12. Guarding the Senses
Text
English translation
Original Chinese text
五色令人目盲；五音令人耳聋；五味令人口爽；驰骋田猎，令人心发狂；难得之货，令人行妨。
English translation
A profusion of colors dazzles the eyes; a clamor of sounds dulls the ears; an excess of flavors spoils the palate. Galloping after the hunt drives the mind into frenzy; rare goods lead people's conduct astray.
The target is not ordinary sensory enjoyment but excess stimulation and pursuit. When desire is continually intensified, discernment, calm, and sound conduct all suffer.
Original Chinese text
是以圣人为腹不为目，故去彼取此。
English translation
Therefore the wise person attends to inner nourishment, not outward display, and so lets go of the latter and chooses the former.
“Attending to the belly” means caring for basic, genuine needs; “attending to the eye” means being led by surface attractions. The measure is whether life is well grounded, not whether the senses are endlessly entertained.