Written by Lao Dan in the third century, it was originally written in Chinese but later translated into English. The importance of this is that we may be missing some nuance that has been lost in the translation. The Laozi tells us that "humans have separated themselves from the Way by planning and organizing..." "The Laozi can be read in many different ways. It reveals the intellectual ferment of the late Zhou and was one of the favorite books of Chinese people throughout history."
The Laozi can be viewed as a work of mysticism which contains a deeper meaning that cannot be described in language. The passage seems to say that once you go around naming things, the things them become objects. By leaving it alone, you subject it to the ethereal quality it possessed once it was created or came into being.
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