Sacred Texts  Taoism 

Laotzu's Tao and Wu Wei

Second Edition

By Dwight Goddard, et al

[1939]


This is the second edition of Dwight Goddard's Tao te Ching translation. This is very different than the first edition. Goddard, the author of The Buddhist Bible, in the interim between the first and second edition of this book converted to Buddhism from Christianity. The core of the book, the Tao te Ching translation, is radically different than the first edition. This is apparently the translation included in successive versions of the Buddhist Bible (it is not in the etext of the first edition of the Buddhist Bible at this site). Goddard, collaborating with Bhikshu Wai-Tao, produced a much wordier translation of this very difficult text on the second iteration; which is not necessarily a bad thing....

I have linked each chapter of the Tao te Ching to the first edition so readers can compare the two (Note: you will have to use the 'back' button to return to this version). Other additions include an second introduction and a short sketch of the later history of Taoism. The Henri Borel section is unchanged, but it is included in this etext for completeness.

--John Bruno Hare, February 15th, 2006.


Title Page
Introduction
All We Know About Laotzu
Introduction to Second Edition
The Central Teaching of Laotzu

Tao-teh-king. Part One: Tao

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38

Tao-teh-king. Part Two: Teh

Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81

Essays Interpreting Taoism

Preface
Contents
Chapter I. Tao
Chapter II. Art
Chapter III. Love
Notes

Historical Essays

The Beginnings of Taoist Philosophy
Taoist Religion