As I continue the slow and arduous process of wending my way through the books of the Old Testament as the first leg of the Tao Bible series, I am constantly reminded of the different perspectives that folks have of these two classic works. These perspectives color how each is viewed.
For Christians, the Bible comes from God. Conservative believers contend that God himself wrote it or, more correctly, he whispered the words of the texts into the ears of very specific writers. More liberals believers take a step backwards and believe that the books of the Bible are God-inspired, though such a contention pretty well negates the idea that this work is infallible. Inspired people still can make a lot of mistakes!
Whether one takes the more conservative or liberal approach, you're still left with the overall idea that the Bible represents the thoughts of the creator. Even when the text is inconsistent or contradictory, you really have to accept it as is because who can argue with God?
The Tao Te Ching, on the other hand, is acknowledged by [philosophical] Taoists as solely the work of humans. Some believe it was written in its entirety by a fellow we know today as Lao Tzu. Others -- like me -- believe it was written by many people over a generation or more and represents the ideas of a particular school of thought. For the purposes of shorthand, we say the mythic Lao Tzu is the author.
Because Taoists generally believe this book is the work of a (or several) human[s], it is left up to each individual to find their own meaning in its words. And while most Taoists consider the Tao Te Ching, Zhuangzi and other classic works to represent the foundations for this school of thought, this certainly doesn't preclude new authors and texts from being added to the overall mix.
In many ways, that's what this blog is all about. While we certainly spend a good deal of time analyzing and discussing these ancient texts, each of our writers is adding their own unique musings to the overall mosaic of philosophical Taoism...one post at a time.
For Christians, the Bible comes from God. Conservative believers contend that God himself wrote it or, more correctly, he whispered the words of the texts into the ears of very specific writers. More liberals believers take a step backwards and believe that the books of the Bible are God-inspired, though such a contention pretty well negates the idea that this work is infallible. Inspired people still can make a lot of mistakes!
Whether one takes the more conservative or liberal approach, you're still left with the overall idea that the Bible represents the thoughts of the creator. Even when the text is inconsistent or contradictory, you really have to accept it as is because who can argue with God?
The Tao Te Ching, on the other hand, is acknowledged by [philosophical] Taoists as solely the work of humans. Some believe it was written in its entirety by a fellow we know today as Lao Tzu. Others -- like me -- believe it was written by many people over a generation or more and represents the ideas of a particular school of thought. For the purposes of shorthand, we say the mythic Lao Tzu is the author.
Because Taoists generally believe this book is the work of a (or several) human[s], it is left up to each individual to find their own meaning in its words. And while most Taoists consider the Tao Te Ching, Zhuangzi and other classic works to represent the foundations for this school of thought, this certainly doesn't preclude new authors and texts from being added to the overall mix.
In many ways, that's what this blog is all about. While we certainly spend a good deal of time analyzing and discussing these ancient texts, each of our writers is adding their own unique musings to the overall mosaic of philosophical Taoism...one post at a time.
Due to some recent births there are currently over 7 billion uniquely correct versions of reality.
ReplyDeleteThere are trillions of unique expressions of how rivers should flow and more again, perfect and unique, expressions of how a tree should be.
This natural and open way is certainly what draws me towards taoist philosophy. It allows and encourages the unique expression to play itself out.