The Tao Te Ching is the most important scripture in Taoist culture. While I was teaching at the Zhaobao Tai Chi Association at York University in Toronto, I simply understood it and I hoped to record it as a record, as an encouragement to myself, and as a slightly meaningful thing (the author is satisfied). Contemporary society has undergone great changes, and the difference between modern literature and classical Chinese literature is also great. Many modern people no longer read ancient classics. But as a young man living in the information age, it is always a pity not to read classics. After all, classics never go out of style. The wisdom of the ancients can still shine brightly in the modern era.
"Tao Te Ching", also known as "Laozi", should be written by Laozi during the Spring and Autumn Period. The full text is more than 5,000 words. It is said that when Lao Tzu rode a green ox out of Hangu Pass, Yin Xi, the official guarding the pass, saw purple gas coming from the east and knew that a saint was coming. Therefore, I asked Lao Tzu to write a book and leave behind these precious five thousand words. Later Yin Xi studied the "Tao Te Ching" and understood its true meaning, leaving nine chapters of "Guan Yin Zi". (Refer to Sima Qian's "Historical Records" and Liu Xiang's "Biographies of Immortals").
There are many versions of the Tao Te Ching, such as the Fu version, the He version, the Wang version, the modern version, the Guodian Chu slip version, the Mawangdui Han tomb version, etc. The most widely circulated version on the market now is the version annotated by Wang Bi. This version of the battle is neater and seems to have been modified by Wang Bi. In some words, because Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, was taboo, all the words "state" were changed to the word "guo", such as "a small country with few people" was changed to "a small country with few people". To avoid tabooing Liu Heng, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, all the characters "Heng" were changed to "Chang". Some words have lost their original meaning due to the need for rewriting and neatness. Because the silk script unearthed in Mawangdui was copied around 206-180 BC, it is closer to the time of Laozi and closer to the original text (refer to Hongyin's "Zen Interpretation of the Tao Te Ching"). Therefore, the author conducts some simple discussions based on silk books.
The reason for using discussion is just like the question mark used in the title. One reason is that the "Tao Te Ching" is indeed a great classic, and has been interpreted by great Confucian scholars of all dynasties. The author is not very knowledgeable and does not dare to make mistakes. The second Tao Te Ching can be interpreted by thousands of people. Because classical Chinese is concise and concise, a word often has many possible concrete interpretations and associations in its abstract meaning (a single interpretation kills other meanings). Therefore, I dare not use a period, let alone an exclamation point. I only dare to use a question mark and hope to discuss it with you.
A question that arises is that since the Tao Te Ching can be interpreted by thousands of people, how can we avoid falling into "bias" when discussing it? The author believes that there are only three ways: interpreting the original text of Taoism and the Tao Te Ching (interpretation of the scriptures), interpreting based on life experience (practical test of true knowledge), and interpreting based on empirical practice. Why do you mention spiritual practice? Because Lao Tzu was originally a Taoist monk in the Spring and Autumn Period, some of his words have no literal meaning without practical experience. For example, "The immortality of the Grain God is called Xuan Ni, and the gate of Xuan Ni is the root of heaven and earth. If it is continuous, it will be used if it is not used diligently." Another example is "Dai Yingpo hugs one, can we not leave it? The Qi arrives. So soft, can it be a baby? ”
The author practices Tai Chi with Master Dong Yongsheng, the twelfth generation successor of Zhaobao Tai Chi, and based on the practice essentials and practice insights of Tai Chi (orthodox and traditional The inherited Tai Chi is an important Taoist practice method). Based on my simple experience in society and the interpretation of scriptures, let me discuss the "Tao Te Ching" with you readers. I hope that readers will not be too picky or laugh at me.
Because the "Tao Te Ching" has eighty-one chapters, it has been divided into nine chapters by the author according to the needs of teaching. The author's discussion was divided into nine chapters into one section, and was recorded approximately nine times. Also because of the space, every sentence in the original text can be written into a long essay of "Wang Yang Wan Yi", so I won't discuss it word by word. I hope that the nine discussions can outline a framework, and I also hope that it can guide more people to no longer be unfamiliar with the Tao Te Ching.
"Thirty (sà) spokes with the same hub, if it doesn't exist, it can be used as a cart. If it doesn't exist, it can be used as a cart. If it doesn't exist, it can be used as a utensil. The purpose of the room is to use it as a benefit and to use it as a benefit.”
