6

Upper Pole of ♋︎

谷

道德經第六章

谷神不死, 是謂玄牝.

玄牝之門.

是謂天地根.

綿綿若存.

用之不勤.

Dao De Jing Chapter Six ― Ron Hogan

6.

道 is an eternal mystery,

and everything starts with 道.

Everybody has 道 in them.

They just have to use it.

Chapter 6

Tao Te Ching  (Daodejing)

Classic of the Way and Virtue

Chapter 6

Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu

Classic Book (Ching) about the Tao (Way, Nature, Patterns, Processes)

and Te (Virtue, Potency, Power, Integrity, Wise Person, Sage)

English Language Translations

"The Spirit of the perennial spring is said to be immortal, she is called the Mysterious One.

The Mysterious One is typical of the source of heaven and earth.

It is continually and endlessly issuing and without effort."

― Translated by Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel, 1919, Chapter 6 

"The Spirit of the Depths is immortal; it is called the Azure Heaven and the Mother Earth.

The passage through which these Two Influences emerge and enter is called the root of the visible creation.

They are ceaseless in action as though permanent, and maybe drawn upon without ever being exhausted."

― Translated by Frederic H. Balfour, 1884, Chapter 6 

"Like the river in the valley, the spirit is never dried up.

I call it the Mother-Deep.

The motion of the Mother-Deep I regard as the origin of Heaven and the Earth.

Forever it endures and moves without design."

― Translated by Walter Gorn-Old, 1904, Chapter 6 

"The Spirit of the Valley dies not, it is called Mother-substance of the Deep.

The Door of Mother-substance of the Deep is called the Root of Heaven and Earth.

Continuously, continuously,

It nourishes and preserves.

Use it,

Thy strength shall not fail."

― Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 6 

"The Valley Spirit never dies.

It is named the Mysterious Female.

And the doorway of the Mysterious Female

Is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang.

It is there within us all the while;

Draw upon it as you will, it never runs dry."

― Translated by Arthur Waley, 1934, Chapter 6

"The never-dying spirit of the cave is called the mysterious mother.

The doorway of the mysterious mother is called the root of Heaven and Earth.

Lingering like a veil barely seen, it has only a hint of existence;

and yet it is inexhaustibly used."

― Translated by Tran Tien Cong, Chapter 6

"The spirit of the valley (Dao) is immortal.

It is known as the mystical female.

The birth canal of the mystical female

Opens to the universe.

Dao seems to be able to go on forever and continues to function effortlessly."

― Translated by Tan Han Hiong, Chapter 6

"The heart of Tao is immortal, the mysterious fertile mother of us all,

of heaven and earth, of everything and not-thing.

Invisible yet ever-present, you can use it forever without using it up."

― Translated by Brian Browne Walker, 1996, Chapter 6

"Perceiving the Subtle

The mystery of the valley is immortal;

It is known as the Subtle Female.

The gateway of the Subtle Female

Is the source of Heaven and Earth.

Everlasting, endless, it appears to exist.

Its usefulness comes with no effort."

― Translated by R. L. Wing, 1986, Chapter 6 

"The spirit of the valley does not die

It may be known as the mysterious feminine

The gateway of the mysterious feminine

May be known as the source of heaven and earth

Endless, continuous, seeming to exist

To practice, this is no effort."

― Translated by Bradford Hatcher, 2005, Chapter 6 

"The spirit of the valley never dies;

It is called the mysterious female.

The gate of the mysterious female is called the root of Heaven and Earth.

Continuously it seems to exist.

There is no labour in its use."

― Translated by Wu Yi, Chapter 6

Cloud Hands Blog

"The valley spirit does not die.

It is called the dark and mysterious female.

The portal of the dark and mysterious female is called the root of heaven and earth.

It has a kind of wispy continuity as though existing.

Use it without exertion."

― Translated by Patrick E. Moran, Chapter 6 

Valley Spirit, Gu Shen, Concept, Chapter 6 

"The Spirit of the Valley never dies.

It is called the Mysterious Female.

The gate of the Mysterious Female is the source of Heaven and Earth.

Ever-abiding, always existing,

It can be used, but never exhausted."

― Translated by Keith H. Sutton, Chapter 6 

"God of food is eternal, so it is like the mother.

The nature mother is the root of everything.

Tao is long-lasting and never exhausted in the application."

― Translated by Thomas Z. Zhang, Chapter 6

The Spirit of the Valley never dies.

Hence comes the name Mysterious Female.

The gateway of the Mysterious Female

Is the root of Heaven and Earth.

Continuous like a thread it seems to exist;

Its utility is inexhaustible."

― Translated by Henry Wei, 1982, Chapter 6

"The valley spirit that doesn't die we call the dark womb

as real as gossamer silk and yet we can't exhaust it.

