Introduction

All of this is to be understood as the essence of "the way."   The title, however, is also referring to the wisdom of enlightenment, that is, where the realization of the inherent goodness (Te) of nature (Tao), or that is, of all being — including the essence of our own existence — is revealed.
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The "Tao Te Ching," 道德經, Dao Dejing, (click here to listen to the title pronounced in Chinese), means literally, "The Book (Ching) of the Way (Tao) and its Goodness (Te)." Ellen M. Chen translates it in several ways: "The Canon of Tao and Nature" again "The Classic of Tao and Te" or "The Classic of Tao and its Manifestation, Te." It is one of the major source texts in Chinese Taoism. It was probably compiled in the 5th century, BCE, 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," and could be male or female.

According to Ellen M. Chen (1989), "of all the ancient classics still extant, the Tao Te Ching alone draws its inspiration from the female principle." To Chen (2011, p.95), Tao itself is, "the archetypal feminine, producing the cosmic pair, yin and yang, from within its emptiness." The TTC's profound inclusion of the feminine divine is therefore essential to its core teaching.

Likewise, this spirit of individuality and diversity, as a wellspring of spirituality, may be aided and abetted in any study of the TTC, 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 many spiritual implications and unworded images, suggested but not spelled out in the ancient Chinese text. As Jeaneane D. Fowler (2005) makes clear, the Tao Te Ching is "tantalizing in its depth," even perhaps purposely enigmatic, so that "the deepest meanings of the text are only hinted at."