The word 道, "dao", is a fundamental concept of Chinese philosophical thought. Throughout the world, the generally accepted translation of this term is considered to be the concept of “path,” although linguists in translations of Chinese canonical books willingly translate Tao with many other equivalents, depending almost entirely on the context in which the word Tao occurs in the text. Thus, the main concept of Chinese philosophy still remains a mystery; its exact semantic meaning is essentially unclear.

The term Tao is present in almost all canonical Chinese texts. Its meaning was discussed in written sources by Confucians, Taoists, Mohists and Buddhists. Famous historian, orientalist L.S. Vasiliev writes the following about the origin of the term Tao in Chinese culture: “As a philosophical category, Tao (literally “way”) appears in ancient Chinese texts no earlier than the middle of the 1st millennium BC. For a millennium before that, the religious beliefs and ideas characteristic of ancient China were reduced to deification of the forces of nature and dead ancestors... The coming to the fore of Heaven as a deified abstract universality guiding the world (the Zhou ideas about tianming- the divine mandate of Heaven, the right to power in heaven or about tianzi- “Son of Heaven”, Chinese ruler of the Celestial Empire), with practically complete absence at that time, other somewhat noticeable deities of all-Chinese or at least regional significance apparently played a certain role in preparing the conditions for the development of Tao-related ideas about the fundamental principles of existence.”

In the modern world, interest in the term Tao-道 is enormous and widespread. Both the philosopher, the linguist, and the esotericist want to comprehend this philosophical concept. In almost all Chinese canonical texts, the essence of the concept of Tao comes down to the following description: “Tao is the fundamental principle of all things, the beginning of all beginnings. It gives birth to all things, but cannot manifest itself. It is incorporeal and nameless, empty and inexhaustible, endless and eternal. Having no form or essence, it at the same time hides everything within itself; without acting actively, it contributes to the fact that everything in the world is accomplished. Whoever knows Tao has comprehended the laws of existence. But it cannot be comprehended either with the help of words or through acquired knowledge. Only by getting rid of desires, freeing yourself from passions and concentrating on one thing, can you comprehend the Tao, get it in your heart, and dissolve in it. Whoever comprehends it does not reason; whoever follows it does not enlighten; in a word, whoever serves Tao is identical to it, and merging with Tao contributes to longevity and even immortality.

Since Tao itself cannot be manifested, its manifestation, its emanation in the phenomenal world is de. De is essentially the same Tao, manifested in things and people, the realization of its potential in the world, in society. Who has comprehended de, thereby knowing the Tao. One who has comprehended De and Tao strives for naturalness, the manifestation of which is inaction (refusal of active activity and allowing everything to follow its proper path, i.e. according to the laws of Tao).”

So, let's return to the generally accepted meaning of the word 道 - “path”. Does the common translation make the meaning of this term clearer? Hardly, otherwise there would not be so many different meanings of translations of the same passages in different canonical Chinese texts where the word “dao” is used. However, we believe that it is necessary to solve this problem of accurately translating the term Tao, first of all it is necessary to find out why the translation of Tao (and other similar terms) was never carried out. In this article we raised the problem of deciphering 道 Dao as the main term of ancient Chinese and East Asian philosophy in general. The translation of the term Tao as “path” is inaccurate, moreover, from our point of view, such a translation of this concept is outdated, it too vaguely reflects the essence of this most important philosophical and metaphysical concept, it does not correspond to the state of development of modern philosophical and scientific thought, as well as development of metasciences in the world. Moreover, the word "path" as the most common translation of the term Tao in canonical literature is not, strictly speaking, translation this deep metaphysical concepts. After all, who were the founders of the philosophy of Tao in China, the Taoists, if not professional metaphysicians, whose main occupation was the study of the secret processes of existence, penetration into the afterlife and exploration of the possibility of immortality, comprehension of the innermost secrets of the meaning of life and the alchemy of immortality?.. “Once upon a time Zhuang Tzu I dreamed that he was a small butterfly fluttering merrily among the flowers. Having woken up, the philosopher could not decide whether he was Zhuang Tzu, who dreamed that he was a butterfly, or a butterfly who dreamed that she was Zhuang Tzu?...” The basis of Taoism is metaphysics. Currently, this is an emerging science, however, without the development of this science, any of our interpretations of philosophical sacred terms will be inaccurate and incomplete.

There is no translation of the term Dao, there are only guesses following from the context (the context itself, the microcontext of the ancient Chinese language Wenyan is itself a controversial thing, since the grammar of Wenyan is devoid of a clear, logically constructed system of rules, and this has always made it difficult to interpret texts). Therefore, there are many different translations of the same ancient Chinese source; different translators build their own hypotheses regarding the meaning of the context and the meaning of the Tao itself. This is where drawing up a semantic portrait of the word usually comes to the rescue. Translation options are still limited by existing grammatical rules and, of course, by the hieroglyphs themselves, which have not lost almost their original meaning to this day.

