The Book of Transcendental Dao and De

Book excerpt: DàoDéJing or Tao Te Ching is a must read for the ethnic Chinese. This millennia-year old ancient scripture is known for its insights, wisdoms, and philosophies of the Chinese civilization. It has a deep-rooted influence over the Chinese people throughout history. But it is a challenging task to read and decipher the cryptic meaning of the text, let alone understand it. With this translation and commentaries in English, it is hope that it would serve as a useful resource for the English-speaking Chinese worldwide. This translation is also a must read for all others who want to know the psyche of the Chinese people, as well as to feel the pulse of China today in general. The Dào expounded by Laozi is beyond the conventional wisdom and science. In essence, the Dào transcends the ordinary realm. It is simply the true nature of things. It is neither a belief, faith, religion, metaphysics or philosophy. It is just the realization of the enlightened ones throughout the history of mankind. To relate what they knew, they would use their own words, analogies, metaphors, and gestures to illustrate it. For Laozi, he merely called it the Dào. The Dào is everywhere in our day-to-day life, but ordinarily we wouldn’t realize it until we see things as they really are. If a flower is seen as beautiful, then it is no longer the physical flower as it is, but a fanciful flower spiced-up in our mind. In the real world, everything appears only as it is, neither beautiful or ugly, big or small. This is the true nature of things. One cannot know the Dào by the use of the thinking mind. So the Dào cannot be seen from the perspective of belief, philosophy, or science. It can only be known or realized with the mind in complete silence and presence.