Lao-Tzu's Taoteching

Lao Tzu is traditionally considered to have lived in the 6th century BC during China's Spring and Autumn period. This era was marked by significant intellectual and cultural development but also by political fragmentation and turmoil among the various states competing for power in the waning years of the Zhou dynasty.Lao Tzu, often considered the founder of Taoism, is best known for writing the Tao Te Ching. This text, central to Taoist philosophy, explores themes such as the nature of existence, the virtue of yielding, and leading with humility. Despite debates surrounding his historical existence, Lao Tzu's teachings have profoundly influenced Eastern philosophy and spirituality, emphasizing harmony with the Tao, or the fundamental way of the universe.The Tao Te Ching holds significant historical importance as a foundational Taoist text, shaping not only religious practices but also Chinese culture and thought. Its teachings on simplicity, naturalness, and the balance of yin and yang have transcended cultural boundaries, influencing various philosophical traditions and offering deep insights into the human condition and governance. The work's poetic and paradoxical nature invites continuous interpretation, making it a timeless guide to living harmoniously within the natural order.

Bill Porter, who translates under the name Red Pine, was born in Califoria and grew up in Northern Idaho. He attended Columbia University and studied with a faculty that included Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict. He became interested in Buddhism, and in 1972 he left America and moved to a Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. During this time, he married a Chinese woman, with whom he has two children, and he began working on translations of Chinese poetry and Buddhist texts. In 1993, he returned to America so that his children could learn English. For the past twenty years, he has worked as an independent scholar and has supported himself from book royalties and lecture fees. During this time, he has lectured at many of the major universities in the US, England and Germany where he has lectured on Chinese history, culture, poetry, and religion. His translations of texts dealing with these subjects have been honored with a number of awards, including two NEA translation fellowships, a PEN translation award, the inaugural Asian Literature Award of the American Literary Translators Association, a Guggenheim Fellowship, which he received to support work on a book based on a pilgrimage to the graves and homes of China's greatest poets of the past, which was published under the title Finding Them Gone in January of 2016, and more recently in 2018 the Thornton Wilder Prize for Translation bestowed by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His translations include ZEN ROOTS: THE FIRST THOUSAND YEARS (Empty Bowl, 2020), WHY NOT PARADISE (Empty Bowl, 2019), STONEHOUSE'S POEMS FOR ZEN MONKS (Empty Bowl, 2019), CATHAY REVISITED (Empty Bowl, 2019), A DAY IN THE LIFE (Empty Bowl, 2018), P'U MING'S OXHERDING PICTURES AND VERSE (Empty Bowl, 2015), and more.