The Thread of Dao: Unraveling early Daoist oral traditions in Guan Zi's Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin), Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu), and Internal Cultivation (Nei Ye)

Building on the work of Harold Roth, whose study 'Original Tao' (1999) translated and illuminated the Inward Training (Nei-yeh), Reid adds further insight to this important text and translations of/commentary on its other accompanying Kuan Tzu (Guan Zi) works, Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin), & Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu) I & II. Though he is not an academic, Reid's translations and discussion are scholarly and of a high calibre. The connections he makes with other texts and thinkers (e.g. Buddhism, the Guigu Zi, Kropotkin) are insightful, as well as is his discussion of how these early "proto-Daoist" texts align with the Dao De Jing and the Zhuang Zi. In fact, Reid gives us large swathes of his translations of the Dao De Jing and its Heshang Gong commentary on it, all of which is quite useful. Though this is supposedly a counter-narrative to that of "philosophical Daoism," there is nothing here that is not in accord with another excellent study, Roger Ames & David Hall's 'Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation' (2003). The philosophical and "religious" strands present in Reid's book complement each other, and I welcomed Reid's elaboration of a meditation based on the material he presents in 'The Thread of Dao.' The only downside of this book is the typographical, apostrophe, font, and spelling errors that accrue; they became (for me anyway) a distraction, and the page numbers given in the table of contents and index don't match up with the actual page numbers of the book. I wish Reid had invested in hiring a copyeditor before putting this out there. But, I still strongly recommend 'The Thread of Dao' for its content, and Reid's style is engaging and erudite. If you're not especially attuned to spelling and punctuation conventions to begin with, the occasional mistake will probably not be that noticeable, and the material itself makes it worthwhile.

If you are interested in early Chinese Inner Cultivation literature, can recommend this work highly. The Guanzi is a treasure house and includes the oldest meditation manuals. It also mirrors early medical texts like the Neijing , which must have a common origin. At least we can see that these works delve from a common reservoir of early Chinese thinking. So I can recommend this text highly to anybody studying Inner Cultivation or wants to know about some profound concepts which we find also in the early medical literature. Translation is really nice and contains also the Chinese original version.

I have been studying the Daodejing for many years reading various translations by different authors and studying other texts. I had always approached Daoism as a philosophy. Recently I began to question the notion of the Daodejing as purely philosophical. After reading The Thread of Dao, I now have an entirely different, more meaningful and more actionable view of the Daodejing. Any serious student of the Daodejing should read The Thread of Dao. I promise, it will not be a disappointment.

Another great book from Dan Reid. I enjoyed his earlier book, The Ho-Shang Kung Commentary on Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. For those curious about earlier precedents to what we think of as early Daoism or for seekers who enjoy the Dao De Jing and Zhuangzi, you’ll want to follow these earlier “threads of the Dao” with Dan Reid.

Dan, thank you for the beautiful Thread of Dao. I treasure your work, bringing these sacred texts into my life. The wisdom we share is so inspiring and liberating. You have done an incredible job. Thank you. In Dao

Review of Dan G. Reid’s The Thread of Dao: Unraveling Early Daoist Oral Traditions.Dan G. Reid has produced another wonderful Daoist book. It is the perfect complement to his The Heshang Gong Commentary on Lao Zi’s Dao De Jing. In fact, I highly suggest that the reader study both books at the same time. But be prepared, neither of these books is light reading. The Thread begins with an in-depth exploration of the development of what Reid calls Proto-Daoism in ancient China. Several chapters are devoted to these early phases of Daoist development. It should satisfy anyone’s need for a historical overview of how Daoism originated and proceeded in future centuries.My favorite sections are later in the book where Reid explores the different ancient scriptures like the Xin Xin Ming, Faith Mind Sutra, or the Neiye, Internal Cultivation. For instance, I appreciated his discussion in the section on the Neiye when he explores the meaning of core Daoist principles, like jing-essence, original essence (yuan jing), and the Three Treasures of Jing, Qi and Shen (224).And of course, I really enjoyed his discussion of the Daoist koan of asking Not Two, which came up in several places in his book. Reid was generous in giving me credit for my own writings on Not Two in my books, A Daoist Practice Journal series 1-3.I mentioned previously that Reid’s book on the Daode jing is a wonderful compliment to this The Thread book, but I should state further that these two books are intimately interconnected. There are many sections in The Thread where Reid frequently brings in content from the Heshang Gong to illustrate a point. For example:Like NY105-114, Heshang Gong explains in DDJ14, that by holding Oneness we are able to become the active, rather than reactive, party in our own lives.“Hold to the ancient Dao and ride it until you possess the present.”Sages hold and embrace the ancient Dao which gave birth to Oneness and allowed them to commandeer things. Understand the present by holding onto Oneness (Reid 2018, 248)