The Spirit of Tao - (Paperback)

About the Book

Here is a rich and varied selection from the most popular classics of ancient Taoism, including the TAO-TE CHING, CHUANG-TZU, HUAI-NAN-TZU, and WEN-TZU. Also translated are wonderful Taoist fables and stories from the "Tales of Inner Meaning" and a selection of short teachings of the famed Taoist patriarch Ancestor Lu, one of the great figures of early Taoism.

Book Synopsis

Taoist teachings have arisen in many forms: abstract aphorisms, philosophical discussions, legends, fables--even jokes. All are represented here, culled from the most popular Taoist classics: the Tao-te Ching, Chuang-tzu, Huai-nan-tzu, and Wen-tzu, stories from the "Tales of Inner Meaning," and teachings of the Taoist patriarch Ancestor Lu. The spirit of the Tao manifests in myriad images, brought to life in this superb translation--from the ever-keen blade of a Taoist butcher to the mechanical miracles of inventor Ken Shiwa, from little boys baiting the great Confucius to mountain hermits disappearing in the mist, from the six robber organs that obscure the primordial to the ineffable mystery of mysteries.

About the Author

Thomas Cleary holds a PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. He is the translator of over fifty volumes of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Islamic texts from Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Pali, and Arabic.