Lao Zi (also Lao-Tzu or Lao-Tze) was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer. His book, Dao De Jing (or Tao Te Ching), has been in circulation for more than 2,500 years. There are many versions and more than one thousand annotations, yet most readers still find it difficult to understand, let alone apply in daily life. Thus Dao De Jing is often misunderstood and regarded as containing mystical teachings disconnected from reality. In Mysteries of Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) Revealed, author Dr. Guo Yong Jin dismisses many myths about this great work, including its link to Taoism (a religion founded six hundred years after Lao Zi). Shedding the mystical and surreal, he brings clarity to the teachings by drawing on Lao Zi’s source of inspiration—nature. In this way, Dr. Guo distinguishes his interpretation of Dao De Jing from those before him. The typical interpretation focuses on the semantics of Lao Zi’s written word; Dr. Guo, however, returns to the roots of Dao De Jing, using simple observations of nature to clarify the text. Dao De Jing lays bare the truths and realities of life and the universe. It explains the origins of life and the principles upon which the universe operates. Though much of Dao De Jing is mirrored in science and psychology, the ancient text offers an even deeper understanding. It is neither superstitious nor religious, nor is it a personal philosophy. Dao De Jing is simply wisdom in its essence.

The Tao Te Ching, written around 300BC, describes the fundamental beliefs of Taoism, addressing how to live a simple, peaceful and harmonious life, how to rid oneself of desires and institutions that promote greed. This traditional Chinese-bound dual-language edition presents the original Chinese text with a new translation on the facing page.

Daoism is one of the great philosophical and religious traditions that grew and flowered in China. Unlike the great Western religions, Daoism has no one God or even a founding prophet. One of its central beliefs is that each person must follow his or her own path to the Dao, or 'Way of Life.' By being so universal and yet so personal, Daoism has exerted a significant influence on the spiritual life of many cultures both in Asia and throughout the world. ""Daoism, Third Edition"" traces the progress of Daoist thought, from the great Daodejing, or ""The Book of the Way and Its Power"" by Laozi, to the contemporary ""Tao of Physics"" by Fritjof Capra. This revised edition also examines the restoration of Daoism under China's religious freedom clause, the slow rebirth of Daoist monasticism, renewed interest in Daoism in China and abroad, and the impact of tourism on the monastic tradition. Coverage includes: meditation and the concept of wuwei; Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism; the growth and spread of religious Daoism; art and literature within Daoism; and political turbulence in the 20th century.

This long-awaited, magisterial study-an unparalleled blend of philosophy, poetry, and philology-draws on theories of sexuality, phenomenology, comparative religion, philological writings on Kabbalah, Russian formalism, Wittgenstein, Rosenzweig, William Blake, and the very physics of the time-space continuum to establish what will surely be a highwater mark in work on Kabbalah. Not only a study of texts, Language, Eros, Being is perhaps the fullest confrontation of the body in Jewish studies, if not in religious studies as a whole. Elliot R. Wolfson explores the complex gender symbolism that permeates Kabbalistic literature. Focusing on the nexus of asceticism and eroticism, he seeks to define the role of symbolic and poetically charged language in the erotically configured visionary imagination of the medieval Kabbalists. He demonstrates that the traditional Kabbalistic view of gender was a monolithic and androcentric one, in which the feminine was conceived as being derived from the masculine. He does not shrink from the negative implications of this doctrine, but seeks to make an honest acknowledgment of it as the first step toward the redemption of an ancient wisdom. Comparisons with other mystical traditions-including those in Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam-are a remarkable feature throughout the book. They will make it important well beyond Jewish studies, indeed, a must for historians of comparative religion, in particular of comparative mysticism. Praise for Elliot R. Wolfson: "Through a Speculum That Shines is an important and provocative contribution to the study of Jewish mysticism by one of the major scholars now working in this field."-Speculum

