Average customer rating:
- Always new
- A fine translation if some fine thinking
- A wonderful companion to A Thousand Names for Joy
- mini tao
- I love audio books!
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Tao Te Ching: A New English Version (Perennial Classics)
Lao Tzu
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
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A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are
ASIN: 0061142662
Release Date: 2006-09-05 |
Book Description
In eighty-one brief chapters, Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, provides advice that imparts balance and perspective, a serene and generous spirit, and teaches us how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao—the basic principle of the universe.
Stephen Mitchell's bestselling version has been widely acclaimed as a gift to contemporary culture.
Download Description
Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, is the classic manual on the art of living, and one of the wonders of the world. In eighty-one brief chapters, the Tao Te Ching looks at the basic predicament of being alive and gives advice that imparts balance and perspective, a serene and generous spirit. This book is about wisdom in action. It teaches how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao (the basic principle of the universe) and applies equally to good government and sexual love; to child rearing, business, and ecology.
Stephen Mitchell's bestselling version has been widely acclaimed as a gift to contemporary culture.
Customer Reviews:
Always new.......2007-09-16
This book can be read over and over. Every time it is a fresh new experience.
A fine translation if some fine thinking.......2007-09-15
A fine translation. For the new entrant, perhaps seeking that second book to follow the Tao of Pooh, or for an old friend of the Master, Stephen Mitchell's contemporary English translation get's it right. From the comfortably blended gender pronoun usage, to it's succinct but engaging notes, Mitchell's translation carries Lao-tzu's wisdom to 21st century English speakers with grace. The pocket edition is entirely sufficient to the task.
A wonderful companion to A Thousand Names for Joy.......2007-09-03
The author is Byron Katie's husband, and she used this version of his book to provide the structure for her wonderful, poetic muse on life and The Work, her brilliant take on how to accept reality and set yourself free (first described in Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life.)
My wife and I read the section from the Tao, then the corresponding chapter from Katie's book (most are less than a page to 3-4 pages) every morning at breakfast. Always leaves us with a smile of insight and wonder, even in those times when we don't exactly know how we'd live the way she describes in a given chapter.
Unless you insist on a literal translation from the Chinese as mentioned above, this is a fresh and clean way to experience the Tao, and, if you get Katie's book (I'm buying both today for my daughter), you'll get a nice synergistic reward from experiencing the two together, day by day.
mini tao.......2007-09-01
A personal library must-have. Small enough to carry everywhere. Simple wisdom. Prerequisite to Wayne Dyer's "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life"
I love audio books!.......2007-05-22
I like to listen in my car and always hear something new. What a beautiful book. thanks!
Product Description
The Tao of Leadership is an invaluable tool for anyone in a position of leadership. This book provides the simplest and clearest advice on how to be the very best kind of leader: be faithful, trust the process, pay attention, and inspire others to become their own leaders. Heider's book is a blend of practical insight and profound wisdom, offering inspiration and advice. This book is used as a Management/Leadership training text by many Fortune 500 corporations, including IBM, Mitsubishi, and Prudential.
Customer Reviews:
The essence of modern leadership knowledge.......2007-04-24
In this great book, you will find the essence of Level 5 leadership ("Good to Great" by Jim Collins), the core principles espoused by Steven Sample in "The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership," and the leader-as-water concept echoed in Peter B. Vaill's "Learning as a Way of Being: Strategies for Survival in a World of Permanent White Water." Indeed, this small text contains a bookshelf-worth of leadership wisdom. I only wish that the book editor and corrector were a bit more diligent and took out the numerous typos, before this book was published.
If Only the Business World Would Read This Book.......2007-04-08
Every person in a leadership role, every boss, every CEO--in fact, everyone needs to read this book. If big companies as well as small would practice the concepts in The Tao of Leadership, this world would be a much, much nicer place to live in. -- Sam Yulish, author of WHERE HAVE ALL THE HIPPIES GONE? and THE HESITANT PSYCHIC.
The Tao of Leadership: Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching Adapted for a New Age.......2006-07-25
Nice little book to keep on hand for those trying times. Has lots of very relevant points - you just have to stop, think and put it in context for you.
