Translation

Hold the great image and all under heaven come toward you.
Coming toward you but without harm, its quiet equanimity greatest.
Happily offering enticement, passing visitors stop.
Of the way, speech is meaningless, so lofty its non-flavor.
Of watching, not enough to see.
Of listening to, not enough to hear.
Of using, not enough already..

hold (manage; stick to, carry out; observe) big (great) elephant (appearance; image; resemble) land under heaven go (in the direction of; toward; past; previous; <preposition> to; toward).

go (in the direction of; toward; past; previous; <preposition> to; toward) <conj.> not evil (harm; calamity; impair; kill), peaceful (quiet; calm) flat (even; smooth; equal > tie; equal; impartial) highest (greatest; excessively; too).

happy ( cheerful, music) give (offer, support > and; together with_ take part in) cakes (pastry; bait; > entice), cross (past; through; over; exceed) visitor (traveler; customer) stop (to; till; only).

road (way, principle; speak; think) of speak (utter; exit) thin (light; tasteless; weak) <part of speech; lofty> his (its, he, it, that; such) nothing (without) taste (flavor; smell; interest).

look at (regard; watch) of not it serves to show (one can well perceive).

listen (hear; obey / allow) of not foot (leg; enough; full; as much as) hear (news; story; reputation; smell).

use (apply; <formal> hence) of not foot (leg; enough; full; as much as) already (<conj.> since; as; now that; <conj.> both…and; as well as).

Original

执大象
天下往。
往而不害
安平太。
乐与饵，
过客止。
道之出口淡乎其无味。
视之不足见。
听之不足闻。
用之不足既。

Commentary, December 2009

This chapter offers a teaching on what to look for in life that can bring contentment. Well, don’t they all? Perhaps, but each from a slightly different angle. Calling it a teaching is not that accurate either in the usual sense that a teaching tells you what to do. The Tao Te Ching’s teaching is really an invitation to dig down deep into your own mind to find something (or Nothing) relevant. Simply put, one needs to bring mental rigor to this, which may explain its under-whelming popularity. Not that folks don’t bring mental rigor to life mind you. It is just that rigor often arise from perceived necessity. The ‘fuzzy’ muddled nature of the Tao Te Ching doesn’t really stimulate that sense of urgency.

Enjoyable things in life, like music and food, entice us to stop and linger for awhile on life’s journey. However, when we become full of the music and food, we travel on. In a very real sense we are seeking that great image this chapter refers too. Think of this a one of biology’s hoodwinks, keeping living things on their life’s journey from birth to death. If the great image is what we seek, how then can we hold it?

The age old view of “Thou art that,” (Tat Tvam Asi) and the related “not this, not this” (similar to negative theology?) are helpful. Knowing that everything you see perceive is you (that thou art) is equivalent to knowing that nothing is ‘it’ (not this, not this). In other words as long as you hold onto something, your hands are full and there is no way to hold the great image. Only by letting go can you hold on (ah yes, Straightforward words seem paradoxical).

The beauty of holding the great image (or holding Nothing, if you like) is that use will never drain it. Everything else can certainly be exhausted by use. It is a little ironic how costly Nothing truly is. Costly? Sure, you must give everything to receive Nothing. That’s a pretty steep price indeed!