Tao Te Jing – The Cannon of Tao … by Lao Tzu 550 BC

Tao_Te_Jing

Consists of 81 chapters. also translated as – The Cannon of “Ethical Living”

The word “Tao” (道) is used philosophically to express the concept of ‘The Way or absolute way’ , “ The Truth or absolute truth”.

Te – Ethics, virtue, integrity

Jing – Principle, canon, doctrine

Chapter 1 ( Introducing the concept of TAO -in just 59 characters that rhyme)

「道可道,非常道,名可名,非常名。無名,天地之始,有名,萬物之母。故常無欲以觀其妙,常有欲以觀其徼,此兩者同出而異名,同謂之玄,玄之又玄,眾妙之門。」

Tao is beyond words
and beyond understanding.
Words may be used to speak of it,
but they cannot contain it.
Tao existed before words and names,
before heaven and earth,
before the ten thousand things.
It is the unlimited father and mother
of all limited things.
Therefore, to see beyond boundaries
to the subtle heart of things,
dispense with names,with concepts,
with expectations and ambitions and differences.
Tao and its many manifestations
arise from the same source:
subtle wonder within mystery of mysteries.
This is the beginning of all understanding.
Translated by Brian Browne Walker (1996)

Reflecting on the Chinese translation of John 1:1
In the begining (太 初 grand inception ; primordial becoming – implying a time even earlier than the “in the begining” of Genesis 1:1)
was the WORD (有 道 – Tao existed)
The WORD was with God and the WORD was God ( Tao 道 was with God and 道 was God)…

Jesus answered, “I am the way 道 and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6