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Philosophy Essay
The Tao Te Ching, also Known as the Laozi is a classic text written in Chinese by Laozi. According to a number of sources, the record keeper, Laozi, who worked at the Zhou dynasty court, wrote the classic text in the sixth century. However, despite this information, historians and other scholars have not been able to find out the true date of composition and authorship although the oldest texts discovered was from the 4th century. One of the things that are clear about the text is that it is crucial to the philosophical Taoism and influenced strongly, other schools of thought like Neo- Confucianism and Legalism. The ancient text is also central to the religion of the Chinese people like Buddhism and religious Taoism. In addition to this, the text and its arguments have influenced profoundly numerous Chinese poets, artists, calligraphers, painters and gardeners. The influence of the text, however, is not only limited to China but to other regions, as well, and especially in East Asia, in addition to playing an essential role in influencing world literature (Damascene, Shibai and You-Shan 23- 56).
This paper will look at the Tao Ching text and choose two chapters that are similar in ideas, which contradict or complement each other so as to extensively and comprehensively analyze the meaning and the implications of the chapters. The two chapters that the paper will discuss are chapters eight and seven.
The author of the text divided it into 81 short sections or chapters. The author also categorized the text under two sections, the Te Ching and the Tao Ching. The relationship displayed in the text between Chan Buddhism and Taoism is fertile and complex. Numerous historians and scholars have made several commentaries that connect these relationships with Abrahamic faiths. For instance, one of these scholars argued that the text exemplified a relationship between Abrahamic faiths and Taoism by using such words as calm, barbarian and level, indiscernible, and obscure. However, another scholar who argued that the former arguments were mere fallacies or dreams refuted these arguments. Welch argues that it is not difficult to comprehend the readiness of some scholars to argue that the text revealed or showed the ideology of Trinity, and that some of its chapters contain syllables like ‘Yahweh’. Even in the current date, though historians have acknowledged the mistakes for years now, the general ideology that the work’s composer was a forerunner of Christ has not lost its romantic appeal (Welch 7).
The seventh chapter of the text talks about selflessness in a way. The author argues that earth and heave are eternal and live long because they do not exist to serve themselves. The chapter points out that masters put themselves last, and detaches themselves from all things and do not give any thought to themselves (‘Tao Te Ching Chapter 7’). The eighth chapter, on the other hand, talks about water, and how the best good is that similar to water. According to the text, water makes sure that all beings and even materials are well without minding itself. Water even goes to areas and lives in places where people think are not suitable. Because of the goodness and selflessness of water, the text shows it to be closer to Tao. To the author, water never errors because it never contents.
Clearly, the eighth chapter of the text continues the thoughts of the seventh chapter, regarding the nature of goodness and excellent deeds. The two chapters put a lot of emphasis on unselflesness. The unselfish person, according to the two chapter, makes and acts the way they do out of reflex and not because they are pretending or because anyone or anything requires them to, without giving their actions a thought. Their doing of good deeds is automatic. The arguments of the text seem to be that if we live for others and the needs of the others then we will achieve eternity and everlasting existence, because we will just be like the earth and the heaven that are lasting and eternal because of living for others. It is also clear from the seventh chapter that those who put their needs last will attain rewards and preservation. The implication here is that we will fulfill ourselves if we are unselfish. The eighth chapter just, as well, speaks of goodness, which results from kindness, sincerity, timeliness (Talbot 1). The author likens one who manages to attain this goodness with water.
There are several compatibilities that the ideas presented in these passages have with other ideas. For instance, most religions of the world emphasize greatly on selflessness and the rewards that accompany the virtue. Christianity, for instance, emphasizes on selflessness by giving the example of Jesus who gave himself up for death so that he can save humanity. For his reward, he was given an eternal place beside the Creator. The seventh chapter also talks of the idea of earth and heaven. It is widely known that most religions of the world believe in the two and especially in heaven and its eternal and everlasting attribute. For instance, Christianity, Islam and Jews believe that after we die we will have a place in heaven. Only those who live selfishly will get to go to this place (Damascene, Shibai and You-Shan 23- 56).
Certain other religions like Buddhism believe adamantly on the earth, as their provider, origin and the place where they will return after death. It is clear that this chapter presents ideas that are highly compatible with religions like Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. The eighth chapter also presents ideas that are compatible with other ideas seen in such religions as Christianity and Islam. For instance, it talks of such ideologies as kindness, sincerity and solving of conflicts, which are ideas common in biblical teachings. In addition, the chapter talks of ‘the way’. Christians share some ideas about ‘the way’ with the text. The text argues that water is closer to ‘the way’ because it is selfless. Christianity talks of ‘the way’ to mean the activities and acts that lead one to heaven (Damascene, Shibai and You-Shan 23- 56).
These ideas presented in this chapter are of great value to humanity. The reason why I reason this way is because currently we are faced with numerous challenges all of which we could address by applying a little bit of selflessness, kindness, and sincerity. The two chapters in Tao Ching text point out that being selfless and having good deeds can get us long and lasting life and eternity, like the earth and heaven. The chapter emphasizes on the importance of existing for others and being selfless (McDonald 1). If we were all selfless, would we really have corruption among us, murder, theft, hate, unkindness, conflict, war, hunger, and other monstrosities we are witnessing today? Probably not, and this is the reason why I think these two chapters are of immense value to us.
Chapter 8 begs us to be more like water because water is good. Water goes to places where people hate or consider inappropriate, water is deep rooted, kind, sincere and timely, and solves problems without leading to conflicts (Talbot 1). Such words are also of great value to the human race. Everyday people die of hunger, disease, and other catastrophes as we watch. If we were like water, would we not go to these places to deliver help? Would we not go to places we hate and solve conflicts? We certainly would go delivering food and medical supplies, and speeches of peace if we were like water. These words of wisdom make the text extremely valuable and applicable to today’s world.
The purpose of this paper was to find two chapters that complement each other’s ideas from the Tao Ching text. The chapters that the paper discussed were the seventh and the eighth chapters that talk of the nature of being good and selfless. The paper indicated how the main ideas in these two chapters complement each other, and how they compliment ideas from other sources such as the bible and the Koran. The main ideas presented in these two chapters are the main ideologies that the main religions of the world teach their followers. These are lessons on how to be sincere, selfless, kind and just, and the rewards and self- fulfillment that follows us, as a result, of following and practicing these teachings.
Work cited
Damascene, H., Shibai, Lou and You-Shan Tang. Christ the Eternal Tao. Platina, CA: Saint Herman Press, 1999. Print.
McDonald, H. ‘Tao Te Ching, by Lao- Tzu. Complete online text’. Tao Te Ching. Web. 23 November 2011.
Talbot, Braden. ‘Practical Tao Te Ching- Chapter8: Eliminating Comparison and Competition’. Web. 23 November 2011.
‘Tao Te Ching Chapter 7’. Tao of Medicine. Web. 23 November 2011.
Welch, Holmes. Taoism: The Parting of the Way (1957). Boston: Beacon Press. 1965. Print.
Jermaine Byrant
Nicole Johnson
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