Scott Ross
Posts: 174
Joined: 2/20/2007
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Welcome to our online book discussion! We will be meeting each week to discuss the meaning of one of 81 verses written by Lao-tzu, translated by three scholars, and posted by me! Don’t be surprised if some verses create a lot of chatter while others languish – it seems as though even translated, some verses still need to be further translated!
“But wait” you cry out, “what is this Tao Te Ching thing you talk about”?
I’m glad you asked! On the back cover of Stephen Mitchell’s book, we read “In the eighty-one brief chapters, Lao-tzu’s Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, provides advice that imparts balance and perspective, a serene and generous spirit, and teaches us how to work for the good with effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao – the basic principle of the universe”.
Richard Wilhelm wrote in 1910 “the metaphysics of the Dao De Jing is built on a foundation of intuition which cannot be formulated into static or narrowly defined concepts. Lao Zi “painfully” called this DAO. From the outset the correct translation of this word has been the subject of a great controversy. ‘God’, ‘Way’, ‘Reason’, ‘Word’, ‘Logos’ – these are just a few of the translations that have been suggested; while a number of writers have simply introduced the word ‘Dao’ into European languages without translating it”.
Wayne Dyer asks “and just what is this thing called ‘the Tao’? As we’re told in the first verse, to name it is to lose it, so here’s the best that I can come up with: The Tao is the supreme reality, an all-pervasive Source of everything. The Tao never begins or ends, does nothing, and yet animates everything in the world of form and boundaries, which is called ‘the world of 10,000 things’. Commentaries on the Tao Te Ching generally interpret Tao as ‘the Way’, Te as ‘the shape and power’ (that is, how the Tao manifests), and Ching as ‘book.’ Every translation I read referred to the Tao as the Way with a capital W, and Te as adding light or color to the Way”.
As you can see, even Scholars of today have trouble defining and describing what Lao Tzu wrote 2500 years ago. But it should be easy and simple for us to breeze through these verses – right? Well (as I smile broadly) I’m willing to give it my best.
I will be posting each verse as a separate entry. Each entry will follow the same format – First will be Richard Wilhelms translation of the verse from his book Tao Te Ching – the book of Meaning and Life. Next will be Stephen Mitchells translated verse from his book , Tao Te Ching - A New English Version and finally Dr. Wayne Dyer weighs in with his verse translation from his new book Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life. Unfortunately, I will not be able to post their interpretations of the text, you’ll need to buy their book for that.
This forum is structured so that only I can start new posts but all logged in members can reply. With 81 entries, I want to maintain some semblance of order (unlike the top of my desk!) If you want to discuss something as a side thread, feel free to post in our full forum. If you will be pondering for a while and composing even longer, I strongly suggest opening up a separate document to work in and then pasting it to the forum. There is always the risk of timing out and losing your work otherwise.
So pick a time each week to visit, settle in with a mug (or glass!) of your favorite beverage and allow your mind to wander into new territory (for many of us) as we pick apart and question exactly what this “old Master” from thousands of years ago was trying to tell us……………..
< Message edited by Traveller -- 10/15/2007 1:41:40 PM >
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*Smiles, takes another deep breath, suspends thought*
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