Taoism is said to be one of the more cryptic spiritualties—but this reputation is really only due to one of its central texts: The Tao te Ching. Legend has it that an archivist for the Chinese government, Lao Tzu, decided to abandon city life and live out the remainder of his years in the mountains. The city gatekeeper, however, woudn’t allow him to leave until he’d written down all of his teachings. Hence, the book, The Tao te Ching.
Unfortunately, not only is the legend suspect, the verses within the book lend themselves to a dizzying array of interpretations. When preparing for this post, for instance, I stumbled across a site, www.taoist.com, that listed 76 versions of the book’s first verse! (There are 81 verses in total—just to give you some perspective.) But despite the confusion, it was a fascinating read, so rather than dive right into Taoism, I decided to first present some of the translations I read.
So, following are 4 versions, and based on your reading of them, your task will be to figure out the answers to the questions I’ve posted at the end of the post. Next time I post, I’ll include the correct answers, as well as a more fleshed out introduction to Taoism.
One of the most respected translations of the first verse:
FENG, GIA FU & ENGLISH, JANE (1972, 1989)
The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and Earth.
The named is the mother of the ten thousand things.
Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.
Ever desiring, one sees the manifestations.
These two spring from the same source but differ in name;
this appears as darkness.
Darkness within darkness.
The gate to all mystery.
The following translator, B.W. Walker, wrote a popular translation of the I Ching, another central Taoist text:
WALKER, BRIAN BROWNE
Tao is beyond words and beyond understanding. Words may be used to speak of it, but they cannot contain it.
Tao existed before words and names, before heaven and earth, before the ten thousand things. It is the unlimited father and mother of all limited things.
Therefore,
to see beyond all boundaries to the subtle heart of things, dispense with names, with concepts, with expectations and ambitions and differences.
Tao and its many manifestations arise from the same source:
subtle wonder within mysterious darkness. This is the beginning of all understanding.
A street lingo version:
HOGAN, RON (“Jesse Garon”) (2004)
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.
Those two sentences
mean the same thing.
Figure them out,
and you’ve got it made.
And a truly confusing version:
HANSEN, CHAD
To guide what can be guided is not constant guiding. To name what can be named is not constant naming.
‘Not-exist’ names the beginning (boundary) of the cosmos (Heaven and earth) ‘Exists’ names the mother of the ten-thousand natural kinds.
Thus, to treat ‘not-exist’ as constant is desiring to use it to view its mysteries. To treat ‘exists’ as constant is desiring to use it to view its manifestations.
These two emerge together yet have different names.
‘Together’ – call that ‘obscure. ‘ ‘Obscure’ it and it is more obscure. … the gateway of a crowd of mysteries.
Your questions: (While we cannot know for sure the correct answers, since Lao Tsu is no longer with us—some answers are somewhat more likely)
- “The Tao” can best be translated as…
____ the name of God
____ a guide dog
____ the primal source
- What are the ten thousand things in Taoism?
____everything that is manifest and limited
____the names or labels we use
____the microbes within our intestines
- What distinguishes those who see the mystery from those who see its manifestations?
____the ability to see in the dark
____possessing solar eclipse glasses
____ having desire or lacking it