The Tao Te Ching [Laozi] /Lao-tzu Metaphysics

What Is Existence?

Abstract

As Chinese philosophies enter the global marketplace, Taoist ideas are emerging with greater frequency. In order to make Zhou Dynastic Taoist ideas accessible to Western acculturated readers, a more conventionally “Western” approach to a key Taoist text, the "Tao Te Ching/Dao De Jing" by Lao Tzu/Laozi. Therefore, in this paper, I will examine the foundational metaphysics presented in the Tao Te Ching. Lao Tzu contends that the Tao transcends all conditions, all conceptualization and naming, presenting an inherent conundrum. I argue that by evoking an a-rational and experiential discourse, the Tao Te Ching attempts to impart impressions of The Tao. By this, an example is set forth of the paramount value of wei-wu-wei (naturally derived action) as a greater means to achieving understanding than the more didactic approach favored by Lao Tzu’s contemporary Confucius (Kung-fu-tzu) and the thinkers that followed him. These two schools of thought share cosmology theories: e.g., The Tao, ch'i [qi]气, yin/yang 阴/阳 and te [de] 德. However, their prescriptions for appreciating and harmonizing with these forces are mirror images of one another. In examining Taoist metaphysics through a more Western philosophical lens, I attempt to give the reader a way to extract deeper meaning from the Tao Te Ching.