Description
For eight hundred years, the T’ai-shang Kan-ying P’ien (Lao-tzu’s Treatise on the Response of the Tao) has been one of the most widely read Taoist scriptures of the Chinese people. Its straightforward, practical approach to ethics, lack of complexities found in more esoteric Taoist texts, and entourage of colourful, moral tales, which arose over the centuries to illustrate its teachings, have ensured its lasting popularity. Furthermore, it belongs to the Action and Karma school of Taoism, which does not require a temple or monastic environment for the transmission of its teachings. Anyone can read about and practice this form of Taoism without training with a spiritual master. The T’ai-shang Kan-ying P’ien offers the reader a moral code, a method of cultivating health and fulfilling spiritual needs while maintaining a conventional social and professional life.
Considered by many Taoists and non-Taoists alike to be an essential guide to living, Lao Tzu’s Treatise on the Response of the Tao was written by the twelfth-century sage Li Ying-chang. Presenting foundational teachings and practices of the Action and Karma school of Taoism, it is replete with folk stories illustrating the teachings and an introductory essay that discusses the more esoteric meanings of the passages. Told with clarity and depth, these seminal Taoist teachings offer guidance on leading a balanced, healthy life.
Translated with an Introduction by Eva Wong.
Lao Tzu’s Treatise on the Response of the Tao, Li Ying-chang, Harper Collins, 1994
Hardback. Octavo. Very good condition. Dust jacket has some minor shelf wear. Mild spotting to fore edge and text block. Tight and clean copy. 102 pp.
