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What is Tao-te ching

Tao-te ching is the book master of Lao-tzu's Taoism, meant to provide teachings on a way of life according to the Tao.

The title of the book Tao-te ching translates as follows: Tao, means the universal principle (of life and death); Ching - is a very precious book, therefore called a "classic"; and Te translates as characteristics, way of being, manifestation in the sensible world.
So the very name of the book is: the Classic about the Tao and its Manifestations.

History of the Book

It seems that the book originates in the 4th century BC, but recent discoveries showed that it is not earlier than the 4th or 3rd century. The oldest existing copy is from 206 or 195 BC.

Tao-te ching Chinese version
Tao-te ching pages written in Chinese

Lao-tzu would have composed this work at the request of Yin Hsi, the Guardian of the pass, while he began his wandering towards West. The guard would asked him to write a hand book of wisdom. This way Tao-te ching came into existence.

Tao te-ching Summary

Tao-te ching consists of 81 short chapters among which 37 form the first part - the Classic of the Way (Tao) , and the next 44 form the Classic of Te.

This division in chapters is considered to be the result of the remarks of mysterious Tao master Ho-shang kung (Han dynasty).

The book's concern is the Way or Tao, and the emulation of its manifestation in our day-to-day life.

Part of the chapters describe these characteristics, parts are intended to teach us the Way, meaning the optimal behavior one should adopt in order to achieve something, avoid failure and even preserve one's life.

Another part of the book is somehow a handbook of rulership for the use of princes and noble men involved in the public life.

Wisdom

The first chapter of Tao-te ching speaks about what is Tao, the key concept of Taoism.

Thus, it reads: the Tao we know it is not the everlasting one. Without name - meaning unconceived - it is the root of Heaven and Earth, that is, the Universe, human and spiritual.

Lao-tzu the author of Tao-te ching

The Tao may be known only if one gets rid of his many desires. In fact, one can not know the Tao directly but through its doings.

The wisdom of the book focuses further on concepts like Te, wu (emptiness), wu-wei (nondoing) and fu (return). All are features of Tao (Way).

The disciple of Lao-tzu is taught to practice wu and nondoing as a modus vivendi , finally reaching the emotional detachment and feeling of ease and stillness like he/she would fly.

Mystery

The book is not limited to the wisdom and the art of leadership according to the Way.

It also contains allusions to the practice of meditation which could bring the practitioner the spiritual regeneration and even control over negative influences, from political to mystical and demonic.

Tao-te ching in the West

There are many translations versions of Tao-te ching in English as the book has many disciples even in the West, challenging the Western culture and effort to understand the meaning of life and find a way out of turmoil and depression of these days.

One of the most important translation is James Legge's because its author developed an empathy with the spirit of the book and revealed many of its secrets.

Foreword to Tao-te ching

Just because the book is very difficult to understand in our own terms of people living in the modern Western world, one should learn how to approach the book.

In this respect we wrote a short essay named foreword.

-> Foreword

 

Tao-te ching
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Tao Te Ching translations

What is the best Tao-te ching translation? There is no such thing. The best translation has not yet been written. For many reasons...
And yet we prefer James Legge's.
Below are some translations that may be worth reading.

D.C. Lau Tao Te Ching
Traditionally attributed to Lao Tzu, an older contemporary of Confucius (551 - 479 BC), it is now thought that the work was compiled in about the fourth century BC. An anthology of wise sayings, it offers a model by which the individual can live rather than explaining the human place in the universe. The moral code it encourages is based on modesty and self-restraint, and the rewards reaped for such a life are harmony and flow of life.
Buy from Amazon.com https://amzn.to/49hshu7

Tao Te Ching, translated by James Legge with commentaries
The wisdom of being a part of the Tao leads to a serenity of spirit that improves all aspects of human life, from the demands of work and family, to the dealing with life's joys and difficulties. An essential for the meditation of Taoists for thousands of years, the "Tao Te Ching" is as beneficial and informative as it is enduring. This edition is translated with commentary by James Legge and is printed on premium acid-free paper.
Buy from Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3ZtbqBh

Tao Te Ching The Book of Meaning and Life, translator Richard Wilhelm
No other work of Chinese literature has attracted as much attention as Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching". It has been translated more often than any other book except the Bible and more commentaries have been written on it than any other Chinese classic. Both philosophical speculation and mystical reflection, the "Tao Te Ching" is about the harmony and flow of life and the necessity for affinity to it.
Buy this book from Amazon.com https://amzn.to/4fJhuvc

 

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