Friday, October 29, 2010

Line By Line - Verse 11, Line 8

and what has not that for (actual) usefulness.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Usefulness from what is not there.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

That which is empty is used to create functionality
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

but we use nothing.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
For anything to move, there must be space. You can't roll a wheelbarrow through your basement if the room is filled with junk. You can't turn the handle of a coffee grinder if the handle is impeded. Neither you nor I can dance in an elevator jam-packed with people.

By the same token, if my heart is filled with fear and hate, there is no room for compassion or love. I rob myself of the possibility of stretching out my being to experience new concepts or sensations.

Emptiness provides us with the expansiveness to be the most human.

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

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