Tao, of course, is not the only frequently used philosophical term in Chinese canonical books. It must be said that all the main terms of ancient Chinese philosophy (de 德, tian 天, xiao 孝, etc.) have a more or less “blurred” etymology, especially the second most popular in the canons after Dao Te. But if, based on the texts themselves, the semantics of these terms is limited in variations by the context itself and logic, then the use of the word Tao in the context is not subject to logic. At times, the speeches of ancient authors, especially where the term Tao is used, from a European point of view resemble an illogical, incoherent stream of words. Modern Chinese themselves, however, also do not understand their ancient texts very well. It turns out that the ancient authors, the Sages, who tried to convey their thoughts to humanity, did not succeed to a satisfactory result, because... understanding of Chinese canons throughout the world is difficult. main reason This misunderstanding of the ancient texts, in our opinion, lies in the unsatisfactory interpretation of the most important terms of ancient Chinese philosophy, the most important of which is the term Dao (道).

It may seem strange to say this after our reflections, but sinologists and specialists in ancient texts have long come to terms with this state of affairs and consider the lack of translation of main concepts to be the norm. In our article we will cover their opinions in detail and look at them from a new angle.

In his work dedicated to the treatise of Chuang Tzu, V.V. Malyavin writes: “The artistic merits of Zhuang Tzu’s book so amazed its ancient readers that almost half of the review of his teaching in its last chapter is devoted to them. We read there: “In slurred speeches, extravagant words, daring and immense expressions, [Zhuang Tzu] gave himself free rein, without limiting himself; it is impossible to understand it by reasoning from a distance. He believed that the world was mired in filth, and he had nothing to talk about with him... Although his writings are pretentious, their unrestraint is harmless. Although his speeches are chaotic, their intricacy gives pleasure."

The authors of this juicy description openly contrast the literary talent and flight of fancy of the Taoist writer with the wretched common sense of the “vulgar world.” Malyavin also explains the “necessity” of leaving the exact translation “behind the scenes”: “Therefore, in order to understand the philosophy of the Taoists, it is necessary first of all to understand their attitude to metaphysical thinking. Chinese commentators of past centuries, revolving in the vicious circle of traditional terminology, say too little for us. Most European and even modern Chinese researchers tend to talk too much. They often take the unity of the Taoists for what it was in Europe - a prototype of the logical universality of the laws of reason. They are trying to recreate the philosophical synthesis of Taoism, and they are driven not only by school habits. The demand to “know” lies at the very heart of European thought; it is precisely this that connects Athens and Jerusalem, which are otherwise so incompatible. The One in Europe has always been endowed with the power of logical objectivity, and rarely did any of the creators of its classical philosophical tradition admit that a thinker could neglect conceptual perfection and perceive the One purely situationally, without “why” and “why” - like a poet who, speaking of uniqueness, reveals the unconditional unity of things." Next, Malyavin cites the Taoists’ attitude to words as a kind of justification for the impossibility of interpreting their concepts “in a European way”: “The Taoists only opposed the use of the word as an objectified, conventional sign that captures an equally definite, clearly limited essence. Most of the time Zhuangzi speaks of “words” (yang) in this sense, but sometimes he distinguishes between words and what can be called logical, verifiable statements (bian): “The Tao, having manifested itself, is no longer the Tao.” ; words, becoming logically derived judgments, do not reach [the truth of the unthinkable].” He also has his own ideal of the word. With his characteristic irony, but not without pride, he declares that his words are “great and merciless.” Moreover, he recognizes the role of language as a necessary tool in the knowledge of truth: “a trap is needed to catch hares. Having caught a hare, they forget about the trap. Words are needed to express an idea. Having grasped the idea, they forget about the words. Where can I find a person who has forgotten his words so that I can talk to him?”

However, trying to be objective, V.V. Malyavin himself falls into his own “trap” of concepts. Is the “negation of the word” according to Malyavin, the primacy of the irrational over the rational a sign of approaching the Truth? Is it only the rejection of the rational, of explanations, scientificity and thinking itself that can bring a person closer to the Absolute? And this means that the metaphor should be understood literally, without trying to understand what is behind it. Let's see how Eastern philosophy itself, namely Buddhism, responds to this. Daisetsu Taitaro Suzuki in his work “Fundamentals of Zen Buddhism” writes: “Thinking is being” - this saying belongs to Descartes and, as far as I understand, all modern philosophy in Europe begins with this.

But in reality the opposite is also true: “Being is thinking.” When a person says “I am,” he is already thinking. He cannot assert his existence without resorting to the process of thinking. Thinking precedes being, but how can a person think if he does not exist? Being must precede thinking. Without an egg there can be no chicken, and without a chicken there can be no egg.

Reasoning in this way, we will never come to any definite conclusion. However, we are constantly involved in this game and do not realize that we are wasting our mental energy... To illustrate, I will give the following example.

