Tao Te Ching

This weekend decided to do a 56-hour fast (apples & tea allowed) and to re-read / study the great classic Tao Te Ching. First, wanted to share a link to the actual edition that I am using, which I think is excellent for several reasons. First, it is a beautiful hard-cover book with very tasteful illustrations. Second, according to Sweewawa the translation to English is favorable to some of the other versions currently in print. I would strongly recommend this version to anyone who is interested in purchasing the book or checking it out from the library. You can get it from this link to Amazon, or at the time of writing this version is available at Barnes & Noble, believe it or not in their Bargain books section!

Tao Te Ching
Translated by Man-Ho Kwok, Martin Palmer, and Jay Ramsay
Calligraphy by Kwok-Lap Chan

Here is a brief outline of the timeline of Chinese philosophy:

•The Classical Age (6th century BC-2d century AD)

–Confucianism (Confucius, 551-479 BC)
–Daoism (Lao Tzu, 6th century BC)
–Mohism (Mo Tzu, 468-376 BC)
–The Yin-Yang School (founder unknown)
–The School of Names (Logic) (Hui Shih, c. 380-305 BC)
–Legalism (Han Fei Tzu, d. 23 BC)

•The Medieval Age (2d-10th centuries BC)

–relations & conflicts between Confucianism, Daoism, & Buddhism

•The Modern Age (11th century AD-Present)

–Neo-Confucianism (incorporation of Daoist & Buddhist elements in an overall Confucian perspective) (Chu Hsi, 1130-1200 AD & many others)
–20th century impact of Western philosophies such as Pragmatism & Marxism

I would like to highlight some of my favorite passages of the work and offer some comments.

Introduction

    The translators / editors emphasize that the Tao Te Ching was not written solely by its supposed author, Lao Tzu. Rather it encompasses texts which probably cover 800 years. This is a crucial point in my view. Another interesting point made in the introduction is that in many ways the Tao Te Ching represents an opposite view from K'ung Fu-tzu (Confucius) philosophy but in some ways Taoism and Confucianism are very similar.

    The book is made up of 3 sections. The first consists of Chapters 1-37 and is the Tao, or "the Way". According to the translators this section contains the core of Tao Te Ching's message. The second part consists of Chapters 38-70 and is the Te, or "the Virtue". This part plays a supportive role to the original message of "the Way". The third part the translators interpret as a "Coda", Chapters 71-80. In this section a lot of the themes presented in the rest of the book are reiterated. It is arguable that the quality of the text declines for this last section.

Chapter one



"The Tao that can be talked about is not the true Tao."

    I love the humble way the book begins. Right from the start the author acknowledges that one cannot truly represent the purity of Tao via finite words with their inherent limitations.

"Everything in the universe comes out of Nothing."

    It is interesting how this statement has parallels in the modern science of Big Bang Cosmology. According to the Big Bang theory, all the mass contained in the universe now, trees mountains moons stars and all, originated from a single point of miniscule (or no) volume containing infinite (or all) the mass.

Chapter two



"Beauty and mercy are only recognized by people
  Because they know the opposite, which is ugly and mean."

    This is such a powerful concept. Lao Tzu has a special appreciation for the slip side of the coin -- the "bad and ugly" -- and sees their value, in a way, as on par with "the good". This is a tough concept for Westerners to get, as we in religion and culture often hold "the good" on a pedestal while sweeping "the bad" under the rug or dismissing it solely as the realm of the devil. One of the challenges I hope to meet in studying Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism is to learn how to acknowledge the good and bad present in all things while still striving to accomplish what I perceive as "good" in my actions.

Chapter four



The Tao " . . . smooths round sharpness
                      and untangles the knots."

    Such a beautiful quote. In physics and science there is the concept of entropy, or disorder. The second law of thermodynamics is an expression of the universal law of increasing entropy, stating that the entropy of an isolated system which is not in equilibrium will tend to increase over time, approaching a maximum value at equilibrium. This means that the universe is not unlike the room of a child, which gets messier with each passing day. I see this concept of increasing entropy present in the rounding of sharpness and the untangling of knots. But note though that often smooth jewelry is considered more "perfect" and desirable, and that hair without knots is actually considered neater or more ordered, though it may in fact have a higher entropy value. I love it that this quote can be interpreted in opposite but equally profound ways. Another really neat concept is that of planets. It is thought that all planets and moons probably started out as quite irregular shapes but the forces of air resistance and gravity over great periods of time caused them to become basically spherical.

