Okay so I've sat down and read all of the comments posted so far (took me a couple days hah) and there are a couple questions I have and some things I would like to input. This is my first time being talking with other Taoists so I hope my input is..well..I'm excited
So here I go.
My response to Verse 1 comes from this translation by Jonathon Star (I posted this book in the Translators of the TTC).
A way that can be walked
is not The Way
A name that can be named
is not The Name
Tao is both Named and Nameless
As Nameless, it is the origin of all things
As Named, it is the mother of all things
A mind free of thought,
merged within itself,
beholds the essence of Tao
A mind filled with thought,
identified with its own perceptions,
beholds the mere forms of this world
Tao and this world seem different
but in truth they are one and the same
The only difference is in what we call them
How deep and mysterious is this unity
How profound, how great!
It is the truth beyond the truth,
the hidden within the hidden
It is the path to all wonder,
the gate to the essence of everything!
I've read the many translations given on here so far and I've also seen some comments about the separateness and unity of the Tao. I have to say that the first time I read about how people would be falling into a trap if they view the Tao as separate parts odd: I had always assumed the Tao WAS One unified, although it had 2 parts, it is one "thing/force". Being a "beginner" I wonder if I simply wasn't reading thoroughly enough to even come to that point, or if in my newness I had understood the simplicity of the Unity of the Tao off the bat.
Here is my view on Verse 1, my take of what it means in my life, and it's applications to my life.
<A way that can be walked
is not The Way
A name that can be named
is not The Name>
Religion. This made me feel that any religion on earth, having a name, is not The ONLY way. That by labelling one's self with a certain word and walking that path is not The ONLY path, the ONLY label that is (perhaps) correct. Because the words The Way and The Name are capitilized, I saw that as important in showing that perhaps there is no ONE way, but rather A way that, if named, must be imperfect. This applied to more than just religion, but especially so in that people have no right claiming that their religion or their way of worship is better than another. It expands in all life where people do not have a right to say one way is better than any other in anything in life, because what works for some people may not work for others, and that if it works for you does not mean it works for everyone else, and if it does not work for you, it may work for someone else.
In summation I gather that this small part alone tells me that there are many paths. Because they are named all are imperfect. Because all are imperfect, we as humans should live peacefully with one another knowing that being Human is the only incentive we need to be kind to one another.
<Tao is both Named and Nameless
As Nameless, it is the origin of all things
As Named, it is the mother of all things>
I have come to learn how "origin of all things" and "mother of all things" differ from one another, and how naming one leads to the "mother" of all things, where leaving it nameless leads to the "origin" of all things. I agree that the "origin" would mean its indescribable features, where "mother" would mean its appearance in the physical realm.
<A mind free of thought,
merged within itself,
beholds the essence of Tao
A mind filled with thought,
identified with its own perceptions,
beholds the mere forms of this world>
Simply, that no matter how one meditiates, the point is that merging within one's self, one finds the "answers(?)" or "essence" of all things, rather than just the seen/visibile outer appearances of what our senses gather. That by not merging within ourselves, we lose a very valuable part of life.
<Tao and this world seem different
but in truth they are one and the same
The only difference is in what we call them>
This is why I feel I so simply "got" what this passage says here. It explains right here, that the only difference, though a difference, is by their name. They are the same.
<How deep and mysterious is this unity
How profound, how great!
It is the truth beyond the truth,
the hidden within the hidden
It is the path to all wonder,
the gate to the essence of everything!>
The terms "How deep" and "how great" tells me that not everyone will be able to grasp this concept. People are too riddled in their own specific views to ever think any lesser of themselves for the better of humanity. Something I think is a drastic error that needs to be fixed by God (I am a Christian with, thus far, no denomination) for the betterment of the condition of our lives in general.
So...that's about it for now.
Let me know what you think please!!
