Tao Te Ching

The book has an introduction, the verses and finally endnotes on the verses.

Verse 7

Heaven and Earth last forever.
The reason that Heaven and Earth are able to last forever
Is because they do not give birth to themselves.
Therefore, they are always alive.
Hence, the sage puts herself last and is first.
She is outside herself and therefore her self lasts.

Is it not through her selflessness
That she is able to perfect herself?

The problem with this verse is that the first two sentences are not right. Back when the Tao Te Ching was written, no one knew about the origin or life cycle of stars and planets, but now we know that eventually all stars die. Planets may continue, but they will become dark and frozen with no life on them. Many planets will be destroyed when their stars expand and go nova or supernova. Some may be so close to their sun that they are eventually drawn in by the star's gravity.

Yes, this is nit-picking, but I want to point it out anyway as a way that science can cause a change in something that is spiritual if one is dealing only with facts.

The translations in this book are, at times, rather difficult to comprehend compared to some other versions of the Tao Te Ching.

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