7: Unselfishness

7

Heaven is eternal and Earth is lasting.
How can they be eternal and lasting?
Because they do not live for themselves.
That is how they can be eternal.
Therefore:
The sage puts himself last and becomes the first,
Neglects himself and is preserved.
Is it not because he is unselfish that he fulfills himself?

Unselfishness

The well-known reward for the unselfish is the praise received. Another benefit is hinted in the example of Heaven and Earth: The ones who don't live for themselves will endure, because that path is less straining, less of a struggle...

Here is my full commentary on this Tao Te Ching chapter:
Tao Te Ching Chapter 7 Translation and Commentary

6: The Womb

6

The valley spirit never dies.
It is called the mystical female.
The entrance to the mystical female
Is called the root of Heaven and Earth.
Though gossamer,
As if barely existing,
It is used but never spent.

The Womb

Lao Tzu allows himself some play with words here. The Chinese word for valley, ku, can be translated gorge, and the word for female (of any species) also refers to a deep gorge. The word for mystical, hsüan, can be translated dark or deep. So, Lao Tzu describes a dark depth, from the entrance of which the whole world springs, like a child does from its mother's womb...

Here is my full commentary on this Tao Te Ching chapter:
Tao Te Ching Chapter 6 Translation and Commentary