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THE TAO TEH CHING - part 1 of 5
original filename: taote1-5.txt
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This file is the work of Stan Rosenthal. It has been placed here, with his kind
permission, by Bill Fear. The author has asked that no hard copies, ie. paper
copies, are made.
Stan Rosenthal may be contacted at 44 High street, St. Davids, Pembrokeshire,
Dyfed, Wales, UK. Bill Fear may be contacted at 29 Blackweir Terrace, Cathays,
Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, UK. Tel (0222) 228858 email fear@thor.cf.ac.uk.
Please use email as first method of contact, if possible. Messages can be sent
to Stan Rosenthal via the above email address - they will be forwarded on in
person by myself - B.F.
NOTE:
You may find and odd sentence or missing information every now and again in the
files. Hopefully not to frequently. This is because the files were originally
written on a machine using CP/M and had to be converted to dos format. Many of
the 5.25 disks were very old and had bad sectors - thus missing info.
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C O N T E N T S
INTRODUCTORY NOTES:
PREFACE
BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
NOTES ON THE INTERPRETATION
TRANSLATION OF LAO TZU'S TAO TE CHING
1. THE EMBODIMENT OF TAO
2. LETTING GO OF COMPARISONS
3. WITHOUT SEEKING ACCLAIM
4. THE UNFATHOMABLE TAO
5. WITHOUT INTENTION
6. COMPLETION
7. SHEATHING THE LIGHT
8. THE WAY OF WATER
9. WITHOUT EXTREMES
10. CLEANING THE DARK MIRROR
11. THE UTILITY OF NON-EXISTENCE
12. THE REPRESSION OF DESIRES
13. UNMOVED AND UNMOVING
14. EXPERIENCING THE MYSTERY
15. THE MANIFESTATION OF THE TAO IN MAN
16. RETURNING TO THE ROOT
17. LEADERSHIP BY EXCEPTION
18. THE DECAY OF ETHICS
19. RETURNING TO NATURALNESS
20. BEING DIFFERENT FROM ORDINARY MEN
21. FINDING THE ESSENCE OF TAO
22. YIELDING TO MAINTAIN INTEGRITY
23. ACCEPTING THE IRREVOCABLE
24. EXCESS
25. THE CREATIVE PRINCIPLE OF TAO
26. CENTRING
27. FOLLOWING THE TAO
28. RETAINING INTEGRITY
29. TAKING NO ACTION
30. A CAVEAT AGAINST VIOLENCE
31. MAINTAINING PEACE
32. IF THE TAO WERE OBSERVED
33. WITHOUT FORCE: WITHOUT PERISHING
34. WITHOUT CONTRIVING
35. THE BENEVOLENT HOST
36. OVERCOMING
37. THE EXERCISE OF LEADERSHIP
38. THE CONCERNS OF THE GREAT
39. SUFFICIENCY AND QUIETNESS
40. BEING AND NOT BEING
41. SAMENESS AND DIFFERENCE
42. THE TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE TAO
43. AT ONE WITH THE TAO
44. SUFFICIENCY
45. CHANGES
46. MODERATING DESIRE AND AMBITION
47. DISCOVERING THE DISTANT
48. FORGETTING KNOWLEDGE
49. THE VIRTUE OF RECEPTIVITY
50. THE VALUE SET ON LIFE
51. THE NOURISHMENT OF THE TAO
52. RETURNING TO THE SOURCE
53. EVIDENCE
54. CULTIVATING INSIGHT
55. MYSTERIOUS VIRTUE
56. VIRTUOUS PASSIVITY
57. SIMPLIFICATION
58. TRANSFORMATIONS ACCORDING TO CIRCUMSTANCES
59. GUARDING THE TAO
60. RULING
61. HUMILITY
62. SHARING THE TREASURE
63. BEGINNING AND COMPLETING
64. STAYING WITH THE MYSTERY
65. VIRTUOUS GOVERNMENT
66. LEADING FROM BEHIND
67. THE THREE PRECIOUS ATTRIBUTES
68. WITHOUT DESIRE
69. THE USE OF THE MYSTERIOUS TAO
70. HIDDEN IDENTITY
71. WITHOUT SICKNESS
72. LOVING THE SELF
73. ACTING WITH A SUFFICIENCY
74. USURPING THE TAO
75. INJURING THROUGH GREED
76. AGAINST TRUSTING IN STRENGTH
77. THE WAY OF THE TAO
78. SINCERITY
79. FULFILLING ONE'S OBLIGATIONS
80. STANDING ALONE
81. MANIFESTING SIMPLICITY
LAO TZU
TAO TE CHING
TRANSLATED BY S.ROSENTHAL
I N T R O D U C T O R Y N O T E S
(Preface; Bibliography and References;
Acknowledgements;Introduction; Notes on the Interpretation)
PREFACE
A number of problems arise when translating any work from a written language,
such as early Chinese, into twentieth century English. One such problem is the
difference between the written forms of the two languages, another is the
difference between the two cultures, and a third is the time which elapsed
between the writing of the original work, in this instance, some time between
six hundred and three hundred years before the Christian era, and the
compilation of the textual arrangement by Wang Bih, dating from the third
century A.D., used today.
