Abstractness of Tao te Ching

[Everything]

Anyone know why Tao te Ching is so abstract? Everyone understands diffrent things from one single text. But has anyone ever tried to understand why the verses are so short, while trying to convey such important wisdom? The fact that it has lasted and hold dearly for such a long time must be because of this abstractness. Unfortunately, that also means that its not often looked upon or understood easily. We require sages to translate its wisdom for our day and age in a longer version. To bring its core essence or inner truth and spread it out to a wider audience.

 

Abstracting is a powerful tool, if used correctly. Math is one of the most powerful tools, yet most abstract and difficult aswell. Same with the word "one." Symbols that bring up alot of value in the minds of the people, yet mean exactly what it says: "one". When you say to someone "one" his mind will wonder all over the place, because he has yet to explore the definition fully in order to return to this core essence.

 

Same with Tao Te Ching. You read the verses, think it might mean this or that, then after a while you realize that it exactly means what it says. Depending on how good the translations are.

The same thing happens when you're suspicious of a piece of formula or solution in a math book. You think it might have been translated wrongly, then you try diffrent ways of conveying the solution or formula so to understand it more deeply. Later you find that what the solution or formula is ultimately trying to convey is exactly what is written. You no longer need all the steps to get to the most simple and abstract form of the solution or formula. The formula itself holds the core essence needed.

Same thing with picasso's knitting model. In the painting there is a painter painting and he is creating an abstract painting of a women who's knitting. You only see a bunch of lines in picasso's painting of a painter who is painting. No women or other stuff. This is the inner truth or core essence, this is all that matters. It is dificult for an outsider to see that those lines are ment to convey the core essence of the knitting process, because it is so abstract. Eventually the genius is picasso and those lines are all you will ever need, to understand the truth of what the women is doing. Amazing, isn't it?

Edited January 21, 2011 by Everything

[devoid]

Anyone know why Tao te Ching is so abstract?

[...]

 

Hi Everything,

 

Nowadays, a keyboard lets you type out long texts at an incredible speed. Before that, a type writer at slower pace (if we include edits). Before that pen to paper and before that mixing colors, making a pen and finding a stone to write on - or wood tools and wood to carve - or stone and chisel.

 

Looking at it this way makes it clear why brevity was a necessity rather than a goal - IMHO the real reason why most ancient texts are relatively short. As a natural consequence of the compactedness they appear as more abstract. As you point out, this gives cause to an incredible amount of interpretation and speculation nowadays

[Marblehead]

Hi Everything,

 

I think that what you are speaking to is exactly why Lao Tzu (the TTC) is credited with being a master of paradox.

 

We read a verse. It sounds contradictory. We think on it but the deeper we go the more confused we become. So we return to the words without placing our distortions to the words and realize how exactly true the words are, simple though they may be.

 

Simplicity is most often the best way.

[Everything]

Hey, guys.

 

Thought I would respond to you.

 

I've found myself that simplicity is often the best way, but also most often misunderstood. In science they use the word elegance to describe something that is very simple on the surface yet very complex underneath. Models, stories are elegant ways of conveying wisdom. Models change over time to make them more perfect and true, stories go trough the same process over thousands of years. Myth's are extremely abstract yet hold powerful knowledge, because they've been told for centuries. Tao Te Ching is one of the most elegant words written, and the idea that they had no keyboard or printers sounds inspiring. Perhaps thats why whoever wrote Tao Te Ching had so much time put into so few words. I woulden't want to speak too much either, lest it be forgotten what is said.

 

Thanks for the responce.

[3bob]

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again.

[themaninthesuit]

I think there are few words because words can only describe. Words are like pointing to the moon, they can not make you feel what it is actually like to be there. The words written are the only words needed to get the point across.

[Jetsun]

I read the Tao te Ching a few years ago and thought I understood some of it and did question whether the translation meant that everything was conveyed as intended, but then I read it again recently after practising some Taoist Water Method meditation and Qigong methods which focus on letting go and I realised I understood almost nothing before and so many more passages came alive through what I had learned through practice. Then I thought that maybe with ten years more practice I will realise that I really understand nothing now and then if your understanding of it comes only through personal practice rather than from the words themselves then there is almost no point in the words, except to admire them as art or as a motivation. I could be a fool though, maybe studying the words themselves are a form of practice which I am yet to realise or maybe they subconsciously assist your meditation practice. I guess I will just keep studying.