Forerunner of the Gods
| Original | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 道 沖 | The Way cleanses |
| 而 用 之 或 不 盈 | and using it should not encumber |
| 淵 兮 | deep-versatility! |
| 似 萬 物 之 宗 | like the many-diverse-creatures' kindred |
| 挫 其 銳 | blunts thier sharpness |
| 解 其 紛 | unwinds thier clusters |
| 和 其 光 | moderates thier glare |
| 同 其 塵 | mingles with their dust |
| 湛 兮 | deep-capacity! |
| 似 或 存 | what might it hold? |
| 吾 不 知 誰 之 子 | child of I dont know who |
| 象 帝 之 先 | forerunner of gods |
My Comments:
The message seems to be that, the Dao, is "at home" in any situation. As the source of all things, it is kindred to all things, and understands them.
It is also not afraid to mingle with them, even when they might be considered dirty or unworthy by others.
I find the part about capacity and holding things to be quite interesting. At first it seems like it was saying you could store things in the Dao somehow. But now, I think it is more about the suprises it might hold. It is the source and kindred of everything that exists today. How deep is its capacity, if it created all of this? And, what might it still hold today that will emerge at some point in the future?
The last part about pre-dating gods is interesting and at first seems like it doesnt belong with the rest of the chapter. But, if the idea here is that the Dao is the source of all, it is also the source of the gods ... meaning it also knows how to successfully interact with them.
The chinese gods are not the same as the Christian "God" concept. This claim that the Dao is older than the Gods is in fact the same as the Christian claim that the all-powerful conciousness that is refered to as "the father" is basically the creator of and forerunner to all things, including the idols that people worship.