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Laotzus Tao and Wu L AOTZU’S TAO AND WU WEI TRANSLATION BY DWIGHT GODDARD WU WEI AN INTERPRETATION BY HENRI BOREL TRANSL ATED BY M . E . REY NOLD S NEW Y ORK B R E N T A N O ’ S PUBL ISHERS INTRODUCTION L OVE L AOTZU ! Tha t is the reason I ff i i r i o er another nterpretat ve t anslat on , and t r in i it i y to pr t and b nd attract vely . I want i i wi e i you to apprec ate th s s and k ndly old man , and come to love him . He was perhaps the first of scholars (6th centur y to have a vision i i i ri so x i of sp r tual real ty, and he t ed hard to e pla n it er in th d to oth s , only, e en , to wander away into the Great Unknown in pathetic discourage e hi i h i ment . Ev ryt ng was aga nst im ! his fr ends is f hi m understood him ! others made u n of m. Even the written characters which he must u se to preserve his thought conspired against him w s in . They ere only five thou and all , and were ill adapted to express mystical and abstract e s are d ideas . Wh en these charact r translate r i is i awk accurately, the t anslat on necessar ly in u nint en ward and obscure . S ologues have tionally done him an injustice by their very i to scholarship . I have tr ed peer through the clumsy characters into his heart and prayed that love for him would make me wise to under i stand ar ght . I hate scholarship that would deny his exist i i s atroniz ence, or arrogant eru d t on that ays p l ing y, Oh , yes , there doubtless was some one i nn s who wrote some of the characterist c so et , 2 INTROD UCTION but most of them are an accumulation through i e the centu ries of verses that have s milar structur , and all have been changed and amended until it is better to call the book a collection of aphor isms . i w i vi i Shame on scholarsh p hen, shar ng the s ons h i min i e eri e e ! of t e llu at , th y d d th m There are thr ee great facts in China to-day i s the rese e f or L aot zu . that vouch F r t, p nc of i i as s es e his e i Tao sm, wh ch w ugg t d by t ach ngs , is is ex i not founded upon them . Th pla ned h in ii the rs who i by t e ab l ty of schola , mme i l we him ers n a re d ate y follo d , to und ta d and pp i i i hi n . e ciate the sp r tuality of s teach gs S cond, C i n is ik L aot zian i e s w i is onfuc a d l e for d a , h ch i explained by their opposition to Confuc an ethics . ir re es is Th d, and the g at t fact of all, the char c ri tic r i Chi e e n e a t e s t a ts of n s atur , namely, pas ivit s issi e es r s y, ubm v n s and mo al concern, all of which find an adequate cause and source in the i L z teach ngs of aot u . An interesting fact in regard to the thought of L aot zu is i f or two th s . Although thousand years he has een i e s i - b m sund r tood and der ded , to day the e e s ie i i i u v ry b st of c nt fic and ph losoph c tho ght, w i e w a is n wn Vi i h ch gath rs about h t k o as tal sm, ’ is in wi L aot zu s i full accord th dea of the Tao . Every reference that is made to- day to a Cosmic Ur e i e i e i i g , V tal Impulse , and Cr at v Pr nc ple be i i can sa d of the Tao . Everyth ng that can ’ b e said of Plato s Ideas and Forms and of Cosmic Love as being the creative expression of God can 1m1 n u u UU i ru m 3 i the W C i be sa d of Tao . hen hr stian scholars e s e s J cam to tran lat the Logo of St . ohn, they e i u se w w re sat sfied to the ord Tao . ’ It is true that L aot zu s conception of the Tao was i i e i n ni e s l m ted to a conc pt o of a u v r al , cre i e i i He r n at v pr nc ple . appa e tly had no con ce tion s i w i C p of per onal ty, h ch the hr istians i e God in n e i wi it ascr b to , co n ct on th , but he ascribed so much of wisdom and benevolence to it that his conception fell little short of per sonalit L aot zu is th i y . To , the Tao e un versal and eternal principle which forms and condi tions everything ! it is that intangible cosmic influence which harmonizes all things and brings them to fruition ! it is the norm and standard of truth and morality L aot zu did more than entertain an intelligent opinion of Tao as a creative principle ! he had a devout and religious “ sentiment towards it : He loved the Tao as a n ri re his e so che shes and veres moth r . There are three key words in the thought of i L zu : Teh Wu We . e aot Tao , , and Th y are The i e e ni all difficult to translate . s mpl m a ng ” i wa it s has wi i of Tao s y, but al o a de var ety i C r s r ns e it of other mean ngs Dr . Paul a u t a lat s , “ ” i i e Reason , but apolog zes for so do ng . If forc d to offer a translation we would suggest Creative i i to it u nt rans Pr nc ple , but much prefer leave d late . e is a The charact r , Teh , usually transl ted virtue This is correct as a mere translation of the character but is in no sense adequate 4 INTRODUCTION ’ L o z to the content of the thought in a t u s mind . i e w is e in To him, Teh meant prec s ly hat m ant the account of the healing of the woman who ’ “ touched the hem of Jesus robe : Jesus was ” conscious that virtu e: had passed from him . i the e i i i irii Teh ncludes m an ng of v tal ty, of v l ty, of beauty and the harmony that we think of as that part of lif e that is abounding and The i w is the i ex j oyous . th rd ord negat ve ” si Wu Wei i pres on, . Translated , th s means ” “ ” i - s i Wh not act ng, or non a sert on . en La “ ” ot zu wu wei he is i urges men to , not urg ng in s e i i them to laz ess or a c t c sm . He means that all men are to cherish that wise hu mility and ‘ diflidence and selflessness which comes from a consciousness that the Tao is infinitely wise and r m i and good, that the pa t of hu an w sdom ’ is to hold one s self in such a restrained and receptive manner that the Tao may find one a suitable and conforming channel for its pur ’ s i of L aot zu s po e . The t tle book, Tao Teh i is e ess s e ir K ng, car l ly tran lat d , The Way of V tue l s i The Wa i i i C a s c , or y and V rtue Class c . Th s is i The i i very nadequate . V tal ty of the Tao is very much better . ’ Most commentators think that L aot zu s teach ings fit in especially well with Buddhist philos ophy This conclusion is arrived at by the com mon interpretation of wu wei as submission that will logically end in absorption of the spirit in as i i Tao N rvana . Th s understanding of wu wei i nri , wh ch He Borel shares in a meas INTROD UCTION 5 is e i i r i ure , , we b l eve , nco rect, nasmuch as L aot zu consistently te aches a finding life rather than ‘ of ’ si i L a t z s i a lo ng of t . o u concept on of Tao as the n e i ur in fi in i u d r ved So ce of all th gs, nd g express on iri in through sp tual Teh universal creative activity, ’ is very close to Plato s doctrine of the good as the i eff i One n able Source of all th ngs , whose Ideas and G d e s and i Forms of oo n s , Truth Beauty rad ated outward as spiritual logoi in creative activity i i and r through Sp r t, Soul Natu e to the farthest confines of matter .
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