Translation: Tao Te King – Chapter 7. Concealing light

Chapter 7. Concealing light

Both heaven and earth stay a long time.

Photo of a painting depicting Birth of Laozi.
The artist is not even trying. Photo of painting of birth of Laozi at Gray Goat Temple, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Photo by User:Nyo, {{PD-art}}/old.

What makes them so durable is their disregard of the longevity of their lives.

This why they stay.

So the wise man who does not care about himself is the greatest among men; even though he does not tend after himself he stays.

He is the most unselfish and therefore he stays the safest.


Own translation from 1925 Finnish translation by Pekka Ervast (ISBN 951-8995-01-X) with kind permission of Ruusu-Ristin Kirjallisuusseura ry.

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