Welcome to the Way and the Power of Virtue

Introduction

The classic Chinese text, the Dao De Jing 道德经 (older Tao Te Ching), variously translated as The Classic on the Way and its Power, the Way and Virtue, the Way of Virtue, the Way of Power, etc. is the most translated text in the world next to the Bible.  Sometimes also called the Laozi 老子 (Lao Tzu) from the "Old Master" it is attributed to, it dates to the Warring States Period of ancient China (453-221BCE).  Its 81 chapters have been studied and translated by scholars and savants, politicians and poets, mystics and monks, and artists and archaeologists alike.  Multiple textual versions and commentaries have been transmitted down through time in tomes of text and treatise.  Over the past several decades, many more ancient manuscripts have been discovered in tombs and dug up in caches -- more than any other ancient Chinese text to date.  These discoveries have both shed light and cast controversy upon it and the search for meaning, purpose, and significance continues. Its language is concise yet rich, pithy yet profound, pragmatic yet transcendent, often timelessly accessible and yet sometimes obscure, and it boasts an inherent polysemy that is replete with multiple layers rich in meaning.  

Purpose

The Way and the Power of Virtue is one of the most iconic and influential Chinese texts of all time because it has spoken and continues to speak to so many across time and space.  It is the purpose of this blog to make it speak again -- not from a purely scholarly, historical, or cultural standpoint -- but from a motivational and inspirational standpoint.  As a passionate, award-winning educator, published scholar and translator, and trained classical Chinese paleographer, I have taught its tenets, translated its texts, studied its settings, worked with its words, and examined its etymologies.  I have mulled over its manuscripts, consulted its commentaries, and investigated its variants for over twenty-five years.  Nevertheless, my interpretations and insights may, at times, be a marked departure, from traditional translations.  As a fellow human being in this world, it is my objective to utilize my experience and expertise to share the lessons learned, the insights gained, and inspiration received along the Way to ennoble the mind, edify the heart, and empower the soul of humanity.  I welcome constructive comments, new insights, and unique observations as you join me on this journey of discovery.    ~ DCB

 

~ The Way and the Power of Virtue

Chibi Laozi The Old Master

Thanks to my daughter for this fantastic chibi Laozi and adorable baby water buffalo!


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