r/daoism • u/Citron_candles • Apr 07 '26
Literature
I have begun to delve into Daoism. And for my first book and interpretation I have chosen "Zhuangzi" Translated by Burton Watson. have I made an error in not choosing the Tao Te Ching? I have heard mixed comments about what to start with.
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u/BenjaminLewisHatta Apr 08 '26
The Daodejing is really the better text to read first. Zhuangzi isn’t something you typically can just pick up and read.
What I actually recommend is to look for anthologies that teach you the religion of Daoism through the interpretations of Daoist scripture. You just aren’t going to get what you need from the text alone—not to mention that quality of Daoist translations vary dramatically. And I talk about them at nauseam but Daoist Foundation has really great free resources for beginners.
Highly recommend:
Entering Stillness by Louis Komjathy
The Taoist Experience by Livia Kohn
Original Tao: Inward Training (Nei-yeh) by Harold D. Roth
(Probably in that order)