What books should I read if I want to understand Taoism, learn about Taoism, and learn about Taoism?

Basically, you first buy a copy of "Basic Knowledge of Taoism", which Wang Ka compiled. Let's take a look at "History of Taoism". This way you will have a general idea.

Then, carefully study the works of Laozi Zhuangzi, and then Liezi, Baopuzi and other ancestors. Finally, finally, study the Daozang. Of course, you have to have that chance.

Let's first look at Lao Zhuang to improve the Dao heart, and then look at the Yellow Emperor's Neijing and other medical classics.

From the beginning of its founding, Taoism has taken Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching as the fundamental classic, and has taken "Tao" and "Virtue" as the basic beliefs. Taoism believes that the Tao is the origin and master of all things in the universe, which is omnipresent and all-encompassing, and that all things evolve from the Tao. And "virtue" is the embodiment of "Tao".

Sanqingzun God is the initial personification of the "Tao", and also represents the three important processes of the creation of the universe (Tao Shengyi, one life two, two Shengsan, three Shengwu Tao Te Ching), Sanqinghua gave birth to the heavens, earth, the universe and the natural gods, these are called the innate gods (Tianzun), which is the evolution of the Tao, the innate is one with the Tao, and the Tao is far and wide and fills the boundless universe, so the Taoist blessings often say "immeasurable Tianzun", human beings can achieve the realm of unity with the Tao in some ways, these people are called the acquired immortals, Those who have the highest cultivation can also reach the Heavenly Venerable.

If Taoist books are generalized, there are many; If you don't do research, then you can read the original texts or representative works.

1."Lao Tzu" directly reads Chen Guying's "Lao Tzu Today's Note and Translation". There are three versions of the original text in it, so note that you should read the traditional version of the original text.

The focus of reading "Lao Tzu's Commentary and Translation" is to read Lao Tzu's original text, and if you encounter doubts, you can refer to the annotations of scholars of the past dynasties and his own views compiled by Chen Guying.

2."Wenzi", also known as "Tongxuan Zhenjing", is one of the four major Taoist classics. In terms of content, "Wenzi" is closer to the interpretation and play of "Laozi", and it is the closest to Laozi's thought among the independent Taoist classics, and the text is also relatively smooth, and the readability is very high, so it is recommended to read it intensively.

The disadvantage of Wenzi is that there are contradictions between the different chapters, which depends on the reader's careful grasp.

3."Zhuangzi" should be read intensively, due to the long length of the Zhuangzi, reading the Zhuangzi should pay special attention to not directly reading the modern translation, it is recommended to browse the original text first, and read the contemporary scholar Zhang Xianglong's "Heidegger Thought and Chinese Heavenly Dao", in which the interpretation of Laozi Zhuangzi ancient and modern is unparalleled.

4."Liezi" is easy to read through, and you can refer to Zhang Zhan's "Liezi Note" in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

5."Gengsangzi" is also one of the four Taoist classics, and its thoughts are the same as Zhuangzi's, but it is more straightforward and arbitrary than Zhuangzi, and it is suspected that it is a work of later generations. "Gengsangzi" is not very difficult to read, and the content is relatively informative, so it is recommended to read it thoroughly after reading Lao Zhuangwen.

6.The content of "Crane Guanzi" is similar to that of "Guanzi", and the density of thought is greater than that of "Huainanzi", so it is recommended to read it through.

Chen Guying organized the compilation of the journal "Taoist Cultural Studies", which collected the research results of Chinese and foreign scholars since the 20th century, and some of the articles are very helpful for the study of Taoist intellectual history.

Laozi, Zhuangzi, Guiguzi, Huangting Neijing, Huangting Waijing.

The Tao Te Ching is easy to refer to the true chapter of the deed.

Taoist classics refer to the vast volumes of scriptures and texts accumulated in the long-term development process of Taoism. The content of Taoist scriptures is all-encompassing, not only recording the teachings and teachings of Taoism, canons and precepts, cultivation methods, and Zhaijiao rituals, but also retaining precious materials of ancient Chinese philosophy, literature, medicine, health preservation, chemistry, geography and other disciplines. Taoist scriptures are a treasure trove of traditional Chinese culture.