The title of this article refers to Article 11 of the silk version of the Tao Te Ching. Thirty means thirty, and the spokes are the spokes on the wheels of ancient carriages. Because the wheel hub is supported and extended by (hollow) spokes, it allows the car to rotate. "叟埴" is made of pottery with water and mud. When the middle is hollow, it can be made into a container (to hold things). Hu means door, and 疖 means window. Only after the doors and windows are made and the open space in the middle is enclosed can it be used as a house (for people to live in). Here are three examples—wheels, pottery, and houses—to explore the relationship between presence and absence.
What is the relationship between existence and non-existence? The author does not explain it, but only uses the paragraphs in the original text and Zhuangzi to expand on it.
"Everyone in the world knows beauty, and it is beautiful and evil. Everyone knows good, and this is not good. The appearance of existence and non-being, birth, the appearance of difficulty and ease, achievement, the appearance of long and short, shape, height The appearance of the lower part is fullness, the appearance of sound is harmony, and the appearance of succession is Suihengye."
"Nanbo Ziqi (qí) was wandering in the mountains of Shang and saw a big tree with some differences: He tied up his four-horse carriage and took thousands of chariots, hiding it, and grinding it where it was.
Ziqi said: "What kind of tree is this? It must have a different talent!" If you look up at its slender branches, the fist will be bent and cannot be used as a pillar; if you look down at its large roots, the axis will be broken and cannot be used as a coffin (guǒ). If you lick its leaves, your mouth will rot and cause injuries; if you smell it, you will wake up wildly for three days. Zi Qi said, "This fruit is not the same as the wood, which is why it is so big." Alas! The man of God has no talent for this. '" ("Zhuangzi: Human World")
To put it simply, there are many opposing names and phases in the original text of the Tao Te Ching, such as "beauty" and "ugliness", "good" and "evil" , "difficult" and "easy", etc. As mentioned in the first article - "names are not permanent names", and names and appearances are definitely not changed. Is there absolute "beauty" in the world? Is it “ugly”? For example, in China, the south likes elegance, while the north appreciates straightforwardness. As for “beauty”, Chinese women who are graceful, delicate, and traditional may not be loved by Westerners; Westerners are more generous and open-minded. It may not be understood by the Eastern world. Different cultures and different countries have very different aesthetic standards. This is true among people, not to mention humans and "non-humans". So there is "Mao Qiang Li Ji" in "Zhuangzi". , the beauty of human beings; the fish sees the depth, the bird sees the soaring, the elk sees the suddenness, which of the four knows the true color of the world? "Animals are even less able to appreciate the beauty of humans.
For different regions, cultures, and species, the boundaries and standards of "beauty" and "ugliness" are different. Another interesting point is Yes: At different stages/levels, standards will change. For example, in calligraphy, each font has different standards. The standards for regular script, running script, and cursive script are different. Because the author practices Tai Chi. Here are three pieces of calligraphy that are similar and corresponding to those of martial arts practitioners:
Zheng Jun’s calligraphy is elegant, small, and delicate. He practiced "Xiao Jia" with his father Zheng Wuqing (other people only distinguish it, in fact). Sun Lutang, the founder of Sun style Tai Chi, was proficient in Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and Tai Chi. He became famous during the Republic of China and was known as the best in the world. The writing style is more of a "cursive script", with flowing words. Patriarch Zhang Sanfeng is known to the world as the founder of the Wudang sect and has extremely high attainments in martial arts. However, his calligraphy is also very elegant and belongs to the "cursive script".
< p> In fact, "regular script", "running script", and "cursive script" all have rules. Even cursive scripts have internal rules (which outsiders may not understand). Similarly, in the practice of Tai Chi. In it, there is a saying of "obeying the rules" - "using the rules" - "breaking away from the rules". When you first start practicing Tai Chi, you must follow the rules as the practice standard, at least the up and down should be aligned (hands and feet aligned, in the right position). (on a vertical surface). After you find the feeling, you can have the intention to play based on the feeling, the up and down, and the harmony of the mind, and you can move freely and elegantly. In general, it is similar to any practice or skill. When starting with rules, you must not start with "doing whatever you want." Confucius said: "When I was fifteen, I was determined to learn; when I was thirty, I was established; when I was forty, I was not confused; when I was fifty, I knew the destiny; when I was sixty, my ears were attuned; when I was seventy, I followed my heart's desires. Overstep the rules. "It also describes his lifelong practice experience (description of each stage). Like Confucius, he was proficient in the six arts (ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics). It was not until his later years that he could describe himself as "following what the heart wants without doing anything. "Exceeding the rules."Public tweets involve influence, and many things are not suitable to say. Whatever you do, you should stop at it. If you have it, you have it, if you don't have it, you don't have it. Just take a look and play, don't Take it seriously and don't "wrack your brain."