It's also a book that allows you to look at the world around you and see the impact others have on their environment (some good & some bad) - again you have to stop, think and observe.
Can't Lead Without It.......2003-12-20
I've used this book for over 10 years as my leadership support tool. As General Manager of a $200MM business, I need perspective and support on a daily basis - and Heider's book provides it. I love that the persective is NOT a management flavor of the week, but a view on leadership that stands the test of time.
I've given this book as a gift to peers, friends, and family for years - just purchased copies last week for my new staff. It provides us with a common framework and a vision of where we're taking our organization.
Thanks, Heider, for great thoughts, great lessons, and great leadership!
Great Source, Bad Translation.......2002-09-10
I have read several translations of the Tao Te Ching and was very disappointed in this read. I feel as if much of the strengths from the original text are lost in this author?s choice of words and examples. This translation loses the beauty and appreciation of nature that the original texts focused on. (He refers to calculators and computers in some instances) I was also bothered by his addition of the Christian understanding of God as a character in his translations. Over all I really recommend finding a better translation than this to read if you are a first timer. (such as translation by Victor H. Mair) It is a bit more of a heavy read but caries over the interesting paradoxes that make the ancient document so intriguing.
Also read ?The wisdom of insecurity? By Allan Watts (a Beatnik) if you like the idea of Taoism
Book Description
William C. Martin has freshly reinterpreted the Tao Te Ching to speak directly and clearly to the most difficult of modern tasks -- parenting. With its combination of free verse and judicious advice, The Parent's Tao Te Ching addresses the great themes that permeate the Tao and that support loving parent- child relationships: responding without judgment, emulating natural processes, and balancing between doing and being.
Customer Reviews:
A gentle reminder of our job as parents.......2007-07-12
I love this book and have started giving it as a gift to new parents. We get so caught up in our modern, busy lives and sometimes our children pay the price for that. This book is filled with wise words and insight that will help a parent, who may be questioning how to raise a child in this challenging world, see clearly and do what is right for their child.
Your child's journey is theirs to experience, whether you like the direction of their journey or not. The Tao will help you put into perspective what really matters in the relationship between parent & child. I keep this book by my bed and read it when I am need of some inspiration (translation - OFTEN!)
a beautiful book.......2007-07-05
I've read a lot of parenting books, and surprisingly enough this simple book has been the most helpful. I'm sending a copy to other mothers I know.
the best gift for new parents........2007-05-15
i can read this book daily and get something new out of it each time. a great gift for any parent.
perfect.......2007-03-13
I attempt to parent listening to my intuition as my primary guide. This is not to say that advice from friends and family and words from books can't be just the thing I need at any given time. Thing is, most of the books I've looked at just don't do it for me. I'm not saying they don't contain gems, even if they're Gina Ford!, but this book...
...is only gems. Every page opens at the perfect words I need...or my Baby father need. It's funny how we open the book ramdomly on such totally different pages.
Note: I'm sure you could read this book in order, but It's not that kind of book really.
p.s. another book I found very helpful as well is 'The Science of Parenting', by Margot Sunderland.
A Mom's Perspective.......2006-08-29
I love this little guide. It's so beautifully written and helps me return to the the really important aspects of parenting: honoring each child's individuality and letting go of control. I read one or two passages each morning to remind me that I have a choice in how I interact with my children. This little guide is a must have if you feel the world is spinning a little too fast.
Customer Reviews:
Wow!.......2007-09-27
I have changed my entire approach to watercolors because I read this book. Yes, I enjoyed painting, yes, I love watercolors, but this book helped me free my vision and use of colors in self expression. I honestly felt that painting started to become a chore because of some unspoken expectation (in myself). I paint more freely and expressively with the help of Jeanne and I actually enjoy it even more. New vision and inspiration...
Contains 30+ pages of interesting combinations of wash techniques..........2007-06-14
...and a handful of very nicely executed paintings. The "tao" part of the book, however, has little to do with watercolor per se, and some of prose is a little fuzzy: "Whichever paper you choose, get to know it well. Allow your paper to speak to you. It will tell you when it's ready to fulfill your desire."
