Tao Te Ching Chapter 44

the short of it:

To find out who you are, decide who you are.

44. Self-Restraint.

Which is nearest to you, your name or your person? Which is most to you, your person or your goods? Which is the (greater) malady, getting or losing? 

Excessive love (of a name or of any other object) must be attended with great personal sacrifice. 

Much hoarding must be followed by great ruin (sooner or later). 

[Those] who [know] when [they have] enough, [suffer] no disgrace. [Those] who [know] where to stop [meet] with no danger. These are the people to last long. 

Lau Tsze. Chalmers, John. The Speculations on Metaphysics, Polity, and Morality, of “the Old Philosopher,” Lau-tsze, Translated from the Chinese, with an Introduction by J. Chalmers. United Kingdom: Trübner, 1868.

44. ‘Cautions.’

	44.1 Of fame or life, 
		Which do you hold more dear? 
		Of life or wealth? 
		To which would you adhere?
		Keep life and lose those other things; 
		Keep them and lose your life: -which brings
		Sorrow and pain more near? 
	
	44.2 Thus we may see, 
		Who cleaves to fame
		Rejects what is more great; 
		Who loves large stores
		Gives up the richer state.

	44.3 Who is content
		Needs fear no shame.
		Who knows to stop
		Incurs no blame.
		From danger free
		Long live shall [they].  

Lao-tze. Legge, James. The Sacred Books of China: The Texts of Tâoism. United Kingdom: Clarendon, 1891.

44. Setting Up Precepts. 

	44.1 “Name or person, which is more near? 
		Person or fortune, which is more dear? 
		Gain or loss, which is more sear? 

	44.2 “Extreme dotage leadeth to squandering. 
		Hoarded wealth inviteth plundering. 

	44.3 “Who is content incurs no humiliation, 
		Who knows when to stop risks no vitiation. 
		Forever lasteth [their] duration.” 

Lao-tze. Suzuki, D.T. and Carus, Paul. The Canon of Reason and Virtue: Lao-tze’s Tao Teh King. United States: Open court publishing Company, 1913.

The Long of it:

Contentment is key in Chapter 44. Our parents and societies often groom us from an early age to want more; to grow and succeed and acquire success. It becomes part of our identity. 

So who are we without it? What does it mean to be content? Does it prevent us from doing anything, or does it free us to do everything? Or both?

Figuring that out, as Lao Tsu has been telling us, is the bellows of life (see Chap 10). Learn how to open and close your gates. Know when to stop. Guard your inner self.

Once we’re free from the fickle nature of external conditions, we empower our inner selves to do, well, whatever we want.

-TB