Mr. Peter Awn, Mr. James Frankel
Colloquium F2001x
Assignment #5
Only about 5,000 words long, the Tao Te Ching (or Lao Tzu) has had an enormous impact on philosophy, particularly in Asia. The text has probably thrived for so long (and be translated so many times) precisely because it is so terse and ambiguous, which lends itself to continual reinterpretation and adoption by various groups (D.C. Lau Introduction p7). The text is comprised of short, poetic verses which often seem paradoxical and confusing, a little like the Christian beatitudes. The Tao Te Ching was written during the golden age of Chinese thought, when the prominent schools, such as Confucius’s, taught a way of life which required strict morality (p12). The central concept in Taoism, on the other hand, is the tao, or way, which is not a concrete thing and cannot even be described or communicated (p14). Rather, the tao is like the path of least resistance, which is the natural state of all things and the state in which people naturally achieve goodness.
The tao is intangible: “As a thing the way is shadowy, indistinct … yet within it is an essence [which] is quite genuine” (Tao ch.21). It is elusive since “the way is for ever nameless” (ch.32) because it “conceals itself in being nameless” (ch.41). The tao is also timeless, and is the creator of the universe. It is deep, like the ancestor of all creatures, and no one knows where it originates, since it itself “images the forefather of god” (ch.4). The tao also establishes a hierarchy to the universe: “The way is great, heaven is great, earth is great … man models himself on earth, earth on heaven, heaven on the way, and the way on that which is naturally so” (ch.25). Finally, the tao is encompassing: “the way is the refuge for the myriad creatures. It is that by which the good man protects, and that by which the bad is protected” (ch.62)
Fundamental to following the Tao is being content. The Lao Tzu says that “he who knows contentment is rich [and] he who does not lose his station will endure” (ch.33). “Know contentment and you will suffer no disgrace; know when to stop and you will meet with no danger” (ch.44). “To retire when the task is accomplished is the way of heaven” (ch.9). A man who follows the way and only the way in his every moment is a man of great virtue (ch.21). If one acts with knowledge of his own roots or destiny then he will become impartial, then kingly, then heavenly, and he will never encounter any danger in his life (ch.16). Further, a true follower of the tao does his “utmost to attain emptiness, [and] holds firmly to stillness” (ch.16). By treating everyone, both good and bad, as good, he gains in goodness, and by treating everyone, those with and without good faith, with good faith, he gains in good faith (ch.49). Thus an early version of ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’
Taoism suggests that there is strength in following the simple, natural path. “Turning back is how the way moves; weakness is the means the way employs” (ch.40). For example, “in the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water, yet for attacking that which is hard and strong, nothing can surpass it. This is because there is nothing which can take its place” (ch.78). Water is furthermore an ideal metaphor because it finds its own natural niche: “Highest good is like water. Because water excels in benefiting the myriad creatures without contending with them and settles where none would like to be, it comes close to the way” (ch.8). In this manner, the tao is unassuming. “It is because [the way] never attempts itself to be great that it succeeds in becoming great” (ch.34).
The Tao Te Ching also emphasizes action rather than just talking or performing rituals (ch.38). Beautiful words may win a man high rank, but beautiful deeds raise him above all others (ch.62). Furthermore, heaven supports the good man. “The way of heaven benefits and does not harm” (ch.81) and “it is the way of heaven to show no favoritism; it is forever on the side of the good man” (ch.79). The wise and good man does not hoard what he has, for in giving all he has to others, he is richer still and has more (ch.81).
In the length of a ten page paper, this anthology of wise sayings has withstood 2500 years of study, interpretation, and translation. Like the Christian beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, Taoism has been immensely popular for centuries because it proposes a philosophy of meekness and humility.