The Thread of Dao

[dawei]

This is for Kindle only, for the moment... paperback may come later.  Have a read here:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Thread-Dao-Unraveling-traditions-Cultivation-ebook/dp/B078J7XRBX/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1514906693&sr=1-1

 

 

The philosophy of Lao Zi (c. 550 BC), the great Daoist (Taoist) philosopher and author of the Dao De Jing, is often said to have represented an earlier oral tradition. The works of Guan Zi (aka Guan Zhong, 720-645 BC) may, in fact, be an even earlier record of this oral tradition. Four of the texts in an ancient encyclopedia attributed to Guan Zi bear many similarities to Lao Zi's work, and offer invaluable insights into the esoteric and cultural precedents behind his phrases and teachings. "Thread of Dao" provides an annotated translation of Guan Zi's proto-Daoist texts: Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin), Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu I&II), and Internal Cultivation (Nei Ye). Dan G. Reid's commentary traces the early Daoist oral traditions that weave throughout these texts, the the Dao De Jing, Heshang Gong's commentary on the Dao De Jing, and the works of other ancient writers, from Zhuang Zi (Chuang Tzu) to Zen Buddhists. 
Following this ancient thread reveals the meditation and mindfulness traditions that were quietly imparted through wisdom on government and health preservation. Underlying these writings are subtle teachings on "the art of the heart-mind" — the Sages' technique for self purification, cultivating enlightenment and harmony within, and fostering peace and virtue throughout the world.

[dawei]

 

Back cover description:

 

Quote

(back cover description)

Ancient Chinese meditation and mindfulness traditions were often quietly imparted through wisdom on government policy and health preservation. Underlying these teachings are subtle instructions in "the art of the heart-mind" — the Sages' technique for self purification, cultivating enlightenment and harmony within, and fostering virtue throughout the world.
     While Lao Zi is said to be the founder of Daoism (Taoism) and author of the Dao De Jing, his classic on attaining the way of Nature is believed to have transmitted an earlier oral tradition. Modern scholars now believe that four texts, found in the ancient “Guan Zi” encyclopedia, are likely to have predated the completion of the Dao De Jing. These texts, "Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin)," "Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu I&II)," and "Internal Cultivation (Nei Ye)," provide exceptionally direct explanations of Daoist spiritual, mental, and energetic cultivation, making them invaluable keys to the teachings of early Daoist masters. Thread of Dao translates and explores these texts alongside comparable teachings in the Dao De Jing and other Daoist and Buddhist sources, tracing their origins to a common thread of wisdom.
     In translating Guan Zi’s "Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin)," "Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu I&II)," and "Internal Cultivation (Nei Ye)," Reid justifies the “received” version of these texts, rather than adopting revisions commonly accepted by modern scholars, making Thread of Dao a valuable contribution to several fields of Chinese studies, including Daoist and Buddhist Studies, pre-Qin history, Classical Chinese, and Chinese Political Science.

 

 

Dan G. Reid (not to be confused with Daniel P. Reid, author of “The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity”) is the author of a new and potentially groundbreaking book which suggests that the origins of many chapters in the Dao De Jing (including chapters 1, 5, 9, 10, and fragments of numerous others) can be traced to the internal cultivation texts in the Guan Zi.  Reid’s new book, The Thread of Dao: Unraveling early Daoist oral traditions in Guan Zi’s Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin), Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu), and Internal Cultivation (Nei Ye)

 

 

 

I have an interview with the author to post, see interview section.

 

[OldDog]

This last year (2018) I had decided to do some additional reading to help expand my understanding of Laozi and Zhuangzi. I was looking for a connection of those works to a physical practice.

 

It seemed like moving forward, chronologically, from the DDJ, was leading me to increasingly more narrow esoteric subjects and away from foundational/core understandings and practices. 

 

The process of reviewing additional sources led me to three books that have greatly influenced my understanding of Laozi and Zhuangzi ... and are allowing me to develop a more personal and physical connection. These are:

 

The Seal of the Unity of the Three by Fabrizio Pregadio,

The Thread of Dao by Dan G Reid,

Original Tao by Harold Roth.

 

The Seal of the Unity of the Three helped show how different aspects of Daoist activity are all expressions of the same unity. At the same time it did much to breakdown the mystical language found in all sources.

 

The Thread of Dao showed, through the development of the notion of proto-daoist sources, that there was an ongoing tradition that lead up to DDJ and that this tradition included a very real physical process to support Daoist philospohy. It showed the real value and practice of meditation.

 

Original Tao affirms the ideas in The Thread of Dao and does much to strengthen the connection to Laozi and Zhuangzi in a detailed and academically rigorous way.

