The Daode Jing A Guide

The Daode jing ("Book of the Dao and Its Virtue") is an essential work in both traditional Chinese culture and world philosophy. The oldest text of philosophical Daoism, and widely venerated among religious Daoist practitioners, it was composed around the middle of the 4th century BCE. Ascribed to a thinker named Laozi, a contemporary of Confucius, the work is based on a set of aphorisms designed to help local lords improve their techniques of government. The most translated book after the Bible, the Daode jing appears in numerous variants and remains highly relevant in the modern world. This guide provides an overview of the text, presenting its historical unfolding, its major concepts, and its contemporary use. It also gives some indication of its essence by citing relevant passages and linking them to the religious practices of traditional Daoism.

Livia Kohn, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Religion and East Asian Studies at Boston University. The author or editor of over 40 books, she now lives in Florida, serves as the executive editor of the Journal of Daoist Studies, and runs various workshops and conferences.

Introduction

PART I: THE TEXT

Chapter 1: Times and Authorship
The Axial Age
The Warring States
Confucianism
Yin-Yang Cosmology
Laozi
The Laozi Legend
Divinization

Chapter 2: Textual Development
Language
Texts in Tombs
Guodian
Mawangdui
Heshang gong
Standardization
Wang Bi

Chapter 3: General Principles
Dao
Cosmic Unfolding
Natural Dynamics
Self-Being
Virtue
Images and Metaphors

Chapter 4: Social Application
Nonaction
Social Reality
Sufficiency
Humility and Simplicity
Clarity and Stillness
Sagehood

PART II: TRADITIONAL EXPANSIONS

Chapter 5: Communities and Politics
Primitivism
Self-Cultivation
Longevity Techniques
Inward Training
The Jixia Academy
Syncretism and Huang-Lao
Masters of Methods

Chapter 6: Devotional Activation
Early Recitation
The Celestial Masters
Immortality
Meditation
Ritual Veneration
Ordination
Integrated Practice

Chapter 7: Commentary Exegeses
The Nature of Commentaries
Ideal Rulership
Personal Self-Cultivation
Original Nonbeing
Western Ascension
Mystical Attainment

Chapter 8: Later Developments
Twofold Mystery
Imperial Attention
Song Huizong
Internal Alchemy
Daode jing Readings
Clarity and Stillness
The Qingjing jing

PART III: MODERN RECEPTION

Chapter 9: China Today
Religious Veneration
Academic Study
Intellectual Engagement
Politics and Education
Ecology
Cognitive Therapy
Self-Help

Chapter 10: In the World
Eastern Transmission
Early Western Reception
Seeing Dao
Philosophical Adaptation
Popular Understanding
Multiple Readings

Chapter 11: English Translations
Types of Translations
Literal Translations
Historical Scholarship
Philosophical Readings
Poetic Versions
Social Applications
Self-Help Manuals
Whimsical Renditions

Chapter 12: Western Adaptations
Daoist Leadership
Doing Business
Ecology
The Tao of . . .
Literary Allegories
Songs of Dao