During the reign of the Tang Dynasty in China, there lived a Buddhist monk who was very concerned about the problem of life and death, existence and non-existence, as well as good and evil. One day his teacher invited him to go with him to a village where a relative of one of the villagers had just died. The monk, Zegen, upon arriving there, knocked on the lid of the coffin and asked the teacher Dogo: “Is he alive or dead?”

The teacher replied: “Alive. I wouldn't say that. Dead. - And I wouldn’t say that.” The monk asked: “Why not say either alive or dead?” "Of course, it is clear that the author took the saying of R. Descartes too literally, down to earth - after all, it is clear that being is meant as a meaningful process of creation and self-development, and not a primitive biological presence . But let us forgive this annoying omission to the researcher - as for his native Buddhist philosophy, he, as a representative of Eastern philosophical thought, testifies that the irrational principle is neither higher nor lower than rational knowledge. Zen Buddhism itself (Chan Buddhism in China) is essentially a rationalistic metaphysics, and if we consider it a religion, then it is the most rationalistic of all religions, devoid of the ethical contradictions of other religions and directly “concerning”, exploring the forbidden world, the world different, and also directly setting itself the tasks of epistemology at the level of the Universe and solving by practical methods the problems of self-knowledge and spiritual enlightenment of man. And, despite its rationalism, it is perhaps the most mysterious of the world’s religions. Combination of incongruous- this is what Daisetsu Taitaro Suzuki is talking about, this is what Eastern philosophy and Eastern thinking are telling us. Dualism, as a part of human thinking, is not acceptable in the knowledge of superhuman categories. Dualism is not acceptable for the knowledge of Tao, as highest category in Far Eastern philosophy. It is impossible to assert only one approach to the knowledge of truth as the only correct one, as Malyavin believed. Therefore, scientific study and analysis of canonical Chinese texts is necessary in the same way as their intuitive-emotional perception. Malyavin was also mistaken in overestimating the role of metaphor and allegory in these texts. Are there not detailed explanations of the meaning of philosophical terms in all canonical Chinese texts: “Tao Te Jing”, “Long Yue”, “Menzi”, “Zhuang Tzu”, etc.? Don’t different characters try to answer direct questions “what is Tao” in their own way, and the sages carefully instruct analyzing the meaning these terms? And, in fact, key question: Don’t all these texts, conversations and discussions serve the purpose of conveying to the reader the essence of philosophical terms, in particular Tao?...What is the meaning of these canons if they do not bring benefit in the form of transformation of human consciousness in the mass, if over all these millennia their content , despite copious amounts commentators, both their own, Asian and European, did not add any tangible clarity to the texts for human “dualistic” perception. Moreover, exalting only one, namely, an irrational approach (allowing for the absence of a logical structure of thought, as well as an accurate transmission of meaning), does not solve anything and only serves as a sign of humility in front of the problem of those who simply could not solve it. After all, the goal of the ancient authors was to convey some important, in their opinion, message to humanity with these texts, and not at all to confuse it for many thousands of years, while some came up with new and new interpretations of contexts, selected, like puzzles, suitable for that same “European” logic translations of the main terms, and some in despair asserted the impossibility of an accurate translation and bowed before the greatness of “Eastern irrationality.” But the goal of the ancient authors remained unachieved - while humanity played games with the interpretation of texts, these texts did not really change anything in the minds of people during all this time, because people, both in the West and in the East - let's face it in the eyes, despite the beautiful metaphors, they do not understand these terms enough for them to understand these texts. And this, you see, does not in any way correspond to the aspirations of any author.

However, the solution here is quite obvious. Let’s not forget that the time when all these treatises were written is a time of deep antiquity, so different from ours in all aspects of life, from science to vocabulary, that to modern man to equal the level of rationalistic knowledge of these books is at least unreasonable. In ancient times, a person, even if he was a priest of a tribe, could not “rationally” explain such a phenomenon as electricity. This means that even if they wanted to, the ancient Chinese sages would not have been able to explain the Tao and other similar terms except through metaphors, just as they would have explained the phenomenon of thunder, rain, etc. And Tao is not a natural biological phenomenon, but, based on their own explanations, of a metaphysical nature, therefore honor and praise to these ancient authors, whoever they were, for trying to explain such phenomena that even modern science unable to explain. However, everything is not so simple here. Not only were the ancient authors unable to rationally explain the Tao, but they knew about it de facto. They realized that their explanations would be useless to posterity: said: " those who asked questions of Tao and received an answer do not know Tao . Though they question the Tao , but never heard the Tao. You cannot ask about Tao, and if you have asked, you cannot receive an answer.” Then another question arises: why did they do this?

Tao as a concept indeed cannot be fully interpreted, but not because of the “irrationality” of Eastern texts, but for other, more mundane reasons. As N.I. wrote Conrad: “What is Zhuang Zhou’s attitude towards the book Zhuang Tzu? Apparently, the same as in previous cases: Zhuang Zhou is not the author of “Zhuang Tzu”, but its hero. This book is a summary of what was circulating in the society of that time as attributed to or associated with Zhuang Zhou himself. Of course, someone made this collection: one of the students and generally followers of this thinker. It is even likely that the text we have is the work of several people acting at different times.” The same is the case with many other cultural monuments, and this fact alone destroys the possibility of a strong proof of the truth of the meaning of the texts themselves... Well, let’s say that, despite the unknown authors, the ancient texts still deserve our trust, at least in terms of content, which seems deep . But what about the fact that in fact the most important concept of all Chinese philosophy, Tao, is different in different teachings, among different Teachers?

