Philosophy Thread

I think for Buddhism and Taoism it's because of the language barrier you have to jump. The Tao te Ching is very poetic on the surface, but you have to digest what it's saying to get the meaning. I know there are some versions out there that offer compendiums discussing it's verses.

Interpretation Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained (SkyLight Illuminations) 1st Edition by Lao Tzu (Author), Derek Lin (Author)

I like having the interpretations as a reference but I love the poetry in the writing. I think if you try to interpret it yourself, you might gain higher meaning from it.

You'll also find people have translated it differently. I actually prefer this person's interpretation. The last few lines are "darkness" instead of mystery. Darkness I can fathom better. Tao Te Ching One The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The unnamable is the eternally real. Naming is the origin of all particular things. Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. This source is called darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding. The Tao Te Ching was written by Lao-Tzu translation by S. Mitchell