Its upper part is not bright, and its lower part is not obscure. Ceaseless in its action, it yet cannot be named, and then it again returns and becomes nothing. This is called the Form of the Formless, and the Semblance of the Invisible; this is called the Fleeting and Indeterminable.Tao Te Ching 14.2 · Tao Te Ching
Tao Te Ching 14.2
Tao Te Ching · translated by James Legge
Themes in this passage
Impermanence in other traditions
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Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.Ecclesiastes 1:2 · Bible · Ecclesiastes
Lo! these love fleeting life, and put behind them (the remembrance of) a grievous day.Quran 76:27 · Quran · The Man
A creature's pleasures are extravagant and luxurious; sunk in lust and looking for pleasure, men undergo (again and again) birth and decay.Dhp 24.341 · Dhammapada · Thirst
Nachiketas said: O Death, these are fleeting; they weaken the vigour of all the senses in man. Even the longest life is short. Keep thou thy chariots, dance and music.Katha 65 · Upanishads · Katha-Upanishad
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