smART Tao Te Ching

The Way Has No Way

The Tao Te Ching is a series of poems referring to The Way of Taoism. By analyzing the poetry readers can learn the ideology of Taoism while exercising ones critical thinking skills. I personally enjoy this process of dissecting the meanings behind the Tao Te Ching because it gave me an insight into their ideology. There are a total of 81–each acquiring various characteristics of The Way. I will demonstrate how to go about the analytical process with the chapters Accept and Knowing.

Accept

Harmony is only in following the way.

The way is without form or quality,

But expresses all forms and qualities;

The Way is hidden and implicate,

But expresses all of nature;

The Way is unchanging,

But expresses all motion.

Beneath sensation and memory

The Way is the source of all the world.

How can I understand the source of the world?

By accepting.

This particular chapter begins by implying that an individual may only find their inner peace –harmony –by following The Way and uses one extreme to get to the other which is a common idea in Taoism. “The way is without form or quality, But expresses all forms and qualities,” referring to the idea that it is impossible to know the way because it is impossible to describe the way; therefore, the way cannot be taught.  “The way is unchanging, but expresses all motion,” once again uses one extreme to reach the other emphasizing the importance of balance in Taoism and connects with the way of the river. There is no telling where the water will go, all that we know for sure is that it is part of a cycle. Finally, the poem is concluded with the line, “How can I understand the source of the world? By accepting.” This is the Taoists belief of going with the flow of life, and accepting ones’ own way because each individual has their own path in life, and the only way to conquer that way is by accepting.

Knowing

Without taking a step outdoors

You know the whole world;

Without taking a peep out the window

You know the color of the sky.

The more you experience,

The less you know.

The sage wanders without knowing,

Sees without looking,

Accomplishes without acting.

This chapter also uses one extreme to get to the other throughout the entire poem and proves how balance is prominent in Taoism. The title Knowing is also an extreme contradiction not only to the poem, but Taoism in general because the idea that it is impossible to know the way is an important part of the Taoists belief system. The line “Without taking a peep out the window you know the color of the sky,” refers to nature as predictable which is once again contradictory and using one extreme to reach the other because nature is by no means consistently predictable. “The sage wanders without knowing,” meaning he lives by the way but cannot describe or teach the way to others because they must find their own way. “The more you experience, the less you know,” gave me the idea that the way of Taoism is limitless and the wisdom/knowledge is limitless as well; therefore, if one continues to increase their education and think they are highly educated they could be wrong by ignoring the important intelligence –being the way. The way cannot be taught through study, one must find their own way.