Line by Line - Verse 50, Lines 10-12

The rhinoceros finds no place in him into which to thrust its horn, nor the tiger a place in which to fix its claws, nor the weapon a place to admit its point.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

For in him rhinoceroses can find no place to thrust their horn,
Tigers no place to use their claws,
And weapons no place to pierce.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Rhinos have nowhere to thrust their horns
Tigers have nowhere to clasp their claws
Soldiers have nowhere to lodge their blades
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

I know, I know:
what the hell does that mean?
"Well, he couldn't be killed,"
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

There is another way I interpret this portion of the verse (different from the previous entry). When we understand that the essence of life within us can never be extinguished -- energy returns to the source -- we understand that, whether we are "alive" or "dead," the elements of life are perpetual.

Yes, the tiger may end my life as this specific Rambling Taoist, but the energy housed within this earthly vessel will be released to serve as the fertilizer of other lives. In this way, neither the wild beast nor a bullet ends life; it merely serves as the facilitator to transform the energy extant in "me" into another form.

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