Translation: Tao Te King – Chapter 6. The origin of beings

Chapter 6. The origin of beings

Photoshopped version of a 1972 photo
Color corrected version of a 1972 photo “The Blue Marble“. NASA images are PD unless otherwise noted.

Like the stream of the valley never dries, so the basic essence of the existing never dries.

I call it the Mother-depth.

The movement of the Mother-depth I call the parturient of the heaven and the earth.

Forever it stays, and moves without destination¹.


  1. Mr. Ervast: “This reminds us of the Indian sankhya-philosopy’s understanding of prakriti i.e. the female eternally creative basic essence.”

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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