
Prosper
Via passive
Practice
Whatever
I have done
In my practice
Must be correct
Because
I am still
Practicing
Tai Chi Chuan
Principles
Project/protect
Heartfelt
Gestures
Tranquility
In training
Leads to
Wisdom
To win
Reclusiveness
To the rescue
Solitary
Slow Set
Shows
Spiritual
Sincerity
Slow Set
Practice
Physics
Perfects
Postures
Slow Set
Practice
Perplexity
Call
Quietude to
Calm quandary
Push Hands
First principle
Ward off
Engagement
Spirit calls
Gravity to
Point of focus
Barrows intent
With apprehension
To succeed
Govern
Body with
Slow set
Push hand with
Gestures to
Applications to
Reform not
Deform
Push Hands
Tai Chi
Applications
Heart is
A scale
Weighing
Apprehension/Intent
Centripetal/centrifugal