This extraordinary book contains a full translation of the Tao Te Ching from Chinese, along with an extensive Sufi mystical commentary on each verse by the renowned scholar, Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr, who includes along with his own commentary, passages from the Diwan of Hafiz, Rumi’s Mathnawi, Sa’adi, Nizami, Farid Al-Din Attar, Shabastari, and Bayazid Bastami.
The Prophet, upon him be peace, said, “Seek knowledge, even unto China.”
In 1974, the oldest extant copy of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching (6-4th century BCE) was unearthed at Xi’an along with the ceramic warriors guarding the tomb of the first Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang. In the 1970s, Professor Toshihiko Izutsu—the Japanese Islamicist, philosopher and linguist—collaborated in Tehran with Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr to translate this treasure into English. Dr. Nasr went on to put it into Persian adding a Sufi commentary which was recently published in Iran. This has now been translated into English with annotations by Mohammad H. Faghfoory.
The scholar recognized as the “Father of World Religions”, Huston Smith, refers to the Tao Te Ching as a “Testament to humanity’s at-home-ness in the universe, [which] can be read in half an hour or a lifetime….”
Imagine having a foundational world scripture like the Tao Te Ching explained by such a renowned Sufi scholar and internationally recognized spiritual authority as Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Passages whose subtleties are normally inaccessible to the Western mind become clear. Through Dr. Nasr’s insightful use of verses from such Persian luminaries as Rumi, Hafiz, and Attar, the reader is introduced to the “world” behind this world.
This book contains the first Sufi commentary, by Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, on a key non-Abrahamic sacred text (the foundational scripture of Taoism) that will be highly relevant to anyone interested in the spiritual universality shared by the world’s religions.
Dr. Nasr’s ability to present complex religious and spiritual concepts and terms in a simple and readable language makes this book an ideal textbook for any course on religions of the world, comparative religious studies, Sufism, or Taoism. In the recent years leading up to this publication, Dr. Nasr has been teaching this work at George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Scholars in the fields of Islamic and Chinese studies, comparative religions, and Sufism will find that this volume expands their horizons. Lay readers will see it as enlightening; seekers of the truth will find it spiritually uplifting.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
The way of which one can speak as “way” is not the eternal Way (Tao)
The Name that can be named is not the eternal Name.
The Nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth;
While the named is the mother of the Ten Thousand Things.
In the state of eternal Non-Being we see the invisible depth of the Tao;
While in the state of Being, we see the determinations of the Tao.
These two are originally the same;
But they are called differently as they reveal themselves.
In that particular dimension in which the two are the same, they are called mystery, the mystery of all mysteries, the gateway of all subtle things.
In the first verse of this discourse, the transcendence of the Tao is emphasized, and it is established that anything that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao. This is because by speaking of the Tao one has placed a delimitation (qayd) on that which is transcendent, infinite and beyond definition and description. Therefore, any name that we assign to It is not the eternal Name, because by giving a name to that Absolute Reality we in fact delimit It. In its supreme meaning, the Tao is the Divine Reality, which has no name nor description.
About the contributors:
Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu was a semi-legendary Chinese philosopher and author of the Tao Te Ching, one of the foundational texts of Taoism, on which this new translation/commentary is based. Traditional accounts say he was born in the 6th-century BC state of Chu during China’s Spring and Autumn period (c. 770 – c. 481 BC). The Chinese text used for this translation was unearthed in Xi’an along with the famed ceramic warrior in 1974.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, University Professor of Islamic Studies at the George Washington University, is an international authority on Islamic philosophy, mysticism, art, and science as well as comparative religion and religion and ecology. He is the author of dozens of books and hundreds of articles and the subject of a number of books, edited collections, and articles. A small sample of his recent publications include The Garden of Truth: The vision and Promise of Sufism (2007), Islam’s Mystical Tradition (2007), Islam in the Modern World (2010), In Search of the Sacred (2010), and Metaphysical Penetrations (a translation of Mulla Sadra’s Kitab al-Masha’ir. (2014).
“The greatest honor the academic world grants to a living philosopher is the dedication of a volume of The Library of Living Philosophers to his work and thought; and the most prestigious recognition a thinker can receive in the field of natural theology is an invitation to deliver the annual Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh. In the years 2000, the twenty-eighth volume of The Library of Living Philosophers was devoted to the philosophy of Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, placing him in the company of Einstein, Sartre, Russell, Whitehead, and other luminaries of twentieth-century intellectual life. Fourteen years previously, Dr. Nasr had delivered the Gifford Lectures, and the text of these lectures became his magnum opus, “Knowledge and the Sacred.”
