Tao Te Ching, 7

Heaven and Earth last forever. 

Why do heaven and Earth last forever?

They are unborn, 

So ever living. 

The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead. 

He is detached, thus at one with all. 

Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment

Tao Te Ching, 7

Today, I would try to interpret the above text which is translated by Wing-Tsit Chan.

Today's interpretation would just be an extension of my interpretation of my previous post. This would be my other interpretation.

If in the last post I stated that Heaven and Earth are not known by the people because they are not thought of, now, I will say that they are thought of by the people.

In the text, it can be understood that Heaven and Earth last forever because they didn't try to exist. They did not force themselves to be Heaven and Earth but they just came to be. They are unborn yet so ever living because they seem to not exist because of their non-action but a person cannot deny to know about them. They seem to be unknown but because of this unknownness, they became known.

This is, I believe, the call to be sage. A person doesn't have to try to be a sage. He only does what he has to do and do not overwork. Being a sage is not to be worked hard for. It is just given when time comes. Just like Heaven and Earth, the sage should be detached from all other material forces to be one with the world. He should not his self be cornered or boxed by these things. He should be like Heaven and Earth, seemingly invisible but no one can deny their presence.