The valley spirit dies not, aye the same; The female mystery thus do we name.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
The valley spirit never dies; It is the woman, primal mother.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
The valley spirit, undying Is called the Mystic Female
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
Tao is an eternal mystery, and everything starts with Tao.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
Here's what John Lash writes about these two lines in his book,
The Spirit of Tai Chi: Essential Principles.
The valley is a symbol of Yin Chi, the female principle of the universe. The Tao is female, the Mother of all that exists. Thus, Tai Chi is the way of the female. The Tai Chi student follows this female path, and becomes like the valley where all things are nourished. By becoming non-aggressive, non-violent, yielding, and weak he achieves union with the mother.
To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.
I'm not so sure I agree with Mr. Lash. First tai chi (chuan) is not just a mellow balancing exercise; it is a martial art. And tai chi (taiji) encompasses both yin and yang.
ReplyDeleteThe "valley spirit " is where yin and yang begin to differentiate.
this is the one point i disagree with most taoist writers. the tao, in my experience, encompasses both the female and male, the aggressive and yielding, the external and internal. without one, there cannot be the other, and all things have their place. it's just a matter of finding the right circumstances to be outgoing or meditative, to stand up for ourselves or turn the other cheek, to disrupt the system or go with it.
ReplyDelete