Line by Line - Verse 19, Line 10

and courses plain and true
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

To realize one's true nature,
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

(No corresponding line)
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Be real. Do your work as best you can.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

This notion of "one's true nature" is one of THE core concepts of philosophical Taoism. It's this idea that, when we peel back the layers of hubris we clothe ourselves in, there lies the essence of Tao within each of us.

It is not really that big of a jump if you accept the idea that everything emanates from one source. If each being and form is a manifestation of the One, then how could Tao NOT be a part of us?

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