Over the centuries, Taoism has blossomed into a profound tradition with a variety of forms-all united by a single, core philosophy of radical simplicity and natural living. Today, Taoism is most widely known through the Tao-te Ching, yet its corpus of literature is vast-ranging from philosophical dialogues and essays to astonishing fables, legends, proverbs, and more. This compact collection of Taoism's greatest masterpieces introduces its most fundamental teachings and reveals the essential spirit of Tao. The Taoism Reader includes- i>Tao-te Ching- the foundational source of Taoist thought by the legendary Lao Tzu i>Chuang-tzu- philosophical dialogues from one of Taoism's most famous sages i>Huai-nan-tzu- teachings from the time of the Han dynasty on affairs of state, natural science, and Taoist psychology i>Wen-tzu- records of further sayings by Lao Tzu on the art of living ales of Inner Meaning- fables, stories, and jokes from the Lieh-tzu and others on the subtleties of Taoist philosophy ayings of Ancestor L - teachings from L Yen, a seminal figure in the founding of the Complete Reality school of Taoism an