I am like an infant which has not yet smiled.Before we learn about all the trappings of personhood, we can be content with the simplest things. Feeling the warmth of our mother's bosom. Looking into the eyes of our parents. A puff of a breeze or bright colors above our crib. The breath that gives us life.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile,
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
Like an infant not yet smiling
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
A baby doesn't know how to smile, but it's still happy.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
We often can return to this same state in meditation. When stripped of our dreams and desires, we are like the baby content with simply being.
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 the Ron Hogan interpretation is quite right. I think the idea is about being, prior to happiness or its opposite. Who knows if the baby is happy; it is full of primal energy, but has no idea of what "happiness" is. This line is about primal states.
ReplyDelete