The Book of the Way of Life. Aphorisms

The Book of the Way of Life, Dao-De Jing, is a remarkable monument of Chinese thought, a fundamental source of Taoism, although the emergence of the treatise and the personality of its author are shrouded in many legends and mysteries. Each researcher finds something new in it, astonishing depth and humanity, close even to the modern chaotic world. Dao is the Way, the path of the universe, life and human perfection, permeating all our existence. De, in turn, is the inner fullness, invisibly and firmly binding all living beings. The truth of Laozi is action itself, meticulous to complete objectlessness and therefore seemingly inactive. Each of the 81 aphorisms of this treatise is comprehended not by the mind, but by the heart, calling for endless contemplation. The goal of reading the Book of the Way of Life is a return to the pure, nameless relevance of life. In the translation of the outstanding sinologist Vladimir Malyavin.