Extensive interpretation of Tao Te Ching (51)

 道德經演義（五十一）

Tao gives them birth, Teh fosters them. The material world gives them form; the circumstances of the moment complete them.

 道生之，德畜之，物形之，勢成之。

 Therefore all things of the universe worship Tao and exalt Teh.

 是以萬物莫不尊道而貴德。

 Tao is worshipped and The is exalted, without anyone’s order but is so of its own accord.

 道之尊，德之貴，人莫之命而常自然。

 Therefore Tao gives them birth; Teh fosters them, makes them grow, develops them, gives them a harbor, a place to dwell in peace, feeds them and shelters them.

 故道生之，德畜之，長之，育之，亭之，毒之，養之，覆之。

 It gives them birth and does not own them, acts and does not appropriate them, is superior, and does not control them—this is the Mystic Virtue.

 生而不有，為而不恃，長而不宰。是謂玄德。


Xianchi’s interpretation of Tao Te Ching(51) a。51

咸池評述道德經演義（五十一）a。51

1 Our life is derived from parents mating; spermatozoon combines with ovum. The zygote absorbs mother’s nutrition and divides. They grow into embryo in terms of genetic print. Finally they are born as babies.

 我們的生命是由父母親媾和; 由精子與卵子結合成為受精卵，然後吸收母親體內的營養，慢慢地按照基因的藍圖，分裂成長而逐漸形成胚胎及胎兒，終而呱呱落地成為嬰兒的。

2 Tao give birth to them but which phase does Tao intervene?

 既謂道生之，那麼，道又是從哪個階段插上手的呢？

3 Buddhism has it that when spermatozoon combines with ovum, soul is planted into embryo in time, so baby possibly comes into being. Without soul, mating bears no result. This is why not all mating result in pregnancy.  

 佛教認為，在精子與卵子結合時，神識適時的介入了胚胎之中，如此嬰兒才有形成的可能。沒有神識介入的媾和，是不會有結果的; 佛教界認為，這也就是並不是每一次媾和都會導致懷孕的原因。

4 Buddhism even connects soul into life. Why do people come and go in transmigration? The basic reason is that we have missing, love and persistence on all things in this world. Man of practice entirely knows the real image of transmigration, and realizes that receiving life is the source of suffering. Only if you cut off the ideas of receiving life and suffering, people hence march to Nirvana.

 佛教教義裡更將神識與生的念頭聯繫在一起。人會週而復始的在輪迴中打轉，根本上是由於我們對這世間萬事萬物存有牽掛、愛戀及執著之心的緣故。修行者洞悉其中的真實原因，知道受生也就是受苦的開始，為此徹底的了絕了受生及受有的念頭，從此走向涅槃的道路。

5 Though you have the idea about life, you can’t live in the environment at your will. For example, you will be mankind or go to heaven, which our fate sentences according to your merit, bliss and deed. They decide which kind is your rebirth. The word “life” in Chinese is thus derived from it.

 人在有了生的念頭之後，當然尚不能完全如其意願的生在他想要去的環境。比如你想再生做人，甚至是飛升上天，可是那也得有命才行。命是視你的功德、福德、業的輕重厚薄而定的，你的功德、福德、業障等決定了你能夠去六道輪迴中的哪一輪。 “生命” 這個詞也就於焉而生。

6 Man of successful practice can enter Nirvana to be a free man. He, as a free man, can go everywhere, as his consciousness likes, going beyond the bondage of fate. This is the statement of Buddhism.

 修行成功的人能夠進入涅槃而成為一個自由人。自由的人就可以憑他自己的意願愛到哪兒就到哪兒，不再受命的規範、限制，這是佛教的說法。

7 Basically neglecting the universal outlook of humanity, Laotse held this honoring of Tao and exalting of its operation is not the result of any ordination, but always a spontaneous tribute. A man comes into this world by nobody’s order; instead he comes with natural rules. This is something like Albert Einstein’s religious outlook.  

 老子基本上是不講人性化的宇宙觀的。老子認為，人莫之命，而常自然。人的生而為人，並不是根據任何人的命令而來，他是隨著自然的法則而誕生的，有關這一點，倒有些近似愛因斯坦的宗教觀。

8 Einstein was against humanized Christ in Christianism and thought it very irrational. Why is Christ humanized? Can’t it be dinosaur, elephant, lion and virus? Why does employ human’s form? Einstein also opposed the saying about heaven and hell. He declared that man’s deeds mostly are from instinct reaction; a man’s character, deed, sex trend and gift are innate and come with birth. “Heaven” is the real chief instigator. Heaven should be blamed for human’s fault, instead of human. In this case, Einstein’ view is similar to Laotse’s – controlling but not leaping on them; being chief among them but not dominating them.

 愛因斯坦非常反對基督教裡人性化的基督，愛因斯坦認為那是極端不合理的。為什麼天主非要人性化，為什麼不能是恐龍、大象、獅子、過濾性病毒? 神為什麼一定要是人型呢？愛因斯坦也否認天堂地獄的說法。他認為人的所作所為，絕大部分都是靠直覺的反應; 人的性格、行為、性向、天分等也都是天生的，是生下來就有的。只有 “天”才是主謀者。由此可見，人即便有錯也應該責怪天，而不應是責罰人。在這一點上，老子的為而不恃，長而不宰，也有些與愛氏的看法類似。

9 In controlling but not leaping on them, control is Tao and heaven. In being chief among them but not dominating them, chief is Tao and heaven as dominator. Human is passive obviously. Though they are allowed to act in a large space, people all alone can’t escape the palm of Tathagata Buddha.

 為而不恃，“為” 是道，是天，長而不宰，作為其主導者，為其 “長” 的也同樣是道、是天。因此，很顯然的，人之作為人其實完全是被動的。雖然，我們被獲准生存及活動的空間非常寬闊，可是如來佛的那一隻大手掌，我們卻始終是逃脫不掉的。

10 Tao gives them birth; Teh fosters them, makes them grow, develops them, gives them a harbor, a place to dwell in peace, feeds them and shelters them. When they blunder, Tao and Teh should be blamed and it is nothing to do with humble human, a small part of nature.

 道生之，德畜之，長之，育之，亭之，毒之，養之，覆之; 因而如我有犯錯，有罪的話，那就請你們直接去找 “道”，找 “德”吧，一切都與我這個小卒兒無關。