Dao De Jing Chapter 1:

We should first understand what dualism is before reading this chapter, or indeed the whole book, as it is a reoccuring theme throughout.

A Note on Duality or Dualism:

What is dualism, duality or being dualistic?

Dualism is the act/result of differentiating one thing from another. Its easy to explain with an example. If we think about the way our eyes work, we will notice that we need the minimum of 2 different colours or shades to distinguish one object from another, it is the difference in these two that allows us to see the object.

This is how our eyes work, if we stand in complete blackness, we won't see anything unless an object gives out some light for us to see, then we can compare it against the blackness and observe it. We observe it by differentiating the object from the background.

Its the same with all our senses, our hearing relies on the differences in air pressure, our touch in the difference in physical pressure on our skin, our taste in the difference of chemicals.

This is dualism, we rely on two (or more) different forms to distinguish what something is. However, after we have distinguished something, our brain creates a concept of it, an idea of what it is. Then when we want to remember the object, we think about it. Thoughts themselves are also dualistic. When we think about something, or create a concept of it, we make judgements on it. For example, if we think of a friend of ours, we will notice we need to take note of how tall they are, hair colour, eye colour, are they a good person? Etc. All these are judgements made by our brain.But these judgements don't mean anything except to us, someone is only tall in relation to someone who is short, we need the minimum of two different objects to compare. The extreme of this is thje idea of opposites, like positive and negative, yin and yang.

Once we have compiled a complete set of judgements on something, we give it a name, this name automatically brings up that complete set of judgements to the person thinking about it.
Naming things is very useful, it saves lots of time, otherwise we would have to describe every object, every detail of every person, just to get our point across of what or who we were talking about. But when we think of something, we only think about our previously made concepts of that object or person, we don't see its true essence, only the way we perceive it, through our own layer of perception.

Given that our opinions, (preconceived perceptions) are governed by our own previous actions and decicions, we can say that our own karma (action) governs what we see. This is what is meant by “we only see our own karma”.

Dao De Jing Chapter 1:

The way that becomes a method/path is not the non-dual way
Names that become named are not unchanging names
Nameless is the source of heaven and Earth
With a name, it is the mother of the ten thousand dualistic things

To be constantly without desire, the mystery of the non-dual can be seen,
To be constantly with desire, only dualistic things can be perceived
Duality and unity have the same origin, they differ only by name
Being the same thing, they are a mysterious
A mystery with great obscurity
This unified mystery is the gateway

Comments on Chapter 1:

The dao de jing here first gives a few statements, then goes on to explain how to deal with them.
It first explains that paths or methods of training are not real cultivation into the eternal, non-dualitic way.
It then says that by giving things names we conceptualise them with our dualistic manner, we can then only perceive their concepts, but this isn't their true essence.
The source of heaven and earth (dao) has no name, no concept, we cannot conceive of it.
By naming it we see only its concept, we see only the material, dualistic aspects, but not its real essence.

If we are without desire, without seeking, we can perceive this non-duality, but if we have desire to look for it, an agenda, we will only see its dualistic aspects.
The dualistic things and the non dualitic things have the same origin, they are the same, we only get dualistic things because we apply our own dualistic judegment.
This apparent paradox is a mystery, but one that does not need to be solved, trying to solve it is a dualistic judgement. Seeing this paradox as a unity and not something that needs to be resolved is the gateway not just to perceiving the eternal, but experiencing it.

Jak

a well thought out explanation/interpretation, I enjoyed reading it , thanks

A fascinating interpretation and a most interesting read, thank you. =)

Your writing gives good insight into the line: 'Duality and unity have the same origin, they differ only by name' a line east to gloss over, without really comprehending. You could say it answers the 'why is there evil in the world, and why do mystics say it is perfect' question.

M.

very cool, thanks for posting... it is similar to some thoughts that i had on the tao te ching-

as an exercise i decided that i would go through the verses of the tao te ching and write down my understanding of what they mean... i haven't gotten very far in the process yet but i think it will be nice to look back and see if my understanding has changed...

i used the translation by james legge

Franklin

any thoughts on my thoughts are welcome
here are my thoughts on the first chapter:
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Chapter 1

The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and
unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and
unchanging name.

(Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth;
(conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things.

Always without desire we must be found,
If its deep mystery we would sound;
But if desire always within us be,
Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.

Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development
takes place, it receives the different names. Together we call them
the Mystery. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that
is subtle and wonderful.


Commentary:

The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.

This lets us know what the Tao is and what it is not. From this passage we know that the Tao is not the path towards the Tao. The unchanging Tao can not be named and is unchanging.

This seems confusing and contradictory but it is not. This is referring to what is real and what is symbol and ritual. When we experience, it is direct and it is real. When we communicate experience it is through symbols (such as words). Symbols can never fully communicate what it is that we mean because they depend on the associations and past experiences of the receiver for their meaning . This is why once we give something a name it is never the “unchanging name” or what Is. The problem is that our own experiences are filtered by our past experiences. This is basically our brain categorizing things and by doing so we miss the true experience.

In telling us what the Tao is not we learn how not to be confused by thinking something is when it is not. Our goal as cultivators it to come into union with the Tao. To do this we must follow a path. Although the path might differ between schools the goal is still the same. Each path is but a path and it is important to remember that the goal of the path is the destination. When a path is laid down for students to advance by the danger is that the path will be given greater importance than the goal. Clinging to the path leads to formalization and ritual. When these become institutionalized the goal becomes not the progress of the student but perpetuation of the organized hierarchy that has been established.

(Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things.

This is further elaborating on what the Tao is. The unchanging Tao which has no name (because it can not be named) is the originator of heaven and earth. Heaven and earth are things and as things they can be named. They are also the boundaries of our world in that we live and experience things between heaven and earth. In the most practical terms heaven can refer to the space above us and earth can refer to the space below us. Once something is recognized as a thing then we must also recognize all other things. We must categorize and name them.

Always without desire we must be found, If its deep mystery we would sound; But if desire always within us be, Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.

This is how we can realize the unchanging Tao. We must be without desire. Desire is based on things which can be named. We can desire something physical (a thing) or something non-physical (such as an achievement). Both of these are based on tying ourselves up with categories and symbols. To experience the unchanging Tao we must transcend categories and symbols and experience that which can not be named. Because it can not be named we can it a mystery. The essence of the Tao is the unchanging and the fringe is the manifestation (things). If we always have desire then we are bound to the fringe.


Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development takes place, it receives the different names. Together we call them the Mystery. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.

The two aspects are the experience and the symbol. These two things are really the same thing. Once we realize this we can experience the unchanging Tao but still be present and function in the world. The difference is that we will experience the subtle. We will not be bound in the absolute of categorization. If we cannot realize that these two are the same then we are still bound by the fact we have one and the other. If they are the same and it is realized as such then there is no one and the other, there is only one. Together we call them the mystery refers to the fact that they are one and the same and being such there is nothing to compare or name hence the mystery. From this understanding we can experience the subtle and the wonderful. Subtle and wonderful because we can concentrate on the experience itself.