This is how Chuang Tzu understands the meaning of the Dao: “Zhuang Tzu directly mocks the preachers of humanity and duty, whom he calls “carriers Tao- “Paths”. He remembers Zhe, the famous robber, robber. “Wu Zhe was asked: “Do robbers have their own Path?” Zhe answered: “Shouldn’t there be a path in order to go?” It takes intelligence to realize that such a house contains rich property. It takes courage to be the first to enter this house. In order to divide the spoils equally among everyone, you need a sense of humanity. It has never happened before that anyone in the Celestial Empire could commit a great robbery without possessing these five properties.” (Chapter X).

Having thus rejected the moral principles so glorified by Confucius and Mencius, Zhuang Tzu also took up arms against the so-called “perfect” (shengren), i.e. on those “perfectly wise” people whom Confucius and his followers elevated to the rank of ideal personalities:

“If you drive away all these shenzhens and leave the robbers alone, then order will reign in the Celestial Empire. When the Shenzhen die, the robbers disappear, and peace is established in the Celestial Empire, there will be no disasters. Until the Shenzhens die out, great robberies will not cease.” (Chapter X)… So, Zhuang Tzu contrasts all kinds of high moral qualities with the primordial properties of human nature itself: or rather, this nature itself. It is precisely this nature of his that a person must protect in every possible way from everything “made by people,” therefore, not natural, but artificial, not organic, but introduced from the outside.”

But here is how Confucius understands the Tao: “To determine the path along which one can come to the elimination of all these evils, it is necessary to establish their root cause. Confucius saw her in imperfection human personality, and thereby the entire society. Consequently, for him the path to achieving a proper social state passed through improvements in the person himself. It can be improved by relying on ren, the “human beginning” in man, to what constitutes the very essence of his nature. The means of increasing people's human quality is wen - education, enlightenment, high intellectual and moral culture. And since the “human beginning” in human nature is an active factor, expressed in actions, in deeds, then spiritual culture is something that is created precisely by human activity. This is for Confucius Tao, “The Way.” So, we see how different meaning these philosophers give to the Tao. How can one give one single translation to a concept that is different for everyone? This is where the root of the problem of translating Tao is, 道, and not at all in its “metaphorical nature”, which does not need to be violated, “irrationality” and metaphysicality.

If these texts have survived to this day in more or less their original form, it means that they tried to preserve them from the time of their initial writing, which means that the people who lived in those distant times Knew something about the value of the information presented in the treatises. They knew and tried with all their might to pass it on to their descendants, so these books “survived” to this day. At the same time, in no era was there a clear understanding of what was stated there. And this suggests that the picture is unlikely to change in the future, and the meaning of the most important terms of Chinese, and at the same time Asian culture as a whole, will become clearer. This means that everything that was done previously was done in the wrong direction - this is the only correct conclusion for this situation.

If we look for parallels of the most important concept of ancient Chinese (and Far Eastern in general) teachings, Tao, with the most important concepts of the main world religions, then in terms of the scope of concepts it will be closest to the Buddhist dharma. Dharma is an individual “package” of formation of any personality, based on the uniqueness of its experience, astral, mental-psychic and physical characteristics, multiplied by the variations in personal growth, life situations, historical time of life, place of birth, etc., inherited by this particular individual. An individuality unique in the Universe. There is simply nowhere more contradictory and “Individual” - then the location of the Tao hieroglyph in ancient sentences ceases to be a semantic void. Tao acquires a specific meaning, saturated with certain versatile and deep information, a high meaning. I think many readers just felt this.

So what is Tao? Every creature and even natural object there is a task of existence in this physical world. Which should be 1) found 2) understood 3) developed. Individual drawing in the Universe, “path”. Now the word “path” has become much clearer, hasn’t it? The extent to which one person (a creature, an object of nature, etc.) differs from another, in the smallest details, is how different he is. His 道 is just as different from the universal 道. Confucius had his own, as did Zhuang Tzu. And the robber Zhi has his own. And there is nothing to argue about here. This is what the famous saying 道可道非道也 means: “The Tao that is discussed is not the Tao” (Lao Tzu, “Tao Te Ching”).

It is likely that such intricate, illogical, chaotic canon texts were not made as an end in themselves, not for artistic heritage and not for the education of generations. And they were made like tools to bring to humanity the Memory of 道. There is no need to subordinate your subjective-personal feelings, thoughts, goals, life to the same subjective-personal set of another person. You don't need anyone's approval to be yourself. We are equal and different to the same extent. In essence, everyone is unlimitedly free, regardless of whether it is the freedom to be virtuous like Confucius or to deny virtue like Zhuang Tzu - each of us still decides for himself. And what these texts actually teach is to be yourself, then there will be answers to the weight of questions that the sages in the texts so often denied to their disciples.

