This new and comprehensive rendition and commentary on the Chinese classic "Dao De Jing" was researched over 13 years in China. It is built on the premise that if the scholar Laozi had ideas and advice on personal conduct 2,500 years ago that could shake the foundations of philosophy for centuries afterwards, as well as influencing the course of three of the great world religions - then perhaps these ideas are still worth our serious consideration now.

This work, loosely structured on the 81-verse original Chinese text, is an engaging blend of modern and ancient philosophy with a focus on genuinely practical life advice. The timeless relevance of Laozi's 2,500-year-old text is explored here at the dawn of the third millennium with humor and insight, and using resources as varied as the ideas of Plato, Bruce Lee, Jean-Paul Sartre, Carl Jung, and Winnie the Pooh - to name but a few.

Using topical references, and examples from literature both ancient and modern, the essential message from the age-old thoughts of the sage Laozi is illuminated and brought into sharp contemporary focus using familiar modern idioms, and with examples from philosophy, psychology, politics, and other social sciences.