Heaven and earth last forever.This verse underscores one the key concepts of Taoism -- opposites. Life goes hand in hand with death. High walks with low. Left is nothing without right. Yin cannot exist without yang.
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.
~ Tao Te Ching, Seven ~
Words can only be understand in relation to their opposite. Sour would hold no meaning if we didn't understand sweet. Passion would not grip us so if we had never experienced apathy.
It is because we are born that we must die. This is as true for humans as it is for bumblebees, mulberry bushes, viruses, stars and boulders. It's a destiny we cannot escape.
But the ultimate source, Tao, will never die because it has never been born. It just is. It escapes the world of opposites because it exists above them.
this sounds suspiciously like the cosmological argument. hmmm....
ReplyDeleteYou are in the business of interpreting now?
ReplyDeleteThat's a bold move.
So far, so good: an excellent interpretation.
Beware getting it wrong :)
Crow,
ReplyDeleteTo "know" whether RT is interpreting well and correctly, you have to make the bold move to do a little interpreting yourself, don't you? Else how would you be able to judge his interpretation as "excellent"? You deem it "excellent" because you think it correct. You think it correct because it lines up with your own interpretation....
Everybody interprets the whole of their reality at all times. It's mot a "bold move." It's a part of being human.
I wouldn't say my interpretation of this passage is excellent; it's just my interpretation...today. Tomorrow it might be different. :)
ReplyDeleteI never said I agreed with the interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI said it was excellent.
I could find no fault in it.
The words spoke for themselves.
I expressed hope that they would continue to, in that very few people can do this and consistently get it right.