Taoism

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These are the principal texts of Taoism. Taoism, along with Confucianism and Buddhism was one of the principal religions of feudal China.

 Tao-te Ching
translated by James Legge [1891] 66,099 bytes
The Tao te Ching is one of the most widely read sacred texts, due to its simplicity and depth. It appeal is universal, and has been found relevant by Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and even Quantum Physicists. Attributed to Lao-tzu, (580-500 B.C.), it may predate him by several centuries. The earliest known manuscripts of the Tao te Ching date to the third century B.C.

This translation is excerpted from Volume 39 of the Sacred Books of the East.

 Taoist Texts, Part I (SBE 39)
Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, tr. by Jame Legge [1891]

 Taoist Texts, Part II (SBE40)
Chuang Tzu, tr. by Jame Legge [1891]
The Sacred Texts of the Taoists. A detailed etext of volume one and two of the Sacred Books of the East Taoist translations by James Legge. Both of these volumes were published in 1891. The first volume contains Lao-tzu’s Tao te Ching and the first half of the Writings of Chuang-tzu, including the notes and introductory material. The second volume completes the Writings of Chuang-tzu, and includes several other Taoist texts, including the Tai Shang Tractate. Volume two also includes a detailed index for both volumes.

 The Tao Teh King: A Short Study in Comparative Religion
Translated with commentary by C. Spurgeon Medhurst [1905]
Echoes of mystical Christianity in the Tao te Ching.

 The Canon of Reason and Virtue
(Lao-tze’s Tao Teh King) Chinese and English; Translated by D.T. Suzuki and Paul Carus [1913]
A translation of Tao te Ching by two prominent 20th century Buddhists. Includes the complete Chinese text of the Tao te Ching as embedded graphics.

 Taoist Teachings Translated from the Book of Lieh-Tzü
by Lionel Giles [1912].

 Yang Chu’s Garden of Pleasure
translated by Anton Forke [1912]

 T’ai Shang Kan-Ying P’ien
by Teitaro Suzuki and Paul Carus [1906]

 Yin Chih Wen, The Tract of the Quiet Way
by Teitaro Suzuki and Paul Carus. [1906].

 Taoist Texts
by Frederic Henry Balfour [1884].
Rare ancient Taoist texts.

 Tao, The Great Luminant
Essays from the Huai Nan Tzu, by Evan S. Morgan [1933]

 Laotzu’s Tao and Wu Wei
By Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel [1919]
Another, very lucid translation of the Tao te Ching by the author of A Buddhist Bible.

 Laotzu’s Tao and Wu Wei (2nd ed.)
By Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel [1939]
The second edition of Goddard and Borel’s work, with a very different translation of the text and some additional material.

 The Sayings of Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu, tr. by Lionel Giles [1905]
A clear English rendering of the Tao te Ching by one of the best Chinese translators.

 The Art of War
Sun Tzu, tr. by Lionel Giles [1910]
The Chinese classic of military strategy infused with Taoism.

 The Art of War
Sun Tzu, tr. by Lionel Giles [1910]
[text only]

 Musings of a Chinese Mystic
Chuang Tzu, tr. by Lionel Giles [1909]
A short collection of texts featuring the Taoist sage Chuang Tzu.

 Kung-Fu, or Tauist Medical Gymnastics
by John Dudgeon [1895]
A very rare treatise on traditional Chinese esoteric medical practices.

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 Sacred Places in China
by Carl F. Kupfer [1911]
A tour of Chinese sacred locations, including a visit with the Taoist Pope.