Translation
All under heaven had a beginning; consider the origin of all under heaven.
Already having its 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, aid that involvement; to the end, oneself no relief.
Seeing the small is called clarity, abide by yielding is called powerful.
Use the light, and again return to clarity, not offer oneself misfortune.
This serves as practicing the constant.
1) land under heaven have (exist) beginning (start> only then), think (believe; consider) land under heaven mother (female (animal); origin; parent). 天下有始，以为天下母。(tiān xià yŏu shĭ, yĭ wéi tiān xià mŭ.)
2) already (<conj.> since; both… and…) get (obtain, gain > satisfied_need; must) his (its; their; they; that) mother use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) know (realize; tell) his (its; their; they; that) son (child; person; seed). 既得其母，以知其子。(jì dé qí mŭ, yĭ zhī qí zĭ.)
3) already (<conj.> since; both… and…) 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, 既知其子，复守其母，(jì zhī qí zĭ, fù shŏu qí mŭ,)
4) sink (rise beyond; disappear; hide; die) body (life; oneself; personally) no (not) danger (nearly almost). 没身不殆。(méi shēn bù dài.)
5) 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). 塞其兑，闭其门，终身不勤。(sāi qí duì, bì qí mén, zhōng shēn bù qín.)
6) 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). 开其兑，济其事，终身不救。(kāi qí duì, jì qí shì, zhōng shēn bù jiù.)
7) 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). 见其小曰明，守柔曰强。(jiàn qí xiăo yuē míng, shŏu róu yuē jiàng.)
8) use (apply <frml> 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). 用其光，复归其明，无遗身殃。(yòng qí guāng, fù guī qí míng, wú yí shēn yāng.)
9) <grm> is (yes <frml> this; that) do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean) practice (review; be used to; habit) ordinary (normal; constant; often). 是为习常。(shì wéi xí cháng.)
Second Pass: Work in Progress
Issues:
Line 2: I must change seed to offspring. The character, zǐ (子) means: son; child; person; seed; egg; young; tender; small. The problem with seed is that it can also be thought of as being the origin of something.
Line 4: My Rising beyond oneself, not nearly almost is certainly more obscure way to put it. D.C. Lau’s will not meet with danger is much closer to the literal, or at least the last two characters of the literal: 不殆 = no (not) danger (nearly almost).
Similarly, I translate these two characters this way in these chapters:
Chapter 25: Goes round yet does not harm.
Chapter 32: Knowing to stop [he] can be without danger.
Chapter 44: Knowing when to stop, never dangerous.
However, line 4 in this chapter includes two more characters: 没身不殆 = sink (rise beyond; disappear; hide; die) body (life; oneself; personally) no (not) danger (nearly almost). These four characters appear once previously, which I translated as:
Chapter 16: The way therefore long enduring, nearly rising beyond oneself.
This lends it a subtler sense than the more blunt no danger. Just using the same phrasing as chapter 16, Nearly rising beyond oneself, feels an improvement and with fewer words, no less.
Line 7: I changed, observe yielding to abide yielding. The word in question is shǒu (守) meaning: guard; defend; keep watch; observe; abide by; close to; near. Synonyms for abide include: stand for, bear, tolerate, put up with. We are often pushed and pulled to act first and ask questions later… rash actions as chapter 16 calls it. To place yielding ahead of acting requires something more ‘active’ than observing, at least in the ordinary sense of the word observing.
Commentary:
Nearly rising beyond oneself, points to something not easily conveyed with language, at least in a pithy way. There is so much worldly drama tied up with our sense of self that blinds us to what lies beyond. Chapter 16, with its appeals to stillness and impartiality end with the line: The way therefore long enduring, nearly rising beyond oneself.
Likewise, with this chapter, Nearly rising beyond oneself, feels to be a necessary step for considering the origin of all under heaven!
Squeeze exchange vs. Block the openings: Lau’s is much easier to grasp; it is normal English. The character here, however, is not referring to “openings”, but rather to exchange (convert; add (water, etc) and is usually used in a financial context. A useful parallel to squeeze is the idea of bandha (bondage, fetter, restrain) in yoga. Reining in comes to mind; reining in the urge to fully participate in the exchange to which is driving our actions at the moment. Sure, easier said than done, but we must start somewhere, eh?
Re: the origin and the offspring. This reminds me of which came first, the chicken or the egg (a question that only correlations can adequately tackle). We tend to view things one sided, good or bad, real or false, original or a copy. The more I can see both sides at once, the origin and the offspring, the grander the view.
Chapter 2 points out this melding of apparent opposites:
I know the bio-hoodwink constantly claws the mind back to a one sided view. True, ‘open the exchange, help its affairs’ keeps the pot stirred. Circumstance being what they are, it is essential to squeeze [this] exchange to win some peace of mind.
I find it helps to assume there is always an antecedent to whatever I think I see or know. If I forget that, I get stuck in thinking I know. Once I made the unknown my cognitive home, I found it more comfortable to not believe anything to deeply. I assume that over the years I’ve brainwashed / conditioned myself into a Taoist point of view.
As D.C. Lau put it, To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty. And the more literal, Realizing I don’t know is better; not knowing this knowing is disease. Man alone faults this disease; this so as not to be ill.
Suggested Revision:
All under heaven had a beginning; consider the origin of all under heaven.
Already having this origin, use this to know its offspring.
Already knowing its offspring, return to observe the origin.
Nearly rising beyond oneself.
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, abide yielding is called powerful.
Use the light, and again return to clarity, not offer oneself misfortune.
This serves as practicing of the constant.
First Pass: Chapter of the Week
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!