Tao Wisdom from Two Translators

I enjoy reading extracts from the Tao Te Ching and comparing how different writers have translated the wisdom from the original Chinese. The truth is not in the words, but in how the essence of the Tao is felt by the reader. Notice the feelings that arise in these two offerings on Chapter 16.

“Empty your mind of all thoughts.

Let your heart be at peace.

Watch the turmoil of beings,

but contemplate their return.

Each separate being in the universe

returns to the common source.

Returning to the source is serenity.

If you don’t realize the source,

you stumble in confusion and sorrow.

When you realize where you come from,

you naturally become tolerant, disinterested,

amused, kindhearted as a grandmother,

dignified as a king.

Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,

you can deal with whatever life brings you,

and when death comes, you are ready.”

~ Mitchell, Stephen. Tao Te Ching (Perennial Classics) . Harper Perennial. Kindle Edition.

And now reflect on this translation.

“Seek the reality of emptiness and stillness,
The great constants of existence.
Though life abounds, its creations rise and fall.
Eventually all return, in their own way, to Tao.
To return to Tao is to embrace stillness,
The relentless way of nature.

The flow of nature does not change.
To see its constancy is to know the intricacies of the ordinary,
Revealing patterns of the grand.

To ignore this constant is to mistake the eternal for the mundane,
Bringing unharmonious selfish action and discord,
Pathologies to humanity.

Accepting the constant means opening the mind.
This leads to compassion and impartiality,
A respect for all that Tao provides and takes away,
And an understanding that all return to the ultimate reality of Tao.

Life is fleeting,
Tao is constant: An eternal emptiness, full to bursting”.

~ Braun Jr., John; Tzu, Lao; von Bargen, Julian; Warkentin, David. Tao Te Ching (p. 25). Unknown. Kindle Edition.

It isn’t the words, the practices or the beliefs that matter. It is how we allow ourselves to feel into what we see, rather than evaluate and revert to the mind and it’s propensity to analyze and judge the experience.

Embracing a new way of perceiving and being in the world.