That is why great books were created, instruments of Truth, written in such a way that the world will never truly understand them - visual Symbols of how the simple Truth is hidden behind deceptive tinsel, a kaleidoscope of words and philosophies, vanity short life and transient “great goals” in a series of eternal changes in the world. A world that we endlessly change.

References

Academy of Sciences of the USSR Order of the Red Banner of Labor Institute of Oriental Studies. "Tao and Taoism in China." Publishing house "Science". Main editorial office of oriental literature. Moscow 1982
庄子/（战国）庄周著；-昆明：云南人民出版社，2011·6 Zhuang Zi (Zhan Guo) Chuang Tzu. Kunming, 2011.
新华字典（大字本）/-10版·-北京：商务印刷馆, 2004 Xin Hua Zi Dian(Da Zi Ben) Xinhua Zidian (Xinhua Dictionary). Dazi-ben (Large print edition). 10th ed. Beijing, 2004.
Buddhism. Four noble truths: - M.: ZAO Publishing House EKSMO-Press; Kharkov: Folio Publishing House, 2000.
5. N.I. Conrad. Selected works. Sinology. Main editorial office of oriental literature. Moscow, 1977.

N.I. Conrad "Selected Works. Sinology"

The treatise Tao Te Ching (IV-III centuries BC) sets out the foundations of Taoism. At the center of the doctrine is the doctrine of the great Tao, universal Law and the Absolute.

Tao is incorporeal and not amenable to sensory perception, it is everywhere and nowhere, formless and nameless, endless and eternal, empty but inexhaustible. It is the progenitor of everything, including the gods. This is the gate of birth, the root of the world, everything is hidden in it. Everything is born from Tao and everything goes into Tao. Tao itself is in an endless cyclical rotation: without reaching the limit, it again rushes to the source. Tao is the highest law of existence, but not existence as such; it is outside of existence, beyond its limits, but it is not God, not a supernatural force, for Tao is natural, although incomprehensible.

It is the highest existing reality, while the phenomenal world it gives birth to is not immutable and does not exist forever. The world of things is created by Tao and is subject to the laws of life, i.e. transitory: all things are in a great cycle and, having reached the limit set by them, return to their original source, to the original, to the Tao, which gives them a new birth: everything is born from being, but being itself is from non-existence. Actually, the great Tao itself is an allegory of the Great Emptiness.

To know the Tao, to follow it, to merge with it - this, according to the Taoists, is the meaning, purpose and happiness of life. Tao manifests itself through its emanation - through de, and if Tao generates everything, then de feeds everything.

De represents the subtlest primary natural substance in combination with its inherent properties and laws. It is included in everything that exists in the universe, including the human body. Interacting with Tao, Te predetermines the birth, development and death of a person. The entire process of development of human life takes place against the background of the omnipresent Tao, under the influence of De. Therefore, human life and de in the broad sense of the word are closely related to each other.

De in the narrow sense of the word means the norms of human behavior in society and in interpersonal communication. It does not have the force of laws, but is influenced by them and acts by virtue of human habit. DE norms impose certain restrictions on human behavior, but they are not comparable with the restrictions imposed by laws. Te gravitates more towards the spiritual sphere of a person’s life and therefore penetrates deeply into his inner world (“Qigong tansui”).

When it comes to educating de in the course of practical classes, then both meanings of this concept are taken into account. Firstly, we mean moral behavior in Everyday life, namely: getting rid of subjectivism and selfishness, nurturing nobility. And secondly, it implies the need to follow the natural order of things, to perceive life as natural phenomenon, which guarantees its normal course.

In China, since ancient times, great attention has been paid to the education of de qigong practitioners. Confucians, the "martial school" and Taoists called qigong classes "comprehending Tao", believing that "comprehending Tao" is inseparable from cultivating de. Tao and Te are closely related to each other. Therefore, the ancients said this: “Improving de without mastery is a waste of time, practicing mastery without improving de will inevitably lead to a meeting with evil spirits.”

A highly moral person even in extremely unfavorable conditions negative impact external environment is able to get rid of extraneous thoughts, maintain presence of mind, maintain balance between thought and qi, and experience mental comfort during qigong classes (source).

Lao Tzu compares himself to an unborn baby. The baby-sage is “entwined and bandaged” with his “shirt” and the umbilical cord connecting him to the mother’s body. He is endowed with “the mind (or heart - blue) of a fool,” who is at the same time the bearer of the highest wisdom, which seems stupid only to the complacent average person. This baby sways on the waves of the waters of the mother's womb and floats weightless in these waters. The Baby is the sage, Lao Tzu himself, the Mother is the Tao itself, the eternal and ineffable Path itself and the fundamental principle of all things, and it is in the womb of this Mother that the Sage-Infant resides.

