Category: Tao Te

Tao Te – 8

lowly water informs all else
enlivening ten thousand things without striving
flowing to the depths ta*-like

dwelling close with land
meditating deep in an underground heart
engaging others gently kindly
speaking accurately
making with competence
acting with humor’s timing

softly softly without blame

Tao Te – 5

heavens and earth
absence and presence
desireless
gaze upon ten-thousand things
as they appear

a wise one
visible and invisible
powerless
gazes upon people
as they appear

space between each contrast
pulses as a bellows
shapes change forms remain
pushing moves and yields
the more the words the less they count

hold fast every between

Tao Te – 3

exultation and praise begin competition
treasure is a magnet for theft
unseeing a desire clears a heart’s confusion

wise decisions rise from a clean heart and enough for others
weakening ambition and strengthening community
in the face of ignorance and desire
refrain from offering answers
an encompassing response offers a next wellness

Tao Te – 2

here beauty is enveloped by the ugly
joy is set off by suffering

having walks blind to not-having alongside
difficult and easy vibrate fore and aft
long and short are caught in perspective
high and low are known by the other
voice and sound ring changes within without
front and back circle around around

in such a time of best and worst
wise acts artless
wise saying still
ten thousand choices pile upon one another
no end in sight

create without a result
work without a memorial
act in time and move on
flow is enough

Tao Te – 1′

It turns out I am desire personified. I want to say more about my Tao Te – 1 reflection.

One approach to the Tao Te Ching is to divide or categorize it into discrete sections: Tao (1–37) and Te (38–81). I was not able to refrain from looking at Tao, except through Te. That first jotting replaced an emphasis upon the identity/form/name of Tao with my tendency to control through what is named and what is not. This impulse to name, behind any naming, may bring too much Te to the table of Tao.

I’m about to bring over my signification of G*D (a simplification of a preferred cloud-of-dots advocated by Rustum Roy in Experimenting with Truth) may periodically show up as Ta* — the asterisk always pointing beyond what can be questioned or known or understood. Every definition of Tao or God misses more than it describes. This humility of form is a critical practice.

I expect to find references to Nature and the Feminine (before patriarchy) to be important correctives to our rational, capitalistic context.

Do you have a working definition of Tao and Te?

I’m interested in how to talk about Ta* and Te in mixed company (yes, they are as tricky to define as sex). Each attempted definition probably says more about the speaker than that spoken of. Nonetheless, we do try to make sense of experience. For the moment, my shorthand is: Ta* – Beyond; Te – Ethical Application.

Here I am, stuck in a delightful foreground/background optical illusion. Time to relax my gaze and practice improving my “free-viewing“.

Tao Te – 1

part of the human condition
inflation
we keep trying to turn the ordinary
eternal
everyday names are elevated
sacralized
imbued with honorifics beyond their time
universaled
hiding ourself behind emperor trees
manifesting
while trying to reveal our meaning
mystery
confusing one in its manyness
darkness
an excuse for futile alchemy
unsourced
cave blindness everywhere we look
gated
no key needed to our own closet
open

Intro to Tao Te Reflections

Welcome. I am in the process of beginning an 81-day process of responding to the Tao Te Ching as translated by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English (updated translation, ISBN 978-0-679-72434-6). Initially, this response will restate the stanza format in wesley-ese. I am shying away from adding an interpretive comment at this point. Those may come later, but initially, I am only looking at how the 81 context-setting passages strike me.

It has been claimed that the Tao Te Ching is the book most translated into English, after the “Bible”. [Note: Ching means “book”, and so does Bible.] If you are interested in a direct translation from Chinese, there are many translations available on the internet, or you can purchase the book mentioned above by using Bookshop.org and support a local bookstore. I am making no claim of accuracy or value of my responses in regard to the original – as lost as the originals of other ancient texts.

Note that my reflections are generally done without punctuation. Part of this is knowing that my second and third readings often see another way to connect the words and phrases. I am aware that this can be frustrating for readers. I have found it clarifying to read the reflections aloud. The words’ echo reveals more than the head’s cone of silence. Do add punctuation if it helps the meaning and flow for you. Another part is a note from the introduction of the book I am following: “…the whole of the Tao Te Ching is not readily translatable into any language, including Chinese!” I trust that includes a non-punctuated response. This corresponds to the original publication that included photographs (pictures worth 1,000 unpunctuated words?).

You are welcome to follow along as long as you see fit. I will appreciate any comments or corrections (even an unwelcome spam that might sneak into the comments). If you know someone who might be interested in this project, direct them to wildernessurgency.org and subscribe there.

I am aware of some irony in the active, urgent tone of the WordPress site, begun with Mark’s gospel in mind, and these comments about Tao and Te. Had he caught wind of this project, I expect Lao Tzu would shrug his shoulders and continue on his way secure that Tao is well.

There is an unsubscribe button at the end of every email. No questions will be asked if you choose to use it.

Tomorrow will bring the first response, creatively named Tao Te – 1. I invite you to wonder alongside me.

Wesley