Deangelis, Gary D., & Warren G. Frisina, Eds. Teaching the Daode Jing.

Giordano, Peter J.

Deangelis, Gary D., & Warren G. Frisina, Eds. Teaching the Daode Jing. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 206 pages; ISBN 9780-0-19-533270-4 (cloth).

At the end of the novella A River Runs Through It, author Norman Maclean observes, "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters" (161).

I kept thinking of this enigmatic passage as I read Teaching the Daode Jing. Clearly many lay people and scholars are haunted by the ideas in the Daode Jing. This is, of course, why this ancient text is still taught today and why the book I am reviewing will be useful to many. This edited volume is perfect for the novice Daode Jing teacher. I should know because I am one. But given the group of experts assembled as contributors to this book, I know it will be valuable to more advanced readers and teachers of the Daode Jing as well. It is clear this manuscript was written by and for teachers.

Before I discuss the specific contributions of this volume, let me describe how I approached my reading of it. I am a psychologist by training, with a superficial but developing understanding of Chinese cultural, religious, and philosophical history. I spent three weeks during the summer of 2008 at the East-West Center in Honolulu as a member of the Asian Studies Development Program cohort. For three weeks I absorbed all I could, with an eye, ear, and heart toward infusing Asian Studies into some of my courses upon my return to my university. Thus, when I was asked to review this book, the first thing I did was read the Daode Jing (for the first time). Then I read this volume. I mention my academic background because obviously it affects how I approach both the Daode Jing itself, as well as the book that is the subject of this review.

Teaching the Daode Jing, a 206 page book including the index, is divided into two parts. Part I, Approaching the Daode Jing, consists of six chapters, which present different avenues for teaching the Daode Jing in your classes. Part II, Recent Scholarship and Teaching the Daode Jing, consists of four chapters. These chapters, although they discuss how the Daode Jing can be taught, deal primarily with issues that are at the forefront of contemporary scholarly discussion. Whether you are a novice or more experienced teacher of the Daode Jing, you will find something of relevance in this fine book. The Introduction and Preface give a nice overview of the issues and contents of the chapters, and they are worth reading at the outset.

After reading these two introductory pieces, I recommend starting the book with Part II's first chapter: Norman J. Girardot's My Way: Teaching the Daode Jing and Daoism at the End of the Millenium (105-129). Start here because this chapter is an entertaining and invigorating read. But there is more here than mere entertainment. The chapter offers an autobiographical overview of Girardot's experience in teaching the Daode Jing beginning in the 1970's until now and discusses how his teaching of the Daode Jing has changed with time and a deepening understanding. The chapter also describes how Daoist scholarship has evolved during this span of time and offers a lively critique of what Girardot calls pop-Daoism or Dao-lite. The chapter is important in part because it helps us understand the mindset our students may have when they first encounter the Daode Jing in our courses.

After Girardot's chapter, I suggest reading the entire book from cover to cover, especially for the teacher who has never taught the Daode Jing. Even for a more advanced teacher of this material, however, I recommend this approach. One strength of this book is the diversity of the chapter authors' viewpoints. Sometimes, in fact, the perspectives are in direct opposition, something the editors wisely do not attempt to resolve. For example, the chapter authors differ in their beliefs about whether the Daode Jing is primarily a religious or philosophical text, the degree to which teachers of the Daode Jing should emphasize the cultural and historical context of the work (all agree some emphasis on this topic is important) versus a contemporary understanding, whether the Daode Jing should be read as a mystical text or not, the degree to which one should incorporate more popular renditions of Daoist ideas such as Benjamin Hoff's The Tao of Pooh, what translations are best to use for teaching purposes, and so on. By reading the entire book, the reader is exposed to the debates that energize scholarly work on and teaching interest in the Daode Jing. If you sample only a chapter here or there, you will miss this rich panoply of scholarship.

Beyond the scholarly issues brought out in the book, the chapter authors also offer an assortment of practical suggestions for teaching the Daode Jing. Good teachers continuously share ideas so that other good teachers may steal them and use them in the classroom. This book provides many opportunities for pedagogical theft. For example, Eva Wong's Part I chapter The Daode Jing in Practice (75-89) encourages the reader to emphasize the practice of Daoism as a way to teach the meanings of the text. In another chapter by Judith Berling, Geoffrey Foy, and John Thompson (Imagine Teaching the Daode Jing!, 91-102), the authors present a step-by-step description of scaffolded thinking and writing assignments designed to teach the Daode Jing. The account is lucid, and teachers could replicate and modify these ideas to suit their pedagogical needs. These are just two examples among many in the book.

I hope it is clear that I heartily recommend this book for those interested in teaching the Daode Jing, whether neophyte or veteran. After reading both the Daode Jing and this edited volume, I believe the Daode Jing has important things to say about the psychology of human personality. Given my training as a psychologist, I will teach the Daode Jing with issues of personality development and dynamics in mind. The varied perspectives offered in this book suggest I can take this route. I must say as well that I approach this teaching task with a great deal of apprehension, knowing that I have so much to learn about the historical context of the Daode Jing and how to teach it. I am haunted by the homework I have yet to do.

Reference

Maclean, Norman. 1976. A River Runs Through It. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Peter J. Giordano

Belmont University