Tao Te Ching

[Laren]

Wondering if anyone here has read this.

I found it here. http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html#1

thought it was intresting, so far; these first few quotes make me think of the "knowledge of good and evil".

When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.

Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.

[Jaytouhare]

Hmmm, IMO that'd be a stretch. Although maybe you have a different understanding of "The Knowledge of Good and Evil" than me.

Though I don't see this as one of them, I've seen a lot stuff in the Tao that sounds very similar to Bible passages. The problem is that I think many of the translators embelish them in this very way (the ones familiar with Christianity anyway). They'll turn something that may only have a slight resemblance, into something with much more.

They're able to do this because they're is SO much room for interpretation in translating the Tao. And thus, translations vary wildly.

Here (http://home.pages.at/onkellotus/TTK/_IndexTTK.html) is the best site I've discovered for studying the Tao (just scroll down for the English). As you can see there are probably a hundred different translations here alone. And I know there are more.

[Amie]

I agree Jay that a lot of folks put a lot of effort at making things look alike.

Laren -


When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

This reminds me of a situation with my son and grades. When I told him "good job" for higher grades, I suggested without words that lower grades were a "bad job" and that bred shame, guilt, and fear. It is so amazing what we communicate without words.

I'm not sure how to visualize seeing something as beautiful making something else ugly. I can see seemingly opposites both as beautiful.


Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.

So couldn't the fulfilled view be taught, without the theology? I'm not saying that no one would ever be interested in the theology, I just question whether it is a necessary component.

Amie

[Me Again]

Amie,
I think that in our Modernistic thinking, we define one thing as bad, by calling another good. This is the value in postmodern thinking - it's all about the gray area. IOW, my wife and I have two different ways of washing the dishes. Both ways accomplish the task equally as well, and in about the same amount of time. So, who does it the "good" way, and who does it the "bad" way? Neither. Both ways are acceptable. In fact, there may be a way that neither of us know about that is even faster and more thorough. Who really gives a hoot? As long as the job is done to my satisfaction, and in a reasonable amount of time (if I have all afternoon, does it matter if it takes me that long to do the dishes?), what does it really matter?

This has been the problem with Theology for centuries. The Church has tried to define things down to a minutae. Any deviation is seen as heresy, and reason for excommunication. It has also been seen as reason to start a new denomination. Either way, it is NOT the way of Christ. Christ calls all to come to the Father (or Mother, if your little heart desires). It was the Law that divided, Christ unites.

More on that later.

ed