Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Tao te Ching Chapter One

Thomas Brill and myself, Brian Parks, meet once a week to discuss the nature of existance and other topics of interest. We figured why not speculate on a specific topic each week just for laughs. Our first one is big. The 81 chapters of the Tao the Ching written approximately 300 or 400 BCE.
This week we start with chapter one. We are laypersons with no special training or knowledge giving our first impressions of the 1989 Hendricks translation.

As for the Way, the Way that can be spoken of is not the constant Way;
As for names, the name that can be named is not the constant name.
The nameless is the beginning of the ten thousand things;
The named is the mother of the ten thousand things.

Therefore, those constantly without desires, by this means will perceive its subtlety.
Those constantly with desires, by this means will see only that which they yearn for and seek.

These two together emerge;
They have different names yet they're called the same;
That which is even more profound that the profound
The gateway of all subtleties.


Link to episode one