The Tao Te Ching is a timeless guide to living with ease and balance. Scholars believe it was written in the 6th century BC by legendary Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu – thought it might be even older, and it might have been written by many people over time.

Its origins are almost as mysterious as its content. The book is in 81 short verses, which has been described as 81 attempts to say something that can’t be said. Anyhow, the Tao is possibly the hardest book in the world to translate, yet it’s also the most translated, second only to the Bible.

On June 13 we’re holding an online event called Triple Tao to explore its strange and beautiful language. We'll take turns reading selected chapters from three different translations and simply invite you to notice what you notice. There’ll be space to listen, explore, reflect – and, if you feel called – to write.

Neil Baker is co-hosting with two writer friends, Nick Parker and Gavin Birchall (whose wonderful idea it was). He took part in a Tao reading they led recently. It was a fascinating experience. They’ve kindly agreed to run a version for the Dark Angels community.

If you’d like to join, here are the details:

Triple Tao

June 13. 4pm-roughly 5.15pm, UK time

Click here on the day to join on Zoom.

You don’t have to have studied or read the Tao, or have any understanding of 6th century classical Chinese to enjoy this event.

Please bring a translation of the Tao, if you have one. Translations into languages other than English are very welcome. And if you don’t have one, no problem – there will be plenty to share.