The Tao produced One;Notwithstanding Ron Hogan's analysis, I think the point Lao Tzu is trying to get across is that Tao is the spark of life. Without this spark, nothing else we know would matter.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
The Tao begot one.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
Tao produces one
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
Chapter 42 starts out
with some cosmic mumbo-jumbo
about Tao making one,
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
When I refer to a spark, I don't necessarily mean a start point. We don't know if there was a start point or not! But there is something that makes life possible and, for a lack of a better word, I am utilizing the word, spark.
To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.
My teacher would say Tao gives rise to primeval, undifferentiated qi (before yin and yang.)
ReplyDeleteWhen I come across a new version of the TTC, Ch. 42 is always the one I look at to get a sense of where the translator/interpreter is coming from. I would have found it hard to take Ron Hogan seriously.
And, referring back to Ch. 40, non-being (Tao) gives rise to being.
ReplyDeleteI like Ron Hogan's version, but I do agree that is take on this line makes you shake your head. It would have been better to skip over it then render it as he did.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I know what you are trying to say with "spark" with its fiery, creative implication, I think it is a bit too yang for this concept...the "one" precedes yin and yang. Maybe that's why concepts like non-being/being, and primeval qi, or "unity" preceding "duality", mathematical concepts really, are often used by commentators.
ReplyDeleteI guess, unlike Ron Hogan, I think this is one of the most important, key portions of the TTC. It's the "cosmic mumbo-jumbo" that underlies everything else.
You're probably right! I really struggled with coming up with a good word for it. "Spark" does indicate a specific start point and so it's really not appropriate. On the other hand, spark is a word that most westerners understand, so I went with it...with trepidations! :-)
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