Tao Te Ching
MORAL PSYCHOLOGY
Before I begin this paper it is necessary for me to make clear a few vital points. Primarily, the Tao cannot be taught; especially through words. By writing this paper I will attempt to explain the Tao Te Ching, but it can not be mistaken for the actual Tao. According to an ancient proverb, a disciple asked his monk what the moon was. The disciple responded by pointing at the moon in the sky. However, the disciple mistook the monkís finger as the moon. Please do not mistake this paper as "the moon," as it is only a finger pointing at the reality. Moreover, the Tao Te Ching has been translated many different ways. If you were to read any two different translations, you may not recognize that they had come from the same source. I have chosen to focus on one particular translation that I like best. So do not be surprised if it is different from one that you have read. Because there are so many different translations, there are also different spellings of the Chinese words. For example, the Tao Te Ching could also be the Dao De Ching. Lao Tzu could also be Laotse. So please use caution when reading the following. It merely represents what could be.
Contents
BACKGROUND
MORAL PSYCHOLOGY
ETHICS
THERAPY
PSYCHOLOGY
CONCLUSION
BACKGROUND
Taoism: -An ancient Chinese school of thought
-Founded in the early first century BCE however the actual date is disputed.
-Two main different sects
-Philosophical
-Religious
Lao Tzu: -Born in 604 BCE though his actual existence is debated.
Is thought to be the author of the Tao Te Ching. The story goes that Lao Tzu had decided to leave China. But the gate keeper would not let him go until he had written down his knowledge so that he could share it with others. Because Taoism does not practice teaching, Lao Tsu had not done this previously. However, when prompted by the gate keeper, he quickly wrote down the Tao Te Ching.
The likelihood is that the Tao Te Ching is just a collection of poems by many different authors
Tao Te Ching: - Divided into two books
Book of Tao: Chapters 1-37
Book of Te: Chapters 38-81
BASICS:
Tao: -The "way", the "unmanifest"
-Basic principle of Taoism
-However as the Tao Te Ching says, "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao"
Te: -Manifestation of Tao in the objective world
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MORAL PSYCHOLOGY
A moral psychology consists of an ethics, a psychology, and a therapy. The Tao Te Ching provides each of these elements for the reader.
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ETHICS
Ethics questions the nature of the good. To better understand the Tao Te Chingís moral psychology, we must first dissect its ethic by questioning its nature of the good. Since it is impossible to get at the reality of the Tao we must only attempt to get nearer to its perception of the good.
In Taoism, the Tao seems to be equated with the good. Upon becoming one with the Tao, you also become good. The Tao Te Ching says, "Being divine, you will be at one with the Tao. Being at one with the Tao is eternal"(chapter 16). So in order to better understand the good, we must first better understand the Tao. However, please keep in mind that, "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao". The best analogy to the Tao is that of water:
"The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao."
The Tao, like water, is everywhere and is part of everything. However, its presence is nearly unnoticeable. Just as water has the power to smooth hard rocks, the Tao, like water, flows smoothly, yet powerfully. In some ways, the Tao seems to be a god or a spirit of nature. However, the Tao exceeds both godliness and spirituality. It is neither tangible nor definable. But even more, its essence is so that it is by nature undefinable. However its nature appears somewhat paradoxical. Just as water seems so empty, yet possesses the power to overcome, the Tao, by doing nothing, does everything.
"Yield and overcome;
Bend and be straight;
Empty and be full;
Wear out and be new;
Have little and gain;
Have much and confused."
Although these statements may contradict themselves, they do uphold some truth. It is the reed that bends in the wind that makes it through the storm, not the stronger tree that stands against the wind. The Tao seems to be a way, a flowing. In order to be good, one must go along with this flow. Next, we must discuss how one goes about becoming one with the Tao.
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THERAPY
The Tao Te Ching focuses more on this aspect of a moral psychology. Perhaps it is because the human relation to the Tao is much easier to explain through human language than is the Tao itself. By making certain suggestions for the individual to become closer to the Tao or to a good life, the Tao Te Ching is very therapeutic.
