Translation Info: beck | blakney | byrn | feng | ganson | gnl | hansen | legge | mccarroll | mcdonald | merel | merel2 | mitchell | muller | rosenthal |
| all Prev Next | Chapter 7 All Translations . beck . blakney . byrn . feng . ganson . gnl . hansen . legge . mccarroll . mcdonald . merel . merel2 . mitchell . muller . rosenthal . | headers Prev Chapter Chapter 7 Next Chapter |


beck

Enduring
Heaven is eternal, and the earth is very old.
They can be eternal and long lasting,
because they do not exist for themselves,
and for this reason can long endure.

Therefore the wise put themselves last,
but find themselves foremost.
They are indifferent to themselves,
and yet they always remain.
Is it not because they do not live for themselves
that they find themselves fulfilled?
blakney

The Wise Man ... Being Last & UnSelfish

The sky is everlasting
And the earth is very old.
Why so? Because the world
Exists not for itself;
It can and will live on.

The Wise Man chooses to be last
And so becomes the first of all;
Denying self, he too is saved.
For does he not fulfillment find
In being an unselfish man?
byrn

Heaven is always, the earth, too.
How can it be?
Well, they don't live only for themselves;
that's why they live long.

So the wise man puts himself last, and finds himself in the foremost place,
puts himself in the background; yet always comes to the fore.
He keeps well fit; looks on his body almost as accidental, outer, something to be well taken care of;
still it always there, and always remains. He remains in the open by it, too.
He hardly strives for great personal ends;
his main ends seem fulfilled.
feng

Heaven and Earth last forever.
Why do heaven and Earth last forever?
They are unborn,
So ever living.
The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead.
He is detached, thus at one with all.
Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment.
ganson

The heavens endure; the earth is very old. Why?
Because they do not exist for themselves,
they therefore have long life.

The truly wise are content to be last;
they are therefore first.
They are indifferent to themselves;
they are therefore self-confident.

Perhaps because they do not exist for themselves
they find complete fulfillment.
gnl

Complete
Nature is complete because it does not serve itself.

The sage places himself after and finds himself before,
Ignores his desire and finds himself content.

He is complete because he does not serve himself.

hansen

Intentional Reversal
Heaven is old and Earth is enduring.
What do Heaven and Earth rely on in order to be old and enduring?
They rely on avoiding self creation.
Hence they can be old and enduring.
Using this: Sages 'later' themselves and yet they comes first.
They 'outside' themselves and yet they abide.
Is this not a case of their lacking selfishness?
So they are able to achieve their selfishness.
legge

Heaven is long-enduring and earth continues long. The reason
why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is
because they do not live of, or for, themselves. This is how they are
able to continue and endure.

Therefore the sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in
the foremost place; he treats his person as if it were foreign to him,
and yet that person is preserved. Is it not because he has no
personal and private ends, that therefore such ends are realised?
mccarroll

Heaven and earth last forever.
The reason why heaven and earth last forever
is that they do not live for themselves.
Hence, they last forever.

Therefore, the True Person
leaves self behind
and thus is found in front,
is not guarded and thus is preserved,
is self-free and thus is able
to find fulfillment.
mcdonald

The Tao of Heaven is eternal,
and the earth is long enduring.
Why are they long enduring?
They do not live for themselves;
thus they are present for all beings.

The Master puts herself last;
And finds herself in the place of authority.
She detaches herself from all things;
Therefore she is united with all things.
She gives no thought to self.
She is perfectly fulfilled.
merel

Self

Nature is everlasting because it does not have a Self.

In this way the sage:
Serves his Self last and finds it served first;
Sees his body as accidental and finds it endures.

Because he does not serve his Self, he is content.
merel2

Complete
Nature is complete because it does not serve itself.
The sage places himself after and finds himself before,
Ignores his desire and finds himself content.
He is complete because he does not serve himself.
mitchell

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.


muller

Heaven and Earth last forever.
The reason that Heaven and Earth are able to last forever
Is because they do not give birth to themselves.
Therefore, they are always alive.
Hence, the sage puts herself last and is first.
She is outside herself and therefore her self lasts.

Is it not through her selflessness
That she is able to perfect herself?
rosenthal

SHEATHING THE LIGHT
When living by the Tao,
awareness of self is not required,
for in this way of life, the self exists,
and is also non-existent,
being conceived of, not as an existentiality,
nor as non-existent.

The sage does not contrive to find his self,
for he knows that all which may be found of it,
is that which it manifests to sense and thought,
which side by side with self itself, is nought.

It is by sheathing intellect's bright light
that the sage remains at one with his own self,
ceasing to be aware of it, by placing it behind.
Detached, he is unified with his external world,
by being selfless he is fulfilled;
thus his selfhood is assured.

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