Thoughts on the Tao Te Ching 49

Poem 49

The Master has no mind of her own.

She works with the mind of the people.

She is good to people who are good.

She is also good to people who aren't good.

This is true goodness.

She trusts people who are trustworthy.

She also trusts people who aren't trustworthy.

This is true trust.

The Master's mind is like space.

People don't understand her.

They look to her and wait.

She treats them like her own children.

Commentary

The River Vltava in Prague with the Castle in the background

The first thing that strikes a reader of the above Taoist poem is that the Master or the Tao is totally non-judgemental, and treats all with an even hand, no matter whether they are good or bad.  Also, in keeping with the plurality in unity that is a hallmark of Taoist thinking, the translator S. Mitchell sees the Master as feminine here. (He alternates between "he" and "she" superbly and seamlessly in his version of the Tao Te Ching.)   This strikes us immediately as a much more compassionate approach than that of the God of the Old Testament who is presented as a rather dictatorial judge.  The Tao is such that

She is good to people who are good.

She is also good to people who aren't good.

This is true goodness.

However, one must also point out that the Bible has various viewpoints within it and that it is not at all as monochrome as some more fundamentalist interpreters would want it.  There are often contrary and contradictory texts in that same book or rather collection of books. Therefore, an astute reader of the Biblical texts will be open to quite a variety of possible interpretations, especially of the more controversial texts.  For instance, the Wisdom literature openly questioned God's justice when the authors lamented the fact that evil doers prosper as well as those who do good, and that, further, many good people really do suffer in this life and often die young.  Educated readers of the Bible will realise that it was written by many writers over many centuries and that each had a viewpoint that mirrored the times and contexts of the communities of faith in which they dwelt.  They will also realise that the Bible is a collection of books, written by many authors over many centuries and that consequently their concept of God grew as they increased in their knowledge of Him.  

We are never alone: Prague, February 2016

We all know how hard it is to trust others, but the Tao is a mystery or mystical presence that trusts all, it would appear.  It is rather hard for us emotional beings to grasp this, given that we are instinctively prone to retribution.  For us Christians, Jesus stood all of that old law of Old Testament retribution, that "lex talionis" on its head.  Being totally committed to peace and compassion for all, Jesus even forgave his tormentors and crucifiers by understanding that they truly "knew not what they were doing."  Likewise, many commentators say that the Parable of the Prodigal Son can also be construed as the Parable of the Older Brother as this brother illustrates well the all-too-human reaction of most of us when others are forgiven for their years of disloyalty while the always loyal servants (ourselves) have been overlooked by a goodness and justice that goes beyond the boundaries of human love.  It is in this sense that the Tao trusts all of us, that is in a parallel sense to how the Christian God loves those who sin and fall away.  The Taoist lines above are therefore worth repeating and contemplating once again here:

  She trusts people who are trustworthy.

She also trusts people who aren't trustworthy.

This is true trust.

In conclusion, our Taoist poet emphasises the power of a mother's love - a love that knows no boundaries for her offspring.  It is indeed little wonder that the image of mother is quite often attributed to God and the Tao and to many deities in a multitude of religions.  Many years ago, I remember an old teacher who taught me saying that one unruly pupil was truly a child that "only a mother could love."  I instinctively knew what he meant.

The Master's mind is like space.

People don't understand her.

They look to her and wait.

She treats them like her own children.