A Lousy Take on Lao-Tse (Tao Te Ching 38)
When Tao is lost
There is virtue
When virtue is lost
There is morality
When morality is lost
There is propriety
Yet oddly
Even when
Awe is lost
Tao remains
The eternal rest
Giving rise to awe
The Tao Te Ching is the ancient Chinese sacred 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 mind. I was struck by the truth of the progression, or deterioration, from the ineffable unity of Tao to virtue, then morality, then propriety, which is the beginning of chaos, with propriety 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 hope. No machinations, cruelty, nor any power on earth can overturn it or control it. This irreducible hope persists as an untouchable in a world bent on holding and controlling way more than called for. This irreducible hope gives rise to awe!
The Tao Te Ching is more of a comprehensive series of hints than a textbook. I view it as an essential companion for any mystic. 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 Christian Bible, the Muslim Qur’an, or especially the Hindu Vedas! Plus, unlike perhaps most other religions and their sacred texts, a devoted Taoist would probably suggest burning your sacred text at some point! This speaks of a truer reverence than the all-too-familiar Bibliolatry of Western civilization. As a child of Western civilization, I would heartily recommend the Tao Te Ching as an antidote for many of the imbalances acutely present in modern society. Western civilization’s addiction to scientific reductionism 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, Yin and Yang, that the myriad of things that comprise our world, though arising from the unity of Tao, can only be comprehended by their opposites. Perhaps the greatest formulation of this in Christianity is Jesus’ command to love our enemies. Only by reconciliation with our enemies can we become whole. Any demonization of the other necessarily degrades our own humanity. 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…
