Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) by Chinese philosopher Laozi (Lao Tzu) is one of the most popular Chinese texts, with more than 100 translations available. Why yet another? Author Charles Q. Wu believes that his explorations of the infinite nature of the Daodejing can ""bring the readers yet another step closer to what Laozi actually says and how he says it through still another translation."" The strength of Wu's version comes from his superior bilingual talents and unique cross-cultural perspective, allowing him to draw widely from both Chinese and Western sources. He provides his target audience of nonacademics and non-Chinese readers with line-by-line bilingual text and commentaries, and tries to retain the original beauty of the poetry and paradoxes of Laozi's writings. His ambition here is for English-speaking readers to experience what Laozi ""sounds"" like, as if they were reading the work in Chinese. Taking a fresh look at what is known as the Wang Bi edition of Laozi's immortal work, Wu makes use of new findings from recent archaeological discoveries, and invites readers to ""participate in the translation and interpretation as an open-door, open-ended process."" Rather than claiming finality in his translation, Wu sees himself as a tour guide-leading readers toward unexpected aha! moments as they encounter a more thorough understanding of the Daodejing.

This book explores ancient Daoist philosophy and argues against interpretations that paint the early Daoist philosophers as mystics or cosmologists. It claims that Dao is best understood as awareness and that Daoist concerns are primarily with the nature of human experience, meditation, and our relation to the world. The Dao of Awareness starts by placing Daoist philosophy within the context of ancient Chinese thought. It then proceeds by critically engaging each of the major Daoist thinkers, works, or schools: Laozi, Yang Zhu, Zhuangzi, the Inward Training, Liezi, and Neo-Daoism. It concludes by pointing to ways in which Daoist thought can offer insights into contemporary Western philosophy. Throughout the book, comparisons are drawn with Western thinkers, psychological research, and Buddhist thought. The book is both a scholarly examination of Chinese and cross-cultural philosophy as well as an original work on ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of mind.