Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Line by Line - Verse 42, Lines 9-10

So it is that some things are increased by being diminished, and others are diminished by being increased.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

For one gains by losing
And loses by gaining.

~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

So with all things
Appear to take loss but benefit
Or receive benefit but lose

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

Because when we lose, we've won.
And when we succeed, we've failed.

~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
In my view, John Lash puts this seeming contradiction into an easy to grasp explanation!
By losing your attachment to things, you gain freedom. By gaining possessions, fame, or wealth, you become tied to them and freedom is lost.
To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

1 comment:

  1. "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose..."

    ReplyDelete

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