Translation

All under heaven had a beginning; consider the origin of all under heaven.
Already having this origin, use this to know its seed.
Already knowing its seed, return to observe the origin.
Rising beyond oneself, not nearly almost.
Squeeze exchange, shut the gates; to the end, oneself diligent.
Open the exchange, help its affairs; to the end, oneself no relief.
Seeing the small is called clarity, observe yielding is called powerful.
Use the light, and again return to clarity, not offer oneself misfortune.
This serves as practice of the constant.

land under heaven have (exist) beginning (start> only then), think (believe; consider) land under heaven mother (female (animal); origin; parent).

already (<conj.> since <conj.> as well as) get (obtain, gain > satisfied_need; must) his (its; their; they; that) mother use (take; so as to_and; as well as) know (realize; tell) his (its; their; they; that) son (child; person; seed).

already (<conj.> since <conj.> as well as) know (realize; tell; knowledge) his (its; their; they; that) son (child; person; seed), duplicate (again)guard (defend; keep watch; observe; abide by; close to; near) his (its; their; they; that) mother,

sink (rise beyond; disappear; hide; die) body (life; oneself; personally) no (not) danger (nearly almost).

fill in (squeeze in; stuff_a place of strategic importance) his (its; their; they; that) exchange (convert; add (water, etc), shut (close; stop up; obstruct) his (its; their; they; that)entrance (door; gate; valve), end (death; eventually; after all; whole; all) body (life; oneself; personally) no (not) )diligent (frequently).

open (start) his (its; their; they; that) exchange (convert; add (water, etc), cross a river (aid; help) his (its; their; they; that) matter (affair; thing; involvement), end (death; eventually; after all; whole; all) body (life; oneself; personally) no (not) rescue (save; salvage; help; relieve; succor).

see (appear, become visible) his (its; their; they; that) small (little; for a while; young) say (call) bright (light; clear; open; honest; understand), guard (defend; keep watch; observe; abide by; close to; near) soft (supple; flexible; soften; gentle; yielding; mild) say (call) strive (strong; powerful; better_unyielding).

use (apply; <formal> hence) his (its; their; they; that) light (ray; brightness… naked; alone), duplicate (again) go back to (return; give back to; come together) his (its; their; they; that) bright (light; clear; open; honest; understand), nothing (without; not) offer as a gift (lose; leave behind; keep back; not give) body (life; oneself; personally) calamity (disaster; misfortune).

<gram.> is (correct, <formal> this; that) do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean) practice (review; be used to; habit) ordinary (normal; constant; often).

Original

天下有始，以为天下母。
既得其母，以知其子。
既知其子，复守其母，
没身不殆。
塞其兑，
闭其门，
终身不勤。
开其兑，
济其事，
终身不救。
见其小曰明，
守柔曰强。
用其光，
复归其明，
无遗身殃。
是为习常。

Commentary, August 2010

The first part, ‘after you have known the child go back to holding fast to the mother‘ and the ending ‘use the light but give up the discernment‘ feel to me like two ways of saying the same thing. The mother is the ‘big bang’ of consciousness, the light that got the ball rolling, so to speak. From the pure simple light of that beginning evolved the children (the seeds or myriad creatures, of which we are one). Squeeze exchange, shut the gates, is the sole way to use the light and again return to clarity. Not doing so allows consciousness to run around chasing all the seeds of existence and leads to exhaustion (no relief). In fact, though, most avoid reaching such extremes by clinging to belief and habit as a way of staying safely ‘inside the box’ of sanity.

The only disadvantage of staying ‘inside the box’ is the ignorance that goes with confining perception there. On one hand, this is protective, for it keeps us from using the light to discern every nook and cranny of sensory experience. The obstacle is that it blinds us to the mystery upon mystery outside of words and belief. The only sane way to use the light of consciousness fully is to squeeze exchange (i.e., to give up the discernment). You can do this by using the light to observe the mysterious sameness in what at first glance appears as difference. For this, it is helpful to regard all differences you think you know as simply reflections of your own needs and fears, rather than reality in their own right. When the small bits and pieces of life are seen as the One interconnected whole, practice of the constant is as easy and natural as breathing moment to moment.

Squeeze exchange, shut the gates is the only way to know contentment. Opening the exchange, and helping affairs, on the other hand, allows the flames of desire to burn endlessly, hopping from one issue to the next to the end of your days. What are these affairs? Most everything you cling to, or chase after, depending upon your personality, e.g., politics, food, sex, speech, work, sleep, etc. I can’t think of anything that doesn’t apply (including doing this blog).

This is not saying to avoid desire, and the clinging and chasing of affairs that follow. It is simply helpful to know when to stop. This exemplifies the problem with ‘not knowing yet thinking that one knows‘. Knowing when to stop is not a rational intellectual knowing, it is a gut knowing. So, when the gut wants to keep going, thinking will rationalize that desire. This corresponds to My words are very easy to understand and very easy to put into practice, yet no one in the world can understand them or put them into practice. It doesn’t matter what the head understands, it is what the gut knows that counts. Alas, we have not the least bit of control over that. We must learn it the hard way, i.e., If you would have a thing weakened, You must first strengthen it. Knowing this is quite futile, yet oddly exceptionally helpful. Go figure!