The valley spirit that doesn't die we call the dark womb the dark womb's mouth

we call the source of creation as real as gossamer silk and yet we can't exhaust it."

― Translated by Red Pine, Chapter 6

"Be a valley to the spirit and you will not die.

This is called the Fathomless and the Female

The gate to the Famthomless and Females

Is called The Root of Heaven and Earth

Soft and gentle

This is her way of existence.

Do not draw on her use laboriously.

― Translated by Dan G. Reid, 2016, Chapter 6

"The Valley spirit is immortal.

The Spirit is the Female, the Primal Mother.

Her ultimate gateway is the principle of heaven and earth.

The spirit is veiled and dim,

And yet when used, it requires no toil."

― Translated by Eichi Shimomisse, 1998, Chapter 6

"The valley spirit never dies.

It is the unknown first mother,

whose gate is the root

from which grew heaven and earth.

It is dimly seen, yet always present.

Draw from it all you wish;

it will never run dry."

― Translated by T. McCarroll, Chapter 6 

谷神不死, 是謂玄牝.

玄牝之門.

是謂天地根.

綿綿若存.

用之不勤.

"The valley spirit never dies.

It's named the mystic woman.

And the gate of the profound woman is the root that heaven and earth sprang from.

It's there within us all the while;

draw upon it as you will,

you can never wear it out."

― Translated by T. Byrn, Chapter 6   

Valley Spirit, Gu Shen, Concept, Chapter 6 

"The mystery of the valley is immortal;

It is known as the Subtle Female. The gateway of the Subtle Female

is the source of Heaven and Earth.

Everlasting, endless, it appears to exist.

Its usefulness comes with no effort."

― Translated by R. L. Wing, Chapter 6 

"The valley spirit is not dead:

They say it is the mystic female.

Her gateway is, they further say,

The base of heaven and earth.

Constantly, and so forever,

Use her without labour."

― Translated by Raymond Blakney, 1955, Chapter 6 

" 'The valley and the wind will never die.'

They are the creators of the one who is the mystical mother,

The one whose hair is the source of heaven and earth.

This source will never end.

Even if it is exploited endlessly, it will never diminish."

― Translated by Chohan Chou-Wing, Chapter 6

The spiritual valley can never be extinguished.

It is correctly referred to as the mysteries of the receptive.

The entrance to mysterious receptivity is correctly referred to as

the origin of the whole universe.  

It is continuous and unbroken!

Its usefulness seems to persevere without effort."

― Translated by Nina Correa, 2005, Chapter 6

"The valley spirit not expires,

Mysterious woman ’tis called by the sires.

The mysterious woman’s door, to boot,

Is called of heaven and earth the root.

Forever and aye it seems to endure

And its use is without effort sure.”

― Translated by D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 6 

"The valley spirit not dying

is called the mysterious female.

The opening of the mysterious female

is called the root of heaven and earth.

Continuous, on the brink of existence,

to put it into practice, don't try to force it."

― Translated by Thomas Cleary, Chapter 6

"Like the sheltered, fertile valley,

the meditative mind is still,

yet retains its energy.

Since both energy and stillness,

of themselves, do not have form,

it is not through the senses

that they may be found,

nor understood by intellect alone,

although, in nature, both abound.

In the meditative state,

the mind ceases to differentiate

between existences,

and that which may or may not be.

It leaves them well alone,

for they exist,

not differentiated but as one,

within the meditative mind."

― Translated by Stan Rosenthal, Chapter 6

"The concept of Yin is ever-present.

It is the Mystic Female from whom

the heavens and the earth originate.

Constantly, continuously, enduring always.

Use her!"

― Translated by C. Ganson, Chapter 6    

"Like a riverbed, the heart is never filled

It is an ineffable female

Whose entrance is the source of the World;

Tao is ever-present within it:

Draw upon it and it will never fail."

― Translated by Peter Merel, Chapter 6   

 

"The valley spirit never dies

Call it the mystery, the woman.

The mystery,

the Door of the Woman,

is the root

of earth and heaven.

Forever this endures, forever.

And all its uses are easy."

-  Translated by Ursula K. Le Guin, Chapter 6

 

"The valley spirit dies not, aye the same;

The female mystery thus do we name.

Its gate, from which at first they issued forth,

Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth.

Long and unbroken does its power remain,

Used gently, and without a touch of pain."

― Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 6    

 

"The valley spirit dies not, aye the same;

The female mystery thus do we name.

Its gate, from which at first they issued forth,

Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth.

Long and unbroken does its power remain,

Used gently, and without a touch of pain."

― Translated by Stephen McIntyre, 2009, Chapter 6   

"The valley spirit is deathless:

the unborn womb,

the door,

the root of heaven and earth,

the Source,

subtly everlasting

beyond existence and nonexistence.

Constantly we draw on it;

it graces us by being inexhaustible."

