What exactly is the Tao?

[MysteryMama]

I read the Tao Teh Ching but I can't figure it out.

[miss_sonja]

The Tao is the Way or the Path (to enlightenment).

[Adele_Mommy]

My understanding of Taoism is admittedly quite superficial, but at its core I believe it is a path of non-resistance and achieving goals with minimum effort. Instead of constantly struggling and fighting against everything around you, you adjust to your environment and learn to be in complete harmony.

For an amature's painless introduction to Taoism you can read The Tao of Pooh.

Here is an online synopsis from Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance: Taoism

Don't worry that you cannot "figure it out" after reading the Tao Te Ching. Like the "one hand clapping" of Zen Buddhism, I believe understanding Tao is something that has to just kind of come to you. Working too hard thinking about it and trying to understand it intellectually is actually counter-productive.

I should add a disclaimer that I, myself, am not a big fan of Taoism.

[Bluegoat]

As I understand it, the Tao is very much like the logos the ancient Greeks talk about. It is the underlying principle that moves all things, that makes them what they are. It is, in Western terms, the first, formal, and final cause.

According to those who follow Taoism, when we follow the directives of Tao and live in harmony with it, things will go smoothly, and we will find our proper place within the universe, and know the proper action, and these things will bring happiness and success - but not necessarily in the way it is defined by humans. If we work against the Tao, we will be frustrated and will inevitably fail to achieve our goals.

[MysteryMama]

thanks, i think i have a clearer understanding.

[beatgenxer]

the Tao Te Ching is the (rather dense and difficult) philosophical text, so i don't understand why everyone is recommended to start with that. The Tao of Pooh is a good one as a Western intro to it. The site Adele_Mommy is good....here's another....and here's another good site.

like everyone else has said, it's about finding the rhythm underlying life (The Way) and following its flow...and eventually becoming one with it (enlightenment). it's a little different than Buddhism, tho it has some similarities to Zen. i'm a believer in it, so i know it's hard to find others into it.

[MysteryMama]

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the Tao Teh Ching and the Tao Te Ching? What is the correct pronunciation?

TIA

[Thao]

Originally Posted by MysteryMama

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the Tao Teh Ching and the Tao Te Ching? What is the correct pronunciation?

TIA

There is no difference, it is just two different ways in English of rendering the Chinese characters. There are several different conventions in English for writing Chinese, that's why the capital of China used to be Peking and now we call it Beijing. The Chinese name for it never changed, just the English way of spelling it.

I don't speak Chinese, but I speak Vietnamese which is very similar. Based on that, I can tell you that Tao means "way, path", Te means "virtue, morality" and Ching means "classic book, scripture". So you could translate it something like "The Scripture about the Way of Virtue.".

[kcstar]

Taoism was founded by Lao Tzu (which I've been told translates as "Old man", so his name isn't really known). What I remember of the legend has it that he was leaving town to live as a hermit, and a guard told him that he needed to write the book before he could go. The Tao te Ching was the result.

Lao Tzu and Confucius were approximately contemporaries, ~500 BCE, and the two religious philosophies have grown up in point and counterpoint. They're partly about how to govern ones own life, and partly about the leadership / governance about countries. Confucianism tends to be more about rules, roles, and responsibilities. Taoism is more about allowing nature to take its course.

Taoism was a significant influence in the development of Zen Buddhism.

[AngelBee]

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[beatgenxer]

Originally Posted by MysteryMama

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the Tao Teh Ching and the Tao Te Ching? What is the correct pronunciation?

TIA

correct pronunciation....hmmm....i've heard the two T's said by more than one person to be a soft T that almost sounds like a D (does that make any sense?)

[MysteryMama]

Originally Posted by beatgenxer

correct pronunciation....hmmm....i've heard the two T's said by more than one person to be a soft T that almost sounds like a D (does that make any sense?)

Yes it does. So "tao" is like "dow".