Dharma & Dao

Tao Te Ching · Chapter 1 of 81

Chapter 1

modern paraphrase of James Legge's 1891 translation

Modern paraphrase. This is an AI-generated retelling in contemporary English (model: hand-written-sample). It is not the James Legge translation. The original is one click away.

The Tao you can put into words is not the real Tao. The name you can pin down is not the real name.

When it has no name, it is the source of heaven and earth. When it has a name, it is the mother of everything that exists.

Stop wanting, and you can see its hidden depth. Keep wanting, and you only see its surface.

These two — the unnamed source and the named mother — are really one thing, called by different names as it unfolds. Together they are the Mystery. Going deeper into that mystery is the doorway to everything subtle and wonderful.

For younger readers — books on this tradition

Browse the full library →