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Dao De Jing Chapter 1

BY: Bao Pu

Translation and Commentary by Bao Pu
Dao ke dao ye, fei Heng Dao ye.
A Dao which can be spoken, is not an enduring Dao.
Or
Daos can guide, but they are not enduring Daos/guides.

Ming ke ming ye, fei heng ming ye.
A name which can be named, is not an enduring name.
Or
Names can be named, but they are not enduring names.

These two lines due to their parallelism, must be read together and translated similarly. They represent the opposite of what everyone (else) wanted, which was to have a way of life (Dao) that is enduring and reliable; to have names and labels (Ming) fixed and reliable. (To ascribe "fixed" to the character Heng should be done carefully, since Heng does not connote fixed and static, but moving continually.) The point seems to be that Daos and Names are not (Fei) enduring Daos and names (Heng Dao and Heng Ming). They do not endure unchanged or unaltered if they last at all. This means, that if there is something called "The Dao" - some primordial cosmic process - it's existence must involve change if it is to be understood as an enduring process that existed before the Heavens and Earth and still exists in the present. Thus, the Dao is inherently dynamic.

Wu ming, Tian Di zhi shi;
Not named, (Dao is) the origin of the Heavens and the Earth.

Something being "Not named (Wuming)" means that it was not or could not be labeled with a fixed name, which implies that this "something" is quite mysterious and barely fathomable at all. Something like a book is something we all can see and agree on a name. Something that gave rise to the Universe, something which existed before we humans ever existed must be ultimately unknowable, except in its present "form." If this "primordial creative process" is the same one that exists now, in the present, then we can know it. It is paradoxically enduring (Heng) and unenduring (Fei Heng). It is enduring in its rhythmic cycles and the law-like principles that we observe things abiding by (like the behaviour of water, the sun, and even human nature); it is unenduring or impermanent in that its manifestations, (like the physical universe and the myriad living things), are continually arising and disappearing - living things are conceived, grow old, and die. The physical universe is impermanent and transient. Daoist and Chan/Zen traditions call this transience "Wu Chang." (Chang is the character which replaced Heng-enduring in copies of the Laozi since the 2nd century B.C.E due to a taboo on the using the Emperor's name "Heng" in written texts.) Therefore, the beginning or origin (Shi) of the physical universe can't fixed with a name: it is simply unfathomable, beyond all ideas and distinctions.

You ming, wan wu zhi mu ye.
Having a name, (we call it) the Mother of the myriad things.

Human beings - one species of the "myriad things" - obviously came into existence. Since most of us understand the role of a mother in the human race, that being giving birth to and providing for her offspring, the Daoists (who contributed to the Laozi) used the name "Mother (Mu)" to refer to what gave rise to all life. In our Western culture we also understand this metaphor and accordingly say " Mother Nature ." The ancient Chinese commonly attributed creation to Heaven or "the Heavens" (Tian ) and the Earth (Di) was understood to be what sustained all living things by making available her resources to all living things. The Mawangdui Laozi instead of calling "the origin of the Heavens and Earth" nameless, speaks of the origin of the myriad things (Wanwu) as being nameless. In this version, what gave rise to the myriad things is both nameless (Wuming) and named (Youming); thus, this "Mother" is identical with the mysterious nameless origin. As paradoxical as this may seem, it need not confuse us if we remember that "Mother" is a metaphor which serves to point to what the author is trying to convey. Further, in the Hanfeizi we find " Dao is the beginning of the myriad things (Daozhe, Wanwu Zhi Shi)," which makes explicit what the Laozi conveys implicitly. (In all the Daoists texts Dao is said to be the "origin of" or "what gives birth to" everything: the myriad things, Heaven and Earth, Spirits, Qi, Life, Principles, Laws, Names, Virtue, etc)

Gu Heng wu yu ye, yi guan qi miao;
Therefore, if we are always without desire (to know),
We will observe the subtle and unlimited.

Heng you yu ye, yi guan qi (suo) jiao.
Always with desire (to know),
We will only observe the obvious and limited.

These lines inform us that if we seek to see, hear, understand intellectually this mysterious, nameless cosmic process Dao, we will only see and understand the material world. Jiao means "boundary" or "frontier" and implies that which is marked out with distinctions by our consciousness, or, as suggested by Robert Henricks (p. 195-6), those that are driven by desire "will see only that which they seek and yearn for." However, if we experience life without desire (Wuyu) - without the conscious mind trying to force reality to "explain itself" - we will observe the "subtle, the mysterious, the profound (Miao)" in the world. This is done by means of implicit learning or intuition. This is a more quietist and mystical conviction that is quite at odds with the philosophies and sciences of the West, approaches which have undeniably led to practical and beneficial "facts" which enrich our lives and make sense of it. I believe that the word "only" in the above translation should be taken lightly. After all, there is no corresponding character for "only" in the text, but is generally supplied due to the overall understanding of the rest of the Laozi. "Desire (Yu)," is something the Daoists constantly warn us will interfere with any peace and serenity, indeed, will ultimately prevent us from enlightenment. In Daoism, natural desires are not condemned to be eradicated from the human being. Both ways have their benefits and their pitfalls, but both will be balanced-of-themselves (Zijun) if we enjoy a calm, grounded existence. Extremes are to be avoided (until we get to a stage where this happens-of-itself [Ziran]).

Ci liang zhe tong chu er yi ming,
These two aspects emerge together and are named differently.

Tong wei zhi xuan.
This we call a mystery.

Xuan zhi you xuan,
The mystery of mysteries,

zhong miao zhi men.
The gateway to a multitude of profound subtleties.

It is not clear what "these two (Ci Liang)" mentioned here refer to: "what is named" and "what is nameless" or "being desirous" or "without desire." As we saw above, the nameless origin of the myriad things is identical with what we name the "Mother" (or Heaven and Earth). This is an elucidation of the Daoist understanding of Duality. Names differ, but an intimate connection exists between all names, pairs of opposites, or opposite behaviours (like desire). Being desirous or undesirous describe aspects of the heart and mind (Xin): both originate together from there. This "monistic polarity" and paradoxical nature of discussing the Dao entails what can only be called "mysterious and profound (Xuan)." Thus begins the Daodejing - the Classic of the Dao and it's Virtue.

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