Chapter five

"Heaven and earth are like a pair of bellows:
  they are empty, and yet they can never be exhausted."



    How can something come from nothing? What is so meaningful about emptiness and nothingness? The Tao Te Ching explores these questions again and again. I love the choice of words to end the quote -- note the dual meaning of "exhausted" as tired out but also contributing to the image of bellows "exhausting" or emitting puffs of air to fan the flames.

Chapter seven

"The sage guides his people
  by putting himself last.

  Desiring nothing for himself,
  he knows how to channel desires.

  And is it not because he wants nothing
  that he is able to achieve everything?"

    I really appreciate the last lines of this passage from a utilitarian perspective. One of the nagging thoughts that has in the past drawn me away from continuing studies in Tao and Buddhism is the sense that while it is beautiful and profound it lacks utility in everday life. In my life I don't really just "go with the flow" but rather I am always actively working and struggling to carve out a straight path towards my goals -- for example becoming a great Radiologist. This is a little different from the free spirit who wanders the earth and experiences that which comes his way. I love talking about vague concepts such as "Nothing" and "the Way" but do sometimes appreciate a tip of the hat towards the practical value of studying a particular philosophy.

Chapter eight



"Water, you know, never fights
  

  it flows around
                               without harm."

    I find this to be a beautiful way of describing the concept of pacifism without suggesting that it is a weakness. Note the photo is one I took at Lushan mountain, near Sweewawa's hometown in Jiangxi province of China.

Chapter nine

"You may amass gold and jade in plenty
  but then the more you have, the less safety . . . "

    This is sage advice on the dangers of gluttony and greed. Note also that this is an example of good and bad being equally contained in all things. Newton's third law is that "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." This is yet another example of how Tao concepts are often mirrored in science!

Chapter eleven

This is one of my favorite chapters so far, and I think this particular translation is excellent! Here's the whole of the chapter:

                                Thirty spokes on a cartwheel

              Go towards the hub that is the centre

- but look, there is nothing at the centre
and that is precisely why it works!

If you mould a cup      you have to make a hollow:
it is the emptiness within it that makes it useful.

In a house or room      it is the empty spaces
- the doors, the windows - that make it usable.

They all use what they are made of
to do what they do,

but without their nothingness they would be nothing.

**************************************************

    I love the concept that it is the emptiness, and space that makes things useful. Empty space is also a really important concept in music. Often it's the notes you leave out that truly make a piece of music beautiful. This concept is exemplified masterfully in the Miles Davis composition "In a Silent Way". Miles is really good at creating space in his music, and the space is what makes the tune "something".

In A Silent Way - Miles Davis

Interestingly, Miles once was quoted as saying: "Don't play what's there, play what's not there" which I feel to be the perfect yang to the empty space's yin.

Chapter twelve

"The five coulours
                                 blind the eye -

The five notes
                             deafen the ear . . .
The five tastes
                            deaden the mouth

[ . . . ]

The sage [ . . . ] is guided
                                       by his instinct

and not by what his eyes want."



    Reading this I'm drawn back to my readings of Descartes, who believed that true sense perception was more dependent on the mind than the body. He argues that sense can fool, as in the case of watching a candle melt. Is "candle" a liquid, solid, or a fire? The only true understanding of its nature is arrived at by realizing the senses are just hints or clues about what is true . . . and using the mind to connect the dots. Descartes says "[P]erception . . . is neither a seeing, nor a touching, nor an imagining . . . [r]ather it is an inspection on the part of the mind alone."

Chapter thirteen

"If you can put yourself aside -
  then you can do things for the whole of the world.
  And if you love the world, like this
  then you are ready to serve it."

Sage advice especially for ultra-competitive and ambitious me.

Chapters fifteen - nineteen

These chapters talk about what it takes to be a good ruler. An interesting concept described is that the best government is one that is not seen at all:

       "The highest form of government
  Is what people hardly even realize is there

[ . . . ]

  And the people stay happy
  Believing that what happens
                                                     happens, naturally."

