Vital Energy
Translation by Tree Buffalo
Whoever possesses abundant virtue can be compared to a newborn baby.
Wasps and scorpions will not sting them.
Wild beasts will not claw them.
Birds of prey will not maul them.
Their bones are weak and muscles soft, but their grip is firm.
They do not understand the union of female and male, and yet they are fully aroused.
Their life-force is at its zenith!
They can cry all day without becoming hoarse.
Their equilibrium is at its zenith!
Understanding equilibrium means to be in accord with what is constant.
And understanding what is constant is known as enlightenment.
Therefore, increasing life is a good omen and letting the heart/mind direct your vital energy is true strength.
But things that overgrow soon grow old.
This is unnatural.
And things that are unnatural come to a quick end.
Read some of the first English translations of Chapter 55 here.
