Welcome back to The Wisdom of Lao Tzu.
We are reading chapter 14 of Tao Te Ching this week.
This chapter’s theme is the characteristics of Tao, where we can learn the hidden benefits of following Tao. Do you want to find out?
Let’s get started.
**14**
視之不見名曰夷，聽之不聞名曰希，搏不得名曰微。
此三者不可致詰，故混而為一。
其上不皦，其下不昧，繩繩不可名，復歸於無物，是謂無狀之狀，無物之象。是謂惚恍。
迎之不見其首，隨之不見其後。
執古之道，以御今之有，能知古始，是謂道紀。
Border-crossing: English translations
#1 Lin Yutang’s version
Looked at, but cannot be seen-
That is called the Invisible (yi).
Listened to, but cannot be heard-
That is called the Inaudible (hsi).
Grasped at, but cannot be touched—
That is called the Intangible (wei).
These three elude all our inquiries
And hence blend and become One.
Not by its rising, is there light,
Nor by its sinking, is there darkness.
Unceasing, continuous,
It cannot be defined.
And reverts again to the realm of nothingness.
That is why it is called the Form of the Formless,
The Image of Nothingness.
That is why it is called the Elusive:
Meet it and you do not see its face;
Follow it and you do not see its back.
He who holds fast to the Tao of old
In order to manage the affairs of Now
Is able to know the Primeval Beginnings
Which are the continuity of Tao.
#2 Edmund Ryden’s version
Look at her and you do not see her: name her invisible;
Listen to her and you do not hear her, name her inaudible;
Touch her and you do not feel her, name her intangible.
These three cannot be investigated further and so they merge and become one.
One: there is nothing brighter above her nor darker below her.
Winding and twisting: she cannot be named;
She reverts back to when there was beingless.
She is called ‘the shape without a shape’; ‘the image of what is not a thing’.
She is obscure light!
Welcoming her you do not see her head;
Following her you do not see her tail;
Grasping the Way of old so as to guide the beings of today;
Know that the ancient beginning is called ‘the beginning of the Way.’ 1
#3 D. C. Lau’s version
What cannot be seen is called evanescent;
What cannot be heard is called rarefied;
What cannot be touched is called minute.
These three cannot be fathomed
And so they are confused and looked upon as one.
Its upper part is not dazzling;
Its lower part is not obscure.
Dimly visible, it cannot be named
And returns to that which is without substance.
This is called the shape that has no shape,
The image that is without substance.
This is called indistinct and shadowy.
Go up to it and you will not see its head;
Follow behind it and you will not see its rear.
Hold fast to the way of antiquity
In order to keep in control the realm of today.
The ability to know the beginning of antiquity
Is called the thread running through the way.2
Deeper dive
This chapter starts with a general description of interacting with Tao.
We can not see it because it is invisible to us. It is silent to our ears. It is also invisible, so it cannot be touched. But it is out there.
These three approaches to knowing things (to see, hear, feel/touch) are not the way to understand Tao. And its defining features signal that it is beyond the reach of our senses.
Wang Bi’s (226-249 AD) comment illustrates the elusive nature of Tao, “Without shape, form, sound, and voice, it goes into all directions without limitations. Unknown to my ears, eyes, and body, I do not really feel and know it. It can not be investigated and is considered as a blended one.” (「無狀無象，無聲無響，故能無所不通，無所不往。不得而知，更以我耳、目、體不知為名，故不可致詰，混而為一也。」)
Unlike everyday and evident things of the world, which can be seen and easily grasped, Tao is intangible but all-pervasive.
Therefore, it is described as “the shape without a shape” 無狀之狀 and “the image of what is not a thing.”無物之象
Wang Bi offers insights into the relationship between Tao and the myriad things of the world, “To say it is a non-being, but the myriad things come from it. To say it is a being, yet it does not have a shape. Therefore, it is named ‘the shape that has no shape, The image that is without substance.”(「欲言無邪，而物由以成，欲言有邪，而不見其形。故曰「無狀之狀，無物之象」也。」)
In essence, Tao is transcendent beyond life and death.
Past and present do not bind the procession of Tao. Its operation is constant and not subject to arbitrary human meddling and interventions.
Therefore, Lao Tzu reminded us in the last sentence,
“He who holds fast to the Tao of old
In order to manage the affairs of Now
Is able to know the Primeval Beginnings
Which are the continuity of Tao.”
Spiritual Taoism
But what exactly do the characteristics of Tao imply for us?
The answer is the Taoist way of knowing and understanding.
Fundamentally, the mysterious Tao is where all knowledge and values come from. In other words, the things of the world operate following the silent workings of Tao by manifesting in various forms of phenomena, laws, and changes.
If we have a sense of reverence for and follow these underlying laws, we approach the workings of Tao and navigate the world with ease.
In this sense, Taoists are proactive learners. They inquire about the rules and norms of complex human affairs. More importantly, they are concerned with naturally managing human affairs because, as part of nature, the human world has its own innate laws.
For the Taoists, the ultimate quest is about living a life that follows the rhythm of Tao.
Therefore, in the process of knowledge acquisition, both rationality and intuition play an important role.
It is natural for the Taoists to adopt a rational way to deal with things without being captured and blinded by the logic of reason.
As this chapter suggests, we cannot see, hear, and feel the real world or truth in the absolute sense because we are unconsciously impacted and driven by our senses.
Seeing is believing. This is conventional wisdom.
But from the Taoist perspective, seeing is not necessarily believing because what we see is often a part of the comprehensive truth.
Hearing and investigating may lead to distorted facts and reality because we act from a particular perspective or narrative comprising prevailing opinions, preferences, or fabrications. Thus, we do not necessarily see the organic whole.
In life's journey, Taoists adopt the doctrines of humility, never reaching overfull, and not taking credit for one’s actions because they know things change in a constant cycle of motion and quiescence and can revert to opposites all the time.
So when we consciously forget our individuality, break free from subjectivity, refresh our understanding, and ultimately immerse ourselves in the silent workings of Tao, we leave room to be awakened and enlightened.
By embracing the holistic Tao, we can always restart living.
Thank you for reading!
The essence of Tao will be discussed more in Chapter 25. So stay tuned.
If you like the content, don’t forget to like and share it with like-minded friends!
To your spiritual journey,
Yuxuan
Daodejing, trans. Edmund Ryden. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), 31.
Tao Te Ching, trans. D. C. Lau. (London: Penguin Classics, 1963), 18.