Lao-Tzu
Lao Tzu - lou dzə, fl. 6th cent. b.c., Chinese philosopher, reputedly the founder of Taoism. It is uncertain that Lao Tzu [Ch.,=old person or old philosopher] is historical. His biography in Ssu-ma Ch'ien's Records of the Historian (1st cent. b.c.) says he was a contemporary of Confucius and served as curator of the dynastic archives until retiring to the mythical Read More...
Lao Tzu - lou dzə, fl. 6th cent. b.c., Chinese philosopher, reputedly the founder of Taoism. It is uncertain that Lao Tzu [Ch.,=old person or old philosopher] is historical. His biography in Ssu-ma Ch'ien's Records of the Historian (1st cent. b.c.) says he was a contemporary of Confucius and served as curator of the dynastic archives until retiring to the mythical K'un-lun mountains. He allegedly transmitted his teachings to a border guard who subsequently compiled the Lao Tzu, also titled the Tao-te ching [Classic of the Way and Virtue]. Scholars date the work in the 4th–2d cent. b.c., with some strata perhaps as old as the 6th cent. b.c. Its parables and verse, written in incantatory language, advocate passive and intuitive behavior in natural harmony with the Tao, a cosmic unity underlying all phenomena. It emphasizes the value of wu-wei, "nonstriving" or "non-[purposeful ]action," by which one returns to a primitive state closer to the Tao, a stage of creative possibility symbolized by the child or an uncarved block. It also promotes a laissez-faire approach to government. See translations by J. J. L. Duyvendak (1954), W. Chan (1963), D. C. Lau (1963), S. Mitchell (1988), and V. Mair (1990). The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved. |
Lao-Tzu
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1.
Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching: A Translation of the Startling New Documents Found at Guodian
by Robert G. Henricks. 242 pgs.
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The Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary (Chap. 1 "Date and Authorship of the Tao Te Ching")
by Ellen M. Chen. 276 pgs.
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The Way and Its Power: A Study of the Tao Te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought ("Authorship in Early China, and the Relation of the Lao Tan Legend to the 'Tao Te Ching'" begins on p. 101)
by Arthur Waley. 266 pgs.
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Philosophers and Religious Leaders ("Lao-Tzu: Founder of Taoism, c. 570-490 B.C.E." begins on p. 113)
by Christian D. von Dehsen. 248 pgs.
How did Elijah Muhammad's establishment of the Nation of Islam affect the civil rights movement in the United States? Philosophers and Religious Leaders answers that question and others as it presents 200 leaders whose lives and work have greatly influenced the world we live in today. Profiles include: Muhammad Abduh--architect of Islamic modernism. Mary Daly-- influential feminist theologian and philosopher. Mary Baker Eddy--founder of Christian Science. Mencius (Meng K'o)--Confucian moral philosopher and interpreter. Shang Yang--Chinese philosopher of legalist school.
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Chinese Religions (Chap. 5 "Freedom and the Natural: Taoism as Religious Philosophy")
by Julia Ching. 300 pgs.
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Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China ("Lao-Tzu's Taoism: The Art of Ruling by Spontaneity" begins on p. 215)
by A. C. Graham. 508 pgs.
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Chinese Political Philosophy (1925) (Section II "Selections from Lao-Tzu's Canon of Reason and Virtue")
by William S. A. Pott. 110 pgs.
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The Chinese Mind: Essentials of Chinese Philosophy and Culture ("Early Taoism: Yang Chu and Lao-Tzu" begins on p. 38)
by Charles A. Moore. 402 pgs.
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Chinese Political Thought: A Study Based upon the Theories of the Principal Thinkers of the Chou Period (1927) ("Lao-Tzu" begins on p. 21)
by Elbert Duncan Thomas. 322 pgs.
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Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China ("Stories of Lao-Tzu and Confucius" begins on p. 12)
by Arthur Waley. 224 pgs.
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Deliverance: The Freeing of the Spirit in the Ancient World (Chap. II "China: Duty and Detachment")
by Henry Osborn Taylor. 294 pgs.
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The Religious Thought of Chu Hsi ("Chu Hsi and Taoist Philosophy" begins on p. 153)
by Julia Ching. 350 pgs.
Recognized as one of the greatest philosophers in classical China, Chu Hsi (1130-1200) is known in the West primarily through translations of one of his many works, the Chin-ssu Lu. In this book, Julia Ching offers the first book-length examination of Chu Hsi's religious thought, based on extensive reading of both primary and secondary sources. Ching begins by providing an introduction to Chu's twelfth-century intellectual context. She then examines Chu's natural philosophy, looking in particular at the ideas of the Great Ultimate and at spirits and deities and the rituals that honor them. Next, Ching considers Chu's interpretation of human nature and the emotions, highlighting the mystical thrust of the theoretical and practical teachings of spiritual cultivation and meditation. She discusses Chu's philosophical disputes with his contemporariesin particular Lu Chiu-yuanand examines his relationship to Buddhism and Taoism. In the final chapters, Ching looks at critiques of Chu during his lifetime and after and evaluates the relevance of his thinking in terms of contemporary needs and problems. This clearly written and highly accessible study also offers translations of some of Chu's most important philosophical poems, filling a major gap in the fields of both Chinese philosophy and religion.
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