Tao Te Ching
- Sep 23, 2023
- 2 min read
★★★★★
I declared myself an atheist in my senior year of high school. It’s a narrow and limiting term that says more about what isn’t than what is, and I haven’t used it to describe myself in years. But it was very useful to a newly christened vegan who could not abide any religion that condoned the subjugation of animals. As if becoming vegan wasn’t enough of a rejection of my family’s values, I had to reject their God, too?
Since then, my faith has been driven by my veganism and my reverence for the natural world. That might make me an animist, but I’m not much concerned with whether I or anyone else or anything else has a soul, at least not in the theological, survives-us-in-death, kind of way. But if by ‘soul’ we mean ‘animus’ as in ‘animating spirit,’ then yes, perhaps I am an animist. Unlike that scrappy high schooler who was all too keen to use labels to self-identify, I don’t spend too much time thinking about how to define myself for others. I just live and do my best to live justly.
The Tao Te Ching is not only the foundation of Taoism and Chinese Buddhism, it is also the most influential classic text of Chinese philosophy and so can be entered into from either door. Not that there’s much fundamentally different between the two. Eastern religions are far less theistic than their Western counterparts, emphasizing transpersonal awareness, unity, and spiritual knowledge over the latter’s dogmatic insistence on a single, all-powerful, and (often) vengeful God. Enlightenment versus obedience. Perhaps I’ve oversimplified for effect, but I think you get my point.
Back to living justly. As much as it’s about anything, I’d argue that living justly is what the Tao Te Ching is all about. “Only when there is no competition will we all live in peace.” “Love the whole world as if it were your self; then you will truly care for all things.” “Embrace simplicity. Put others first. Desire little.” “Those who know they have enough are truly wealthy.” “Knowing when you have enough avoids dishonor, and knowing when to stop will keep you from danger and bring you a long, happy life.” “Whoever knows contentment will be at peace forever.” “Keep your mouth closed and embrace a simple life, and you will live care-free until the end of your days.” It’s certainly about more than that, but even if it weren’t it would be more than enough.
There are dozens of translations of the Tao Te Ching into English. This one is by John H. McDonald and published by Arcturus in 2022. Having never read another copy, I don’t know how this one stacks up against others, but I know enough to know that this is neither my last reading nor my last translation. I just requested, via Interlibrary Loan, the one by Brook Ziporyn published earlier this year as Daodejing by Liveright. If you have a preferred translation, I’d love to hear about it.
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