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The source or origin of Tao is the fourth scripture of the
Yellow Emperor. It describes the story of creation in sixteen steps. The last
eight verses are forming an echo to a time in history, where culture must have
reached a very high level.
This text seems seamlessly to fit as a kind of preface to the second part of the
Tao te Ching, that follows indeed this text on the silk, found in the grave.
Bram
 the funeral
titles
Home
Lead to law
Name and pattern
Mission statement
Calling names
Origin of Tao
| 4.1 |
The
beginning made eternal Nothingness
coincide with the absolute Emptiness
until final Infinity.
Unity of Infinity and Emptiness,
constant unity, nothing more,
a mist of dream
without
a light
or gloom.
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| 4.2 |
The
subtle filled measureless,
the Emptiness and Nothingness,
pure and without motion, glare or glow.
Therefore, no phenomenon can exist
in empty Nothingness.
No form could yet exist,
the absolute eternal empty Nothingness
still had no name.
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| 4.3 |
Heaven
could not surround it,
no bearing power for the Earth.
Small until the perfect minimum,
and big until the perfect maximum,
everything was filled inside the four oceans
and surrounded all that was outside.
In the coldness of Yin, it would not decay.
In the heat of Yang, it would not scorch.
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| 4.4 |
One
single standard, changeless,
fitting on worms and insects,
birds arise from it and fly,
fish arise from it and swim,
wild animals arise from it and walk.
countless creatures arise from it and enter life.
Countless patterns arise from it and reach completion.
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| 4.5 |
All
people are part of the creation
But, no one knows the name of it
All people are users of creation
but no one sees the form of it.
'The One', that is its designation
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| 4.6 |
That
is the reason
that the maximum of Tao is that high,
it is invisible to see,
fathomless so deep,
so brilliant and so bright,
that there is no name for it.
It exist as only one, without a second.
but no one of the numerous creatures
can give to Tao orders or commands.
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| 4.7 |
Heaven and Earth, receptive and
creative,
the four seasons, Sun and Moon,
planets, stars, the clouds and veils,
all what crawls and fiddles moves,
all what has a crown and roots,
all things borrow existence from Tao.
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| 4.8 |
Therefore, Tao does even not
decrease,
and everything returns to it.
Therefore, Tao does even not increase.
It is so solid that it will not break,
and so softly, that it cannot be transformed.
The very smallest thing cannot penetrate in it,
The extremity cannot go beyond.
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The titles of the verses and text between
[brackets] are no part of the original text.
The numbers are added by me for editorial reasons. Gaps in the numbering mean
that a the verse is not translated. In all cases that is because there were to
much unreadible characters in the original text
Translated and edited by Bram den Hond
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