by Jim J Jones

Created on: May 23, 2009

If you were to take all of science, morality and philosophy and roll it into one, you would have what Chinese Philosophy sees in the Tao (pronounced "dao"). It is not just a way of, and reason for, life, but the only way to describe life. It is such a broad, sweeping concept that Taoists themselves are known to say that the Tao is like water: it is clear, colorless, tasteless and fundamentally indescribable; yet all things depend on it for life.

The closest translation into English of Tao is something to the effect of "the way", or more generally "the doctrine". The concept was first conceived by the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu almost 2000 years ago, and he recorded all of his ideas in a book which is known as "Tao Te Ching". This has several translations, but the closest is "The Classic of the Path and the Virtue", which suggests quite plainly what the book is about: it sees itself as the definitive work on how to live a life that follows the path of perfect virtue.

Much like its title, which is difficult to translate into English, the text itself is a tough nut to crack. The classic Chinese it is written in has multiple layers of meaning contained in every word, and the word choice is influenced by many of these secondary meanings. For a full understanding of the text, it must be translated either with thousands of footnotes, or alternatively it could be read in the original. As neither is of practical use to you, my reader, I shall attempt to summarize the basic concepts laid down in the Tao Te Ching.

Lao Tzu quickly dives into the nature of the Tao. He relies on the reader knowing an allegory of Plato's, regarding prisoners in a cave who never get to see more than the shadows of what happens outside, as they move along the cave wall. Tzu explains that the Tao is the goings-on outside the cave, while we are the prisoners who can only see some small aspect of it. He asserts that the Tao is not a cultural concept, but a fundamental reality that transcends language, culture and belief systems.

One of the central themes is that of "ashes to ashes, dust to dust", though it is described in the language of Chinese philosophy as the "eternal return". This is the process of being born out of Tao, living as Tao, and eventually returning to Tao. This particular idea was widespread at Tzu's time, and is neither unique to Taoism nor original to him.

The Tao Te Ching does not lay down any specific laws; instead, Tzu relies heavily on the reader applying broadly very narrow statements that he makes, and interpreting them as appropriate for all situations in life. Generally, he advocates a spartan lifestyle, he discourages work beyond what is necessary to maintain that simple lifestyle, and he sees humility and altruism as the height of virtue. Learn to live with what you have he says, work until you are done (if you don't know how to tell you're done, that means you're done), and always remember that the wisest man is the man who recognizes how great a fool he himself truly is.

At its deepest level, the Tao is about recognizing who you are, what you are, and why you are, and then confronting these facts honestly and realizing that simplicity and humility are the only appropriate way to live. If Lao Tzu were alive today, he would almost certainly tell you that if you do not conclude that simplicity and humility are the one and only way, you have not evaluated yourself honestly, and you must therefore continue to seek the Tao.

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