2005-12-19
Tao Te Ching - 1
Tao Te Ching
by Lao-tzu
J. Legge, Translator
(Sacred Books of the East, Vol 39) [1891]
from: sacred-texts
1
The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and
unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and
unchanging name.
(Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven
and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all
things.
Always without desire we must be found,
If its deep mystery we would sound;
But if desire always within us be,
Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.
Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development
takes place, it receives the different names. Together we call them
the Mystery. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that
is subtle and wonderful.
My Thoughts
As this is the first chapter in the Tao Te Ching, I'll come back and add my thoughts to this one later.
In the meantime, here is a rather 'different' interpretation of Chapter 1, from Jesse_Garon:
1
If you can talk about it,
it ain't Tao.
If it has a name,
it's just another thing.
Tao doesn't have a name.
Names are for ordinary things.
Stop wanting stuff. It keeps you from seeing what's real.
When you want stuff, all you see are things.
These two statements have the same meaning.
Figure them out, and you've got it made.
_____________
Sounds good enough to me!
meyamind at 11:06 p.m.
