Daodejing Chapter 2: effortless action

When all-under-heaven
Knows beauty as beauty,
There is also ugliness.
When all-under-heaven
Knows good as good,
There is also evil.
Being and non-being
Generate each other.
Difficult and easy
Complete each other.
Long and short
Give form to each other.
High and low
Complement each other.
Note and sound
Harmonize each other.
Front and rear
Follow each other.
The sage conducts affairs
Through effortless action.
Practices teaching
Without words.
The myriad things arise,
And none are rejected.
The Dao gives birth,
Yet never possesses.
The sage acts without attachment,
Accomplishes without claiming credit.
Because he does not claim credit,
He never loses it.

「天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已。皆知善之為善，斯不善已。故有無相生，難易相成，長短相形，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨；是以聖人處無為之事，行不言之教，萬物作焉而不辭；生而不有，為而不恃，功成而弗居；夫唯弗居，是以不去。」

The Dao does not place any arbitrary labels on anything. It draws no false distinctions between beauty and ugliness and good and bad. It simply allows everything to unfold, without ever attempting to intervene, in the knowledge that opposing natural forces will remain in balance.

The sage adopts the same approach as the Dao. He refuses to rush into making subjective judgements, understanding all too well the turmoil and conflict that the pursuit of fame, wealth, and other artificial desires will unleash among the people.

The sage remains centred and grounded. Rather than pushing to make things happen, he lets them emerge naturally. Instead of telling people what to do and how to do it, he gives them the freedom to take the initiative and lets them get on with their task.

Thus, the sage “conducts affairs with effortless action” and “practices teaching without words.” By setting the right example and refusing to take credit for himself, he knows that the results will take care of themselves.

Note
I took this image at Longhu (Dragon Tiger) Mountain, a famous Daoist site about ten miles south of Yingtan in Jiangxi Province. A great place to visit!