One of the things I like about the Tao is how everything is short. Each chapter is per page and the text only takes up half or even less of the page. It's better than The Analects in my opinion.
As I was reading through our assignment for the night, I found one teaching that really stood out to me: "Look, it cannot be seen - it is beyond form. Listen, it cannot be heard - it is beyond sound. Grasp, it cannot be held - it is intangible." (Tao Te Ching ll 14)
It yet again, is reminding us that the belief Tao cannot be seen, heard, touched. Tao is simply a named belief. It does however give us enough evidence of what we can hear, feel, and see.
Then when it says, "Knowing the ancient beginning is the essence of Tao." (Tao Te Ching ll 14) Does this infer that Tao is not calling for our faith but for our knowing its existence?
And I suppose the rest of the chapter 14 talks more about how Tao is not a thing. Perhaps more like an idea or belief and something that's just there. It doesn't give off light nor darkness and it proposes that it is made of nothingness and just exists. In Science class we learned that everything is made from Atoms. The Tao proves it wrong. The Tao is formed with nothing. Perhaps because it is an idea and nothing else, but digging deeper, why did they have to say it comes from nothing if you would already automatically know that since it's an idea? Maybe the Tao is perhaps a thing? But then maybe again it's not a belief because didn't it say it was something you know? And what is there to know?
Are you getting this?
Is it making any sense?
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