The emphasis is on wet-in-wet techniques, and applied to forested landscapes - in Ms. Cabonetti's talented hands - they often produce stunning results. This approach doesn't work quite as well with most of her other illustrative examples, though. The general wash terms and techniques are better described in other watercolor books, so I would recommend this one mainly for its very innovative and easy to learn approach to forested landscapes.
A Must for Watercolorists!.......2007-03-29
Jeanne Carbonetti has a beautiful refreshing style. She gives us wonderful instructions that are inspiring to all watercolor painters. A truly wonderful book.
Beautiful!.......2007-02-05
A friend of mine who is an artist showed me this book, and I instantly fell in love with the beautiful illustrations in it. I plan to try most of the water color techniques in the book--They look like great fun as well as creating wonderful results. The book arrived in excellent condition.
Fauvist Watercolor Wash.......2006-05-07
If you have read the other reviews, then you realize that this book is about painting watercolor washes. It's a welcome book for those of us who cannot draw well, as the author's technique almost completely eschews drawing. Rarely is even an outline drawing done prior to the painting. Basically, the paper is first covered with a very wet wash of two or three colors suggesting only the most general shape, if any. When that first wash has dried, it is covered with a second wash that vaguely suggests some kind of form... perhaps of flowers in a vase. In order to refine that form into something recognizable, some of the color of the second wash is tinted with additional water, or supplemented by dropping in concentrated pigment, all while the second wash is still damp. There is also the possibility of adding color glazes atop the painting or some portion of the painting after the washes have dried. The author also recommends a separate wash... or even several separate washes... for the purpose of adding both diffuse spatter and opaque, harder-edge spatter. There doesn't seem to be anything uncommon about this wash technique, and I have read it explained more articulately in a book titled "Acrylic Watercolor Painting" by Wendon Blake. So I conclude that The Tao of Watercolor's subtitle "A Revolutionary Approach to the Practice of Painting" is not appropriate. But while Mr. Blake's book is very instructive, the heartbreaker is that only 16 of its 115 images are in color. Ms. Carbonetti's book also presents many images, all of them in intense color, and many of them filling the entire page. There are about a dozen startlingly lovely paintings among them, but it is also clear that Ms. Carbonetti's technique is pretty much restricted to abstract landscapes and the occasional still life with flowers. It is unfortunately evident that portraiture is not particularly well suited to this technique. I don't recommend this book to someone new to watercolor painting, as there is some terminology (such as the phrase "pull out the edges") whose meaning is not self-evident. Although I have yet to read them, there is at least one book on watercolor wash per se, and at least one book on watercolor glazing per se. You might want to look through those before investing your money in this book. That is especially recommended in the event that you are not particularly interested in Eastern philosophy, as the author tries mightily to relate her painting technique to ancient Chinese proverbs. That works for some readers, and not for others.
Average customer rating:
- Find Enlightenment
- The Best translation ever!
- pristine translation
- My first translation of the Tao Te Ching
- clean read
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Tao Te Ching
Lao-Tzu , and
Burton Watson
Manufacturer: Hackett Publishers
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ASIN: 0872202321 |
Amazon.com
With this edition of the Tao Te Ching, an unlikely team of a Japanese art expert and a Greek translator pull off a uniquely powerful version of the text. If one thing marks the language of the original Tao Te Ching, it is linguistic spareness. Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo are the first to succeed in duplicating the language in English, and although their search for just the right word occasionally goes far afield, they are mostly successful. The effect can be quite liberating as the full ambiguity of meaning comes through and you are afforded the freedom to interpret in a variety of ways. The translators also enhance the atmosphere of the book with Addiss's expressive calligraphy and the two lines in the original Chinese that are retained in each chapter. Addiss and Lombardo's rendering of the Tao Te Ching gets you right down into the primary source, and from there you're free to wander where you will.
