First Chapter: Tao Te Ching

First Chapter: Tao Te Ching

Tao te Ching First Chapter: The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; The Name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The Tao, the source of all the things between heaven and earth, is Nameless. The Tao, the mother of all the things, is named. Desireless feel subtleties of Tao, Desiring see the things Tao manifests. The subtleties and their manifestations are the same They both are deep and profound, The doorway to mystery. # As I understand it: Tao may be understood as the Ultimate Reality or God with no religious aspects or organization. Everything originates from Tao. Its power Te is within every thing. Tao cannot be taught or named. Its workings are dynamic and effortless. Te animates life. Tao is paradoxical: nameless as well as named. In Tao, opposites are not contradictory but compatible. The very same thing that creates also destroys. Water — the elixir of life — is also the cause of Tsunami. By naming, things become static. “Water” as a word is a juiceless concept. Imagine sensing it. See reflections on rippling water; hear it gurgle and gulp, taste it in dry mouth, get wet, breathe in a waterfall. When senses are active, something, that until then was confined to a word, comes to life. Awareness ushers vitality into our mundane lives. Can we really experience water by naming it, labeling it? When we accept paradoxes; become aware through our senses; our minds open to the mystery of Tao. Not with effort, but with open minds we can feel Tao. Daily we come across ten thousand things. If we allow ourselves to become aware of the flow of Te through us we will cross the threshold of non-comprehension and step into understanding the mystery of Tao. If we make space, the door to the subtleties will open; the mystery of Tao will be revealed. Encounter the mystery that surrounds us and is within us without categorizing, organizing, structuring. # Suggested Reading: The Way of Lao Tzu, tr. Wing-Tsit Chan, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc. 1963.