Lao Tse & Daoism Resources


The Tao that can be told
Is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named
Is not the eternal Name.

Lao Tse
Trans. Stephen Mitchell

 

Lao Tse on the Web

 


Internet Sacred Texts Archive :: Taoism
An excellent online source for Taoist texts, both online and through their CD-ROM, the Internet Sacred Text Archive CD-ROM 3.0. Includes several Legge translations of both Lao Tse and Chuang Tzu as well as other texts.

The Tao te Ching is one of the most widely read sacred texts, due to its simplicity and depth. Its appeal is universal, and has been found relevant by Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and even Quantum Physicists. Attributed to Lao-tzu, (580-500 B.C.), it may predate him by several centuries. The earliest known manuscripts of the Tao te Ching date to the third century B.C
-- Internet Sacred Texts Archive

Wikipedia :: Lao Zi
The Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia is an exquisite result of the internet. This is a concise, useful Wikipedia page, though it could benefit from some filling out and the language is a bit stilted.

He was an older contemporary of Confucius and worked as an archivist in the Imperial Library of the Zhou's court. Legends said Confucius intentionally or accidentally met him in Zhou (approx. today Luoyang) where Confucius was going to browse the library scrolls and requested Lao Zi to discuss about rituals and propriety. During the following month of discussion, Confucius actually learns more from Lao Zi than from the books.
-- Wikipedia
Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu, Lao Tse, Lao Zi -- there are perhaps as many spellings of his name as there are translations of the Dao De Jing. This is a good but brief biography by the excellent Yak Rider website. Writes the webmaster:

"As Brian Browne Walker, who did my personal favorite translation, wrote: "I have come to think of Lao Tzu less as a man who once lived and more as a song that plays, eternal and abiding."
Lao Tse
Another good but brief biography found in North Park University's informative China and Eastern Asia Chronology. An excerpt:

"Lao-Tse stresses how important it is to be one with nature because it provides positive character. He regards genuineness, sincerity, and spontaneity to be "natural" characteristics which people are born with and possess. Yet, he claims these qualities are destroyed through education and cultural influences. In addition, he explains how a person is able to dismiss all authority except for the authority of self and a personal God. In this case, God is understood to be everything in nature. Thus, people who know and respect the authority of their inner nature know where they belong.
Taoism
Also spelled "Daoism." This is a good Daoism primer, with a brief history and some of the primary components of the philosophy listed in point form. There's also a small links resource. An excerpt:

"Taoists follow the art of 'wu wei', which is to achieve action through minimal action. "It is the practice of going against the stream not by struggling against it and thrashing about, but by standing still and letting the stream do all the work. Thus the sage knows that relative to the river, he still moves against the current. To the outside world the sage appears to take no action - but in fact he takes action long before others ever foresee the need for action."
Taoism, or the Way
A well-written article by Judith A. Berling for the Asia Society's Focus on Asian Studies. A concise historical and comparitive explication of Taoism. An excerpt:

Taoism can also be called "the other way," for during its entire history, it has coexisted alongside the Confucian tradition, which served as the ethical and religious basis of the institutions and arrangements of the Chinese empire. Taoism, while not radically subversive, offered a range of alternatives to the Confucian way of life and point of view. These alternatives, however, were not mutually exclusive.
The Vinegar Tasters
Every picture tells a story, don't it? In this image, Lao Tse, Confucius and Buddha stand around a vat of vinegar, each having just taken a taste. One is sour-faced, another wears a bitter expression and the third smiles resplendantly. Here, Vanessa Kaye throws a gender-political twist on an ancient lesson. An excerpt:

So why is Lao-tse smiling? We all know what vinegar taste like. And, if the vat of vinegar represents the essence of life, should he not also have the bitter expression on his face as the other two? From the Taoist point of view, sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. That is the message of The Vinegar Tasters.
Tao Te Ching several translations.
This is a simple and powerful internet implementation. It provides access to several translations of the Dao De Jing, including my favourite by Stephen Mitchell, but also in Chinese characters and also the pinyin roman character transliteration. Additionally, the page can be split so that two or more translations may be viewed side by side. A great tool for scholars whether they be amature or professional. These are the opening lines of the Legge translation. Compare it to the opening lines of the Mitchell translation, at the top of the page.

The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and
unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and
unchanging name.

(Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven
and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all
things.
Yin & Yang and the I Ching
Yin & Yang are the central themes of Daoism. The I Ching demonstrates the application of these themes. An excerpt from the page:

"Yin originally meant 'shady, secret, dark, mysterious, cold.' It thus could mean the shaded, north side of a mountain or the shaded, south bank of a river. Yang in turn meant 'clear, bright, the sun, heat,' the opposite of yin and so the lit, south side of a mountain or the lit, north bank of a river. From these basic opposites, a complete system of opposites was elaborated. Yin represents everything about the world that is dark, hidden, passive, receptive, yielding, cool, soft, and feminine. Yang represents everything about the world that is illuminated, evident, active, aggressive, controlling, hot, hard, and masculine. Everything in the world can be identified with either yin or yang. Earth is the ultimate yin object. Heaven is the ultimate yang object. Of the two basic Chinese 'Ways,' Confucianism is identified with the yang aspect, Taoism with the yin aspect."

I Ching Bookmarks
Every picture tells a story, don't it? In this image, Lao Tse, Confucius and Buddha stand around a vat of vinegar, each having just taken a taste. One is sour-faced, another wears a bitter expression and the third smiles resplendantly. Here, Vanessa Kaye throws a gender-political twist on an ancient lesson. An excerpt:

So why is Lao-tse smiling? We all know what vinegar taste like. And, if the vat of vinegar represents the essence of life, should he not also have the bitter expression on his face as the other two? From the Taoist point of view, sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. That is the message of The Vinegar Tasters.
Chuang Tse
While Lao Tse is typically credited with the initial development of Taoism, Chuang Tse is regarded as its most prolific advocate.

Jesus was followed by St. Paul, Socrates by Plato, Confucius by Mencius, and Laotse by Chuangtse. In all four cases, the first was the real teacher and either wrote no books or wrote very little, and the second began to develop the doctrines and wrote long and profound discourses.

Lao Tse & Daoism Discussion Forum

A place to discuss Lao Tse, the Dao De Jing and Daoism.

I think that when we are not careful, words lead us astray, no matter the goodness of the intent or the value of its content. We collect words by the hundreds of thousands in tomes, swarms of words which would numb us beyond recognition if they were spoken. We beat the truth down with them, attempt to capture it, confine it, and only succeed in blurring it, obscuring it. We petrify a living quantity.

Recommended Daoism Reading

Tao Te Ching : An Illustrated Journey, Translated by Stephen Mitchell
This is an illustrated version of Stephen Mitchell's popular, well-loved and highly acclaimed translation. While the publisher has added some beautiful imagery, they have left out some of the helpful commentary found in the unillustrated version, Tao Te Ching: A New English Version.

The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.

The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular things.

The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff
A remarkably gentle introduction to the basics of Daoism. Intelligent and fun. The book's own back-cover description gets it bang on.

One of the world's great Taoist masters isn't Chinese, or a venerable philosopher, but is in fact none other than A. A. Milne's effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear Winnie-the-Pooh. While Eeyore frets and Piglet hesitates and Rabbit calculates and Owl pontificates, Pooh just is. And that's the clue to the secret wisdom of the Taoists.


Lao Tse on the Nomadic Spirit

Following the Tao
Beginning with this entry in my journal I began quoting one chapter of the Dao De Jing at the bottom of every journal entry. I think I got up to Chapter 55 or so...