Customer Reviews:
Find Enlightenment.......2007-09-25
This is a lovely translation of the Tao Te Ching. It maintains the style of the original Chinese instead of trying to force a meaning into verbose English. It also peppers the text with Chinese characters so readers with a background in Asian languages can derive their own meaning from the writing as well.
The Best translation ever!.......2007-08-28
This is the best translation of the ancient Book, because it respect the original lay out and meaning, when you'll read it you'll find that Li Earl (Lao Tse) was talking about meditative states of mind, that unless you enter on them you will never understand the true meaning of his words. So buy this book, and do Zazen or Taichi and then read it again.
pristine translation.......2007-05-21
I was very impressed with this version of the Tao Te Ching...it avoided modern-day vernacular and felt much closer to the original text. Furthermore, the translator's addition of lines of the text in Chinese (as well as the glossary of Chinese characters in the back) helps readers see how the translator came up with the right words for the book. 5 stars
My first translation of the Tao Te Ching.......2006-11-05
As stated above this is my first reading of the Tao Te Ching and by no means a expert on whether or not it is a accurate translation or not. But what I can say is that this is a easy-to-read text that flows with poetic beauty and ancient wisdom. The art on the pages only adds to the great atmosphere this text brings when reading it. If this is your first reading of the Tao Te Ching, I think you can have no worries in buying this version, the way the words move in this scripture gives me a idea that the translators knew what they were doing when translating this text. Recommended.
clean read.......2006-07-13
Addiss & Lombardo do a fantastic job with this text. They start with four goals, explained in detail, and do their best to work from there to create one of the most enjoyable Tao Te Ching reads there is. Here's a very brief list of the goals;
1. "First, we wanted to translate rather than explain the text"
2. "Second, we found that earlier translations, because they often paraphrased the text, tend to be verbose, extending the concise text into much longe sentance patterns"
3. "Third, we have completely avoided gender specific pronouns"
4. Fourth, they have one carefully selected line of transliteration to each section to allow the user to interpret the meaning on their own.
The goals themselves are basic, but it shows what spirit went into the translation. By being concise and direct, book holds much of the mystery and nearly poetic form I can only assume the original texts held. Its just a delight to read. The intro in the beginning is also fantastic, as are the minimalist graphics and format. Maybe not for the scholars, but for anyone who wants to enjoy the Tao Te Ching, you cant go wrong with Addriss & Lombardo.
Book Description
The teachings of Lao Tzu present the core of Taoist philosophy and provide practical guidelines for a natural, harmonious life. Hua-Ching Ni's translation and elucidation help make this cherished work spiritually relevant to modern readers who are seeking to apply its truth in their daily lives.
Customer Reviews:
Deep Meaning.......2007-09-09
The wisdom of Lao Tzu is wonderfully expressed in this book. It's a "keeper" and I share it with interested friends. Unfortuately I have to buy more because they also keep the book often with thanks.
#54.......2007-08-31
THe book is not open or closed. It flows knowledge when it is visible to the reader or not.
I cherish this book.......2005-11-05
I do not have an elaborate in-depth comparison of this work to other Tao Teh Ching translations. I merely have my own perspective with this one.
When I purchased the book, I read several other translations at the book store and chose this version simply because it was easier to understand and thus more useful to me.
I've owned my copy of the book for about 5 years. I read the TTC in its entirety right away when I purchased it. Over the years, through my journey of life, I have returned to the book particularly during transitions or times of distress. Regardless of the situation, each time I drew new and insightful meaning from its passages
I purchased the book with the intent of it being a guide and I feel that it has been just that.
No other book has ever been so valuable to me.
ok conditions.......2005-09-14
the book was in ok conditions, i have bought used books in better conditions, but i can't really complaint because is good enough to read it just fine.
It takes time.......2005-04-10
The Hua Hu Ching portion of the book is self explanatory. The Tao Teh Ching can be read and applied at any level. If you are truly looking for some assistance then I recommend 8000 Years of Wisdom, books 1 and 2, by Master Ni. Each chapter of the Tao Teh Ching is read and then expanded upon by Master Ni, with questions from students. Some people will like this and some will not. What is important, is to find what works for YOU and aligns with YOU.