In Taoist cosmology and cosmogony, Tao turns out to be like a cosmic womb, embracing the entire universe, remaining in inextricable unity (chaotic unity - hun yi) with the maternal body of the Path until its birth - differentiation and separation from Tao in the process of cosmogenesis. Nevertheless, even the “born world” retains a certain unity with Tao, being nourished by the Good Power (de): “Tao gives birth, de feeds.” Thus, the world formed during the cosmogonic process retains a connection with Tao, similar to the connection between a newborn and a nursing mother.

Only a person, due to the emergence of his perception of himself as an isolated, self-sufficient “I”, an unchanging subject of actions, violates this initial unity and even begins to act contrary to it, guided in his attitudes and actions not by the regularity of the cosmic rhythm of the Tao - the Path, but by his own preferences , thus replacing spontaneous self-natural life with activity based on goal-setting and rooted exclusively in egocentric subjectivity. Hence all the suffering and misfortunes of man, from his mortality to social conflicts.

The only way to not only get rid of these sufferings, but also to achieve the highest happiness is to restore the original unity with Tao, expand your consciousness, abandoning the blinders of an egocentric attitude, that is, return to the state of an unborn baby, for whom there is no clear line between one’s own and the mother’s. a body that breathes the breath of the mother and eats the food of the mother. This return to the bosom of the Mother-Tao is associated with the expansion of personality to cosmic proportions, when “without forever separating yourself from the Good Power, you return to the state of a baby” and “you look at the entire Celestial Empire as your own body.”

This state of the unborn baby is a state of immortality, peace, being in unity with all things and in harmony with its own primordial nature. "Returning to the root is called peace, peace is called returning to vitality, returning to vitality is called permanence. He who knows permanence is called enlightened."

Tao unfolds at all levels of the macro- and microcosm, and therefore there is an isomorphism clearly described in Taoist texts between the process of cosmogenesis, fetal ripening and childbirth, as well as (in reverse order) the practice of Taoist cultivation. Therefore, for a Taoist, the return to the womb of the Mother-Tao as an unborn baby is not just a metaphor, but a form of expression of a certain deep essence of the isomorphic structure of the universe. Hence the desire of a Taoist practitioner to imitate the prenatal state in his practice. More detailed information about Taoist practices is provided in the “Esoterics, Traditions” section.

Http://www.openreality.ru/school/religion/daoism/main-ideas/

DAO (lit. - path, road), one of the most important concepts of Chinese philosophy, central concept of Tao sism. In the philosophy of Lao Tzu, Tao is the invisible, omnipresent natural law of nature, human society, behavior and thinking of an individual, inseparable from the material world and governing it (therefore, Tao is sometimes compared to the logos of Heraclitus). Tao gives birth to the darkness of things; is inactive, thereby doing everything; Tao is eternal and nameless, empty and inexhaustible; Failure to follow the Tao leads to death.

Tao (NFE, 2010)

DAO (Chinese, literally - the path, as well as approach, schedule, function, method, pattern, principle, class, teaching, theory, truth, morality, absolute) is one of the most important categories of Chinese philosophy. Etymologically goes back to the idea of primacy (show) in "movement/behavior". The closest correlative categories are de (“grace”) and qi (“tool”). IN modern language binomial Daode means morality, morality. The term Tao conveyed the Buddhist concepts “marga” and “patha”, expressing the idea of the path, as well as “bodhi” (“enlightenment”, “awakening”). Logos and Brahman are often recognized as analogues of Tao.

Wang Dao

WANG DAO (Chinese: “the path of the perfect ruler”, “the path of the true king”) - a concept of traditional Chinese, mainly Confucian, political thought, expressing the ideal government controlled. First mentioned in the Shu Jing. The character “wan” included in the binomial wang dao denotes the title of the supreme ruler in ancient China (until the end of the 3rd century BC). The outline of the hieroglyph - three horizontal lines connected by a vertical one - can also be interpreted as the hieroglyph “tu” (“earth”, “soil”), bounded at the top by a horizontal line, and carries the idea of connecting Heaven and Earth, i.e.

Tao (Gritsanov, 1998)

DAO (Chinese - God, word, logos, path) is a concept of ancient Chinese philosophy, meaning that: having neither name nor form; being eternally one, unchangeable, imperishable, existing from eternity; being inaudible, invisible, inaccessible to comprehension - indefinable, but perfect; being in a state of rest and constant movement; acting as the root cause of all changes, she is the “mother of all things,” the “root of everything.” Tao - ("all-one" according to Lao Tzu) - depends only on itself: "man depends on the earth, the earth on the sky (space), the sky on Tao, and Tao on himself."

Tao (Frolov)

DAO is one of the most important categories in Chinese classical philosophy. Originally Tao meant “way”, “road”. Subsequently, the concept of “Tao” was used in philosophy to designate the “path” of nature, its laws. At the same time, Tao also acquired the meaning of a person’s life path and turned into the concept of “ethical norm” (Daode). In thinking, D. means “logic”, “reason”, “argument” (dao-li). The content of the concept of “Tao” changed along with the development of Chinese philosophy.

