Lao Tsu

The aesthetics of 81 full-color mandalas and the subtle power of the Tao blend to create a unique, transformative alchemy. This synergy of sacred circles and text is a potent tool for holistic meditation - a book that at once soothes the mind while feeding the soul!

The Tao Te Ching AKA Dao De Jing, is a Chinese classic text traditionally credited to the 6th-century BC sage Laozi. The text's authorship, date of composition and date of compilation are debated. The oldest excavated portion dates back to the late 4th century BC, but modern scholarship dates other parts of the text as having been written-or at least compiled-later than the earliest portions of the Zhuangzi. The Tao Te Ching, along with the Zhuangzi, is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism. It also strongly influenced other schools of Chinese philosophy and religion, including Legalism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, which was largely interpreted through the use of Taoist words and concepts when it was originally introduced to China. Many artists, including poets, painters, calligraphers, and gardeners, have used the Tao Te Ching as a source of inspiration. Its influence has spread widely outside East Asia and it is among the most translated works in world literature.

About 2500 years ago, the imperial archivist Lao Tzu (engl. The old Sage), who was already known throughout China for his wisdom, set out to leave the increasingly shattered empire for mountain solitude. He found himself detained, though, by the border guard, who told him, he would not be allowed to leave, until he wrote down his wisdom. This left Lao Tzu in a quandary. After all, he had diligently avoided the latter, in the knowledge of its fundamental impossibility. According to the legend, he finally bowed to the coercion of the official and wrote down the Tao Te Ching (literally: The Book of the Tao) in the customs house within a few days. In order to escape at least a little from this dilemma, Lao Tzu made it clear right at the beginning: The words one can speak are not the right words. Because of this relativization and not least in relation to the central term Tao, which is considered incomprehensible, the number of versions and interpretations of the Tao Te Ching, now a classic of world literature, became legion. As a makeshift, the scholars and translators commonly attributed the English terms Meaning and Way to the Tao. In reference of Arthur Schopenhauer, the probably most precise and articulate western intellectual ever, the translation undertaken here applies for Tao the simple term The World, which Schopenhauer characterized as the most comprehensive of all terms. As the reader will notice soon, the use of the term World for Tao, as well as the Schopenhauerian world-view as the translation-background, lends this literary soul balm a fascinating additional conciseness - timeless in its peace-inducing simplicity and closeness to life.

Als, vor gut 2500 Jahren, der bereits damals in ganz China f r seine Weisheit bekannte, kaiserliche Archivar Laotse dabei war, das zunehmend zerr ttete Reich Richtung Bergeinsamkeit zu verlassen, hielt ihn der Grenzw chter mit den Worten zur ck, er d rfe erst passieren, nachdem er seine Weisheit niedergeschrieben habe. Damit befand sich Laotse in der Zwickm hle. Hatte er doch gerade Letzteres, im Bewusstsein ber dessen grunds tzlicher Unm glichkeit, bisher wohlweislich vermieden. Schliesslich, so die Legende weiter, beugte er sich dem Zwang des Beamten und verfasste im Zollh uschen innert weniger Tage das Dao Te Ching (w rtlich: Buch vom weltlichen Leben oder eben Leitfaden zur Lebenskunst). Um dem obgenannten Dilemma wenigsten ein St ck weit zu entkommen, stellte er dabei schon anfangs klar: Die Worte, die man sagen kann, sind nicht die richtigen Worte. Wegen dieser Relativierung und nicht zuletzt auch in Bezug auf den als unfassbar geltenden Zentralbegriff dieses Klassikers der Weisheitsliteratur Dao, ist die Zahl der bis heute verbreiteten Versionen und Interpretationen mittlerweile Legion. Die Gelehrten und bersetzer schrieben dem Dao dabei behelfsm ssig meist die deutschen Begriffe Sinn bzw. Weg zu. Die hier vorgenommene bersetzung verwendet f r Dao des simplen Begriff Welt, welchen der wohl pr ziseste und sprachgewandteste aller westlichen Geistesgr ssen, Arthur Schopenhauer, als umfassendsten aller Begriffe charakterisierte. Wie der Leser wohl grad selbst hat feststellen k nnen, verleiht der Gebrauch des Wortes Welt f r Dao, sowie berhaupt die Schopenhauersche Weltsicht als bersetzungshintergrund, dieser in ihrer friedvollen Schlichtheit und Lebensn he zeitlosen literarischen Seelenmedizin eine faszinierende zus tzliche Pr gnanz.

The aesthetics of the mandala and the subtle power of the Tao create a unique opportunity for personal transformation. Combining the literary impact of materials from "A Fresh Look at the Way and its Virtues" with the artistic impact of 108 mandalas, this synergy of sacred circles and text is a potent tool for holistic meditation. The result is a book that at once soothes the mind while feeding the soul!

The Tao Te Ching is one of the world's most beautiful masterpieces. Seeing how we stand in relation to the infinite, and become stable upon the universally balanced fore-bearer of all things has never been made simpler. Adam Sea Klein provides the finest, most fluid interpretation available, merging modern poetic standards of tight and flowing language with a rock solid manuscript fit for modern seekers.

Drawing on meticulous study of multiple sources, this fresh but authoritative reading of Lao Tsu's timeless classic combines the poetry of the Tao Te Ching with a wealth of additional material: an introduction to the enigmatic Lao Tsu and his times; a discussion of the many challenges facing the translator; 81 illustrative Chinese characters/phrases, selected to highlight key themes in each chapter; separate commentary and inspirational quotes, as well as room for you to record your own impressions, section by section.