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Originally Posted by MChang
I agree. Legge did it as a word for word Chinese to English without putting into the translation what he believed. He added notes on what he thought it meant, but not in the translation. Have you read his translation?
I read the quote you use as meaning it must be experienced. It is like trying to explain to someone what it feels like to hit a golf ball right that doesn't know what golf is. That feeling of being in the moment out of your head and letting muscle memory take over and it working the way it is supposed to. With Taoism If you talk with someone who has had the experience then you can have the conversation because they have that experience to draw upon.
What does it mean for you? Can you give an example? Thanks Brian
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Not sure which translations I have read. I have an old paperback somewhere, I will have to find it and see who authored it. When I find translations online, I sometimes find I don't recognize them and sometimes feel like they don't represent my understanding at all. I think the mistake many authors make, though well meaning, is to try to put something in plain English, that probably can't be put into plain words no matter what the language. I believe that one can understand the Tao Te Ching, but I don't believe one can explain it. My first time reading it (20.?.30 years ago) was rather strange. It sounded like gibberish, yet I liked it and wanted to make sense of it. Now I read certain parts and feel like I understand what is being conveyed. I see parallels from seemingly unrelated things, nature mostly, often quantum physics, but trying to explain it to someone else is usually just a disaster, so I have stopped trying. This is what I think is being conveyed in the opening verse. The Tao Te Ching begins with a fair warning to the reader, "be aware, the Tao is not something that can be captured in words or thoughts". The verses that follow are more Zen like, fingers pointing to the moon, rather then the moon itself.