"If I could put one book about the Laozi in the hands of someone who genuinely wants to experience the brilliance, profundity, and complexity of the work based on the best modern scholarship, I would recommend this book. The essays can be read by a general audience and yet they offer the very best contemporary scholarship on one of the most important classics in the world today." — John Berthrong, author of All Under Heaven: Transforming Paradigms in Confucian-Christian Dialogue"This is a collection of new and insightful essays by a group of impressive scholars on one of the most important, difficult, and influential books from early China. The religious and philosophical issues dealt with are not only important to the Laozi but also central to the field of early Chinese religion and philosophy, especially that of Daoism. It will be useful to both students of Chinese literature, philosophy, and religion, and people who are interested in philosophy and mysticism." — Shuen-fu Lin, University of Michigan