Author Bio: There is much discrepancy over who was the author of the Te-Tao Ching although many believe that it was Lao-Tzu. Lao-Tzu was an ancient philosopher and author. He lived in China during 500 B.C.E. and is noted for founding Daoism.
Date/Context: The exact date of when this passage was written is unknown although one can presume that it was in between the dates 570-490 B.C.E. This time was around the founding of Daoism and this passage contains significant information in correlation with this belief system. In addition, during this time many different religions circulated around Eastern Asia and the world which no doubt made the publication of this passage at least slightly controversial.
Summary: In summation, this passage describes the beliefs of those following the faith of Daoism and what they must do in order to achieve happiness. To begin, the passage describes that "the way" as being how one will live their life and the outcome of it in the end. The passage described that "the way" is not something that is easily grasped nor should it be questioned. Followers of this faith must trust their life to "the way" even though "the way" may not be the best for them in the end. The passage also describes finding a constant within your life. One can presume that a constant is the tranquility and peace that one finds which, those of this faith believe, will fulfill their lives. In addition, the passage describes a supernatural being whom they do not believe themselves worth of giving a name and so call "mother of Heaven and Earth." Finally, the passage describes that if one is to fulfill their true plan then they must not become too much like worldly things or they will be punished.
Key Quotation: "If you use the rays to return to the bright light, You'll not abandon your life to peril. This is called Following the Constant."
The "identifying characteristics" for "Te-Tao Ching" are found in two relatively brief paragraphs at the topic section of the document. As Maddie stated, there is some confusion over who officially wrote the "Te-Tao Ching" although it is believed that Lao-tzu wrote it. The document explains how one story is that he was in charge of the sacred texts, and that is how he created the documents. Also, as Maddie stated there is no exact date for when the Te-Tao Ching was officially written, although Lao-tzu was alive from 570-490 B.C.E. so if he is responsible for the texts, then it must have been written during this time. One thing that Maddie did not mention is, that the document discusses how changes continued to be made to the "Te-Tao Ching" after Lao-tzu, and the last changes were made "as late as the first century C.E." This could provide insight into how ideas changed, and how some leaders of Daoism may have wanted different or new ideas to be portrayed in the "Te-Tao Ching," or how they may have wanted to make it easier to understand. As Maddie stated, it was written around the founding of Daoism or Taoism. Maddie discussed how the document "contains significant information in correlation with this belief system," and while that is correct, the document was/is essentially the "Bible" of Daoism. She also discusses how the text was published when "many different religions circulated around Eastern Asia and the World." This is correct, but it is important to note that the document also tells of a story about how Lao-tzu met Conficius and basically criticized him, which helped to bring about Daoism. Maddie's summary is very informative and accurate, and explains a rather confusing text in a very simple and easy to understand way. Maddie explains what "the way" is and the importance of "the way". One thing Maddie does not really explain is how the text is written. The text is written through comparisons, and it compares/contrast ideas, and provides synonyms. For example,"//As for the Way, the Way that can be spoken of is not the constant Way; //As for names, the names that can be named is not the constant name," and so on. Maddie also selected a quotation that I may have not selected, her quotation is found at the end of text, but I believe I would have selected a quotation such as the one quoted above. I think that while Maddie's quotation makes sense, the quotation above represents the text, and the comparison/writing of the text in a more specific way. Maddie provided a thorough analysis and summary, and did a superb job with the interpretations of the text. Overall, I think that Maddie did an excellent job explaining "Te-Tao Ching" because of how confusing the document was.
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