Getting Started with Learning Dao
Some people ask, if you want to learn Dao, how should you go about it? Here is a brief discussion.
The essence of Dao studies must begin with reading the Daodejing and the Yinfu Jing. These two works basically represent the comprehensive summary of Daoist thought. Ancient Daoist texts highly praise them: "The precious characters of the Yinfu exceed three hundred, while the spiritual text of the Daodejing is only five thousand. The infinite number of immortal sages of past and present all attain the true meaning from this point." Therefore, these two must be read first. Do not expect to understand them completely at the beginning; if you could truly understand them fully, you would have already attained the Dao and become an immortal. You must first memorize them thoroughly, then find evidence for them in daily life. Furthermore, everything in all the scriptures and classics introduced later are intended to help you comprehend these two texts.
After laying the foundation with the Daodejing and Yinfu Jing, you should begin reading the Taishang Qingjing Jing (Supreme Pure Quiescence Scripture). The thoughts in this scripture are subtle and profound. Read it frequently and reflect deeply. Try using the content of the Qingjing Jing to interpret the Daodejing and Yinfu Jing. You will discover many contradictions and areas of confusion.
If such situations arise, it means you are on the right track; you have identified where the problems lie. Here, you must deeply understand that "having and non-being emerge from the same source but have different names." It is not just about having and non-being; all opposing yin-yang phenomena are essentially like this. You must resolve this step in your mind and clarify what unifies these contradictions. Only then does reading other classics have meaning. If this step is not clear, reading other texts will lead you further astray, deviating from the original intent of the ancients.
Guided by the thoughts of the above three scriptures, you will basically no longer see things from only one perspective, but from multiple perspectives. Under this condition, you can then look at other classics.