Chapter 9

In nourishing the soul and embracing unity, can you avoid separation?

By concentrating your vital energy to achieve softness, can you be like a newborn child?

By cleansing away the mysterious mirror, can you be without flaw?

In loving the people and governing the state, can you practice non-action?

Can you play the role of the feminine when the gates of heaven open and close?

When clarity spreads in all directions, can you remain in a state of not-knowing?

Give life to it, nourish it. Give life without possessing, act without depending, lead without dominating. This is called the mysterious virtue.