Toshihiko Izutsu (Translator from the Chinese to English)
Toshihiko Izutsu (1914 –1993) was a Japanese scholar who specialized in Islamic studies and comparative religion. He took an interest in linguistics at a young age, and came to know more than thirty languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, Persian, Sanskrit, Pali, Hindustani, Russian, Greek, and Chinese. He is widely known for his translation of the Qurʾān into Japanese.
Mohammad H. Faghfoory (Translator from Persian to English)
Mohammad H. Faghfoory is professor of Islamic Studies at the George Washington University and the director of the MA Program in Islamic Studies. In addition to advising graduate students’ research and theses, he teaches courses on Qur’an and Hadith, Islamic Political Thought, Sufism, Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Shi‘ite Islam, Islamic Art and Spirituality, Islam, and other related courses.
He received his Master’s degrees in history and Middle East studies from the University of Illinois, and a Master’s degree and a PhD in political science and Middle East studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has taught at the University of Tehran and has been a visiting scholar at the University of California-Los Angeles, Islamic Manuscripts Specialist at Princeton University, and at the Library of Congress, and adjunct professor of Middle East History at Mary-Washington University in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Dr. Faghfoory has written, translated, and edited twelve books, numerous book chapters, articles, and book reviews (see Publications section for details). He has lectured extensively in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, and participated in interfaith dialogue organized by American media.
The Universal Message
As Dr. Nasr beautifully demonstrates, the meeting of these two great wisdom traditions reveals that the mystic’s path is universal, transcending cultural and religious boundaries while honouring the unique beauty of each tradition. In our troubled times, this synthesis offers profound healing, reminding us that all authentic spiritual paths ultimately lead to the One Reality that is both the source and destination of our seeking.
“The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao” echoes the Islamic teaching that Allah is beyond all human comprehension, yet paradoxically, both traditions affirm that this Ultimate Reality can be known through direct spiritual experience and the purification of the heart.
On the Nature of the Tao
Dr. Nasr illuminates the profound depth of this central concept:
“The title of this book, which is the most foundational source of the Taoist tradition and one of the best-known sacred texts of the religions of the world, has several meanings. Even though its title is usually translated as The Book of the Way and Its Virtues, it includes the word ‘Tao,’ which has no synonym in any other language. The Tao is not just the way to reach the Truth, it is also the Absolute Truth Itself, termed al-Ḥaqq in the Islamic tradition, meaning ‘the Real’ or ‘the Divine Truth.’ At the same time, It is also the Way to attain perfection and to reach the Absolute Truth. Moreover, the Tao is the Principle of all things in the hierarchy of being, and that which determines the nature of all beings and the principles of their existence. The Tao is also the source of virtue and salvation. It has both ontological and ethical dimensions, and is both individual and social, human and cosmic, practical, theoretical and existential. For these reasons the term ‘Tao’ is used in the Persian text and is not translated. The Tao is the guide that leads human beings to the highest plane of the Truth, which is nothing but the Tao Itself. Thus, the Tao is the fundamental key for understanding reality in all degrees of Its manifestation.”
This profound understanding reveals why our exploration of these parallel wisdom streams offers such rich nourishment for the soul’s journey toward Ultimate Reality.
Sufi Light on Tao Te Ching ~ The Book of the Ineffable Reality and Virtue by Pir (Lao Tsu) Li Er
1.
Tao Te Ching is a Spiritual Classic. Tao or Dao means Way, Ineffable Reality, Te or De means Virtue and Ching means Great Book or Classic. Thus ‘Tao Te Ching’ can be called: The Great Book of Reality and Virtue, or The Book of Ineffable Reality and True Virtue. Here simply translating ‘Te’ as virtue will not do justice, its healing virtue which brings man back to his original nature.
It is believed that the classic was inspired to be written down around 4th or 6th Century BC, so we are talking about a very old Spiritual Classic and something that ancient to have successfully been transmitted to us without being lost is not a light matter. This itself can be viewed as a proof of authenticity and energy of this timeless classic.
It is written by a Sage by the name Li Er Boiang, also known as Li Dan. Because he was Pir of his time, his honorary title was Lao Tsu which means ‘Old Master,’ the same meaning is conveyed in the word Pir in Sufism.
