Indian stream·Tao Te Ching·Chapter 55 — The Infant Holding Virtue
He who holds virtue in fullness is like a newborn
He who holds virtue in fullness is like a newborn infant: poisonous insects do not sting him, fierce beasts do not seize him. His bones are weak, his sinews soft, yet his grip is firm. He does not yet know union of male and female, yet his organ stirs — the height of vital essence.
Source context
- Theme
- vital fullness in the infant as image of primal virtue (te) — the paradox of soft power outlasting rigid force
- Soul-faculty
- Sentient Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Vedantic tradition (Brahmacharya / prana)The Upanishadic teaching that vital force (prana) is most concentrated in the uncontracted, pre-differentiated state of being finds structural cross-tradition congruence with Chapter 55's image of the infant as the supreme vessel of de.
- Aristotelian entelechyAristotle's entelechy — the full actualization of a being's inherent form — offers a cross-tradition congruence with the chapter's claim that the infant embodies the telos of te before willful striving dissipates it.
- Kabbalistic concept of tzelem (divine image in the human)The Kabbalistic notion that the human form at its most receptive transparently reflects the divine tzelem presents a cross-tradition congruence with the chapter's identification of unspoiled infancy as the locus of cosmic harmony.
Chapter 55
He who has in himself abundantly the attributes (of the Tao) is like an infant. Poisonous insects will not sting him; fierce beasts will not seize him; birds of prey will not strike him.
(The infant's) bones are weak and its sinews soft, but yet its grasp is firm. It knows not yet the union of male and female, and yet its virile member may be excited;--showing the perfection of its physical essence. All day long it will cry without its throat becoming hoarse;--showing the harmony (in its constitution).
To him by whom this harmony is known, (The secret of) the unchanging (Tao) is shown, And in the knowledge wisdom finds its throne. All life-increasing arts to evil turn; Where the mind makes the vital breath to burn, (False) is the strength, (and o'er it we should mourn.)
When things have become strong, they (then) become old, which may be said to be contrary to the Tao. Whatever is contrary to the Tao soon ends.