The Uncarved Block & Useless Tree: Complete Laozi Zhuangzi in Three Voices

The Uncarved Block & The Useless Tree brings together Laozi and Zhuangzi in one complete volume, uniting The Uncarved Block and The Useless Tree into a single journey through the heart of Daoist thought. Beginning with an original investigation into consciousness, embodiment, and the storytelling mind, the book moves into the Daodejing and then through the Inner, Outer, and Miscellaneous Chapters of the Zhuangzi, each presented in three voices: Plain Reading, Investigation, and Verse.This is not a conventional academic translation, but a vivid and thoughtful encounter with the classical Daoist texts through the lenses of neuroscience, clinical practice, philosophy, and contemplative inquiry. Laozi offers stillness, simplicity, and depth; Zhuangzi answers with paradox, laughter, and radical freedom. Together, they invite the reader beyond concepts and into direct seeing.