Translated with Notes by Arthur Waley. With an Introduction by Robert Wilkinson. Dating from around 300BC, Tao Te Ching is the first great classic of the Chinese school of philosophy called Taoism. Within its pages is summed up a complete view of the cosmos and how human beings should respond to it. A profound mystical insight into the nature of things forms the basis for a humane morality and vision of political utopia. The ideas in this work constitute one of the main shaping forces behind Chinese spirituality, art and science, so much so that no understanding of Chinese civilisation is possible without a grasp of Taoism. This edition presents the authoritative translation by Arthur Waley, with a new Introduction reflecting recent developments in the interpretation of the work.

Kung joins with three esteemed colleagues to address the question: "Can we break through the barriers of noncommunication, fear, and mistrust that separate the followers of the world's great religions?" The authors analyze the main lines of approach taken by Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, and give Christian responses to the values and challenges each tradition presents.

This book interprets the Tao Te Ching from the perspective of personal cultivation. The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu is regarded as one of the greatest books of wisdom ever written in history, but few can grasp what it says in entirety. Embedded in each of its 5,000 Chinese characters are highly profound messages. Master Sim Pooh Ho is a Tai Chi Master and the leader of a Tai Chi lineage that traces back centuries. In his book Decoding the Tao Te Ching, he combines the ancestral teachings of Tai Chi with his practice and provides readers with unique insights into Lao Tzu's ancient book.The Tao Te Ching is difficult to comprehend because many of the concepts it introduces are elusive. What is Tao and Te, being and non-being or yin and yang? The concepts, however, are discernible in Tai Chi because they are what make the practice work. Decoding the Tao Te Ching is written in a simple manner by a Tai Chi master, and translated in an accessible way by his senior disciple Tekson TEO, thus making it an enlightening read to all English readers interested in this topic.

Here is a lucid, accessible, and inspiring guide to the six perfections--Buddhist teachings about six dimensions of human character that require "perfecting": generosity, morality, tolerance, energy, meditation, and wisdom. Drawing on the Diamond Sutra, the Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom, and other essential Mahayana texts, Dale Wright shows how these teachings were understood and practiced in classical Mahayana Buddhism and how they can be adapted to contemporary life in a global society. What would the perfection of generosity look like today, for example? What would it mean to give with neither ulterior motives nor naivete? Devoting a separate chapter to each of the six perfections, Wright combines sophisticated analysis with real-life applications. Buddhists have always stressed self-cultivation, the uniquely human freedom that opens the possibility of shaping the kind of life we will live and the kind of person we will become. For those interested in ideals of human character and practices of self-cultivation, The Six Perfections offers invaluable guidance."