What is the Essence of the Tao Without Root in Taoism 什么是道体无本

The core thought of Scripture of Original Boundary, a classic of the Twofold Mystery school in Taoism.

It means that the Dao-body in itself is empty, quiescent, and pure unity, without any concrete determinations. Therefore, it is not a “root” or “origin,” nor can it serve as the ultimate goal to which things return.

Scripture of Original Boundary states: “If the nature of reality is empty and quiescent, why speak of ‘returning to the root and going back to the origin’? If there is a root to return to, it is not that there is no reality.”

It emphasizes that the Dao-body is originally empty and pure, with no root to return to. This thought was deeply influenced by Buddhist Prajñā-pāramitā teachings, and stands in some tension with the traditional Taoist idea of the Dao giving birth to all things.

To resolve this tension, Twofold Mystery Taoism reinterpreted the traditional ideas of returning to simplicity and attaining the Dao naturally. It held that “returning to the root and origin” is actually “returning to no-root.” And because there is no root, cultivation has no ultimate goal fixed to the appearances of reality. One need only eliminate mental afflictions such as discrimination, judgment of right and wrong, and vexations, making the mind empty, quiescent, and bright. Then one can unite with the Dao-body, and this is “called attaining the Dao.”

Such attainment is essentially “attaining without attaining.” The thought of the Dao-body having no root integrates Buddhist ontology with Laozi’s theory of origin to a certain extent, laying the theoretical foundation for the development of the Twofold Mystery Dao.