Please enjoy a few excerpts from William Martin’s beautiful book “The Sage’s Tao Te Ching – Ancient Advice for the Second Half of Life”. There is more about Bill at the bottom of the post.
Bill Martin
Here is what Amazon.com says about this delightful booklet:”
“The tenth anniversary edition of William Martin’s free-verse interpretation of the Tao Te Ching, written expressly for those coming into the fullness of their wisdom
Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, one of the world’s most widely read books of wisdom, reminds its readers that the sage has been venerated in China for thousands of years. In this free-verse interpretation of the Tao, William Martin subtly and powerfully captures the complex emotions connected with growing older. He encourages today’s sages to recognize their inestimable worth in a youth-centric world that often goes astray: ‘Will I be able to harvest my life in compassion and love for the world? Will I find in my own heart the wisdom for which I long? This question trumps all others for me. I suspect it is the same for you.’ “
William Martin – Biography:
The name given me is William Cecil Martin, Jr. Everyone calls me Bill. I am the spouse of Nancy, the father of Lara and John, and the grandfather of Jillian and Andrew. I live in Chico, California, where I teach, write, and paint. I am the author of several books on Taoist and Zen thought, including: The Parent’s Tao Te Ching, The Couple’s Tao Te Ching, The Sage’s Tao Te Ching, A Path and a Practice, and The Tao of Forgiveness. You can purchase these books through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any local bookstore. You can get my eBooks through Kindle.I have a new traditionally published book coming out in the Spring called “The Activist’s Tao Te Ching – Ancient Wisdom for a Modern Revolution. Custom hand-bound hard back editions of my books will be available at my spouse’s site: http://www.nwbookbinding.com
My professional history is varied. If my father were alive he would still be waiting for me to get a real job. He was delighted when I graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. in Engineering. He never really got over it when I left my job as an Electronic Engineer and embarked on a path that led me to a M.Div. degree from Western Theological Seminary and a brief, uncomfortable, stint as a clergy. From there I spent a few years working in Criminal Justice Reform. Then I entered private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist and spent twelve years as a therapist and also teaching counseling at a Community College in Phoenix, Arizona.
In 1999, Nancy and I sold all of our furniture, packed our remaining possessions in a 5 ft. by 8 ft. U-Haul trailer, and moved to the Oregon coast. We spent a year living in a small apartment overlooking the ocean. Nancy worked at a small Inn in Newport and I wrote a book. We walked, talked, and thought about life. We felt the intensity of natural forces – wind, water, and forest. It was a transformative time. I now live in a small mountain town in Northern California where I write and paint in the Sumi-e tradition. The best place to reach me is through www.taoiststudies.com.
New Earth Heartbeat 