Tao Te Ching
(Lao Tzu)
The TAO TE CHING (or Dao De Ching) is one of the seminal works of the East. There are legends that surround Lao Tzu?s composition of the text, but the truth is difficult to extract from the past. This work is as mystical as its composition.
It is comprised of a series of short verse or poems. They are numbered but the order is in dispute. Each is valuable in its own right. However, taken as a whole they lead the reader to a bigger picture.
Chinese is not a language like English. The characters are actually more like pictograms. They represent different physical objects and in turn, the ideas associated with those objects. It is possible to study the TAO TE CHING in English, but the ambiguity is evident in the widely varying translations. Many readers will find one translation and stick with it. This may be a mistake in that the translation one picks may not open one?s mind to different possibilities. It is better to consult multiple versions.
The TAO TE CHING is one of the basic books in Taoism. This is not to say that it conflicts with a Judeo-Christian culture. Indeed, I believe that the value lies in its ability to elicit a compatible universe-view (I hesitate to limit it to a world-view). The way of the TAO is often linked to many things but one simple and easily recognizable one might be the STAR WARS films (especially STAR WARS, EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and RETURN OF THE JEDI). One might even venture to say that golf is a way of getting to the TAO. (And comparing the ?Tao of ?? is very fashionable-see my abstract on the TAO OF POOH, Benjamin Hoff).
Finally, a deep and thoughtful study of the TAO TE CHING can help to understand our place in this rapidly evolving and seemingly chaotic world.
Resumos Relacionados
- The I Ching Workbook
- I Ching - The Book Of Changes
- The Tao Of Pooh
- I Ching Ilustrado
- Legacy Of The Jedi
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