All things under heaven sprang from It as existing (and named);When I popped into the world, I arrived via the joining of my father's sperm with my mother's egg. I was born of these two beings. I didn't simply materialize from nothing.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
The ten thousand things are born of being.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
The myriad things of the world are born of being
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
Things exist because they are.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
Every life form we see around us today came into existence via some biological process. It sprang from something that already existed (being).
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The telling word in your commentary is "materialize."
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of the koan, "Who were you before the birth of your parents?"