Lao Tzu is one of the most important Taoist Sages and Teachers of all time. One of his greatest contributions was the Tao Teh Ching (Sacred/Heavenly text of Tao’s [God’s] Virtues). The Tao Teh Ching is the second most published and translated book in the world; behind only the Bible.
We will save a history of the Tao Teh Ching and Lao Tzu for another article. The purpose here is to correct and explain a common misinterpretation and mistranslation of one of the most important tenets of the text; the first two lines of the first section.
A brief historical note is necessary here to clarify the intended point. The Tao Teh Ching was recorded 2,500 years ago in Classical Chinese script. This poses many problems for translators:
- Very few people today are able to read and write Classical Chinese
- The text was encrypted with Taoist writing techniques hiding the true meaning and often misleading those who do not have mastery of Taoism
- In order to read the Tao Teh Ching today, it must first (unless you understand Classical Chinese) be translated from Classical Chinese into Modern or Simplified Chinese (Mandarin)
- For the rest of the world the text must then be translated into another language ie: English, German etc…
Popular Translations
As you can imagine, if one mistake is made in this process or if one piece is missing even though you may be reading the Tao Teh Ching, it can become quite difficult to say you are reading “The Tao Teh Ching” as written by Lao Tzu. The first two lines will demonstrate this problem.
- Tao Te Ching, Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English (25th Anniversary Edition): “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name…”
- Tao Te Ching, James Legge: “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…”
- The Complete works of Lao Tzu, Hua-Ching Ni: “Tao, the subtle reality of the universe cannot be described. That which can be described in words is merely a conception of the mind. Although names and descriptions have been applied to it, the subtle reality is beyond description…”
- Revealing the Tao Te Ching, Hu Xuezhi: “The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name…”
Note: this is only a selection of the vast array of translations available and is used to describe an overall trend in practically all of the available translations of the Tao Teh Ching.
The overall trend and intention of the translations of the first two lines is to say: The Tao cannot be named and cannot be spoken of. Dear reader, please ponder this meaning for a moment….
Why would Lao Tzu a Taoist Sage, chief/head/minister of the Imperial Archives write a book with the title The Sacred text of God’s Virtues, and continue to write 81 sections about these Virtues, if Tao cannot be named and cannot be spoken of?
The simple answer is:
The common translation and interpretation of the first two lines (as well as others) is not correct and not what Lao Tzu wrote.
If you carefully examine the Classical script along with the knowledge of Taoist Philosophy & Science you come up with an entirely different translation:
“The Tao can be spoken of, thought about and practiced.”
“The Great Tao has no bodily form, but It produced and nourishes heaven and earth. The Great Tao has no passions, but It causes the sun and moon to revolve as they do. The Great Tao has no name, but It effects the growth and maintenance of all things. I do not know its name, but I make an effort, and call It the Tao” (The Great Tao by Dr. Stephen T. Chang & Ching Chin Ching: The Classic of Purity by James Legge).
Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Teh Ching for the same reason Fu Xi recorded the I-Ching and Huang Di wrote “The Classic of the Internal”, because Tao can be spoken of, thought about, taught, practiced and experienced. This is why Lao Tzu described it as “My Tao is easy to follow and simple to practice, yet very few will.”
As Lao Tzu said: “The highest person upon hearing the Tao immediately practices it, the average person upon hearing the Tao thinks about it or is unimpressed, the lowest person upon hearing of the Tao laughs loudly. If there was no laughter than it would not be the Tao.”
May the path and your journey be more clear.
Enjoy this article? Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button above.
Recent Comments