One of the main focuses of the Tao Te Chingís advice is the rejection of desire. "He who is attached to things will suffer much". In many ways, this coincides with other philosophies, and in other ways, it speaks the truth. Our attachments to things and desires for things bring about our suffering. For example, when one desires something he or she cannot have, this person becomes upset. Or when one attaches oneself to something that is transient, this person again becomes upset. If one had no desires or attachments he or she would not be affected or upset by anything.
The Tao Te Ching takes this idea of non-attachment even further. By stating:
"I take no action and people are reformed.
I enjoy peace and people become honest.
I do nothing and people become rich.
I have no desires and people return to the good
And simple life."
The Tao Te Ching implies that if we let things happen, as they will, it will be good because nature is good. Things go with the Tao, and we must let them go. Similarly, if we attach ourselves to nothing, everything occurs without desire. This leads to the Taoist idea of Wu-wei or non-action. We are not to act against things but let them happen. More is achieved when we do not act. This idea of achieving through not striving is compared to that of an empty vessel. A vessel has no potential if it is full; it only becomes useful when it is emptied. Therefore, you should "empty yourself of everything". This idea of emptiness advocates a life of simplicity where the individual lives a life free of attachment and desireóa life in which one does not strive but takes things as they come.
However this ideal lifestyle appears to be quite individualistic, and if it were used in society, it would destroy the structure that society has created. If everyone were a Taoist, there would exist no law or government. In Taoism, one attaches oneself to nothing, so protection in the form of institutions becomes unnecessary. Similarly, any form of economy succumbs to uselessness when people no longer desire money or power. Even more, any social hierarchy is implausible when one has no desire for stature. So, all the seemingly productive aspects of a society become pointless in a Taoist community. This idea of societyís being extraneous is rather frightening for those of us living in such a defined society. If there were no government, how could anyone expect to be safe? Are we just supposed to accept it and be non-attached when people are murdered or robbed? If there is no structure for the human race, how can we expect not to plummet into violent chaos? A modern Taoist offers a solution to this. He said about morality that everyone has the right to do what ever he or she wants. He says, "The situation is perfectly analogous to a man who does not trust his dog and keeps him perpetually chained. The chaining process obviously makes the dog vicious, and the man says, ëYou see why such a vicious dog has to be chainedí". So, if we remove these imposed constructs of society from the human race, it will be free to take its natural course and follow the Tao. However, underlying this philosophy is a positive perception of the psychology of humans. So, now we must move on to the psychology of this moral psychology.
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PSYCHOLOGY
As said above, beneath this approval of free actions lies a deep faith in human nature. In order to believe that everyone has the right to do what he or she wants, and that this will lead to peace, one has to strongly believe that humans are by nature good. The Tao Te Ching says:
"Man follows the earth.
Earth follows heaven.
Heaven follows the Tao.
Tao follows what is natural."
There seems to be an assumption that because man is part of the "thousand things"(nature) he is also good. Although there are implications that man is good, the Tao Te Ching also discusses the problems of man and society. For example it says,
"Nowadays men shun mercy, but try to be brave;
They abandon economy, but try to be generous;
They do not believe in humility, but always try to be first."
These examples of manís corruption do not show that man is by nature good, rather, they demonstrate the opposite. When man is involved in unnatural constructs such as society, he is not involved in his true nature, so of course, he is not going to follow his natural course. However when he is nature, he will be in his natural habitat and will follow his instinct of goodness.
The Tao Te Ching does not come straight out and discuss the psychology of man. What we can extract from it is only what we can interpret from its implications and suggestions. Because each translation of the book itself is different, it becomes the translatorís job to determine the implications of the original work. Thus, my interpretations of its suggestions are tainted by the translatorís perceptions as well.
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CONCLUSION
In general, the Tao Te Chings offers a positive outlook on life. I wish that I had the willpower to live its lifestyle--rather ironic seeing as how it is supposed to be my nature to go with the Tao. Except it feels like I would be going completely against my nature to become one with the Tao. Perhaps it is because I all have known has been tainted by society. But that doesnít explain how and why society was created. The hard part is that Taoism is never so pretentious to assert that it has the answers.
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Last Revised: NOVEMBER 18th