Tao Te Ching

[A peaceful mind.]

Just had to share this :O)

The Tao Te Ching was written by Lao-tzu at the end of the sixth century B.C. In Red Pine's translation, he explains that the word "tao" translates to either the word "road" or "way." As one reads the text, there is a sense that something is being revealed, although it is enigmatic. The words of the Tao Te Ching cannot always be taken at face value or understood easily. Understanding the Tao is in itself a problem, because it is claimed that the Tao cannot be explained. Still, the text gives one a sense of where they should be looking.


"The way that becomes a way is not the immortal way."
"No-name is the maiden of Heaven and Earth, name is the mother of all things."
"All the world knows beauty, but it that becomes beautiful, this becomes ugly."
"The great masters of ancient times focused on the indiscernible and penetrated the dark."
"Without going out your door you can know the whole world."
"He who possesses virtue in abundance resembles a newborn child."
"Knowing how to endure we become wise."
"Where the government stands aloof, the people open up, where the government steps in, the people slip away.
"Act without acting, work without working, understand without understanding."
"The world calls me great, great but useless, it's because I am great I am useless, if I were of use I would have remained small."
"To understand yet not understand is transcendence, not to understand yet understand is affliction."
"When people no longer fear authority, a greater authority will appear."
"Bestowing no honors keeps people from fighting."
"Those who consider themselves don't appear."
"Those who display themselves don't shine."
"Those who flatter themselves achieve nothing."
"Those who parade themselves don't lead."
"Use the Tao to assist your lord, don't use weapons to rule the land, such things have repercussions."
"When you kill another, honor him with your tears...When the battle is won, treat it as a wake."
"Those who aren't affected by death live long."



Further Study of the Tao Te Ching
The quotes above are pulled out of context, and although still interesting, they hold much more meaning when considered as a part of a whole. Red Pine's translation provides further insight, as every section is followed by explanation from various sources. With concentrated reading and study, one can begin to get a sense of what Lao-tzu means by the Tao. With care, that sense can blossom into true understanding.



Quotes From The Tao Te Chinghttp://www.suite101.com/content/quotes-from-the-tao-te-ching-a278719#ixzz1A8tpuyJd

[Perry J]

I don't know if this English interpretation of Tao Te Ching is "correct".
What I DO know, however, is that it's done by someone who has really got the true, inner message of it:

http://daodejingle.net/jimztao.html

Wayne Dyer on the Tao Te Ching:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbh0DW6RhCs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8Ih1...eature=related

[sound]

67
Unimportance

All the world says,
"I am important;
I am separate from all the world.
I am important because I am separate,
Were I the same, I could never be important.

"Yet here are three treasures
That I cherish and commend to you:
The first is compassion,
By which one finds courage.
The second is restraint,
By which one finds strength.
And the third is unimportance,
By which one finds influence.

Those who are fearless, but without compassion,
Powerful, but without restraint,
Or influential, yet important,
Cannot endure.

[sound]

76
Flexibility

A newborn is soft and tender,
A crone, hard and stiff.
Plants and animals, in life, are supple and succulent;
In death, withered and dry.
So softness and tenderness are attributes of life,
And hardness and stiffness, attributes of death.

Just as a sapless tree will split and decay
So an inflexible force will meet defeat;
The hard and mighty lie beneath the ground
While the tender and weak dance on the breeze above.

[Mystique Enigma]

So many words to describe that what cannot be written about, that what cannot be spoken about .... strange :)

[Perry J]

Eckhart Tolle on Tao Te Ching. This is not the short talk we have seen before, but here he really goes into it and speaks way over one hour. It's amazing, and he gives tips on some of the best English translations too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvZs35QPXz4

(You don't need to read the Hebrew text. But if you insist I can't stop you...;-)

Originally Posted by Mystique Enigma

So many words to describe that what cannot be written about, that what cannot be spoken about .... strange :)

Right. At the end of the day the Daodejing is just a collection of concepts like any other book. Some might see it as a mere pointer, some might even laugh about that because what could a concept point at other than another concept?

Originally Posted by Perry J

I don't know if this English interpretation of Tao Te Ching is "correct".
What I DO know, however, is that it's done by someone who has really got the true, inner message of it:

There will never be a 'correct' translation. The Chinese character for 'dao' has more than 25 meanings alone. Also, there are several different versions of the Daodejing. The oldest versions contain Chinese characters that are not listed in any dictionary. So there is a lot of guessification going on with that book.

What you need is a guide to really understand the layers of meaning in each character. I had a phenomenal Chinese Medicine teacher who could spend an hour going into the multiple meanings of a single character. To be able to approach Taoist philosophy from this point of view was quite mind blowing.