Chapter 50
出生入死。
生之徒十有三；死之徒十有三；人之生，动之于死地，亦十有三。夫何故？以其生生之厚。
盖闻善摄生者，路行不遇兕虎，入军不被甲兵；兕无所投其角，虎无所措其爪，兵无所容其刃。夫何故？以其无死地。
Translation
Through birth, men emerge; through death, men enter.
Of the ten, three are destined to live, three are destined to die, three are born to live, but because of his own actions, he moves toward death. Why? Because he wanted so much for his very life.
I have heard that those whose are skilful in living, when travelling they don't encounter the rhinoceros or tigers, when enlisted no weapons will harm them. The rhinoceros have nowhere to thrust its horn, the tiger has nowhere to fix its claws; the weapons has nowhere to inflict its edge. Why? Because he is in no place of death.
Notes
It seems that Lao Tzu means some people will live, some will die. The one-third proportion is a rough indication. We learned that some of us are borne to live, some are borne to die. This is fate and there is nothing we can do about it. Some people die in accidents, plane crashes. Children die of cancer. One person had been doing good all his life and yet he is caught in a natural disaster. There is nothing he can do. He is destined to die prematurely, he is born to die. Again, Lao Tzu did not specify why. Why is this person has cancer? He is a good guy. Why is this criminal have a good life, and live until his late 80s? He killed many good man. Why September 11th happen? It is interesting more people goes to church when their God fails them. The answer is given in Hinduism and Buddhism in the form of the wheel of birth and law of Karma.
I am fascinated by the way Lao Tzu describes death. He uses the word enter, not exit. One enters into death. Does this mean death is just a whole new beginning?
We have to forget about those fixed fate people. The majority of people belongs to the third category, they move toward death. The reason? 以其生生之厚。 Here I reflect on Chapter 40 反者道之动. The movement of the Tao lies in its tendency to return. The more you want for you life, the more you move toward death. Why is it you move to death if you want too much? The saying “人为财死，鸟为食亡” says all. Ever see a dead bird on the road? It wants to find some food on the road.
生之徒十有三；死之徒十有三；人之生，动之于死地，亦十有三。夫何故？以其生生之厚。
盖闻善摄生者，路行不遇兕虎，入军不被甲兵；兕无所投其角，虎无所措其爪，兵无所容其刃。夫何故？以其无死地。
Translation
Through birth, men emerge; through death, men enter.
Of the ten, three are destined to live, three are destined to die, three are born to live, but because of his own actions, he moves toward death. Why? Because he wanted so much for his very life.
I have heard that those whose are skilful in living, when travelling they don't encounter the rhinoceros or tigers, when enlisted no weapons will harm them. The rhinoceros have nowhere to thrust its horn, the tiger has nowhere to fix its claws; the weapons has nowhere to inflict its edge. Why? Because he is in no place of death.
Notes
It seems that Lao Tzu means some people will live, some will die. The one-third proportion is a rough indication. We learned that some of us are borne to live, some are borne to die. This is fate and there is nothing we can do about it. Some people die in accidents, plane crashes. Children die of cancer. One person had been doing good all his life and yet he is caught in a natural disaster. There is nothing he can do. He is destined to die prematurely, he is born to die. Again, Lao Tzu did not specify why. Why is this person has cancer? He is a good guy. Why is this criminal have a good life, and live until his late 80s? He killed many good man. Why September 11th happen? It is interesting more people goes to church when their God fails them. The answer is given in Hinduism and Buddhism in the form of the wheel of birth and law of Karma.
I am fascinated by the way Lao Tzu describes death. He uses the word enter, not exit. One enters into death. Does this mean death is just a whole new beginning?
We have to forget about those fixed fate people. The majority of people belongs to the third category, they move toward death. The reason? 以其生生之厚。 Here I reflect on Chapter 40 反者道之动. The movement of the Tao lies in its tendency to return. The more you want for you life, the more you move toward death. Why is it you move to death if you want too much? The saying “人为财死，鸟为食亡” says all. Ever see a dead bird on the road? It wants to find some food on the road.
posted by Eugene Chen | 6:34 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home