Tao Te Ching has 81 chapters, all brief, yet they carry profound message about the Reality. The Book introduce concepts about the Ultimate Reality in a language suitable for his time as well as statements concerning practical spirituality and wisdom for traveling the Spiritual Path which enable one to live in harmony and in a state of tranquility
Metaphysically Tao refers to Reality as It is. Psychologically it refers the way how human nature is constitute, the original nature of man, a deep dynamic structure of our being. Ethically its means the way human being must conduct with others to be at peace and harmony. Spiritually it refers tot the guidance that is offered to us, the method of searching for the truth that is handed down by the great sages, seers, divinely inspired communicators of the path, the way of inner work. All of these meanings of Dao / Tao is ultimately united and one.
Tao Te Ching’s appeal is broad and its meaning is deep. It speaks to each at our own level of understanding while inviting for search for level of insight and experience that are not yet within our comprehension.
It is a sacred text. To read it is not only to see ourselves as we are, but to glimpse a greatness extending far beyond our knowledge of ourselves and and the universe we live in. The Tao Te Ching deals with what is permanent in us, it speaks of a possible inner greatness and an equally possible inner failture which are both indelibly written into our very structure as human being.
Under its gaze we are not American or Chinese or European. We are that being, Man, uniquely called to occupy a precise place in the cosmic order, no matter where or in what era we live. It is a work of metaphysical psychology. (credit)
2.
Timeless spiritual classics such as Tao Te Ching transmits its message continuously and depending on who is reading and receiving it and with what level of understanding, it continues to open itself up to help us see beyond into the deeper mysteries. This is a characteristic of authentic and inspired spiritual transmission.
How does the message of Tao Te Ching illume itself against the universal message of the Sufis? Can the message of the Tao Te Ching can also be found reflected in the message of the Quran, the Source that Sufis hold so dearly?
In order to find suitable translation of Tao Te Ching in English, I have used several sources to have a more holistic appreciation of its mystical nature. The citation of the Quranic verses are indicated in the number within parentheses.
CHAPTER-1 OF TAO TE CHING
This chapter speaks about Tao as an Ineffable Reality, the Ultimate Reality about which anything expressed falls short, any comparison out of the construct of the limited mind is an injustice to its ineffableness. Some translation speaks of it as Path, as Existence Itself. Here is a composite translation:
The Ineffable (Tao), about which is spoken, is not the eternal Ineffable.
A name for the Unnameable, is but a name.
The Unnameable is what makes everything what it is,
By naming things you divide the Indivisible.Only one who gives up all his desires can experience the Indivisible Essence,
One who still cherishes desires, will experience the Manifestations.
Both will see the same reality, but experience it differently.The unity of Essence and Manifestations is said to be the mystery.
Mystery of mysteries, the door to all wonders.
Here are some reflection of the above passage and parallel phrases from the Quran to provide hint that both are speaking about the Ultimate Reality with reverence to It’s mystical nature.
La ilaha – Negate all false names. Only that Ultimate Reality now bear witness that the Unnameable alone Is. Shahida-Llahu ‘AnnaHu La ilaha illa Hu. (3:18) Who is more wrong than one who invent a lie, a conjecture about the Ultimate Reality? (6:93) Thus whatever one speak about the Ultimate Reality never can do justice. Subhanahu wata’ala ‘ammayasifoon – Limitless is Hu in glory, and sublimely exalted beyond anything that men may devise by way of definition (6:100). Subhanahu wataAAala AAamma yaqooloona AAuluwwan kabeera – Exalted and Greater beyond what they say is Hu! (17:43) Huwa as-Samad, the Ultimate Reality is Eternal. al-Qayyum – the Peerless. Huwa Allahu Ahad – That One is Indivisible (112:1).
That Reality is both al-Zahir and al-Batin, The Manifest and the Essence. It is both the First and the Last, al-Awwal wa al-Akhir. (57:3) Whatever in the Heaven and Earth are in a constant state of awe from the great wonder of the Great Mystery (57:1).
CHAPTER 4 OF TAO TE CHING
Chapter 4 describe the metaphysical reality and reminds of its nature of Emptiness, the Great Void It is sometime called.
The Tao is like an empty vessel:
Never emptied and never be filled.
It is like the eternal void:
filled with infinite possibilities.It is hidden but always present.
Not given birth by any.
It is more ancient than the concept of God.
The Great Emptiness, The Ultimate Void is al-La. The Eternal Void. Hidden, al-Batin and yet az-Zahir, always Present. Lam yalid walam yoolad – The Ultimate Reality neither begets nor is born. (112:3). It is al-Qadim, the Most Ancient, more ancient that even revelations, conceptions about or of God. Al-Qadim is one of the Divine Names and Attributes of Allah which means the infinite-most antecedent to all else!
CHAPTER 6 OF TAO TE CHING
Chapter 6 again continues to shed light on the Supreme Reality.
