“Writing always means hiding something in such a way
that it then is discovered.” ~ Italo Calvino
Welcome to a new way of exploring the Dào Dé Jīng of Lâozî. I invite you to join me in looking at the Western Zhou Dynasty glyphs that are associated with each modern Chinese character in the traditional “received” version of the Dào Dé Jīng (AKA “Tao Te Ching”).
May 3, 2024 is the culmination of this passion project: it’s the publication day for Laozi: A Fresh Look Based on Zhou Dynasty Glyphs. Welcome, gorgeous green book!
It’s ALSO pub day for the 3rd Edition of The Dào of Laozi: A Fresh Look Based on Bronze Inscription Glyphs AKA the red book. Dave Huebner of Back of Beyond Media outdid himself with these three covers.
AND it’s pub day for the 2nd edition of The Dé of Laozi: A Fresh Look Based on Bronze Inscription Glyphs AKA the gold book!
Phew! It has been a long and happy road to get to this day, and I thank you all for your support on the journey.
Visit sunwarmedsagepress.com for more information about each book, including a decision matrix to help you decide which book(s!) are best for you.
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I’d been flat out in love with the Dào Dé Jīng for more than three decades when suddenly, about six years ago, I was seized with the need to connect more directly with Lâozî (AKA Lao Tze or Lao Tzu). I soon discovered that Lâozî is about as close as a person can come to being anonymous and still have a name. Since very little is certain about the master’s life, I decided that one way to have a more direct relationship with Lâozî and the Dào Dé Jīng was to look directly at the text as Lâozî wrote it or, more accurately, as Lâozî drew it.
The problem is that most Dào Dé Jīng translations are based on modern Chinese characters in the received versions, whereas the original would have been written in an older script. I immediately wanted to see the old characters and learn about the scenes portrayed in the pictures that lie within those characters. You’ll find a longer description of my motivation, methods, and assumptions under the “About This Project” tab, but here’s the short version:
A writer’s word choices matter.
Poets’ choices matter even more.
In Chinese, each word actually contains one or more pictorial glyphs, and since a picture is worth a thousand words… well, it seems to me that the images inside Lâozî’s character choices are very important indeed. They give us not only a more full and nuanced immersion into what Lâozî was writing but maybe an understanding of the master’s own life experience. I find that possibility fascinating.
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I respect and am so grateful for every Taoist scholar and devotee and for the various Taoist lineages. My own engagement with this text is a different kind of animal. It’s very personal and not informed by or aligned with a particular tradition. I wanted to get as close to the most original text as possible and see what happened to me when I did so. My own consciousness, imagination, and unconscious are the big filters for everything I do here. For that reason, I don’t think this project is “the” new authoritative take on this work, nor do I in any way think the more experienced, educated, trained, or devotional scholars and practitioners of Taoism are anything but right. I know that my take on this sacred text will seem misguided to some, and all I can do is beg their indulgence and trust that they can tell my intention is only to engage myself and others more deeply with the mystery and beauty of Lâozî’s Dào Dé Jīng. I myself trust that anyone who reads this will take it as a springboard for discovering what they can about the essence of this beautiful text and tradition.
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This website is still in the earliest stages of development. Eventually you will be able to see my pictorial interpretation alongside other literary and religious versions, choose the translation you prefer for each character from a cross-linked glossary that shows the Pinyin word, the modern Chinese character, and the old Bronze Inscription glyphs, and everywhere the word appears, and then assemble your choices easily into your own translation. I’m in the process of turning my digital document into an interactive app on this website.
I invite you to use the contact form or the space below to send me comments, questions, ideas, suggestions, or reflections. I hope you’ll enjoy these twists and turns of discovery and your own encounter with Lâozî and the Dào. Interesting things will happen when you do so. That’s what I want for you and for Lâozî, to whom I offer this project with great thanks.
1/1/2020
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The Dào of Lâozî 