Lao-Tzu and the Tao-Te-Ching
Fascination with theTao-te-chingis never-ending. But until now, the curious have had very few avenues for exploring the many facets of Lao-tzu's work other than the myriad translations and their brief introductions. InLao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching, scholars Livia Kohn and Michael LaFargue invite some of the top minds in ancient Chinese philosophy and language to apply their technical expertise to theTao-te-ching. The result is a playground of ideas and information. In addition to penning an essay on the evolution of Lao-tzu into a full-blown Taoist god, Kohn also translates an essay from French and another from Japanese--and they are two of the best in the book. While religion specialist Julia Hardy rehashes influential Western interpretations of theTao-te-ching, Isabelle Robinet, a French historian who studies China, introduces us to a few of the 700 or so Chinese commentaries. Japanese religious historian Yoshiko Kamitsuka does as well with a fascinating study of Taoist sculpture--its gods, its inscriptions, and its development. Here is the latest on who Lao-tzu was and when theTao-te-chingwas written, and what a difference it will make to your own reading of this perennial favorite.--Brian Bruya