These poems were inspired by conversations that took place during the winter and spring of 1998 on a Web-based bulletin board dedicated to the Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu.
With taoist philosophy as the backdrop, the bulletin board fostered many exchanges of thought about meaning, peace of mind, and "what do I do next?" While I have no expertise as a taoist scholar, I felt compelled to contribute something from my own experience.
So, rather than making speeches or giving advice, I wrote poems.
The paintings accompany the poems simply because I find them beautiful. To learn about these images, just click on them.
I hope that you enjoy
the thoughts in these pages.
Links:
"Stop thinking, and end your
problems."
Lao
Tzu
Next to the Bible, the Tao Te Ching is the world's most translated text. (literally, "the classic of the way of virtue," Tao: the way of life; Te: virtue; Ching: text or classic)
Lao Tzu an honorific tile given the sage who is said to have written the Tao Te Ching. The title means "Old Master."
No one knows the specific date of Lao Tzu's birth, but scholars place his life between 600 and 300 B.C.E. It is said that during his lifetime, Lao Tzu's wise counsel attracted many followers, but he refused to set his ideas down in writing because he believed that written words might solidify into formal dogma. He wanted his philosophy to remain a natural way to live. Since he believed a person's conduct should be governed by instinct and conscience, he laid down no rigid code of behavior.
Lao Tzu encouraged people to observe and seek to understand the laws of nature, to develop trustworthy intuition, and to cultivate their personal power. Living in harmony with the natural movement of Life, they could use their power to live with goodness, serenity, love, and respect.
Legend says that late in his life, Lao Tzu was saddened by the human condition and set off into the desert on a water buffalo, leaving civilization behind. When he arrived at the final gate at the great wall protecting the kingdom, the gatekeeper persuaded him to record the principles of his philosophy for posterity. The result was the eighty-one chapters of the Tao Te Ching.
The first six characters of the Tao Te Ching read, "tao k'e tao fei chang tao," which most scholars translate as "The way that can be spoken of is not the eternal way."
While still disclaiming any expertise, I prefer the translation, "The way that can be made into a way is not the eternal way," meaning that no one can define a way by which others should live. We must find it ourselves.