 

These three works should be at the top of everyones list of study materials. They are foundational and can do much to enhance the later souces in Daoist tradition.

 

 

Edited January 8, 2019 by OldDog
Minor corrections

[dawei]

As this version was raised in the Neiye thread, there is a sample for download

 

 

 

[dawei]

I talked with Dan about whether I could share his version if someone provided the translation to me and he said that was ok.  So if someone wants to paste it to me, do so in PM , or let's talk.  He also said folks could share his notes on using the received version, etc.

 

People with the e-book version should make sure they've updated it to get everything I've added or re-worded over the last year or so. Best way to make sure they have the latest update is looking for the following paragraph in the intro, before the DDJ chapters appear. The following sentence will contain the 3rd footnote, and updated versions will include "… beginning with the five elemental phases" at the end of the paragraph:

 

According to Ji Zi, King Yu was able to determine the correct solution because Heaven bestowed upon him the “洪範, 九疇, 彝倫攸敘 patterns of the flood, with its nine categories, the principles of which are expressed throughout all relations… beginning with the five elemental phases.”

[dawei]

FYI:  I got The Thread of Dao text from Dan, so I will be updated the intro and chapters with his translation.

[dawei]

I saw that Dan's books were in a 2nd edition and asked him to comment.  I'm passing along what he said:

 

 Yes, both books are in their second editions now. I've added translator commentary to my Heshang Gong translation, along with some new parts to the introduction (available on my academia page: https://independent.academia.edu/ReidDan). The Thread of Dao is also in its second edition. The main change there is that I made some significant changes to my translation of the Bai Xin, though the commentary didn't have to change much aside from after the last set of lines. It also includes an index (pagination was off for a couple months but that's been fixed for some time now), and some additional excerpts from supplementary texts throughout my commentaries. The additional excerpts were added gradually over time, but were mostly all there by the time the book came out in paperback.

 

By the way, I recently created an article/manual for using acupressure when adjusting to extensive amounts of sitting meditation, which is available on my academia page and may be of interest.

 

[rideforever]

Daoism is not mindfulness and it is not Buddhism.
Spirituality is being destroyed by the charlatans of idiocracy.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

On 3/6/2020 at 1:32 PM, rideforever said:

Daoism is not mindfulness and it is not Buddhism.
Spirituality is being destroyed by the charlatans of idiocracy.

 

Of course it isn't, but good luck with Daoist meditation if you haven't cultivated clear-minded attention and awareness of what's going on with your energy. Anyway, as stated in the author interview, hinted at in the book's description, and detailed in the book itself (which maybe you didn't actually read):

 

"Heshang Gong’s commentary is widely valued in Daoism for revealing the internal cultivation metaphors in the Dao De Jing, and yet here are four texts (five counting the commentary section in Xin Shu Shang) from the 4^th century BC showing these same connections – political metaphors for internal cultivation, jing, qi, and shen work, etc. They also show that Nei Gong was around long before significant cultural exchanges between China and India. Nei Ye is essentially an early term for Nei Gong, meaning “inner occupation/endeavour/cultivation/enterprising” rather than “inner work/skill (gong).”

 

https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/46001-interview-with-dan-g-reid/?tab=comments#comment-807554

 

The book's concern with mindfulness is mainly to show that it existed in China before Buddhism arrived there, and how it figured in  transmutation practices in the Guanzi. The essential premise of the book is that Daoist internal cultivation practices existed during the Warring States period, and are present in texts from that time. This is somehow a conflation of Daoism and Buddhism?

 

[Bindi]

On 10/01/2018 at 12:43 AM, dawei said:

 

Back cover description:

 

 

Dan G. Reid (not to be confused with Daniel P. Reid, author of “The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity”) is the author of a new and potentially groundbreaking book which suggests that the origins of many chapters in the Dao De Jing (including chapters 1, 5, 9, 10, and fragments of numerous others) can be traced to the internal cultivation texts in the Guan Zi.  Reid’s new book, The Thread of Dao: Unraveling early Daoist oral traditions in Guan Zi’s Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin), Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu), and Internal Cultivation (Nei Ye)

 

 

 

I have an interview with the author to post, see interview section.

 

I ordered this today, better late than never, I’m soooo interested in the topic of purifying the heart-mind. Thanks for all the many posts you do on these interesting Daoist resources. 

[silent thunder]

On 3/10/2020 at 7:56 PM, Bindi said:

I ordered this today, better late than never, I’m soooo interested in the topic of purifying the heart-mind. Thanks for all the many posts you do on these interesting Daoist resources. 

I may get the Dan Reid version.

 

What was your impression of the one you got?