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Monday, November 22, 2010

Line by Line - Verse 14, Line 14

we follow it, and do not see its Back.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Follow it and there is no end.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Follow it, its back cannot be seen
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

and it's all around you.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
Just as there is no beginning, there is concurrently no end. Utilizing the metaphor of a circle again, each perceived ending slowly melts into a [new] beginning. If this pattern repeats itself into perpetuity -- what could stop it? -- then being and non-being become two sides of the same coin.

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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