Chapter 16

致虛極，守靜篤，萬物並作，吾以觀復。夫物芸芸，各復歸其根，歸根曰靜，是謂復命，復命曰常。不知常，妄作凶。知常容，容乃公，公乃全，全乃天，天乃道，道乃久，沒身不殆。

zhi xu ji
致虛極

Empty your preoccupied thoughts in your mind to the utmost in order to make room as much as possible for receiving new information.

shou jing du
守靜篤

Let your mind stay calm and easy to the utmost in order to achieve clear insight as best as you can.

wan wu bing zuo
萬物並作

Then, a lot of images or fragments of images will appear in your mind.

wu yi guan fu
吾以觀復

You can examine these images again and again and will finally get a picture consciously.

fu wu yun yun, ge fu
gui qi gen
夫物芸芸，各復歸其根

In this way of contemplation, it allows you to understand that all things complete their life-cycles in a natural order and will return to their root at the end naturally.

gui gen yue jing, shi
wei fu ming
歸根曰靜，是謂復命

Returning to the root at the end naturally means to settle. It is the destiny of life recycling.

fu ming yue chang
復命曰常

Life recycling means perpetuity.

bu zhi chang, wang zuo xiong
不知常，妄作凶

Ignoring this perpetuity will be disastrous.

zhi chang rong
知常容

Acknowledging this perpetuity will empower you to accept the people in the natural way.

rong nai gong
容乃公

Accepting the people in the natural way will enable you to mind the public.

gong nai quan
公乃全

Minding the public will enable you to care for all people thoroughly.

quan nai tian
全乃天

Caring for all people thoroughly is the true celestial order.

tian nai dao
天乃道

The true celestial order is dao.

dao nai jiu
道乃久

Dao is enduring.

mo shen bu dai
沒身不殆

This is the way for life to pass on from generation to generation continuously after a single life ceases to exist.