Friday, October 1, 2010

Line by Line - Verse 8, Line 5

that of the mind is in abysmal stillness;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

In meditation, go deep in the heart.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Feeling with great depth
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Remember what's important.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
I think John Lash's depiction of this line in The Spirit of Tai Chi: Essential Principles is beautiful prose and I certainly don't think I could put it any better!
The universe is too vast for the mind to grasp. But in the heart lies compassion, love, and mercy. The heart has a limitless capacity for love and thus can encompass the limitless Tao. Love, compassion, and mercy are the only qualities than can makes us one with others...
To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

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