  

    First, I definitely don't take this to mean that the people are being deceived or that the details of governing are being hidden from public view. Rather, the Tao Te Ching in my view suggests that good governing should be more like the laws of nature, mysteriously and silently telling the trees which way to grow and the rivers how to flow to the sea.
    How does this concept relate to modern politics? It's my view that free market capitalism with wise & minimal regulation fits well into this picture. A mountain spring will trickle down via tributaries to the river and then the sea, provided you let it. The forced welfare state, in contrast, oppresses people by taking them out of their natural state. The "benevolent" ruler in a welfare state is very visible, and those receiving aid are felt drawn to leave their own natural forces of survival and self-betterment to fly like moths towards the new artificial light.

Chapter twenty

"Is there really much of a difference
  Between being angry and pretending not to be?"

As Shakespeare would put it "be true to thineself." I believe it to be one of the most important lessons there is in life.

Chapter twenty-one

(Note the accompanying photos are ones I took at Lushan Mountain in China (near Sweewawa's hometown) of a shrine to Buddha.)

  This edition / translation of the Tao Te Ching is one Sweewawa and I picked partly due to the fact that it overall depicts very well in English the original intent and beauty of the Chinese text.  However, the translation is by no means perfect.  This chapter is, in my view, one example of the imperfection of the translation.  To illustrate my claim I quote first the translation of the chapter in its entirety followed by an alternate translation by Sweewawa.

  From these two versions you can catch a glimpse of how radically different translations of the Tao Te Ching can be.  The difficulty lies in the fact that a very literal translation of the text will be clumsy and much of the desired meaning would be lost due to the fact that the English-speaking reader will lose subtle cultural references and other subtleties of the language.  So for a great translation a certain amount of creativity is required.  But there also is a danger in being creative of straying away from the intended meaning.

  The ninth line of the book's translation is "I say so, and I can prove it!"  This line when I first read it caused my hair to stand on end and I read on with great interest.  This is quite a bold claim contained within a book with groundings in religion and philosophy  . . . but after finishing the chapter I was disappointed.  "How do I know the Tao is the root of all being? . . . Because I know this."  I never would have asked for such a thing as a proof that the Tao is the origin of all things, as this is, I think, such a undefinable and unprovable concept that if one believes one must only hold based on faith.

  Sweewawa's translation speaks to me much more.  "God" or "Tao" are words and concepts that have been around for eons.  Just that is in a way a "proof" that there is something real behind the words . . . "From the Ancient time until now, its name has never perished."  But this is not a proof in the sense that you can say "I can prove it!"  Sweewawa offers the translation "At the bottom of the dark abyss, there is an essence.  The essence is so real, you can rely on it."  I do believe or "rely" on the idea that there is a "God", "Tao", or "Creator" who exists outside the universe and is the source of all things we know.  This concept is in a sense obvious to me, but yet I realize it is absolutely unprovable.  This is the beauty and difficulty of the "faith" concept present in many religions.   You cannot prove it, but you rely on it.      

Book translation:

The Body of The Tao

                                       is a mist beyond your eyes.

Tao of No Body,

                              and yet within it is All Creation.

Like a seed in the dark, and a dim light

     And from it, comes everything.

Root, stem, leaf . . . its essence is in everything.

Everything is born from this Tao

                                  I say so, and I can prove it!

From the beginning of time until now

the Tao is eternal because it is Creation.

How do I know the Tao is the root of all being?

Because

                 I know this.

Sweewawa's translation:

The biggest virtue obeys nothing else but Tao.
  Yet Tao reveals itself in an obscure way.

Behind the fleeting sceneries, there is an image.
  Behind the vague phenomenons, there is an object.
    At the bottom of the dark abyss, there is an essence.
      The essence is so real, you can rely on it.

From the ancient time until now, its name has never perished.
  It is the origin of all things.

How do I observe the beginning and development of all things?

    Because I know Tao.

Chapter twenty-four

"The kind of person who always insists

  on his way of seeing things

  can never learn anything from anyone."

This is great advice about the benefits of keeping your eyes, ears, and mind open.

Chapter twenty-five

  This chapter contains language which paints "Tao" as a very "God"-like being.  In it the Tao is described as "Mother of Everything", "greater than everything", "Tao is Great", "It is greater than Heaven, Greater than the Earth, Greater than the king."  I found it incredibly interesting (and satisfying) to see that Lao Tzu (and the other authors) took this stance on describing the Tao.  The Tao, according to them, is not just everything itself but is the source and master of everything.  This hierarchy is one that resonates with me personally and jives with the basis of the Christian faith to which I am accustomed.

To be continued . . .