There are however, other problems for any translator/interpreter of this work.
The first is the number of changes in the form of written Chinese characters
since the original work was written. At least one such change occurred prior
to the arrangement of the text by Wang Bih, and at least another three have been
implemented since his time.
The source of another problem has been described by Dr. L. Wieger (please see
bibliography/reference section below) as, ".... the ignorance of scribes who
continually brought to light faulty forms which were .... reproduced by
posterity ....".
Another problem related to those mentioned immediately above is the change in
writing instruments used by Chinese scribes. With the invention of the paint
brush, the efficient 'fibre tipped pen' (made from vegetable fibre soaked in
ink, and held in a hollow bamboo tube) fell into disuse. The resultant change
in writing style was due to the fact that the writer had less control over the
stroke of a brush than of an instrument with a fine, firm tip. Despite this
handicap, the brush could be used to paint on silk, and was considered to
produce a more 'artistic' form of calligraphy than the earlier instrument.
Furthermore, it became almost a 'hallmark of a gentleman' to write in a free,
flowing and virtually illegible style. There can be no doubt that this was the
cause of many errors which were made and subsequently compounded.
A further problem is the possibility of confusion, caused in part by the
multiple meanings of some of the limited number of characters said to have been
used in the original text, this being attributed to the cryptic style of Lao
Tzu. It is also in part a result of the nature of early Chinese grammatical
structure itself. Even if a literal translation were desirable, it would make
little sense to the reader schooled only in Western grammar, who would therefore
be unfairly presented with the problem of 'guessing the missing words', which,
it may be said, is a primary function of the translator of any work such as
this.
Having discussed the problems which exist for the translator of such a work as
the Tao Te Ching, it is only reasonable to mention briefly the problem which
exists for the reader, concerning the significance of various influences upon a
translator.
There are already at least forty-two English translations of this work (listed
by Clark Melling of the University of New Mexico), each, I am sure, carried out
as ably and honestly as was possible. However, it is difficult, if not
impossible, for any person not to be influenced by the philosophy, beliefs,
culture and politics of their own society, historical period and education
system.
Even a brief glance at various translations of the work of Lao Tzu will
illustrate how such a 'hidden curriculum' surreptitiously imposes itself upon
even the most honest of men, thus creating a major problem for the reader. This
is the case even for the reader who merely hopes to see an accurate English
rendering of the work, but the reader's problems are compounded if he or she
seeks a translation which presents a reasonably accurate description of Taoism
(Tao Chia), the 'system' of which the Tao Te Ching is a major work. It must be
said of the existing English translations, that most treat the Tao Te Ching as a
literary or poetic work, whilst many others treat it as a work of mysticism,
rather than a work of classical scholarship, which I believe it to be,
describing the key concepts of Taoist philosophy (tao chia) expressed in a
poetic manner. My intention here has been to provide a translation suitable for
those readers wishing to discover something of that philosophy, as described in
one of its major works.
On the matter of 'translation', I should state that I consider the term to be a
misnomer when applied to an English rendering of this classical Chinese work.
For the reasons mentioned above, I believe that any such work is at least as
much, and probably more a matter of interpretation than of literal translation.
This problem is admirably expressed by Arthur Hummel, former Head of the
Division of Orientalia at the Library of Congress when he writes in his foreword
to Dr. C.H. Wu's translation (referenced), "Any translation is an interpretation
.... for the language of one tradition does not provide exact verbal equivalents
for all the creative ideas of another tradition."
Whilst I have tried to ensure the accuracy of my own sources, this does not of
course guarantee the accuracy of the result. Furthermore, since I have not
attempted to be literally accurate in my interpretation, and because this
rendering is not intended to compete with such translations, I have listed below
some titles, including ten translations of the Tao Te Ching, which have been of
value in this undertaking. They are listed in order to acknowledge the work of
the translators, as well as to provide alternative sources for those readers
wishing to conduct their own research and comparisons. The other titles are
those of books on the Chinese language, and these are listed for the benefit of
those readers wishing to undertake their own translations.
