From the middle of July through the first week of October last year, I ran a series on the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) which featured my commentary, analysis and inspiration in conjunction with the thoughts of others drawn from a myriad of books and internet sources. Even though I included the words of others, I chose those passages and quotes that fell in line with the point or points I wished to make in each verse. So, while not all the words were my own, the series did represent MY voice.
Because of the very nature of the Daodejing -- a poetic and philosophic treatise -- there is no ONE correct, proper or definitive understanding of it. While there is no question that it seeks to make several key points from a particular perspective, it inspires and touches each person differently. It is in this vein that I present Daodejing - Other Voices.
For 81 days (including the first post later today), I will feature posts from other blogs* on a verse-by-verse basis. In many cases, I simply will cite the entire post. In other cases, if I decide the entire post is too long or it references things out of context, you will know you're not reading the complete entry because you will see "...".
Just to be clear: I will not offer any comments or analysis. I don't plan to add any "editor's notes". I won't correct spelling or punctuation errors from the original; what you see is what each author wrote. The ONLY thing I will add is a link to the series index.
The posts I select may include points I disagree with. Some may seem like they're coming from the left field bleachers. A good many of them will be serious and philosophical, while many others will be humorous or on topics/observations that are quite unique. I also don't want anyone to think that I'm suggesting that each post is the best one I've found re that day's verse. In some instances, it may be the ONLY post I've found on that particular verse.**
What I'd like to do is feature 81 different bloggers, but, from my ongoing research, I don't think that is very realistic. So, for the most part, I plan to limit the number of posts from any one blog to two. I need to qualify that last statement in that I have located a handful of blogs that feature commentary on all 81 verses and these blogs may be featured more often when I can't find anything else appropriate.
As mentioned previously, if you would like to write a Guest Post for this series -- whether you have your own blog or not -- please contact me. As of the date and time I'm writing this, I've already located posts on nearly 40% of the 81 verses, including the first 20 verses. So, the dance card is filling up fast! Reserve your spot today!
Here's how I plan to format this series. The top portion of each day's post will feature the indented cited entry. Following this will be the name of the blog (with a link to the post cited), the specific author, if known, and the date the entry was posted on the original blog. If you read the post within a few days of when it goes up, the link should work as intended. If, however, you read it weeks, months or years after it's posted, who knows if the link will work or not!
Finally, while you may have noticed that I have a propensity for writing clever or witty titles, the standard title for this series will be very straightforward: Daodejing, Verse x. Each post will be tagged/labeled with Daodejing.
Let's see where this wild ride takes us!
*Note: In most cases, the information presented will come from a blog with the exception of Nina Correa's commentary from the website, Dao is Open. A few other websites may be sprinkled in if that is the way the virtual water is flowing.
**Note: When I state the ONLY post, I mean independent of those blogs that feature all 81 verses.
Because of the very nature of the Daodejing -- a poetic and philosophic treatise -- there is no ONE correct, proper or definitive understanding of it. While there is no question that it seeks to make several key points from a particular perspective, it inspires and touches each person differently. It is in this vein that I present Daodejing - Other Voices.
For 81 days (including the first post later today), I will feature posts from other blogs* on a verse-by-verse basis. In many cases, I simply will cite the entire post. In other cases, if I decide the entire post is too long or it references things out of context, you will know you're not reading the complete entry because you will see "...".
Just to be clear: I will not offer any comments or analysis. I don't plan to add any "editor's notes". I won't correct spelling or punctuation errors from the original; what you see is what each author wrote. The ONLY thing I will add is a link to the series index.
The posts I select may include points I disagree with. Some may seem like they're coming from the left field bleachers. A good many of them will be serious and philosophical, while many others will be humorous or on topics/observations that are quite unique. I also don't want anyone to think that I'm suggesting that each post is the best one I've found re that day's verse. In some instances, it may be the ONLY post I've found on that particular verse.**
What I'd like to do is feature 81 different bloggers, but, from my ongoing research, I don't think that is very realistic. So, for the most part, I plan to limit the number of posts from any one blog to two. I need to qualify that last statement in that I have located a handful of blogs that feature commentary on all 81 verses and these blogs may be featured more often when I can't find anything else appropriate.
As mentioned previously, if you would like to write a Guest Post for this series -- whether you have your own blog or not -- please contact me. As of the date and time I'm writing this, I've already located posts on nearly 40% of the 81 verses, including the first 20 verses. So, the dance card is filling up fast! Reserve your spot today!
Here's how I plan to format this series. The top portion of each day's post will feature the indented cited entry. Following this will be the name of the blog (with a link to the post cited), the specific author, if known, and the date the entry was posted on the original blog. If you read the post within a few days of when it goes up, the link should work as intended. If, however, you read it weeks, months or years after it's posted, who knows if the link will work or not!
Finally, while you may have noticed that I have a propensity for writing clever or witty titles, the standard title for this series will be very straightforward: Daodejing, Verse x. Each post will be tagged/labeled with Daodejing.
Let's see where this wild ride takes us!
*Note: In most cases, the information presented will come from a blog with the exception of Nina Correa's commentary from the website, Dao is Open. A few other websites may be sprinkled in if that is the way the virtual water is flowing.
**Note: When I state the ONLY post, I mean independent of those blogs that feature all 81 verses.
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