Tao Te Ching - Bertschinger

The Tao-te Ching, written in China about 200 BCE, is preserved in some eighty-one chapters, a blend of folk-beliefs, homely wisdom and religious beliefs which pervade old China. It is divided into two halves – the first concerned with the Tao, Way or Path, the second describing Te, inner virtue, power or self-esteem. Tradition states that Lao Tzu wrote this book in a single night, as he was passing through the mountains to the West, disgusted at the violence and extravagances of his world. It advocates quietism and inner radiance of spirit, a cultivated harmony and intimacy with nature, and reverence for the yielding feminine principle. Less orthodox than Buddhism, more tolerant than Confucianism, its ideas of interconnectivity, peaceful co-existence and self-responsibility are surprisingly recognized as the hallmark of modern physics and a new world view. At barely 5000 words, its influence has been quite disproportionate to its length. Richard has worked from the original Chinese commentaries to construct this new translation.

By Richard Bertschinger