POEM: A Lousy Take on Lao-Tse

A Lousy Take on Lao-Tse ( Te Ching 38)

When is lost
There is virtue
When virtue is lost
There is morality
When morality is lost
There is
Yet oddly
Even when
is lost
remains
The eternal rest
Giving rise to

The Tao Te Ching is the ancient Chinese text of Taoism.  The authorship is attributed to Lao-Tse, which may have been an individual or a group.  There are many English translations of the Tao Te Ching, which seem to differ greatly.  The above poem is my take on chapter 38, which seems to have stuck in my .  I was struck by the truth of the progression, or deterioration, from the ineffable of Tao to virtue, then morality, then , which is the beginning of , with being the shallowest foundation for life.  While the Tao Te Ching is necessarily perplexing, “the Tao that can be described is not the Tao,” this foundation which escapes our grasp is the very foundation which secures our .  No machinations, , nor any power on earth can overturn it or it.  This irreducible persists as an untouchable in a world bent on holding and controlling way more than called for.  This irreducible gives rise to !

The Tao Te Ching is more of a comprehensive series of hints than a textbook.  I view it as an essential companion for any . Of course, I see mysticism as the heart of any true religion.  The Tao Te Ching is very short read, especially when compared to the , the Muslim Qur'an, or especially the Vedas!  Plus, unlike perhaps most other religions and their texts, a devoted Taoist would probably suggest burning your text at some point!  This speaks of a truer than the all-too-familiar Bibliolatry of .  As a child of , I would heartily recommend the Tao Te Ching as an antidote for many of the imbalances acutely present in modern society.  's to makes us hellbent on focusing on one thing in isolation, pressuring us to ever narrower contexts and ever greater specialization.  Central in the practice of Taoists is complimentariness, , that the myriad of things that comprise our world, though arising from the of Tao, can only be comprehended by their opposites.  Perhaps the greatest formulation of this in Christianity is Jesus' command to our enemies.  Only by with our enemies can we become whole.  Any demonization of the other necessarily degrades our own .  We are defined by our enemies.  If our enemies don't define us, then we are free, and in accord with Tao.  May it be so…because it is so…

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