Wow. I has been a long time since I last wrote something for you guys. Well, here goes my attempt at something new. I'm going to start sporadically write my thoughts, chapter by chapter of the Tao Te Ching by Lau Tzu. Enjoy :)
(Disclaimer: I am not Taoist, and I am not a qualified philosopher, I am just a guy trying to find his place in the world. I have no intention of insulting anyone with this, I just want to try and share my thoughts on it.)
"The Tao that can be followed is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the origin of heaven and earth
While naming is the origin of myriad things.
Thus, constantly without desire, one observes its essence
Therefore, always desireless, you see the mystery.
Ever desiring, you see the manifestations.
These two are the same ̶
When they appear they are named differently.
The sameness is the mystery,
Mystery within mystery;
The door to all marvels."
This chapter of the Tao Te Ching is looking at names and desire and their relation to the eternal Tao.
Lao Tzu teaches that by giving something a name, we set it apart and make it different than the rest of the world. "...naming is the origin of myriad things." Because the eternal Tao is nameless, that makes it everything at once. As human beings, the easiest way we separate things is through giving them names, making apples different from oranges, for example. We name things because of the form we see them in. The eternal Tao has no form, and so it has no finite name. It is in everything.
Desire is an ugly thing. It goes hand in hand with envy, and as far as I know, nobody likes an envious person. When we desire something, we separate the world into what we desire and what we don't desire. But when we are without desire, we can see the mystery behind the eternal Tao. By giving our desires up, we can catch glimpses into the heart of the Tao and gain some small part of understanding.
To sum up, the first chapter of the Tao Te Ching teaches us to not focus on the names of things, but the form of them, and to give up our desires to see into the mystery of the eternal Tao more clearly.
I hope you take these lessons to heart and reflect on this passage yourself to find your own meaning behind it. And as always, thank you for reading.
