The 3 Books of Philosophical Daoist Canon!
These are all a must read for anyone interested in becoming a philosophical Daoist, not only will they impart all the teachings but these are the authoritative texts explaining & exploring the Daoist religion. There are a great many books that can be read to help someone understand Daoism. However these are the original texts- As the Bible is to Christianity, As the Qur’an is to Islam, As the Vedas are to Hinduism- these 3 books are to Philosophical Daoism.
1. Daode Jing [Tao Te Ching] 4th Century. This is the most well known & certainly the most translated. Attributed to Laozi [Lao Tzu], ‘The Old Master’, this text is 81 Chapters and often considered a guidebook to rulers. A common mistake is believing that Laozi invented Daoism, and wrote his rules down as the Daode Jing; however, Daoism was around some 1,500 years (not so much in name, but practice), before Laozi- a student of the religion, wrote his book. In all honesty, the Daode Jing is a simpler version of Daoist teachings, it is akin to condensed soup- all the extraneous fluff taken out and only the core ingredients remain. It’s a crash course in Daoist belief and a great stepping stone to full understanding. Many people read the Daode Jing, and never move on to the next 2 books- which is alright, but if you want to gain better understanding of the Daoist religion then move down the list.
2. Nei-yeh. Mid 4th Century. Written anonymously, the Nei-yeh- Inward training or Inner cultivation, is a guide for Daoists to follow in relation to meditation, eating, exercise and daily life. It only consists of 26 chapters, and can be hard to find. This is the most overlooked book in the canon, often forgotten in favor of the more relateable Daode Jing.
3. Zhuangzi, Parables [Chuang Tzu]. Late 4th Century. This is the largest text in the canon, full of tales, parables and metaphors- attributed to ‘Zhuangzi’ or Master Zhuang, it is actually written by numerous authors. All students of Daoism, this work has many echos of the Daode Jing but is more playful and imaginative. The total of its inner and outer chapters is 33, while that may not seem like a lot, the best translated copy [Victor H. Mair] has 350+ pages. Written during the warring states period of China, the Zhuangzi is not only a lesson on Daoism but also a rebuttal to the other schools of philosophy during that time period. There were hundreds of other schools beside Daoism, notable ones being Confucianism and Mohism. Master Zhuang masterfully creates a large cast of characters with which to criticize and belittle the other schools of thought; it may not seem very ‘Dao’ to harshly call out Confucius & company but it is important to the history of Daoism that we understand the impact of these rival schools, and the necessity of the Zhuangzi to solidify Daoist principles.
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