The Book of Dao and De: Laozi•DaoDeJing
About this ebook
This translation is also a must read for all others who want to know the psyche of the Chinese people, as well as to feel the pulse of China today in general.
The Dào expounded by Laozi is beyond the conventional wisdom and science. In essence, the Dào transcends the ordinary realm. It is simply the true nature of things. It is neither a belief, faith, religion, metaphysics or philosophy. It is just the realization of the enlightened ones throughout the history of mankind. To relate what they knew, they would use their own words, analogies, metaphors, and gestures to illustrate it. For Laozi, he merely called it the Dào. The Dào is everywhere in our day-to-day life, but ordinarily we wouldn’t realize it until we see things as they really are. If a flower is seen as beautiful, then it is no longer the physical flower as it is, but a fanciful flower spiced-up in our mind. In the real world, everything appears only as it is, neither beautiful or ugly, big or small. This is the true nature of things.
One cannot know the Dào by the use of the thinking mind. So the Dào cannot be seen from the perspective of belief, philosophy, or science. It can only be known or realized with the mind in complete silence and presence.
About the author
Laozi or Lao Tzu, was an accomplished scholar, master, and thinker known to be erudite, wise, profound and insightful during his time. According to several scriptures and records, Laozi lived between 570 to 470 BCE in the northern-central China of today. He was a court official of the then powerless and largely declined Zhou Dynasty, in charged of the court’s collection of books, writings, and scriptures. He therefore had direct access to a large number of books and writings, and was reputed to have read extensively.
A Malaysian ethic Chinese with keen interest in Chinese literatures, both ancient and contemporary.
