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Introduction

This verse has several points that are exceptionally tricky to translate. For example, some scholars believe that a line is duplicated here that only belongs in verse 79. Also, later editions added and changed characters that significantly alter the meaning. Earlier versions of the verse were incomplete, making reconstruction difficult. It was worth it, though, as the message embedded was uncannily timely for me. And perhaps for you, too. 

The through-line that emerged from the chaos of these characters guides us in how we relate to overwhelming situations. 

Translation

Act (y)in-action.
Engage non-reactively.
Taste tastelessness.

Great, Small, Many, Few;
  Repay hostility with Integrity.

Plan for difficulty through its ease,
  enact greatness through its subtlety.

The world’s
  difficulties are addressed through simplicity.
  greatness is created through refinement.

This is why the Wise never take up greatness,
  therefore they are able to become their greatest.

That which is easily promised,
  Is certainly untrustworthy.
Excess ease ensures excess hardship.

This is why the Wise plan for difficulty,
  therefore always being without hardship.

Commentary

Act (y)in-action.
Engage non-reactively.
Taste tastelessness. 

The opening lines are potent axioms when decoded. 

Act (y)in-action is a common precept of Weaving the Way. For more on Act (y)in-action, check out verses 29, 38, 43, 48, and 57. The basic principle is to descend through the surface level activity of external referencing so that you can move from, and as, Integrity. Integrity (德, dé) refers to relating to the sensory, emotional, and cognitive experience in a way that aligns thoughts, words, and deeds to support the undistorted, harmonious unfolding of life. 

Engage non-reactively says to stay engaged, but be engaged on purpose. These lines from verse 15 capture the essence rather nicely:    

Carefree, like walking along the river in winter.  
 Strategizing as though fearful of the surroundings.

Taste tastelessness is treated as “know not-knowing” in some editions. I get why some choose that phrasing since not-knowing is a significant concept in my Zen lineage, but I think the original Daoist cosmology has something extra to offer. When meditating on “taste tastelessness,” I find it evokes direct experience more effectively because it’s an embodied instruction. Because cognition is our superpower, words like “know not-knowing” invite conceptual grasping, opening it up to misinterpretation. Either way, the point is to empty out and stabilize a post-state relationship with the absolute—consciousness no longer solely informed by relative content.”

Great, Small, Many, Few;
  Repay hostility with Integrity. 

These phrases are very troublesome, and their treatment has varied wildly. “Great, Small, Many, Few” has been reworked into sentences by inserting implied relationships that aren’t in the original. The phrase has also been forced to be interpreted as classifications for the below statements. “Repay hostility with Integrity” has been treated as an error from verse 79. 

I mention this to highlight the necessity of interpretation and remind you that you’re reading my best attempt to reflect the original. Engaging with multiple translations and commentaries is critical to strengthening our understanding. 

With that frame in place, here is my takeaway:

Whatever way you are challenged, show up as a Weaver of the Way – harmoniously attuned and in deep integrity with what is necessary. Whether it’s ONE HUGE THING or ten million tiny things doesn’t matter. Your job is to stay in Integrity. A keyword in this section is “hostility” （怒, nù). I could also translate this character as:

• Anger; wrath
• Furious; indignant
• Condemnation; criticism
• To exert oneself.

These glosses lead me to read this line as referring both to my own emotions toward myself and to receiving others’ “hostility” toward me. Whatever the direction, my practice must be to show up in Integrity. While difficult and at times complex, it is a straightforward directive. 

Plan for difficulty through its ease,
  enact greatness through its subtlety.

The world’s
  difficulties are addressed through simplicity.
  greatness is created through refinement.

This is why the Wise never take up greatness,
  therefore they are able to become their greatest.

This set of statements invites us further into the notion of Integrity in the face of difficulty. In simple terms, take things one step at a time. Build things up by humbly engaging “what now?” time and again. This simple but profound principle is at the core of much of my work. Over time, I’ve found that talking with people about it helps far less than inviting direct engagement.

In that spirit, I’d like to invite you to look at your next 24 hours through this lens. What feels overwhelming? What small step can you take toward addressing the issue? Take it. Rinse and repeat. 

Sometimes, it’s not about the forest, and it’s not about the trees. It’s about you just picking a tree to climb and grabbing the lowest branch, then the next one, then the next. 

That which is easily promised,
  Is certainly untrustworthy.
Excess ease ensures excess hardship.

This interjection initially felt abrupt and odd to me, but it makes sense. The verse reminds us that there are no shortcuts. Life unfolds, and we have to unfold with it. Even though such a dynamic interplay is the natural course of things, our pursuit of stability, resistance to change, and fear of pain creates ripples in how we weave the Way. 

This is why the Wise plan for difficulty,
  Therefore always being without hardship.

Step into the muck and start digging. Once we step into the flow of the being-becoming process, nothing is hard.