All he left us is his book: the classic manual on the art of living, written in a style of gemlike lucidity, radiant with humor and grace and largeheartedness and deep wisdom: one of the wonders of the world. Like an Iroquois woodsman, he left no traces. Even the meaning of his name is uncertain (the most likely interpretations: “the Old Master” or, more picturesquely, “the Old Boy”). But all the information that has come down to us is highly suspect. He may have been an older contemporary of Confucius (551-479 BCE) and may have held the position of archive-keeper in one of the petty kingdoms of the time. Since it is already well known by its Chinese title, I have let that stand.Ībout Lao-tzu there is practically nothing to be said. Why did the ancient Masters esteem the Tao?Īnd when you make a mistake, you are forgiven.Tao Te Ching (pronounced, more or less, Dow Deh Jing) can be translated as The Book of the Immanence of the Way or The Book of the Way and of How It Manifests Itself in the World or, simply, The Book of the Way. He considers those who point out his fault No greater misfortune than having an enemy. No greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself, When you realize there is nothing lacking, If you don’t understand this, you will get lost, What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher? When the clouds pass, the sun shines through.Ī good scientist has freed himself of concepts She is present, and can welcome all things. Till your mud settles and the water is clear? When you are content to be simply yourself, The author was most definitely an enlightened individual who had tapped into the deeper workings of our world. It’s one of those books that you love, not because it teaches you anything new, but because it articulates that which you know to be true from experience, as all good books do. I’ve heard people say that the book is very much like a Rorschach test, in the sense that it reflects the reader, and his or her own state of mind, more than anything else.
It’s a short volume, but dense with wisdom and universal truths. I read the book during a time in my life when the content resonated very deeply with me. In fact, he gave me a copy of it as a gift (the Stephen Mitchell translation, to be exact). I first learned of the Tao Te Ching in 2010 after a strong recommendation from long-time friend.
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