Classic of the Way and Virtue,
道德經 老子 Dao De Jing by Lao Zi

Traditionally, Daoist disciples learn the classics by heart. I was no exception. Since the beginning of my training, Shifu required me to learn some classics by heart. When i started studying the Yi Jing 易经, i learnt the names of the 64 hexagrams and their classification by heart. When i started studying the Zao Wan Gong Ke 早晚功课, the morning and evening rituals, i learnt the incantations by heart. All throughout the day, walking, sweeping, gardening, i would repeat the classics, until they would be engraved in me. This process has been a fundamental aspect of the way i learnt Chinese, and Daoist practices at large.

There is a surprising intelligence to this method. Until today, as i am walking, or gardening, or sweeping, suddenly a line of a classic pops in my mind, and reveals a new depth of understanding that illuminates me. From the depth of my consciousness, the teaching manifests its wisdom by its own volition. Seeding those teachings was like hiding a treasure, the footprint of the masters, the ancestor’s guidance.

Traditionally, the classics are chanted during rituals. I was no exception. One by one, i learnt to chant some classics according to strict rules. I would first repeat them again and again, alone in front of my small desk, playing the beat with my pencil, as soon as i would have some free time. Until one day, after hundreds of repetitions, i was allowed to offer the ceremonies myself, and see their transmission empowered by the thousand-years-old altar of the temple.

There is a mysterious power to this practice. The classics, when chanted, take on a new depth. They come alive, they vibrate. Through the voice, they unify with the energy field of the practitioner, and of all who listen. Century after century, transmission after transmission, those chants carry a specific energy field : the essence of the wisdom they transmit, and the accumulated energy of generations of masters who practiced them. When those chants become yours, their power purifies your consciousness, illuminates your energy field, and carries their seeds of wisdom into your heart. With each repetition, with each chant, those seeds are planted deeper into your consciousness, they take root. One day, maybe when you’ll be facing one of life’s brutal challenges, a branch of that tree might sprout through your ear, and flower. A silent flowering of consciousness, that whispers the essence of our ancestor’s wisdom, and restores your being.

I invite you to join my practice, by offering you an initiation to the most fundamental, most essential Daoist classic of all times : the DAO DE JING 道德經, the Classic of the Way and Virtue, by Lao Zi.

The Chinese text of the Dao De Jing is concise and precise. Its structure is simple, and of stunning beauty. Because of these characteristics, it is easy to apprehend, even without speaking Chinese.

Once every other week, I offer an online session dedicated to one chapter of the Dao De Jing. We study the text together, in Chinese, and its translation, character by character. If you always dreamt of apprehending the classics directly in Chinese, and felt intimidated, or too much of a beginner, that is our chance to find out it actually is possible. If you are already used to studying the classics, then we share the enjoyment.

Then we learn to chant the chapter together. There is no need to be a singer, or a musician, to do so. We learn the simple melody, invoke its vibration, and unify it to our consciousness. The Dao De Jing’s chant is beautiful and refined. It appeases emotions, purifies consciousness, illuminates the energy field. It naturally leads to meditation.

Once every other week, I post the recording of the chant that we’ve practiced, and you’ll be able to listen to the recording to repeat and memorise. I also post the Chinese text, and its translation character by character, for those who wish to study the written script.

To join, please meet us on top of the mountain and bring five pecks of rice.

Oh, ups, please join us online by offering a monthly donation via our Patreon platform.