BIBLIOGRAHY AND REFERENCES
'Tao Te Ching', translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English, is published by
Wildwood House. It concerns itself with the 'spiritual level of being', and
contains Chinese characters written in a cursive form which although not always
easy to read, are certainly aesthetically pleasing. However, the photographs
which illustrate this edition are also pleasing to the eye, and it is as much
for the illustrations as for the translation that this edition is recommended.
'Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching' is translated by D.C. Lau, and published by Penguin Books
in their 'Penguin Classics' series. It is currently in its seventeenth
printing, the first edition dating from nineteen sixty-three. Although this
translation is written in a style which I find rather too literal for my own
taste, it carries a very lucid introduction, as well as footnotes, a glossary
and a reference section, all of which recommend it to the reader who wishes to
check reference sources.
'Truth and Nature', by Cheng Lin, published in Hong Kong, does not claim to be a
translation, but interprets the Tao Te Ching in a very interesting manner. Two
arrangements of the Chinese text are included, one according to the arrangement
of Wang Bih. The reader wishing to use the original language as a source will
find the Chinese text in this edition of value. It must be emphasized however,
that there are a number of Chinese texts available. Whilst these usually
conform to Wang Bih's arrangment of the text, they do vary in detail.
'The Simple Way of Lao Tsze' (sic) is a very pleasant analysis of the Tao Te
Ching first published by 'The Shrine of Wisdom' in London some sixty years ago.
It contains many footnotes, and is an interpretation rather than a direct
translation, attempting to describe the 'spirit' of Taoism, and doing so without
pretence. However, some readers may find the nomenclature somewhat esoteric
(although it is only reasonable to expect that the same criticism might be
levelled at my own interpretation).
'Lao-Tzu: "My Words are very easy to understand" ' by Man-jan Cheng, translated
by Tam C.Gibbs, and published by North Atlantic Books, is a Confucionist (rather
than Taoist) rendering. It therefore contains material of value to the student
who wishes to 'see both sides of the coin'. This edition consists of a series of
lectures by Man-jan Cheng, and includes the Chinese texts of both the Tao Te
Ching and the lectures. The printing of the Chinese characters is large and
clearly printed, which commends it to the student requiring a text in the
'original' language, although it must be emphasized that there are a number of
differences between the Chinese text in this edition and that of Dr. Wu,
mentioned immediately below.
The translation by Dr. J.C.H. Wu is in its eighteenth printing, a fact which
will not surprise any reader of this delightful little edition. Small in size,
and containing an excellently drafted Chinese text, this translation is likely
to appeal to the reader who is of the Catholic faith.
'The Way and Its Power' is the title of the translation by Arthur Waley,
published as 'A Mandala Book' by Unwin Paperbacks. As the translator himself
says, it "represents a compromise...", but even so it is possibly the most
widely read translation in the U.K. It is for this reason that it is included
it as a reference work worthy of reading. The use of the word 'power' in the
title of this translation provides a clue to the style of the translator, who
employs very strong academic (but non-Taoist) arguments, which are made in his
copious introduction.
The translation entitled 'Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu', translated by A.J. Bahm, and
published by Frederick Ungar is well supported by notes in an 'afterword'. The
translation itself is written in a very pleasant and easy-to-read style, which
is (unfortunately) unusual for the work of a professor of philosophy.
'Tao: A New Way of Thinking' by Chang Chung-yuan, published by Harper and Row,
is a translation which contains excellent commentaries and footnotes. The
translator undoubtedly has expert historical and philosophical knowledge which
he puts to good use in this excellent edition, in which he compares various
aspects of Taoist philosophy with that of European philosophers.
The tenth translation used for my own researches is 'The Tao Te Ching of Lao
Tzu' translated by James Legge as one of a two volume set of 'The Texts of
Taoism', published by Dover Publications. Although written in eighteen-ninety,
this translation withstands the test of time extremely well. The translator was
very knowledegable in his subject, as well as of Chinese philosophy, literature
and religions, and does not hesitate to state his opinions, arguing a strong
case where these differ from those of other translators from the Chinese.
Because of the changes in calligraphic style mentioned earlier, any student
wishing to conduct their own research into the Chinese text of the Tao Te Ching
will need to be at least familiar with the relationship between modern and
classical Chinese characters.
An outstanding book covering the 'middle period' is the 'Ch'ien Tzu Wen'
(Thousand Character Classic) of Chou Hsing-szu, written some time between 507
and 521 A.D., an excellent English language edition being that edited by F. W.
Paar, with calligraphy by Fong-Chih Lui, and published by Frederick Ungar in
1963. This edition also carries translations in French, German and Latin.
Although it is not a rendering of the Tao Te Ching, it contains many passages
from that work.
