Heshang Gong

Heshang Gong (also Ho-Shang Kung) is the reputed author of one of the earliest commentaries on the Tao Te Ching of Laozi to survive to modern times, which is dated to the latter part of the Han dynasty. While reputedly a reclusive Chinese hermit contemporary to Emperor Wen of Han (203/02 – 6 July 157 BCE), the commentaries attributed to Heshang Gong are in fact safely datable to around 130 CE.

Little is known about the life of Heshang Gong; however the impact of his writing is extensive in regards to the understanding and translation of the Dao De Jing, and is considered one of the earliest proponents of Taoist meditative practices which cultivate the “three treasures” of vitality, energy, and spirit, and the "dual cultivation" of spiritual nature (Chinese: 性; pinyin: xìng) and life-and-destiny (Chinese: 命; pinyin: mìng).

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