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Tao Te Ching


WOW Section:

  1. When I first started to understand the message behind the texts, I was blown away by the depths of its meaning and how it could be used for all audiences. For example, in the twelfth section, Tao Te Ching taught us that “colors blind the eye; sounds deafen the ear; flavors numb the taste” (Tao Te Ching, 12). For a regular person, this could be taken very literally and still make sense; the cause of blindness is light, the cause of deafness is sound, and that flavors could cause numbness. The interpretation could be simple: we have to understand the relationship between a source and a result for a problem to be able to solve one. However, this could also be understood through a lens of a powerful official and it becomes something completely different- colors could mean the colors of tributes or goods that people pay for the lords, which could blind a person through greediness; sounds could be the music sang by servants which could cause them to be too relaxed and refuse to listen to the people; flavor could symbol the luxurious lifestyle, which would eventually separate them from their people’s regular lifestyle. The interpretations were both true and could be backed up by evidence, however, this proves the complexity of the texts and how it could be understood so differently.
  2. I was really surprised by how the fact that Tao Te Ching recognizes knowledge or “smart” is really the culprit to the imbalance of the world, even in the status quo. In chapter fifty-three, it stated that “people prefer the side paths, be aware when things are out of balance. Stay centered within the Tao” (Tao Te Ching, 11). My understanding is that people are always trying to outsmart each other once we realize that “side paths” would give us the pleasure to shortcut to a destination. This is heavily reflected in the world right now and it is surprising how it was the same when this was written.

HUH Section:

  1. One thing I was confused about was the centralized idea of Tao, or how to reach the state of Tao. At the very beginning, the text taught us that “Tao is infinite, eternal” (Tao Te Ching, 2) in chapter seven. My interpretation is that Tao is thus the source of everything; it cannot be seen, described, or be understood by an ordinary person. However, in chapter forty-seven, it stated that “without opening your door, you can open your heart to the world. Without looking out your window, you can see the essence of the Tao” (Tao Te Ching, 10). If we keep our door shut, wouldn’t we be able to see anything, not even the world? So how could we understand the source-Tao- without seeing the world first? Meanwhile, the latter quote also mentioned that you could see the essence of the Tao, but throughout the text, I’ve always seen the idea of Tao as a shapeless and dark concept that is indescribable. This confused me a lot.
  2. Tao Te Ching focused on the people, rulers, and a master. The text mentioned heavily that men should follow the master and stay behind to get ahead, don’t compare or compete, and leave when it is appropriate (Tao Te Ching, 2). Meanwhile, the text promised that these steps would separate rulers from just regular people. The power then became unclear as to what rulers could do to excercise the power and what a citizen could protest when power isn’t due.

Critical Questions:

  1. What are the critical benchmarks of a person trying to become a leader? Is it possible to overthrow a leader, who has lost Tao?
  2. Should a person, a leader, or a master ever try to improve their physical body, their organs, or their looks? Should we live in an adjective- less world? Or are we supposed to be bodies without organs just so we could never be distracted by everything else in the world?