'Chinese Characters' by L. Wieger, translated from the French by L. Davrout
(mentioned previously) is a lexicon with etymological lessons, but also contains
both a phonetic dictionary and a dictionary of characters arranged by 'radicals'
(the means by which it is possible to 'find' a character written in 'Kanji', the
root form of both Chinese and Japanese writing in a dictionary). This book also
contains a number of examples of 'early period' characters which will be of
value to those readers interested in the calligraphy and other graphic
communication.
In similar vein, 'Analysis of Chinese Characters', by G.D. Wilder and J.H.
Ingram, published by Dover Publications, complements the work of Wieger, listing
one thousand and two characters, together with derivations and modern
alternatives.
Chang Hsuan's work on 'The Etymologies of 3000 Chinese Characters in Common
Usage', published by Hong Kong University Press, also shows the derivations of
many Chinese characters, from the 'small seal' script. Unfortunately however,
this book contains virtually no English and is therefore intended primarily for
the student who is already proficient in the Chinese language.
The earliest form of Chinese writing predates even the Tao Te Ching, and
possibly originates from the same period as the original I Ching of Fu Hsi.
This writing consists of characters inscribed on bone, shell and antler horn,
the collection being known as 'The Couling-Chalfant Collection of Inscribed
Oracle Bones'. The collection has long been dissipated, some pieces being in
the Royal Scottish Museum (Edinburgh), some in the Carnegie Museum (Pittsburg),
other pieces in the British Museum (London), and the remainder in the Field
Museum of Natural History (Chicago). Fortunately though, an excellent catalogue
exists, drawn by F.H. Chalfant, edited by R.S. Britton, and published by the
Commercial Press, Shanghai, in 1935. This book illustrates each of the pieces,
showing the characters inscribed on the original material. It is a particularly
valuable work for those interested in tracing the origins of many of the Chinese
characters in use to this day. Translations are not provided.
The philosopher Chuang Tzu, a follower of Lao Tzu, did much to clarify the
somewhat criptic style of his teacher. The book 'Chuang Tzu' translated by H.A.
Giles, published by Unwin Paperbacks, renders the sayings of the later master
into English in a clear and fine literary style. This book, said to have been
originally written by Chuang Tzu himself sometime between the fourth and third
centuries before the Christian era, contains a number of references to the Tao
Te Ching. For this reason it is a valuable book, but its value is increased by
the humour and depth inherent in Chuang Tzu's writing.
It may be of interest to some readers that the dictionaries I have used are Lin
Yutang's 'Chinese English Dictionary of Modern Usage', published by the Chinese
University of Hong Kong, and Andrew Nelson's 'The Modern Reader's
Japanese-English Character Dictionary', published by Charles E. Tuttle.
Since it may seem strange that I have used a Japanese dictionary to translate a
Chinese work, it is perhaps worth mentioning that many Japanese characters are
Chinese in origin, and that the characters in Andrew Nelson's dictionary are
listed in a sequence, and according to a system different from the same
characters in the dictionary by Lin Yutang. Although the spoken Chinese and
Japanese languages differ considerably, the written Japanese language has its
roots in the Chinese. I therefore use the Japanese dictionary as a
'cross-reference' for finding the meaning of characters which I have difficulty
in locating by Lin- Yutang's arrangement.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The fact that I have not listed more of the forty-two English translations of
the Tao Te Ching is not meant to reflect in any way on their quality, but simply
means that I have not used them on this occasion; all of them, of course, have
something of value to offer.
Since I have acknowledged the work of other translators and interpreters, it
would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the help I received from my own
teachers, each of whom attempted to aid my understanding and development in his
own unique manner. The reason why I refrain from mentioning them by name in
print is not due to disrespect, but rather out of respect for the Taoist belief
that,
"To boast of one's teachers
is to try to give credence
to one's own words."
Fortunately it is not considered boastful to mention in print, one's own
students. It is therefore with pleasure and gratitude that I acknowledge the
help I have received from those who consider me their teacher, and through whose
questions I have gained so much. On this occassion my special thanks go to Ian
(and his wife, Jeanette) for their company, the help they provided without being
asked, and for their patience; to Michael, who did most of the proof-reading; to
Jackie who transcribed my notes to the 'word processor' (which does not know
that its 'sixty-four bit binary system' is an outcome of Taoist 'yin-yang'
philosophy) and who tried to ensure that what I had written made sense; and to
Judith, particularly for providing me with a copy of her B.A. dissertation 'A
Comparison of Plotinus and Chuang Tzu', which was of great help in explaining
some of the more obscure phrases in other translated texts.
Finally, I take this opportunity (on behalf of Judith and all other members of
the English speaking Zen Taoist community) to thank Professor Cavendish, former
Professor of Philosophy at Saint David's University College, Lampeter, who
personally supervised her dissertation, which is of value to us all.
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