The Best Cannot Be Told, Part 4

March 29, 2026

Rev. Bruce Bode

The opening lines of Tao Te Ching, as rendered by Stephen Mitchell, read: “The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.” These statements connect to one of scholar Joseph Campbell’s main themes, namely, his understanding that “religious language” is necessarily symbolic, a theme which this service will explore.