Lao Tzu’s The Way of Life

About this course:

In this course, we read Lao Tzu’s The Way of Life—in Chinese, the Tao Te Ching—a foundational work for Taoism that consists of 81 sayings. Lao Tzu may have been an older contemporary of Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.) and may have held the position of archive-keeper in one of the petty kingdoms of the time. But all he has left us is his book: the classic manual on the art of living, written in style of gemlike lucidity, radiant with humor and grace, large-heartedness, and deep wisdom. The Way of Life describes the way of poise, serenity, and complete assurance, with gentle warnings on the futility of egoistic struggle. The aim of The Way of Life—the Tao Te Ching—is to lead us to return to our natural state, in harmony with the Tao, the source and ideal of all existence: unseen, but not transcendent, immensely powerful yet supremely humble, being the root of all things.