Line by Line - Verse 5, Line 9

Your inner being guard, and keep it free.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Hold fast to the center.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Cannot compare to keeping to the void
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Keep cool.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Beyond words, sentiments, ideas, conceptualizations and thoughts lies the inner core of each being. It has been termed the "center" because it stands alone, away from all the entanglements of ego and desire. It is the void by which nothing else can touch, but everything is held.

The center is where the timeless and formless mystery of life resides in us all.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.