Line by Line - Verse 10, Lines 1-2

When the intelligent and animal souls are held together in one embrace, they can be kept from separating.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Carrying body and soul and embracing the one,
Can you avoid separation?
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

In holding the soul and embracing oneness
Can one be steadfast, without straying?
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Can you hold on to your ego and still stay focused on Tao?
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

In his magnificent book, The Spirit of Tai Chi: Essential Principles, John Lash has a sagely ability to boil down the philosophic concepts embedded in the words of Lao Tzu into everyday examples that most anybody can grasp.

We are born with this unification and lose it as we grow older and become separated from ourselves. A baby is weak, and yet has an incredible amount of strength. Try taking a toy away from an infant. He holds it so tightly that you can pick up the child up off the floor by lifting the toy. Where does this strength come from? The child has no muscles. It comes from the child focusing his will and uniting it with all the energy of his soul and body.

Try holding a small frog in your hands. The frog wiggles and pushes until he squeezes out through your fingers. Babies and frogs do not give up. They cannot because they have no rational minds to intervene between the will and the rest of themselves.

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