Overview

"""I highly recommend this translation by Reid and have actually made it required study for my priests in training."" - Shifu Michael Rinaldini, Daoist Abbbot and founder of the American Dragon Gate Lineage of Quanzhen Daoism Central to Daoism (Taoism), Zen Buddhism, and neo-Confucianism, Lao Zi's ""Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)"" may be the single most influential Eastern philosophical text of the last 2500 years, and has since become the second most translated book in the world. ""The Heshang Gong Commentary"" has long been considered essential reading for Daoist initiates and scholars, owing to the author's authentic experience and knowledge of Lao Zi's cultural and historical influences. Heshang Gong (""Riverside Elder,"" circa 200 AD) expands on Lao Zi's language and metaphors while offering a Sage's insights into how they may be applied to the cultivation of wisdom, vitality, longevity, harmonious leadership, and Daoist virtues such as naturalness, sincerity, and ease. Guided by Heshang Gong's commentary and linguistic analysis, Dan G. Reid provides translations of the ""Dao De Jing"" and ""Heshang Gong Commentary"" which are both eloquent and exceptionally faithful to the Chinese text. Drawing on Classical Chinese Medicine and Daoism's rich wisdom, meditation and textual traditions, Reid offers in this second edition his own comments on the writings of Heshang Gong and Lao Zi. With an audience of scholars and Daoist practitioners in mind, this translation includes the Chinese text and a brief guide to reading Classical Chinese. ""Dan has really put a great tool into a lot of people's hands. Heshang Gong has been living in a cave as far as anyone interested in Laozi has been concerned. Now he's out. And the introduction as well as the textual aids for the non-Chinese reading reader at the back really make this a major contribution to the field, especially to those readers leery of the scholarly gauntlet."" - Red Pine (Bill Porter), translator of Lao-Tzu's Taoteching: with Selected Commentaries of the Past 2000 Years"

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Reviews

So, today, during my solitary practice, after meditation, I read more from Dan G. Reid's new version (2019) of The Heshang Gong Commentary On Lao Zi's Dao De Jing. I've spoken to Dan and I've said how much I appreciate all the translations he has done, both published ones and his unpublished ones. Being self-taught in translating ancient Chinese classics is a huge accomplishment; I don't know how he does it, but I love it and hope he keeps it up for a long time. I am still in the early chapters of this latest version. This version also contains some of his own commentaries so the reader gets a fresh translation of the Daode Jing, the commentary by the ancient master Heshang Gong, and a new perspective by Dan himself. However, when you read each chapter, you don't feel that there are three different voices speaking to you, it feels like you are receiving one voice. And that's nice. And not only are you getting one voice, but you are getting the essential message contained in each chapter clearly and understandable - Shifu Michael Rinaldini, Daoist Abbbot and founder of the American Dragon Gate Lineage of Quanzhen Daoism In my own use of the DDJ as a Daoist practice scripture it was very important to clearly see how the DDJ/commentary is a guide for key Daoist concepts., like emptiness, wuwei, stillness, speaking few words, yielding, the quiet dragon, and more. As a Daoist priest and founder of a Daoist lineage, American Dragon Gate Lineage, I highly recommend this translation by Reid and have actually made it required study for my priests-in-training. - Shifu Michael Rinaldini, Daoist Abbbot and founder of the American Dragon Gate Lineage of Quanzhen Daoism Dan has really put a great tool into a lot of people's hands. Heshang Gong has been living in a cave as far as anyone interested in Laozi has been concerned. Now he's out. And the introduction as well as the textual aids for the non-Chinese reading reader at the back really make this a major contribution to the field, especially to those readers leery of the scholarly gauntlet. - Red Pine (Bill Porter), translator of Lao-Tzu's Taoteching: with Selected Commentaries of the Past 2000 Years Wonderful work and translation. I am growing spiritually from reading it! - Dr. Michael Saso, Professor Emeritus of Religion, University of Hawai'i, Ph.DClassical Chinese/Anthropology. Author of 15 books on Eastern religions, including, Teachings of Taoist Master Chuang Reid has translated the beguiling verse of this ancient text within the framework of the 2,000-year-old Ho-Shang Kung Commentary, an obscure but authentic commentary that clarifies many points which have baffled both Chinese scholars and Western translators... Like the great English translator Arthur Waley, Dan G. Reid taught himself how to read classical Chinese, so he brings his own viewpoint to his work, not the views of a particular school of thought in Sinology. Translating the Tao Teh Ching has long been regarded as the ultimate litmus test for a translator of Chinese. Reid has passed the test with flying colors. - Daniel P. Reid (no relation), author of The Tao of Health, Sex, & Longevity and The Tao of Detox

Author Information

Dan G. Reid taught himself how to read Classical Chinese with the help of textbooks, online tools, and internet forums. His self-published work has been acclaimed by notable translators and scholars such as Red Pine, Dr. Michael Saso, Daniel P. Reid (no relation), Daoist Abbot Michael Rinaldini, and Wudang Daoist meditation teacher Hu Xuezhi. Dan practices traditional Chinese sports medicine as a Tuina massage therapist in Montreal, Quebec, including herbalism, and a variety of traditional Chinese therapeutic modalities. He also studies and practices sitting meditation, Qigong, internal martial arts (Xingyi, Baguazhang, Taji Chuan), and is a multi-instrumentalist including guqin, guitar, and percussion. Heshang Gong (circa 200 AD) was an accomplished Taoist alchemy practitioner and it is said that he became an immortal on Tiantai mountain - nowadays Rhi-Zhao county, Shandong Province. His commentary on the Dao De Jing naturally carries a deep understanding of Taoist meditation, and differs greatly from that of other commentators who tried to explain the Dao De Jing only philosophically. Written at a time when there were almost no related commentaries, it has long been the most popular. Lao Zi is said to be the founder of Daoist (Taoist) philosophy. His text, the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), is the second most translated book next to the Bible.

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