"Those who say they can explain the Tao do not understand it, and those who understand it do not explain anything..."

Once in Zhou China, along with three powerful religions ( Confucianism And Buddhism) a unique philosophical doctrine arose, at the origins of which, according to legend, stood the sage Lao Tzu(Old Baby) who wrote a Taoist treatise "Tao Te Ching", which sets out the main provisions Taoism. The central place in the religious doctrine of Taoism is occupied by the Doctrine of Tao(which is also called neo-Confucianism). Tao- “the unborn, giving rise to all things”, the universal Law, ruling forever and everywhere, the First Principle of existence. Incomprehensible to the senses, inexhaustible and permanent, without name or form, Tao gives name and form to everything. Target practicing Taoism - to become one with Tao, to merge with It, to know...

In his treatises on the Tao, Lao Tzu wrote that "in the face of death, everything is insignificant, because of everything that exists, Nothing appears. Nothing is the fundamental principle of the world, everything arises from Nothing. Nothing is the path of things, phenomena, processes, because everything flows from Nothing and everything returns to Nothing". Losing the personal principle (ego, “I”), the Taoist joins the Tao - the Great Nothing, comprehending the Great Nothing and becoming it, he is able to become anything, not being more than the “I”, but becoming Everything and Nothing at the same time...

Everything in the world happens spontaneously, naturally, according to the will of Heaven, Taoists believe, thanks to a mechanism called the “heavenly spring.” Trying to influence the course of events, a person violates harmony, therefore one of the Taoist principles is inaction(whale. Wu-wei). Wu-wei is not inaction, it is action outside the mind, without reasoning, action in a meditative state of silence of the mind, when actions flow naturally, without assumptions about the course of events, without interpreting them, without explanations... In the state of Wu-wei you can chop wood , paint pictures, cultivate a garden - do anything as long as your mind is silent. The adept takes an observant position towards everything, especially in relation to himself. He is calm and analyzes through intuitive thinking, but not discursive thinking.

The heavenly spring, a kind of “first impulse,” initiates human life, which then spontaneously flows from birth to death. Observing nature, studying medicine, alchemy, astronomy, geomancy etc., by engaging in Taoist breathing and meditative practices, an adept can achieve connection, merging with the Tao, and gain within himself the state of Tao, the state of immortality. The world does not inherently contain contradictions, but eternal transformation takes place in it. A practitioner of Tao must obediently follow His flow, remaining in naturalness and natural simplicity; accept everything that life offers, internally calmly and naturally, without contradicting your true nature, without waging war with yourself. Calm down and accept the world as it is here and now. By following this path, being in natural harmony with the world, in harmony with nature, it is possible to achieve longevity and prosperity of the spirit. According to Taoists, nature creates itself and organizes itself, having a higher spiritual principle in its fundamental principle. All manifestations of nature are manifestations of this spiritual principle. It is in the comprehension of constant natural activity that the source of the deepest Truth about the world is hidden, the Taoists believe.

Lao Tzu wrote that there are three treasures, which are the highest mentors of man, are love, moderation and humility.

The Taoist doctrine is based on the postulate of the Eight Pillars, which are branches of Taoist practices and philosophy. The main emphasis in them is on health and longevity, on therapeutic and health-improving systems of exercises and harmonious relationships with the outside world.

Tao(path) philosophy. A person must strive to comprehend the meaning and purpose of life, his purpose, the laws of nature and society.
Tao of renewal. Through exercise and meditation, the practitioner should achieve health and longevity.
The Tao of proper nutrition. The Taoist diet is based on vegetarian cuisine.
The Tao of Forgotten Food. It is also necessary to remember therapeutic nutrition, which includes fasting, diets and herbal medicine to ensure a specific nutritional regimen.
The Tao of Healing. Regulation and proper use of the vital energy given to us in this incarnation is required. The technique of repositioning prolapsed organs through massage, acupuncture and other forms of manual therapy is used.
Tao of sexual wisdom. Sex and conceiving a child should be conscious and controlled actions.
Tao of perfection. It is necessary to achieve excellence in some area for yourself and others, including with the help of prediction systems (astrology, fingerprint fortune telling, numerology, horoscopes and future forecasts).
Tao of success. It is necessary to develop a strategy that will allow the adept to harmonize the laws of nature and society. This strategy implies the tireless mastery of science, psychology and philosophy, including in practice.

Taoists believe that a person is eternal substance, and his body is a peculiar microcosm, a collection of spirits and divine forces, the result of the interaction of Yin and Yang, male and female principles. Anyone who strives to achieve immortality (or youth and longevity) must first of all try to create for all these monad spirits (there are about 36,000 of them, according to the ancient Taoists) so that they do not strive to leave the body. This is achieved through food restrictions, special physical and breathing exercises. Also, to achieve immortality, a practitioner must perform at least 1200 good deeds, and one bad deed nullifies everything.

