The "Tao Te Ching" (道德經, pronounced Dao De Jing), means literally, "The Book of the Way and its Virtue," or as Ellen M. Chen translates it, "The Canon of Tao and Nature." It is one of the major source texts in Chinese Taoism. It was probably compiled in the 6th-5th century B.C.E. as a collection of teachings, for the most part passed down from a much older, oral tradition. The oldest extant version, the Guodian, which is incomplete, dates back to the 4th to early 3rd century, B.C.E. The name of the Tao Te Ching's faithfully-nameless author, Lao-tzu (pronounced "Laozi") (老子), means simply "old master."

According to Ellen M. Chen's translation, "of all the ancient classics still extant, the Tao Te Ching alone draws its inspiration from the female principle." Its profound inclusion of the feminine divine is in fact essential to its core teaching. As Karyn Lai (2003) points out in an introduction to the TTC's environmental philosophy: its basic tenor (with a "strong affinity" to ecofeminism) "is that a more complete life for all forms of existence can be achieved only through a full appreciation of the connectedness of all beings."

This spirit of diversity as a wellspring of spirituality, may be aided and abetted, in any study of the Tao Te Ching, by utilizing as many different translations as is comfortable. Allowing these translations to inform each other is a good way to catch on to the various spiritual implications and unworded images, suggested but not spelled out in the ancient Chinese text.

In her essay, "Daode Jing in Practice," Eva Wong (2008) comments: "In the Daoist tradition, study and practice are inseparable: to study is to practice and to practice is to study. Understanding a text can help us practice its teachings; practicing its teachings can help us understand its meanings."

"The reader will notice in the many passages where Lao-tzu describes the Master, I have used the pronoun 'she' at least as often as 'he.' The Chinese language doesn't make this kind of distinction; in English we have to choose. But since we are all, potentially, the Master (since the Master is, essentially, us) I felt it would be untrue to present a male archetype, as other versions have, ironically, done. Ironically, because of all the great world religions the teaching of Lao-tzu is by far the most female. Of course you should feel free, throughout the book, to substitute 'he' for 'she' or vice versa."

"Scholarly translators of the Tao Te Ching, as a manual for rulers, use a vocabulary that emphasizes the uniqueness of the Taoist 'sage,' his masculinity, his authority. This language is perpetuated, and degraded, in most popular versions. I wanted a Book of the Way accessible to a present-day, unwise, unpowerful, and perhaps unmale reader, not seeking esoteric secrets, but listening for a voice that speaks to the soul. I would like that reader to see why people have loved the book for 2500 years.

"It is the most lovable of all the great religious texts, funny, keen, kind, modest, indestructibly outrageous and inexhaustibly refreshing. Of all the deep springs, this is the purest water. To me it is also the deepest spring."

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