Q1: Poem 47 is one of the most profound of all the poems in capturing the true power of the "Tao" and its philosophy. It claims that "Without stirring abroad/One can know the whole world;/Without looking out of the window/One can see the way of heaven." What do you think this means? How can one travel without traveling, and see without looking?
Q2: In Poem 53, the poet writes that "The great way is easy, yet people prefer by-paths." Why would it claim the Way is easy, when all of the poems tell us how difficult it is to find? And if it is easy, why wouldn't people choose to follow it? Why according to these poems do most people choose the difficult path? (you might consider how this relates to the English phrase, "to reinvent the wheel").
Q3: Here are three translations of a very interesting phrase in Poem 71:
* D.C. Lau (ours): To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.
* Jonathan Star: Knowing what cannot be known--what a lofty aim! Now knowing what needs to be known--what a terrible result!
* William Scott Wilson: Knowing that you do not know rests above the high-water mark. Thinking that you know when you don't know, you are sick enough to be confined in bed.
What do you think these lines mean, and which translation best helped you understand them?
Q4: If you had to summarize the Tao te Ching in a single sentence, what would that sentence be? List three poems which seem to support this summary.
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