Taoism and Lao Tzu
What I love about written history and storytelling is how they capture life in the past and show how people made the most of their circumstances. The challenge is that much of what happened wasn’t recorded, but passed on through someone’s personal perspective, shaped by how they saw and understood the world. It was often said that history was recorded through the eyes of the victor. Even as something nebulous where one’s vision is obscured or can become unclear or even cloudy… Like Heaven and Earth before the Tao.
Oral storytelling, however, was different. Sitting around a campfire or sharing events with a crowd offered a unique “first person – I was there” perspective often incorporating myths and legends to give credence to the teller’s authenticity.
What endured, or felt more consistent, was when people could see for themselves or witness the effects of change firsthand. What would become of the underlying concept of yin and yang and the I Ching. One’s actions could hint at what was ahead or even predict the likely outcome. The ability to foretell events before they occurred was to become a fine art that only a few could master.
Often it was the shaman who was considered to have a special relationship with the stars and universe, and how events were transmitted from what was considered as Heaven, who could relay how we were to take control of events before they occurred through our actions. The key is always in how we connect with and become one with our own nature, the nature of others, and the world around us.
Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching offers guidance not only on the best ways to lead others, but also on how to govern ourselves. By aligning with the universal rhythms that resonate as our virtue, we can seek out and show through our actions how these principles truly work.
The I Ching was less about fortune-telling and more about understanding the innate strengths and weaknesses within ourselves and learning how to use them to our advantage. Many commentators of this chapter (or verse) twenty-five of the Tao Te Ching, saw it as how we are to take what might be seen as unknown, and translate its meaning into how we truly are to live for us. As though we are walking the great Way, simply taking a stroll through history once again.
Throughout history, storytellers have often found it challenging to keep themselves out of the spotlight. Sometimes, just by remembering, they can’t help but become part of the very story they’re trying to tell. Although sometimes history is not only written but also witnessed. This is why turning to the commentaries of others becomes such an important step. Hearing a variety of interpretations helps us look past personal agendas and get closer to understanding the original intent of the author.
Wang Pi is one of my favorite authors who had an enormous impact. He grew up having access to one of the greatest libraries of his time in about 240AD. He wrote about Taoism not so much as a religion, but as metaphysics.
His translation/version of both the I Ching and Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching have been considered as some of the best ever recorded. If you are reading this and want a further understanding of the topic, I encourage you to read his book on the subject.
As for Verse 25 below, Wang Pi wrote this:
“If man does not turn his back on Earth, he brings peace to all. Hence, he imitates Earth. If Earth does not turn its back on Heaven, it supports all. Hence it imitates Heaven. If Heaven does not turn its back on the Tao, it covers all. Hence it imitates the Tao. And if the Tao does not turn its back on itself, it realizes its nature. Hence it imitates itself.”
Verse 25 – Coming home with the Tao
Returning to where you began you find nothing yet remain complete and indivisible.
You are simply one with the Tao.
No true beginning or end, pure and impure seem unimportant, past and future become one, good and bad the same. One with the Tao, you are unsure you exist yet are comforted by the knowledge you will live forever.
As the sage you have learned to stand-alone unwavering, travel everywhere without leaving home as you have seen and done it all before. You have become as if you were everyone and everything’s mother. As you return to the root of where it all began, seen its greatness as you have come home to the Tao.
第2５节 与道同归
你回家时两手空空，但保持完整和不可分割。你只与道在一起。
不是真正的开始和结束，纯与不纯看来不重要。过去和将来终成合一。善与恶其实相同。与道在一起，你不敢肯定长生不老之说是否使你的生活更加舒畅。
作为圣人，你学会了怎样才能与众不同。正如你已经看过做过，你可以不出门而畅游天下。你仿佛成为人和万物之母。当你叶落归根时，你也就回到了道的家。
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