Tao Te Ching

A luxuriously illustrated and silk-bound, foil-blocked edition of this classic Chinese text on the principles of Taoism for all who seek a more natural way of living.

Written in about the sixth century BC, The Tao Te Ching (or Daode Jing) is the masterpiece of the Chinese sage Laozi (or Lao Tzu), a record-keeper at the Zhou court, a contemporary of Confucius and the founder of Taoism. Although the book was written more than 2,500 years ago, and within a radically different culture, its concepts and teachings have never been more relevant to the Western world than they are today. Laozi offers profound wisdom, arguing that humankind is but a tiny part of an inexhaustible greatness, and that individuals can attain true fulfillment by striving to live in harmony not only with others but also with their natural environment.

Organising the work into 81 verses divided into two parts, Laozi sets out a path (tao) by which we can tune ourselves into the nature of the universe. His axioms are intended as a means to achieve transcendence and a life of integrity and balance. Among his insights are the ideas that flexibility and suppleness are superior to rigidity and strength; and that self-absorption and self-importance are vain and self-destructive.

These suggestions for how people might live better within the world around them are arguably even more relevant today than they were nearly three millennia ago. This illustrated edition of a classic work is an essential addition to any collection of the worlds classic texts.

About the Author

Chad Hansen, a specialist in ancient Chinese thought, is Professor in Chinese Philosophy at the Centre of Asian Studies at the University of Hong Kong. He serves on the editorial board of Philosophy East and West. He is the co-author of The Complete Idiots Guide to Taoism (2002) and author of Language and Logic in Ancient China (1983) and A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought (1992).