Wednesday 9 April 2008

Tao Te Ching of Lao-Tzu Chapter 7


Below is the chapter from two excellent sources along with the original Chinese text. The first source is from a translation by D.T. Suzuki and Paul Carus in 1913 followed by a translation by Stephen Mitchell in 1988.

Chapter 7

1. Heaven endures and earth is lasting. And why can heaven and earth endure and be lasting? Because they do not live for themselves. On that account can they endure.

2. Therefore

The holy man puts his person behind and his person comes to the front. He surrenders his person and his person is preserved. Is it not because he seeks not his own? For that reason he can accomplish his own.


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The Tao is infinite, eternal.
Why is it eternal?
It was never born;
thus it can never die.
Why is it infinite?
It has no desire for itself;
thus it is present for all beings.

The Master stays behind;
that is why she is ahead.
She is detached from all things,
that is why she is one with them.
Because she has let go of herself,
she is perfectly fulfilled.


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