Together, Chuang Tzu and Lin will present you with simple lessons that will have a lasting impact on your life. These parables are presented throughout this book and juxtaposed with the charming and intelligent prose of modern-day Taoist teacher and author Derek Lin. Here is wisdom: a deeply esoteric book of many levels, that will repay reading on a regular basis. We can benefit greatly from Chuang Tzus teachings. Chang Tzu pursues this teaching via humour and historic parable such tales as the master dreaming he was a butterfly, then awakening and being unsure if he is indeed himself, or a butterfly dreaming he is Chuang Tzu, bring into focus the unreliability of the senses and our own fragile identity.Ĭomposed of 33 chapters, the Chuang Tzu is divided into seven 'Inner' chapters (written by the sage himself), and fifteen 'Outer' chapters which - along with a 'Miscellany' - are mainly the work of his later adherents. Giles rendered the famous Dream of the Butterfly episode from the Zhuangzi I9 into English: Once upon a time, I, Chuang Tzu. Daoism enjoins us to non-contention, non-intention, simplicity, humility and wisdom as the path to perfect equanimity amidst the turmoil of existence. One must learn to deal calmly with the stormy seas of life, as experience shows that fighting against the Dao only makes matters worse. Reasoning alone is insufficient and must be leavened with the development of intuition. The eponymous Chuang Tzu is considered one of the key foundational works of Daoism, exceeding even the renowned Dao De Jing of the equally elusive Laozi.ĭao translates as 'The Way', both the individual human life-path, and the infinitely complex unfolding of the Universe, whose mechanism and purpose are beyond human logic. Chuang Tzu: Daoist Teachings: Zhuangzis Wisdom of the DAO 1911405373 Book Cover. and follows in the footsteps of the best known and oldest of all Taoist texts, the Tao-te-ching (Daode jing, Book of the Tao and Its Potency), known by the name of its author, Laozi (Lao-tzu), which literally means 'Old Master' or 'Old Child. It was compiled in the third century B.C.E.

Chuang Tzu (pinyin: Zhuangzi) is the name given to an enigmatic Daoist sage who was born around 369 BC at Meng (now in Henan Province), where he worked as a minor official in the city of Qiyuan. See all books authored by Zhuangzi, including Zhuangzi, and Zhu ngz. The Chuang-tzu (Zhuangzi) is the second major text of the Taoist tradition.

Chuang Tzu by Zhuangzi