Verse 1 A way that can be walked is not The Way A name that can be names is not The Name Tao is both named and Nameless As Nameless, it is the origin of all things As Named, it is the mother of all things A mind free of thought, merged within itself, beholds the essence of Tao A mind filled with thought, identified with its own perceptions, beholds the mere forms of this world Tao and this world seem different but in truth they are one and the same The only difference is in what we call them How deep and mysterious is this unity How profound, for great! It is the truth beyond the truth, the hidden within the hidden It is the path to all wonder, the gate to the essence of everything!