The Supreme Spirit of the perennial spring is said to Ever-Living, the Mysterious One. The Mysterious One is typical of the source of heaven and earth. It is continually and endlessly issuing and without effort.
an alternative translation is this:
The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.Subtle, barely seen but always Present.
Endless flow of inexhaustible energy.
An appreciation of the Divine Feminine embedded deeply within Islamic Tradition is required here. The two most invoked Divine Name ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim both goes back to the root word R-H-M, meaning Womb. Both the Divine Qualities, ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim are Mercy, Compassionate, Universal Loving Kindness are generally manifested in the world as natural qualities of a mother. The frequently used invocation Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, it is invocation of the Divine Feminine Principles of the Ultimate Reality. That Reality is also al-Hayy, the Ever-Living; ar-Rauf – the Motherly Loving and Tender; as-Samad – the Inexhaustible, al-Latif, Most Subtle, al-Baqi – the Ever Present, the Ever Lasting, al-Halim – the One Who is Motherly Forbearing.
CHAPTER 12 OF TAO TE CHING
Apart from speaking of the Highest Reality, in Tao Te Ching Lao Tsu also disseminate teachings on practical spirituality, on how to live to return back to the original nature from which arises tranquility of the heart, clarity of mind, deep peace of soul. 12th Chapter speaks of the dangers from the manifestation of the apparent and transitional world and how a true human being who wish to master himself and world should conduct his, her life. Finally it also speaks of the quality of the Heart that a true human being should attain.
This is a translation by Stephen Mitchell (1988):
Colors blind the eye.
Sounds deafen the ear.
Flavors numb the taste.
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the heart.The Master observes the world
but trusts his inner vision.
He allows things to come and go.
His heart is open as the sky.
Made beautiful are material and worldly things of desire, these are the pleasures of the present world’s life; but the Source of all has the excellent return with It. (3:14) True vision is not derived from ocular vision alone, but from the inner vision of the heart. Indeed it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts, which are within the bosoms, that grow blind. (22:46) Only that person will be successful who has a sound Heart (qalbin salim). (26:89)
CHAPTER 14 OF TAO TE CHING
This again takes us back to the Highest Reality, Lao Tsu continue to help us see different facets of this Reality and dispenses his priceless wisdom.
Stephen Mitchell’s translation again:
Look, and it can’t be seen.
Listen, and it can’t be heard.
Reach, and it can’t be grasped.Above, it isn’t bright.
Below, it isn’t dark.
Seamless, unnamable,
it returns to the realm of nothing.
Form that includes all forms,
Image without an image,
subtle, beyond all conception.Approach it and there is no beginning;
follow it and there is no end.
You can’t know it, but you can be it,
at ease in your own life.Just realize where you come from:
this is the essence of wisdom.
That Highest Reality about which Quran conveys the following, almost matching each phrase:
No vision can grasp Him, but Its grape is over all vision (6:103) The Highest Reality’s voice is not heard directly except through veil, revelation or human messenger as medium. (42:51) Most Subtle is It, wa huwa al-Latif (6:103). Beyond all conception – subhanahu ‘aamma yushrikoon. Only Allah knows Allah, It can not be known by other than it. Yet when one is consumed by It, It becomes the very eyes, the very hand, the very ear of the servant, of the human being. So one can be It, or rather said in more truthful way, one is granted the permission to become a more perfect Image of It, a more perfect representative (khalifa) of Hu. Then and only then it is said, you didn’t throw but Allah threw. (8:17) It is al-Badi, the Wonderful Originator, al-Mubdi, the Beginner of us and all that exists.
Hu Allahu Akbar – Ever Greater, Ever Transcendent beyond any conception and construct is Hu.
May the Ineffable keep us on the tao (as-sirat al-mustaqim) that leads to the Tao
May we realise and become what is possible
May we be granted a heart open as the vast sky.
// Sadiq M. Alam / Dhaka, Bangladesh
# Further:
* Tao Te Ching Introduction – Read By Jacob Needleman
* Side by Side Comparison of Tao Te Ching Translations
* Alan Watts – Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching
* Dr Wayned Dyer – Tao Te Ching
* Full Audio Book of Tao Te Ching
* Do the Dao by Wayne Dyer
* Tao Te Ching: An All-New Translation by Lao Tzu, Laozi
* The Perfect Man According to Taoism and Its Relevance with Sufism: A Brief Survey
* Pondering Chinese Taoist and Arab/Persian Sufi ideas of individuality and immortality
* The Way of Life by Lao Tsu (PDF)
Sufi Path of Love 