The great Dao is everywhere, it can be here and there.

-> Beyond boundary and separation, omnipresence.

All things rely on It to manifest, but It does not interfere and does not claim credit.

-> Everyone has its own course, in accordance to its tendencies and choices.

–> If “our source” would interfere “us”, there would be a dualistic separation between the “source” and “us”, which could not happen when the source is beyond separation.  The notion of something higher than us and manipulating us stem from the believe that we are separated from our source.

–> Furthermore, the Dao does not claim credit, like the sea doesn’t claim the fishes to be its own.  There is no need for claim credit to be the Sea.

It is small, as It nurture all things, but It does not control, and has no desire;

-> In the human world, we weight people by how much things one owns and controls, i.e. how much money, assets, relationships, power, control, yet the Dao declares none.  Therefore people see Dao to be small.

It is big, as all things belong to It, even though It does not control.

-> We also weight people by how many things one creates, e.g. things, theories, systems, organizations, offsprings, etc.  To this end, the Dao is the biggest of all, as from it arises all things.

The never proclamation of bigness, therefore constitute to Its bigness.

-> When something can be described, its bigness is defined and limited.  As Dao is beyond description, it bigness is infinite.

* * *

Chapter 34 Discussion:

Besides describing the quality of the Dao, and the theory behind its bigness, this chapter uses Dao to illustrate the power of smallness, i.e. it is from smallness that manifests the biggest. In the human society, great leaders are most often humble, and see themselves as the servant of their group or all.  Dao is the ultimate leader, it nurtures all unconditionally, does not interfere, and claims no credit.  Its smallness beyond taking credit leads to its bigness beyond description.

We can learn from this quality by following the Dao in our lives.  Stay humble, serve unconditionally, and do our part diligently without the constant manipulations and taking credit by the “self”.  Allow life to flow, welcome it, and accept it with gratitude. By doing so, we get closer to the Dao and can flow with it.  When this occurs, we are small, and we are big.

Bilingual text of Ch34: https://www.lisiming.net/philosophy/chinese-philosophy/daoist/daoist-philosophy/dao-de-jing-core-33-chapters/ddj34-52/

When one attempts to manipulate the world, I see him fails.

The world is holy, it cannot be manipulated, whose attempt to manipulate it, fail; whose attempt to rule it, lost it.

-> The world is a consequence of a multitude of factors, both within and without.  How can one’s limited self, with all its bias-preconception-illusion, accurately sees and runs the world?

Since things may lead or follow; be warm or cold; be strong or weak; be upright or fall.

-> The moon gets brighter and then dark; stock market goes up and down; empire becomes powerful and then fall, and same applies to a person, an organization, a society, and a civilization.

Therefore sages let go of (man-made) extreme, luxury, and excess.

-> Knowing the world runs in its own rhythm.  Sages surrender the desire to manipulate extreme, luxury, and excess, and abide is reality beyond these changes.

Chapter 29 Discussion:

How to face the world?  Stop trying to manipulate, follow the flow, Laozi suggested.  But how about my health, my family, and my career?  Do i not need to manipulate to keep them going?  Instead of manipulation, which implies forcefulness and control, one can approach the tasks like water: with humility and responsibility (see also DDJ8 – Dao is like Water).  Knowing despite of our best effort, things might not work out in ways we like to see (sometimes it gets better), nevertheless we accept our role and do it with our best ability.  When we have done so, we feel peace in the process irrespective of the outcome; we are beyond our expectation, we are in peace.  So Laozi said, let go of our excess arrogance and expectations, and do our best in the flow.

Bilingual version of Chapter 29: https://www.lisiming.net/philosophy/chinese-philosophy/daoist/daoist-philosophy/dao-de-jing-core-33-chapters/ddj11-3/