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Dao De Jing Chapter 1  Dao may be accepted as "Dao", but that would conflict with the constant motion of Dao. A name may be accepted as a "Name", but that would conflict with the constant motion of what's been given a name. Everything started out without needing to be named or categorized. When they were seen as things that needed to be nurtured, they were then given names. Therefore: If you constantly have the attitude of not wanting anything, then you'd look at even the smallest thing as being significant. If you constantly have the attitude of wanting things, then you'd look at the boundaries and limits. Both of those attitudes can fit together with each other, even though they're thought to be quite different. Trying to fit them together is said to be one of the most profound mysteries. That's the doorway to even more mysteries.  Commentary: 1 ~ What is Dao? It seems appropriate that The Laozi would start with this question. Many of you who are reading this book are probably wondering just what is this “thing” called Dao. People tend to think that if they can explain and categorize everything in the world, they can get rid of doubts. Scientists have come up with names for everything they’ve discovered in the universe. Botanists have named every plant on this earth, and biologists have named every part of the body. It might help to think of Dao as a verb instead of a noun. You can’t actually see a verb, can you? Dao is more like a constantly moving process. Think of how fuzzy something appears when it’s moving fast in front of your eyes. You can’t quite figure out what it is, but you know something’s there. That might be close to how you can think of Dao - you don’t quite know what it is, but you know something’s there. -Dao may be accepted as "Dao", but that would conflict with the constant motion of Dao. -A name may be accepted as a "Name", but that would conflict with the constant motion of what's been given a name. People have attempted to explain Dao by giving it a name, and The Laozi provided a word that could be used for it. Since we live in a world where words are used to express feelings and thoughts, we have no choice but to use words when trying to communicate with each other. However, any name is static (non-moving). Even though we can use the word "Dao," we have to remember Dao isn't something that can be labeled or placed into a test tube and analyzed. It's constantly changing its form and shape, just like people are constantly changing their attitudes and emotions; like any living thing changes from one day to the next. -Everything started out without needing to be named or categorized. -When they were seen as things that needed to be nurtured, they were then given names. Before anything came into existence (or became apparent to our conscious minds) there was no need to give it a name, create a descriptive word for it, or try to consciously understand what it is. The first time you saw an unusual animal or plant, it seemed incredibly mysterious. Your first reaction might have been to appreciate its beauty, then someone explained to you what its name was and what species it belonged to. Didn't some of the wonder and awe evaporate once you had a "name" for it? Sometimes it's delightful to simply appreciate things without trying to analyze or categorize them. -Therefore: -If you constantly have the attitude of not wanting anything, then you'd look at even the smallest thing as being significant. -If you constantly have the attitude of wanting things, then you'd look at the boundaries and limits. Have you ever been in a situation when you were just walking down the street with no particular goal in mind - just enjoying the walk? As you looked around you might have seen an interesting plant in someone’s yard, or watched a fluffy cloud cross the sky, or smelled a delicious aroma, or heard the happy bark of a playful dog. You were able to enjoy each of those things because your mind was clear of other worries. Each of those things seemed delightfully placed there for you to enjoy. On the other hand, if you were walking with the intention of getting somewhere, you might miss those things because you were so riveted on getting where you were going. You might be thinking you wished your legs could move faster because you were running late, or that the cars passing on the road you had to cross were a big nuisance. -Both of those attitudes can fit together with each other, even though they're thought to be quite different. Have you now made a decision that one of those ways of walking is better than the other? Would you rather be able to stop and enjoy the roses than be hurrying along to your destination? Or maybe you don’t see any use in stopping to smell the frigging roses - you’ve got stuff to do? The Laozi seems to be suggesting there's no reason to constantly remain in one frame of mind or the other. It's possible to appreciate both of them - in their own time. -Trying to fit them together is said to be one of the most profound mysteries. -That's the doorway to even more mysteries. Yes, it can cause a lot of confusion in our minds when we try to see that both ways can be beneficial to our lives. Why prefer one over the other? It requires the mind to find a new way of experiencing - that would allow us to enjoy a walk when we’re just walking, and to pay attention to our goal when we’re trying to get somewhere. Each day can bring new mysteries, if we don’t get riveted on just one way of looking at things and experiences. If you approach this book as though you were taking a casual walk without a definite purpose in mind, you’ll find lots of suggestions that might be beneficial to your life - little gems that sing to your heart in ways that you won’t feel the need to completely unerstand. If you approach this book with a definite goal in mind - maybe looking to solve a problem you’re having - it can help you see how your rigid way of thinking is creating limits on yourself - and they will be things you can definitely understand, The Laozi suggests that you might also be able to switch between those different approaches at any time while reading this book, and in your own life. What does this way of experiencing things have to do with the questtion: “What is Dao?" If you think of Dao as a process that includes everything you do, feel, sense and experience in your life, you might not feel the need to stick to one way of doing things, but be open to the mysterious and delightfful ways you can find enjoyment and happiness in whatever you happen to be doing. Alternate translation: You can call what we’re going to talk about Dao, but don’t try to figure out what it is. You can give a name to anything, but that doesn’t tell you what it is. Nothing was born with a name. People came up with names for them all. If you’re not looking for anything in particular, everything looks good. If you’re looking for something in particular, it’s harder to find. Sometimes you look and sometimes you don’t. Both are cool. How can you be looking for something and not be looking for something at the same time? That’s where the fun begins. Historical Notes: In ancient China the King was given the power to place names on everything. If the King decided to usurp a specific Chinese word for another purpose, then a new word had to be created to replace the previous one. A whole philosophy arose called the "School of Names", and various scholars and philosophers had heated debates about just what any word referred to. They would ask such questions as "How do you know a horse is a horse? Is a white horse different than a black horse?" Also, "If you want to show the difference between what is a horse and what is not, then don't compare two horses." It got very confusing as the scholars tried to one-up each other. Laozi showed how absurd it was to argue about names, as what is called a horse today might be called an elephant tomorrow. Does the essence of the horse change when its name is changed? Does the essence of Dao change if someone chooses to call it by another name? Rather than trying to prove one ideology is right and another is wrong, look to the usefulness in each one of them. Observe the essence, and observe the name. Those who think they have some sort of power by being able to change the name or fate of anything have lost the ability to benefit from the mysteries of life. Dao Is Open Site Map | BY: Nina | Guodian Laozi | DDJ Concordance | Comparisons | Who was Laozi | | Return Home | Laozi's Dao De Jing | Your Dao De Jing | Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) | Links | Meditation | Dao (Tao) is Open Forum | Book List | Other Stuff | |
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