Amazon.com
The Tao of Motherhood is ideal for mothers who long to blend their spirituality into parenting. This collection of brief essays draws upon the ancient teachings of Lao Tzu, reminding mothers of the fundamental truths that prevail when every other piece of parenting advice fails. Because the passages are brief, the book is accessible at any harried moment. It is also applicable to every stage of motherhood--from tending to infants to the mothering of adult children; for example, in the passage on "Paradox," author Vimala McClure writes, "There is nothing more receptive and flowing than water, yet there is nothing better for polishing the stone. A mother's nature is paradox. Your strength is in your gentleness. Your authority is in receptivity. Your power is in letting go."
Customer Reviews:
a reader.......2005-06-07
I received this wonderful book at my baby shower. My son is 3 and a half now and I credit the passages in the book with totally helping me be a much better parent than I ever could have been without it. I highly recommend anyone who might need some uninvasive advice and direction in the parenting department to get this book. It has been on my bedside table for years and whenever I need to I pick it up, read a page and feel much better.
not the tao te ching.......2002-09-13
This may be a fine book for parenting/motherhood, but it is not Lao Tzu's tao te ching. His classic text has broad applications to many areas of life, but the stretch to motherhood is too great.
Vimala reminds us of the spirituality in parenting.......2000-12-22
This beautifully written book has been a comfort to me during the trying times of parenting a young child. Her words are gentle and touch the inner core of who I am trying to be as a good parent. I have found strength when I was at my lowest and yet she reminds me that we are in this world but not of this world. With her guidance I have been able to put aside the demands and comparisons society places on me as a parent and to focus on what truly matters. I have given this book to my friends and I plan on passing it on to others that are looking for a spiritual connection to their children.
Easy read w/ usable solutions to the hard job of parenting!.......1999-11-17
This book was given to me after the birth of my 3rd child over seven years ago. Amazing how much I had to learn about being a parent, and what a patient teacher Vimala can be. Without guilt she enables you to make changes in the type of parenting you've learned and supports you in teaching yourself to parent if you feel unprepared. Written for easy access, as a soon to be mother of five, I always have a moment(that's all it really takes) to reread a passage and regroup my parenting skills.
A beautiful inspiration for today's busy mothers........1998-12-24
I carried this book in my store "Vortex", in the East Village of NYC in the late 80's. It had a big impact on me as I explored spiritual aspects of birth and parenting. Many books have come in and out of my life since then, but I always remembered the gentle words of quiet wisdom Vimala had to share. I recently had the good fortune of meeting Vimala in person, and immediately remembered this beautiful book. I have 2 copies now: one from my old store that I loan out, and a new copy that my mother gave me a few months before I met Vimala. I loan the first copy out to mothers who are caught up in the frenetic pace of today's busy, stressed - out world. It is a quiet place to retreat to. Thank you Vimala! -Luana
Customer Reviews:
Lao She must be rolling over in his grave! The exploiting class is back with a vengeance.......2007-05-02
(This book is also known as Camel Xiangzi and Rickshaw Boy, and has had different translators. I read the version translated by Shi Xiaoqing and illustrated by Gu Bingxin that I bought in China. ISBN 7-119-00512)
This is the great classic novel of exploitation in Old China, before the 1949 Revolution. It's also anti-individualist. It's the early 1930s and Xiangzi arrives alone in Beiping (Beijing) with dreams of making a living as a rickshaw puller. He is a loner who constantly struggles against forces beyond his control. On more than one occasion his rickshaw is destroyed and each time he tries to bounce back. Class struggle is woven throughout the tapestry of this story.
I read this after Nawal El Saadawi's Woman at Point Zero. So what really caught my attention was the character, Joy, who enters in the last third of Camel Xiangzi. I decided to use both of these novels in my thesis on women forced into prostitution. Joy is sold to an army officer by her lazy greedy father. Joy learns that temporary "marriages" are the MO of her officer "husband." Each time he is transferred he just buys a new wife, because it's cheaper than hiring housekeepers and prostitutes, and he leaves them with the bills.
