 The Dao De Jing ( 道德经 ) is an ancient Chinese scripture. The work is traditionally said to have been written around 600 BC by the famous sage called Laozi ( 老子 ) . This short and subtle book is one of the most important in Chinese philosophy and religion, especially in Taoism, but also in Buddhism, because the latter – an Indian religion – shared many Taoist words and concepts before developing into Chinese Buddhism. Many Chinese artists, including poets, painters, calligraphers and even gardeners have used the book as a source of inspiration. Its influence has also spread widely outside the Far East , aided by many different translations of the text into western languages.
The Dao De Jing is in two sections ( Dao ( 道 ) , containing chapters 1–37; and De ( 德 ) , chapters 38–81 ) . Each chapter is rather short, using few characters to express its often difficult ideas poetically.
Many believe that the Dao De Jing contains some universal truths which have since been independently recognized in other philosophies, both religious and secular. The Dao De Jing does not specifically define what the Dao is. Laozi himself reportedly said, "My words are very easy to understand, yet no one under heaven understands them." However, we can point to some of the Dao's characteristics. Dao is the core topic of the book, supplemented by related themes such as De , nothingness, return, detachment, and wu-wei ("non-action"). The Dao can be seen as all being, before and beyond all distinctions between different forms or essences of things. Everything comes from Dao and returns to Dao.
The Dao De Jing can be seen as advocating mostly "feminine" (or Yin 阴 ) values, emphasising the qualities of water — fluidity and softness (instead of the solid and stable mountain ), choosing the obscure and mysterious aspect of things, and controlling things without ruling them. In this respect, this book can be understood as challenging "male" (or Yang 阳 ) values such as clarity, stability, positive action, and domination of nature.
"When he is born, man is soft and weak; in death he becomes stiff and hard... the hard and mighty are cast down; the soft and weak set on high." (chapter 76) This quote shows again Laozi's focus on softness, but in another pair of counterparts: the newborn baby and the old man. Rigidity is the attribute of death, while weakness is the attribute of life. When things or beings are at their beginning, everything is possible. When things have not yet developed, it is the right time to act on them with a better chance for good results. A kind of return to the beginning of things, or to one's own childhood, is required. Although this idea of a "Return" is close to some modern psychological practices such as introspection, what is to be reached through "Return" is not the self but nothingness. |
