Daodejing

About Daodejing

Daodejing is the earliest and classical text of Daoism (Taoism). According to the legend, Daodejing is the work of Laozi, a contemporary of Confucius in the sixth century BCE. He has been thought of as the founder of Daoism. But the mainstream modern scholarship believes that this book is a compilation of sayings of different early Daoist thinkers, that reflects the early Daoist thought.

The central concept of Daoism is Dao (Tao), which is commonly translated as “the Way”. The original Chinese word “dao” has multiple meanings. It can be used both as a noun and as a verb. As a noun, it means “road”, and then “method or way” in general. As a verb, it is used to mean “to point out the road” or “to tell”. In the Chinese culture, Dao is a word loved by various Chinese thinkers. They use the word to refer to the ultimately true principles of Heaven that is conveyed by their own philosophies. But the Daoist concept of Dao is distinctive; it is used to represent the reality and natural order of the world.

Some historical background of the emergence of Daoism may help us understand the Daoist philosophy.  Daoist thought emerged in China during the Warring States period (476- 221 BCE), an era of intense chaos, warfare, and social upheaval. The old empire fragmented into several smaller states, each rivaling for conquering others and dominance. Breakdown of the social hierarchies, heavy taxes, conscription, and constant wars plagued people’s lives. However, this era of chaos and calamity also birthed “Hundred Schools of Thought” in China: when facing the same social ills, Chinese philosophers gave different diagnoses and prescribed different solutions to bring order and peace back to society. Early Daoist philosophy, along with Confucianism, Legalism, etc., stands out as a philosophical response to the chaos and turbulence. Unlike Confucians, who believe that morality will bring society back in order, and Legalists, who uphold strict laws and punishments as the most effective way, Daoists offer a revolutionary alternative to those traditional views: returning to the natural order of the world (Dao) so that we can live in harmony with everything.

Early Daoists believe that there is clearly a reality beyond human conception and conventions (i.e. morality, differentiation, etc.). Humans originated and are part of the natural world, yet out of ignorance and arrogance, we create our own way (“the human’s way”) and impose our way/conception upon the world; this is why problems and chaos emerge. The best and simplest way to solve the problem is, they suggest, by breaking through our conception of the world, we observe and emulate the natural structure of the world (Dao or the Heaven’s Way).