― Translated by Robert Meikyo Rosenbaum, 2013, Chapter 6  

 

"The heart of Tao is immortal

the mysterious fertile mother of us all.

of heaven and earth,

of everything

and not-thing.

Invisible yet ever-present,

You can use it forever without using it up."

― Translated by Brian Walker, Chapter 6 

"Nature's spirit never dies, so it is called the organ of reproducibility.

This organ functions as the root of the world.

It lasts forever and can never be used up."

― Translated Xiaolin Yang, Chapter 6 

"The Spirit of the Fountain dies not.

It is called the Mysterious Feminine.

The Doorway of the Mysterious Feminine

Is called the Root of Heaven-and-Earth.

Lingering like gossamer, it has only a hint of existence;

And yet when you draw upon it, it is inexhaustible."

― Translated by John C. H. Wu, 1961, Chapter 6 

"The manifestations of Infinity never cease manifesting.  

Infinity is the primal creator, the oneness of male and female.

Infinity is the gate through which heaven and earth manifested.

It is invisible to the senses, yet totally permeates all things.

It is inexhaustible and eternally available for any purpose."

― Translated by John Worldpeace, Chapter 6

"The Tao is called the Great Mother:

empty yet never-ending,

it gives birth to unlimited worlds.

It is always at hand within you.

Use it gently, and without force."

― Translated by Rivenrock, Chapter 6 

"The unlimited capacity of valleys;

the unbelievable power of Spirits;

and the unending life of immortality is called the Profound Origin Mother.

The beginning of the Profound Origin Mother is the root of Heaven and Earth.

Endlessly, endlessly!

It is existing.

Yet its usefulness is invisible."

― Translated by Tang Zi-Chang, Chapter 6

谷  ㄍㄨˇ, gǔ, Valley, Flood Plain, Canyon, Hollow valley; gorge; ravine, channel, mountain stream

(figuratively) difficult position; predicament

Pictured as, Described as, Likened to, Imagined as, Pretended to be ...

A good area for a house, farms and a village.  The Chinese character reminds me of a house with two higher mountains in the background. 

Usually, a productive valley featuring an all year river and streams; flatter, wider, open, with good soil; and with mountains on one or two sides. 

Fertile foothills and flood plains are bordered by mountains like the North Sacramento River Valley in California, the Willamette River Valley in Oregon, or the Columbia River Valley in Washington.

A cosy cabin at the edge of a beautiful meadow, small ponds, and a creek in the foothills.  Something like the Hundred Acre Wood in Ashdown Forest, England, where Winnie the Pooh and friends lived.  Fantasy valleys are everywhere in art and fiction. 

By "hollow" we might mean, 1. Having a hole or empty space inside.  Synonyms: empty, void, unfilled, vacant.  Example: The broad and green valley that lies below was largely uninhabited.  2.  Without significance.  Synonyms: meaningless, empty,  valueless, worthless, useless, pyrrhic, nugatory, futile, fruitless, profitless, pointless.  Example: He had no intentions, he felt hollow inside. 

All the "Great Civilizations" from the history of the Four Corners of our Globe Earth, for the last 10,000 years, are the stories of human beings living in a valley by a river. 

Channels can be natural or man-made.  An arroyo is a channel for flash floods in the desert.  We can hollow out a cave for a larger shelter, or dig through a mountainside to create a channel for water from a productive spring.  Something like the Panama Canal creates its own valley, a powerful Ku. 

A rugged area, sparsely populated, where a seasonally powerful river or glaciers over the millennium have cut a steep-walled canyon out of the mountains, like the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, Yosemite Valley in California, or the Snake River Gorge in Idaho.   

A valley offers an opening, a slit, a doorway, a crack, a corridor, a way in and out, an entrance and exit.  I was born in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles, California, and will die in the Columbia River Valley of Washington. 

A valley recreation or vacation retreat, in a small town, in a beautiful place, a welcoming place, a resort and refuge, a safe and peaceful valley place.  Packwood, Washington.  Bishop, California.  Tillamook, Oregon.  Borrego Springs, California.  Red Bluff, California.  Beautiful valleys from around the earth capture our enthusiasm, fascination, and imagination.  Similar experiences are transformed in books or films into valley fantasy realms and valley kingdoms like Shangri La, Shambhala, Shaolin, a remote Alpine or Tibetan village, Sleepy Hollow.    

The desired valley is verdant land, fertile, receptive to agricultural cultivation, broad and open, empty and vacant, and we are willing and accepting of the work ahead needed to survive. 

The valley is the source of our food, our essential lifeline, our basic way to earn our 'daily bread', our means of creating bodily energy.  The valley is in many ways acknowledged, studied, respected, revered, worshipped, sacred, divine.  

The valley is Female.  The valley is the Vulva, the Origin, the Womb, receptive and expansive, empty of self-concern and generous, the Creative Source of the birthing of the ten thousand things necessary for our continued existence.