Friday, July 17, 2015

Tao Te Ching (Daodejing), Chapter 7

Dao De Jing by Laozi (Lao Tzu)
Chapter 7


"Heaven lasts long, and Earth abides.
What is the secret of their durability?
Is it not because they do not live for themselves
That they can live so long?
Therefore, the Sage wants to remain behind,
But finds himself at the head of others;
Reckons himself out,
But finds himself safe and secure.
Is it not because he is selfless
That his Self is realized?"
-  Translated by John C. H. Wu, Chapter 7   



"Heaven is eternal: the Earth is ever-renewing.
Why?
Surely it is because they do not live for themselves:
That is why they endure.
And so it is with the Sage.
He keeps himself in the background,
And yet he is always to be found in the forefront.
He is ever unmindful of himself,
And yet he is preserved.
Is it not because he seeks no personal success that all his aims are fulfilled?"
-  Translated by Herman Ould, 1946, Chapter 7  



"Heaven is everlasting; Earth endures.
The reason of the endurance of Heaven and Earth is that they were not self-produced.
Therefore it is that they are able to endure for ever.
Thus, though the Sage in imitation of them regards the cultivation of his body as of secondary importance.
His his body still progresses of its own accord.
He he discards his body, and yet his body is preserved.
Is not this because he has no selfishness?
Wherefore he is able to realize all his wishes."
-  Translated by Frederic Henry Balfour, 1884, Chapter 7  


"The universe is everlasting.
The reason the universe is everlasting
Is that it does not life for Self.
Therefore it can long endure.
Therefore the Sage puts himself last,
And finds himself in the foremost place;
Regards his body as accidental,
And his body is thereby preserved.
Is it not because he does not live for Self
That his Self is realized?"
-  Translated by Lin Yutang, 1955, Chapter 7


天長地久.
天地所以能長且久者.
以其不自生.
故能長生.
是以聖人後其身而身先.
外其身而身存.
非以其無私耶.
故能成其私.
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 7   


tian chang di jiu.
tian di suo yi neng chang qie jiu zhe.
yi qi bu zi sheng.
gu neng chang sheng.
shi yi sheng ren hou qi shen er shen xian.
wai qi shen er shen cun.
fei yi qi wu si ye.
gu neng cheng qi si.
-  Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 7  



"Heaven is lasting, Earth endures.
What enables Heaven and Earth to last and endure?
Because they do not live for themselves - so it is that they can live so long.
And so, the Wise Person: Puts himself last, and so finds himself in front.
He puts himself in the out group, and so maintains his place.
The personal does not exist for him.
Isn't this how he can perfect what for him is most personal?"
-  Translated by Michael LaFargue, 1992, Chapter 7   



"El cielo y la tierra son eternos.
El cielo y la tierra deben su eterna duración
a que no hacen de sí mismos
la razón de su existencia.
Por ello son eternos.
El sabio queda atrás, por lo mismo es el primero.
Está desapegado, por eso es uno con todo.
A través de sus acciones generosas logra la plenitud."
-  Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Capítulo 7


"Heaven is endless, and Earth is durable. 
They are durable and endless because they do not take anything personally.  
The Sages therefore overcome their Ego-interests, and their Souls speak;
They do not think of themselves as their Egos, yet those remain present.
Being beyond their purely Egoistic motives, they can accomplish their goals."
-  Translated by Jerry C. Welch, 1998, Chapter 7  


 
"The universe is deathless,
Is deathless because, having no finite self,
It stays infinite.
A sound man by not advancing himself
Stays the further ahead of himself,
By not confining himself to himself
Sustains himself outside himself:
By never being an end in himself
He endlessly becomes himself."
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 7  




A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes 20 different English translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 3 Spanish translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, and the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin Romanization of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter.  Each webpage for one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words and terms in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization.  Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, and other resources for that Chapter.   

Chapter 7, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey  



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