Tao Te Ching on The Art of Harmony: The New Illustrated Edition of the Chinese Philosophical Masterpiece (The Art of Wisdom)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844838501 ISBN 13: 9781844838509

Publisher: Duncan Baird, 2009

Although written more than 2,500 years ago and within a radically different culture, the Tao Te Ching’s concepts and teachings have become more influential in the West than ever before.

Laozi, the Chinese sage and founder of Taoism, sets out a path (tao) that allows us to tune in to the nature of the universe. His axioms are intended to help us achieve transcendence and a life of integrity and balance: they explore the importance of male and female complementary qualities while praising self-knowledge and criticizing rational understanding. Among his insights are the beliefs that flexibility and suppleness are superior to rigidity and strength, and that self-absorption and self-importance are vain and destructive.

This illustrated edition of a classic work is an essential addition to any home library of the world’s classic philosophical texts.

 

From the Inside Flap:

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. Organizing 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 world's classic texts.

About the Author:

Originally from Utah, Chad Hansen studied Western philosophy and entered the PhD program at the University of Michigan. He then taught at the universities of Pittsburgh, Stanford, and Vermont and went on to hold several visiting professorships in Hawaii and at U.C.L.A. before settling in Hong Kong as a professor of philosophy at the University of Hong Kong in 1993.