Taoism views the human body as a sum energy flows Qi, which is analogous to the Universal life force inherent in everything in this world and filling all the organs of the human body with life. The flow of Qi energy in the body correlates with the flow of Qi energy in the environment and can change. Taoism defines the close connection between body, mind and environment. Many principles originate from this Taoist postulate. Chinese medicine and various psychophysical practices. Breathing exercises allows you to control energy in the body. While concentrating while performing the practice, a person must connect his Qi energy with natural Qi. This allows you to improve your internal energy Qi, which in turn contributes to longevity and increased capabilities of a person.

Taoism has come a long way and is a traditional Chinese religion in modern times. In recent years it has opened a large number of Taoist temples and monasteries. These days, the revival of interest in Taoism is largely due to the special popularity qi gong techniques, which directly goes back to Taoist internal alchemy. Taoism in its modern form is a unique religion, with magnificent rites and rituals, beautiful temples and the deepest esoteric content, based on ancient sacred techniques for improving the body, mind and spirit. And although today it is believed that Taoism is experiencing another decline, however, the purpose of its existence continues to justify itself - it leads more and more seekers to the understanding that it is the inner life of a person that is the most important on this earth.

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Meaning of the word Tao

dao in the crossword dictionary

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

Tao

DAO (Chinese lit. - way) is one of the main categories of Chinese philosophy. In Confucianism - the path of a perfect ruler, moral improvement, a set of moral and ethical standards. In Taoism - the law of existence, its generating and organizing principle. The world is the “embodiment” of Tao. The sage, following Tao, abandons goal-setting activity (wu wei, “non-action”), achieves unity with nature and perfection. In the tradition of the Book of Changes (I Ching), Tao is the pattern of alternation of yin-yang forces.

Tao

one of the most important categories of Chinese philosophy. The literal meaning of the term "D." ≈ “path”; Confucius and the early Confucians gave it an ethical meaning, interpreting it as “the way of man,” that is, moral behavior and a social order based on morality. In the philosophy of Taoism, the term "D." acquires not an ethical, but an ontological meaning, and it refers to both the root cause of the universe, and the mysterious and unknowable pattern underlying it, and the integrity of life. In the philosophy of Neo-Confucianism, the term "D." for the most part is identified with the term “li” (“principle”) and is contrasted with the material substrate “qi”. The founder of the rationalistic system of Neo-Confucianism, Zhu Xi, emphasized the identity of the dynamic of man and the surrounding world.

Lit.: Konrad N.I., Philosophy of the Chinese Renaissance, in his book: West and East, M., 1966; Bykov F.S., The origin of socio-political and philosophical thought in China, M., 1966: Fung Yulan, A history of Chinese philosophy, v. 1≈2, Princeton, 1952≈53.

V. A. Rubin.

Wikipedia

Tao

Tao(literally - path) is one of the most important categories of Chinese philosophy. Confucius and the early Confucians gave it an ethical meaning, interpreting it as “the way of man,” that is, moral behavior and a social order based on morality. The most famous and significant Taoist interpretation of the Tao is contained in the treatise Tao Te Ching.

Dao (sword)

Tao (, pinyin dāo, not to be confused with, dào(path, Tao)) - “single-edged weapon” / “falchion” / “broadsword” / “saber” / “knife” / “cleaver” - a Chinese bladed single-edged weapon, often illiterately translated when translated as “crooked sword".

Most often under Tao(indicating its type - for example, Newweidao - Tao"bull tail" or luedao - Tao“willow leaf”) refers to single-edged falchions, sabers and broadswords, both one-handed and two-handed. However, as a meaningful element the word Tao included in the names of pole weapons - chuanweidao, yanyuedao, dadao etc.

As a significant element, the same hieroglyph is also included in the names of some specific types of weapons of Chinese martial arts (for example, baguadao), however in in this case it simply means the presence of sharpening along one of the edges of a given piece of weaponry.

Japanese katanas were also called dao by the Chinese.

Tao (language)

Tao(Maniwo, "X-Ray") is a Papuan language spoken near the Dao River, east of Cenderawasih Bay, west of the central highlands of the Napan sub-county of the Paniai regency of Papua province in Indonesia. The Tao language is lexically 75% similar to the Auye language. The population also uses Papuan Malay.

Tao (disambiguation)

Tao is one of the most important categories of Chinese philosophy.
Dao is a Chinese sword.
Dao is a Papuan language spoken near the Dao River
Dao-tsung was the emperor of the Liao dynasty, the kingdom of the Khitan in northeast China.
The Tao of Winnie the Pooh is a book written in 1982 by American writer Benjamin Hoff.
Dao Thien Hai - Vietnamese chess player, grandmaster (1995).
Tao Wu-di is the founder of the Chinese Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei.
The Tao Te Ching is a book that has had a great influence on the culture of China and the whole world.
Tao Tsang is a complete collection of religious and philosophical literature of Taoism.
DAO - Decentralized Autonomous Organization.