For primary texts, in addition to the Tao Te Ching (I liked Mitchell's translation for getting started, and Henricks' various translations for deeper study), you'll want a copy of the Zhuangzi/Chuang Tsu (I liked Burton Watson's translation). I also found value in the Huainanzi, but that's getting into the weeds a bit. The I Ching is, I'm told, essential—but, embarrassingly, I haven't studied it yet.
To help contextualize those, Alan Watts' Tao: The Watercourse Way and Okakura's The Book of Tea are the best Western introductions to Taoist philosophy and aesthetics I've seen (though both are strongly influenced by Zen). If you're interested in contemporary practice, you should read Schipper and Duval's The Taoist Body.
I strongly recommend avoiding popular works like Hoff's The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet.
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For primary texts, in addition to the Tao Te Ching (I liked Mitchell's translation for getting started, and Henricks' various translations for deeper study), you'll want a copy of the Zhuangzi/Chuang Tsu (I liked Burton Watson's translation). I also found value in the Huainanzi, but that's getting into the weeds a bit. The I Ching is, I'm told, essential—but, embarrassingly, I haven't studied it yet.
To help contextualize those, Alan Watts' Tao: The Watercourse Way and Okakura's The Book of Tea are the best Western introductions to Taoist philosophy and aesthetics I've seen (though both are strongly influenced by Zen). If you're interested in contemporary practice, you should read Schipper and Duval's The Taoist Body.
I strongly recommend avoiding popular works like Hoff's The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet.