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Tao te Ching 1-6 |
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A personal interpretation of the first six chapters of this Taoist classic. |
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| Inexhaustible consciousness | |
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Indescribable realityA reality which can be described is not the real reality. A name which can be named is not the unvarying name. As the origin of heaven and earth It is nameless. As the mother of all things It has many different names. The non-existent inner essence is hidden beneath desire and it is through desire that It's spatially limited manifestations are observed. Though differently named, essence and manifestation are from the same source; both are called mysteries and their source is the origin of everything. |
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Beyond DualityIf beauty then ugliness. If virtue then wickedness. Something and nothing give birth to each other; difficult and easy are necessary complements; long and short are the measure of each other; high and low are mutually determined; back and front are mutually sequencing. Therefore the spirit acts spontaneously and teaches by example. All created things derive from the spirit. It rears them but lays no claim to them. It controls them but does not oppress them. It achieves everything but does not call attention to itself. Because it does not cling to its creations they cannot be taken away. |
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Self-regulating, non-discriminatingWhere competence is rewarded there is rivalry. Where scarce goods are treasured there is theft. Where objects which excite desire are displayed there are disturbed hearts and unsettled minds. Thus fill bellies and strengthen bones; weaken wills and empty minds. Be without knowledge and desire. When knowledge arises do not let it act. That which matters happens without planning. |
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Inexhaustible consciousnessThe life force is a container which, though continuously drawn from, never becomes empty. It occupies all space and time and is the source of everything. Deep consciousness is in soft focus and is unaffected by mundane business. Up front consciousness cannot readily conceptualise the nature of what underlies it but It (the life force which is within and beyond deep consciousness) seems to be the source of everything. Whether or not It is itself created remains an open question. |
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Ruthless SageHeaven and earth are neither sentimental nor benevolent, all things are treated as straw dogs. The sage is similarly ruthless. The space between heaven and earth is immeasurable. Like a bellows it is empty but the more it is worked, the more comes out of it. Infinity minus one is still infinity. No amount of words can capture it. It is better to seek it wordlessly within. |
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The SourceHeaven and earth came through the narrow doorway which leads to the spirit of the valley called the mysterious female. It is only dimly visible and seems hardly to exist but, drawn upon relentlessly, It never empties. It is the source of heaven and earth. Hills are male and valleys female - thus yin and yan. The Tao does not contend, it takes the low ground. The route towards understanding the unity behind diversity involves hard travelling. "Narrow is the Way and straight the gate" |
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