It is because they do not know these, that men do not know me.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
Because men do not understand, they have no knowledge of me.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
People do not understand this
Therefore they do not understand me
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
People didn't get that,
which is why they didn't understand him.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
Derek Lin makes a great observation in terms of this line.
Although Lao Tzu's teachings are simple and based on universal truths, we may fail to understand and practice them. This is because many of us are looking for something that is flashy and conspicuous; something that costs money and therefore must be valuable; and something that works magically without requiring disciplined effort. The Tao is none of these things, so we may look at it, lose interest, and move on to something else.
To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.
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