Dao De Jing: Translation by R.T. Ames and D.L. Hal

Composed more than 2,000 years ago during a turbulent period of Chinese history, the "Dao de jing" set forth an alternative vision of reality in a world torn apart by violence and betrayal. Daoism, as this subtle but enduring philosophy came to be known, offers a comprehensive view of experience grounded in a full understanding of the wonders hidden in the ordinary. Now in this luminous new translation, based on the recently discovered ancient bamboo scrolls, China scholars Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall bring the timeless wisdom of the "Dao de jing" into our contemporary world.

Though attributed to Laozi, "the Old Master," the "Dao de jing" is, in fact, of unknown authorship and may well have originated in an oral tradition four hundred years before the time of Christ. Eschewing philosophical dogma, the "Dao de jing" set forth a series of maxims that outlined a new perspective on reality and invited readers to embark on a regimen of self-cultivation. In the Daoist world view, each particular element in our experience sends out an endless series of ripples throughout the cosmos. The unstated goal of the "Dao de jing" is self-transformation-the attainment of personal excellence that flows from the world and back into it. Responding to the teachings of Confucius, the "Dao de jing" revitalizes moral behavior by recommending a spontaneity made possible by the cultivated "habits" of the individual.