The way that can be spoken ofIs not the constant way;
The name that can be namedIs not the constant name.
The nameless was the beginning of heaven and earth;
The named was the mother of the myriad creatures.
Hence always rid yourself of desires in order to observes its secrets;
But always allow yourself to have desires in order to observe its manifestations.
These two are the same
But diverge in name as they issue forth.
Being the same they are called mysteries,
Mystery upon mystery -The gateway of the manifold secrets.
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8 comments:
There appear to be lots of translations....here's another:
The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and
unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and
unchanging name.
(Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven
and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all
things.
Always without desire we must be found,
If its deep mystery we would sound;
But if desire always within us be,
Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.
Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development
takes place, it receives the different names. Together we call them
the Mystery. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that
is subtle and wonderful.
So.... Always without desire, without want, or without the need of want. Leaving those wants as mystery, never acting on them or fulfilling them, leaving them as mystery.
hmmm.
but it also says:
But always allow yourself to have desires in order to observe its manifestations.
love this quote.
i realize now, after a night's sleep, that that quote i used yesterday was from the Baghavad Gita.
i like that blatant "contradiction"-- rid yourself of desire to observe its secrets, and allow desire to observe its manifestations.
My translation at home says:
The way that can be named is not the nameless way.
The name that can be named is not the nameless name.
The myriad creatures see this and know that it is so.
There's some buddhist parable or whatever, the basic message being that after enlightenment you are exactly as you were before enlightenment. The only difference is your awareness.
I like Taoism a lot because it isn't afraid of contradiction, doesn't try to find answers to everything, and doesn't even always make much sense. That sounds like reality to me.
I really like this quote.
I don't know very much about Taoism but I like its position on contradiction and reality.
Being at peace with the unanswered and the unanswerable is difficult for me anyways, but it is something I'm working on.
funny-- because this was exactly what once frustrated me about Tao-- the lack of a "conclusion", the constant contradictions, etc.
Now, it's also what I've come to like about it.
Here's a parable that sort of half relates to Sky's point:
A monk was walking down a hill to get water from the well, when he dropped his jug and it broke. Immediately, he acheived enlightenment, and ran down the hill to tell the whole world about it.
Another monk, the next day, came down the same hill to get water. He also dropped his jug, which also broke, and he also immediately acheived enlightenment. This monk walked back up the hill to the monastery, got another jug, and silently continued his tasks.
And they were both equally enlightened by their experience, I'm sure!
...just one had some water, and finished his chores =)
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