Tao Te Ching – Verse 7
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 desires 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.
(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
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Heaven and Earth are everlasting
The reason Heaven and Earth can last forever
Is that they do not exist for themselves
Thus they can last forever
Therefore the sages:
Place themselves last but end up in front
Are outside of themselves and yet survive
Is it not due to their selflessness?
That is how they can achieve their own goals
(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
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Heaven and earth are nothing, eternally.
Watch; do not do.
Stay out, and learn what is in.
Want Nothing; obtain everything.
(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
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from I Ching Online
