The essential Chuang Tzu

After the Tao Te Ching, the Chuang Tzu is the most popular of the Taoist writings of ancient China and has had an especially strong influence on Asian thought and literature, particularly Zen. Containing the teachings of the sage Chuang Tzu (369-286 BCE) and his followers, the Chuang Tzu is a compendium of wisdom stories, verses, fables, conversations, and anecdotes. At turns playful and acerbic, these writings present a philosophy of life that is politically radical and deeply spiritual. At their heart the teachings of Chuang Tzu stress the immediacy of the Tao, that all-embracing first principle that gives rise to the universe.