Chapter 50

FIFTY

The moon from its first appearance to full moon, is in a state of appearing; from its fullness to its disappearance, it is in a state of disappearing. It is just the same with the life of a man:. from babyhood to manhood he is growing up; from manhood to old age, he is failing. What does this signify? It means that it is only the spirit of man that shares the longevity of heaven and earth and, of all things heaven and earth are endowed with perennial vitality.

Thus it may be said that those who have attained mastery over their spirit, and thus have set free this perennial vitality, when traveling will never suffer harm from rhinoceros or tiger, or in battle without weapons or armor, because the rhinoceros will find no place to horn him, nor the tiger for its claws, nor will soldiers wound him. Why is this so? Because his spirit transcends mortality.