Ripples
On this page you will find the voices that ripple through our weekly immersion in the Tao Te Ching. Here you will also find links to the titles and publication details of the works from which I have quoted selected passages. This page will continue to grow as our immersion unfolds, welcoming new voices as they arise.
Hua-Ching Ni (OmNi)
Taoist master, healer, philosopher, martial artist, and one of the great transmitters of the Integral Way tradition. His translation of the Tao Te Ching serves as the primary companion for our weekly immersion, offering a perspective shaped by a lifetime of Taoist practice, healing, meditation, and scholarship. Throughout his life, OmNi dedicated himself to preserving and sharing the wisdom of the Tao through teaching, writing, and quietude.
Wang Bi / Wang Pi (226–249 CE)
One of the earliest and most influential commentators on the Tao Te Ching. Although he died at just twenty-three, Wang Bi’s remarkable insight shaped the way generations have understood Lao Tzu’s work. His commentary reveals the philosophical depth of the text and remains one of the foundational voices in the Taoist tradition.
The Classic of the Way and Virtue. Translated by Richard John Lynn.
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018)
Novelist, poet, and lifelong student of Taoism. Although she did not read classical Chinese, she spent decades engaging deeply with existing translations and scholarship before crafting her own rendering of the Tao Te Ching. Her version is cherished for its poetic clarity, humility, and intuitive feel for the spirit of the text.
Tao Te Ching: A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way
David Hinton
Poet, translator, and scholar of classical Chinese literature. Hinton approaches the Tao Te Ching through the lens of landscape, ecology, and the intimate relationship between humanity and the natural world. His translation often reveals the text as an expression of Earth’s living processes as much as a work of philosophy.
Chuang-Tzu
Chuang Tzu, often rendered today as Zhuangzi, was a Chinese philosopher who lived around the fourth century BCE. The text that bears his name, the Chuang Tzu, is one of the foundational works of Taoism alongside the Tao Te Ching.
For these Companion Readings, I will often draw from Stephen Mitchell’s renderings and adaptations in The Second Book of the Tao. In my view, Mitchell captures something essential about Chuang Tzu:
“He is the clown of the Absolute, the apotheosis of incredulity, Coyote among the Bodhisattvas.”
I hope that you will enjoy (or endure) his company!
The Second Book of the Tao by Stephen Mitchell
Stephen Mitchell
Stephen Mitchell is a poet, translator, scholar, and anthologist. Born in Brooklyn, he is known for his translations and adaptations of works including the Tao Te Ching, the Book of Psalms, the Epic of Gilgamesh, the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, and several Christian texts.
Wang P’ang (1044–1076)
Courtesy name Yuanze, was a Northern Song dynasty scholar, official, and the eldest son of the renowned chancellor and reformer Wang Anshi. He is best known for writing commentaries on Daoist and Buddhist texts, particularly the Zhuangzi.
Lao Tzu Taoteching, translated by Red Pine
Huang Yuan-Chi (1820–1874)
Taoist master famous for his oral expositions of Taoists texts. His commentaries, which he dictated to a disciple, focuses on internal yoga as well as on points in common between the teachings of Lao-Tzu and Confucius.
Lao Tzu Taoteching, translated by Red Pine
Brian Browne Walker
Brian Browne Walker is a longtime student of taoism and other spiritual disciplines of the world. His eight books and five apps include the I Ching, Tao te Ching, Hua hu Ching, Art of War, and the original teachings of the Wei wu Wei Ching. His website is www.brianbrownewalker.com
The Tao Te Ching of Lao-Tzu
Sung Ch’ang-Hsing (FL. 1700)
Taoist master and 7th patriarch of the Dragon Gate sect of the Golden Lotus lineage. His commentary on the Tao Te Ching was a favorite of Emperor K’ang-shi (r. 1662-1722)
Lao Tzu Taoteching, translated by Red Pine
Su Ch’e (1039-1112)
He, his father and his brother are counted among the eight great prose writers of the T’ang and Sung dynasties. Although his commentaries reflect his own Neo-Confucian sympathies, it is also treasured by Buddhists and Taoists.
Lao Tzu Taoteching, translated by Red Pine
Kuan-Tzu (D. 645 B.C.)
Prime Minister of the state of Ch’i. The voluminous work that bears his name more likely incorporates the views of the Chi-hsia Academy that flourished in the Ch’i capital at about the same time.
Lao Tzu Taoteching, translated by Red Pine
Ho-Shang Kung (D. CA. 159 B.C.)
Taoist master who lived in a hut beside the Yellow River —hence his name, which means Master Riverside. His commentary emphasizes Taoist Yoga and was reportedly composed at the request of Emperor Wen (r. 179–156 B.C.). It ranks next to Wang Bi’s in popularity. Some scholars think that it was complied as late as the third or fourth century A.D by members of the Taoist lineage that included Ko Hung (283-343).
Lao Tzu Taoteching, translated by Red Pine
