The Splendor of Tao

By Lao Chang

Chinese philosophy would invent the notion of Tao.  It can mean anything like the Way, Nature, God, the right way, truth, existence, and the principle of Nature.  Here in this work, we will explore verses on Tao to discuss its inner nature, sublimity, and essence.  Its idea pervades China, Eastern Philosophy, Taoism, and Chinese traditional movements.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tim Voigt
• Release date: Apr 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215114988

Book preview

Introduction:

Taoism is an age-old faith of China.  It began with thinkers named Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, and others.  It would result in many books.  These books would inspire Taoism.

Tao is an ancient Chinese concept meaning order, the Way, Nature, and more.  It is timeless, mystical, and something more than can be comprehended.  It underlies the Chinese life and way of thinking.  It pervades Chinese philosophy.  In this book, we will review verses on Tao.  These verses discuss the nature of Tao, simplicity, and the natural fervor of the Chinese way.  In this book, we will study the nature of Tao more closely.

Verse 1

Tao is a word of many meanings.

It can be one, all, the right way, the true path, truth, right conduct, and the way of things.

It is rightness, goodness, success, the way to be, and the way things are.

It can stand for anything and for this it may be the greatest word of all.

Verse 2

Oneness is all things made part of a whole.

It is self-complete, whole, all, unique, and monolithic of itself.

To break it apart destroys what it is.

To know something, a person must become one with it.

Oneness is part of all things and is all things.

Man seeks oneness and when he achieves it, finds himself.

Verse 3

Man seeks after Tao.

When he does this, he finds wisdom with things.

He must search hard.  He seeks wholeness, understanding, oneness, and rightness of truth.

Man completes his search for Tao when he achieves mastery.

This is when he knows and Tao is one with him.

Verse 4

Te is virtue.

It is right conduct, right ways, right thinking, and all things are right.

Vice is opposite of this.

Man should seek virtue and avoid vice.

He should hate vice and disgard it from his life.

Verse 5

Vice is lack of virtue.

It results in all manner of ill like sloppiness, slovenliness, ugliness, slowness, dullness, and sloth.

The cultivation of vice drags Man down.

It breeds all manner of ill and his fellow Man despises the person of vice.

Vice is evil, dark, laziness, dullness, badness, and tragedy.

Fight vice in yourself so it may not consume you.

Verse 6

Yin and yang are opposites of each other.

They are reflections in a mirror, complementing each other.

Yin is the left, female, weak, light, and all issues to the positive.

Yang is the right, male, strong, dark, and all issues to the negative.

Together they are one, forming a whole, intertwining with each other, making the other whole.

Verse 7

No one has understood Tao.

It lies outside of Man’s understanding.

It is in all things, yet beyond what any thing is.

It is mystical, bewildering, confusing, and transcendental to Man’s mind.

If this were not so, then all could understand Tao and it would be understood.

Verse 8

Truth is part of Tao and is one with Tao.

Truth is rightness, goodness, facts, and what can be verified.

Truth is the opposite of wrongness, lie, and falsehood.

Man seeks to know truth.

However in order to know truth, he must also know lie.

Verse 9

Righteousness is seeking after Tao.

Righteousness is part of Tao and oneness with Tao.

Seek after it in all things.

When this is done, Man becomes noble.

Nobility becomes one with Man and Man can become one with Tao.

Verse 10

Tao embraces all things.

All things are part of Tao.

There is no outside to Tao only inside.

Everything is inside.

Tao has no edge.

Tao is infinite.

Tao is whole.

In all things is Tao the container, the possessor, and oneness of everything.

Verse 11

Tao is in fact nameless.

Tao itself is a word of convenience meant to mean Tao itself.

The word Tao is inappropriate to Tao.

It means nothing, yet it means Tao.

A name is a label to mean something.

Because Tao cannot be understood, the word Tao does not mean Tao.

Verse 12

Good and evil are opposites of each other.

Good refers to all things rightness, good, and correct of conduct.

Evil refers to all things bad, of incorrectness of conduct.

Man honors good and judges other men as either good or evil.

Man hates the evil.

Man will uplift the good and punish the evil.

Man seeks to know good and evil.

Verse 13

Desire is a lust to have what one does not have.

It can consume Man.

When Man is possessed of lust, he does not see Tao.

He will be lead on a journey of waste, evil, darkness, and loss.

When his lust is satisfied, he may lust yet for something else.

Lust is of vice, therefore it is of yang.

Lust needs to be understood and contained.

If lust is let go, it can consume Man to the point of destruction.

Verse 14

Teachers seek to convey Tao to students.

When students learn well, they grow in Tao.

When they are one with Tao, they understand.

For every subject of learning, there is a Tao.

Tao is in all things and requires explaining.

Verse 15

Wisdom is oneness with Tao.

It is not easy to learn.

It must be sought after in reading, experimenting, and learning.

When understanding is achieved, so Tao is also achieved.

Verse 16

Prosperity and poverty are twins of each other.

Prosperity means to have, to live well, and blessing is upon Man.

Poverty means to have not, to live poorly, and tragedy is upon Man.

Man favors the prosperous over the poor.

Man seeks after the prosperous and raises them to elite.

Man disdains the poor and curses the poor as somehow a tragedy of Man.

Verse 17

Fullness and emptiness are of yin and yang.

Fullness is to have, to fill, to possess, and to reach the maximum.

Emptiness is to have not, to empty, to not possess, and to reach the minimum.

Fullness and emptiness is found in all things.

Fullness is meaningful, goodness, of the yin.

Emptiness is meaningless, evil, of the yang.

Verse 18

Treasure refers to what is identified with wealth.

Many things are called treasure.

Such things are gold, silver, food, gems, pearls, and precious items.

Man seeks after treasure.

His seeking can lead to lust and this is called greed.

When his lust is so enormous, he will not see Tao, and tragedy can befall Man.

Verse 19

Tao is