Suppose your mind is made up–you are determined to introduce deep thoughts into your classroom. Philosophical and spiritual thoughts, no less. I say, bless you. And here’s a way to do it.

The Tao Te Ching is a seminal work in World Philosophy, World Religion, World Literature, World History, Asian Studies, and Chinese History. It may well be THE supreme multicultural document. Who could criticize discussion of such a work?

Written (or compiled) almost 2500 years, the Tao Te Ching continues to fascinate intellectuals. One website counts more than 125 English translations! What is its appeal? It’s short; not religious in the ordinary sense; and talks about how to be happy. Note that Socrates in the Western world and the Tao Te Ching in the Eastern world were discussing the same topics at the same time!

When I first became curious about the spiritual life, I (like many others) used the Tao Te Ching as a point of entry. It is playful, elusive, wise, startling, and counterintuitive. I studied this little work for several years and wrote a number of articles. One of these I just added to Improve-Education.org (#18). It’s a quick, informal introduction. Half of this essay is quotations from my favorite translation, that of Witter Bynner.

The Tao Te Ching (being arguably the most perfect multicultural and thus Politically Correct thing you can study) trumps all opposition. Asian Studies, anyone?