Line by Line - Verse 74, Line 6

There is always One who presides over the infliction death.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

There is always an official executioner.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

There exists a master executioner that kills
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

But that doesn't mean you or I
can just take life and death into our own hands.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

In this instance, the "official executioner" is the process of existence. Everything born eventually dies. No one can escape this eventuality. Death is as much a part of life (and vice versa) as anything else!

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