Imagine sitting with an esteemed writer on his or her front porch somewhere in the world and swapping life stories. Dr. Wayne Flynt got the opportunity to do just this with Nelle Harper Lee. In a friendship that blossomed over a dozen years starting when Lee relocated back to Alabama after having had a stroke, Flynt and his wife Dartie became regular visitors at the assisted living facility that was Lee’s new home. And there the conversation began. It began where it always begins with Southern storytellers, with an invitation to “Come in, sit down, and stay a while." The stories exchanged ranged widely over the topics of Alabama history, Alabama folklore, family genealogy, and American literature, of course. On the way from beginning to end there were many detours: talks about Huntingdon College; The University of Alabama; New York City; the United Kingdom; Garden City, Kansas; and Mobile, Alabama, to name just a few. Wayne and his wife were often joined by Alice Lee, the oldest Lee sister, a living encyclopedia on the subject of family genealogy, and middle sister Louise Lee Conner. The hours spent visiting, in intimate closeness, are still cherished by Wayne Flynt. They yielded revelations large and small, which have been shaped into Afternoons with Harper Lee. Part memoir, part biography, this book offers a unique window into the life and mind and preoccupations of one of America’s best-loved writers. Flynt and Harper Lee and her sisters learned a great deal from each other, and though this is not a history book, their shared interest in Alabama and its history made this extraordinary work possible.

The many manifestations of Chinese poetry are crystals in which we may glimpse the multi-faceted reflections of Chinese life, values, philosophy and emotions. This artistic and literary genre reveals the inner lives of the Chinese people - how they think, feel, imagine and hope. The authors have sought to convey some sense, however fragmentary, of the artistic impulse in China as it confronts the endless mystery of existence through the millenia. The continuing impact of external influences on a culture remains uncertain. So too does the scope of the influence China will have on the world community in the twenty-first century and beyond. If you listen closely, and with a receptive ear, the resounding echoes of China's past, present and future can be heard in the mellifluous voices of its poets.

Covering the major monotheistic religions—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam—as well as selected Eastern religions and Bahá'í, Zoroastrianism, and Mormonism, this cross-cultural book offers excerpts of sacred texts and interprets passages to enable a deeper understanding of these religious writings. Sacred Texts Interpreted: Religious Documents Explained gives readers the opportunity to examine—directly—the primary sources of different religions and to better understand these texts through expert commentary on selected passages. The interpretative material investigates the nature of sacred texts along with the relationship between sacred scripture and canon, and it explains why these sacred texts have enduring significance and influence. The author provides suggestions on how to read a sacred text before turning to the textual selections from 13 religious traditions arranged alphabetically, beginning with the Bahá'í religion and ending with Zoroastrianism. Each chapter is devoted to the primary textual sources of a particular religious tradition and is prefaced by an introduction to the literature that places it within its historical and cultural heritage. The emphasis for each religion is on its foundational scriptures that are often considered sacred by its adherents. Readers will gain a much greater appreciation of how powerful religious texts have always been across human culture and throughout millennia—and of how religious thought and ideology have shaped daily life, built civilizations, inspired art and literature, and incited wars and violence.

This superbly illustrated reference work remains the only comprehensive visual guide to the world's religious traditions. With text by leading experts and lavish photography, thematic maps, tables, and charts, theAtlas of the World's Religions, Second Editionranges from the travels of the Buddha to the geographical distribution of modern indigenous faiths, providing a full and informative picture of world religion, both past and present. Through almost 200 full-color maps, organized in a beautifully designed series of double-page spreads, this marvelous atlas shows the historical development and present state of all the world's major religions, with color illustrations that show temples, sites, ceremonies and works of art connected with religious life. The updated and expanded second edition provides a comprehensive overview of the major events over time that influenced the geographical development of the world's religions, and it provides a global and regional assessment of religion in the modern world. There are eight entirely new double-page spreads that illuminate such topics as the spread of the Latter-day Saints throughout the world, Pentecostal Christianities today (perhaps numbering more than 500 million adherents, or nearly one-fourth of the global Christian population), contemporary diasporic communities, South American religions, and much more. The second edition also includes extensive updates to many page spreads, 20,000 new words of text, fresh maps and illustrations, a revised introduction by the new editor, Frederick Denny, an expanded glossary and index, and a list of additional resources, all of which further enhance the value of the book. Both a treasury of information and an exhilarating visual feast,Atlas of the World's Religions, Second Editionis an essential reference work for anyone interested in faith around the globe.

This is a simple guide to Tao-te ching meaning. In short, we explain the basics such as: tao, te, wu, wu-wei and more. We also offer more resources should you need to continue your study. There's also a course version of this ebook providing the same lessons plus online support, a final quiz, bonuses and free updates. You may access this course, online, at https://www.taopage.org/lao_tzu.html.