第五十四章

善建者不拔，善抱者不脫，子孫以祭祀不輟。

修之于身，其德乃真；

修之于家，其德乃余；

修之于鄉(xiāng)，其德乃長(zhǎng)；

修之于邦，其德乃豐；

修之于天下，其德乃普。

故以身觀身，以家觀家，以鄉(xiāng)觀鄉(xiāng)，

以國(guó)觀國(guó)，以天下觀天下。

吾何以知天下然哉？

以此。

Whoever is planted in the Tao will not be rooted up.

Whoever embraces the Tao will not slip away.

Generations honor generations endlessly.

Cultivated in the self, virtue is realized;

cultivated in the family, virtue overflows;

cultivated in the community, virtue increases;

cultivated in the state, virtue abounds.

The Tao is everywhere; it has become everything.

To truly see it, see it as it is.

In a person, see it as a person;

in a family, see it as a family;

in a country, see it as a country;

in the world, see it as the world.

How do I know this is true? By looking inside myself.