When Joy returns home she's damaged goods and her father forces her to prostitute in order to support his drinking habit and her two younger brothers. Her life becomes hell on earth. I don't really want to spoil the ending. Let me just say that Chinese novels rarely have happy endings.
In his 1954 afterword Lao She reflects back on how much China has evolved since those dark days and how "Today, nineteen years later, the working people have become masters of their own destiny." Tragically more than half a century later, while China has the fastest growing economy in the world, many of its citizens, especially girls, are much worse off. The great exploitation novel of 21st century China would be called SWEATSHOP GIRL or HOSTAGE HOOKER. The protagonist would be a teenage girl from one of the inner provinces like Sichuan or Hunan. She would be forced to leave school and migrate to a city like Guangzhou. She would lie about her age to obtain a job in a sweatshop working around the clock, for pennies an hour, to support herself and send money home. Another worse, but unfortunately very common scenario (in Russia as well), she would be abducted walking home from school by a pimp from organized crime. When her parents try to find her the police sit back and do nothing because they are working with organized crime. A search engine turned up numerous articles about this. China is also the only country where more females than males commit suicide. Its one-child policy has led to a birth ratio of 119 males to 100 females. Rather than leading to a greater appreciation of women, who "hold up half of the sky," it has fueled a higher demand for trafficking in women.
I am reading Will the Boat Sink the Water: The Life of China's Peasants by Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao. It was written in the last few year by a husband and wife who are journalists from Anhui Province. The suffering of China's billion peasants seems even worse than in Lao She's day. I also recommend The Garlic Ballads, a novel by Mo Yan.
Lao She's attack on individualism.......2005-11-30
Rickshaw: The Novel Lo-t'o Hsiang Tzu, a 1936 novel penned by Chinese author Lao She, depicts the struggle of the unskilled, lower class worker in early 20th century China with painstaking accuracy. The story is a commentary on the corruption of Chinese society and its impact on the people, but it develops to reveal an additional message: Individualism and selfish ambition lead to downfall, failure, and misery. Hsiang Tzu is the victim of his times and circumstances, but not completely; he is also his own worst enemy. What begins as a sympathetic tale of the rickshaw puller's plight gradually turns into a moralist's warning of the catastrophe spawned by individualism and the danger of a society which promotes it.
The old rickshaw man, Hsiao Ma's grandfather, sums up Lao She's point the most succinctly: "any poor guy who thinks he can succeed by himself will find it harder than going to heaven. How far can one man hop? [A grasshopper] can go a long way in one hop by itself. Let a small boy grab it and tie a thread around it and it can't go anywhere. But if it joins up with a whole lot of other grasshoppers in a horde and they all move together, whew!"
According to Lao She, in a society that promotes and necessitates individualism, people will never be able to truly succeed. When people serve only themselves, corruption and deceit flourish, which in turn promotes individualism, which then begins the cycle anew.
Rickshaw is a condemnation of Lao She's corrupt China and the selfish people that it produced. However, it also serves as a vivid and historically accurate account of the hardships faced by the lowly rickshaw puller. This book will not tell you, it will SHOW you how an honest and upright man can be beaten down into the most degenerate of scumbags.
Highly recommended.
The nobility of losers.......2005-03-26
I had read, before starting this novel, that Lao She was influenced by Dickens. Perhaps he was, but this novel is not as much reminiscent of Dickens as of Zola at his bleakest, or of Frank Norris' McTeague.
Just like McTeague (Norris' San Francisco unlicensed dentist), Hsiang Tzu is an inarticulate man.
The greatness of Lao She or Frank Norris' writing is that they allow us to get inside men who are so out of touch with their own feelings. Not mockingly or judging them in any way. Just deeeeeply.
It is difficult to be a man. One would almost think it has become more so, as men now are expected to be strong but caring too. But exceptional novels like Rickshaw or McTeague show that even in previous societies, with different challenges, men were already ravaged by inner contradictions.
Of course, the description of early 20th century Peking is fascinating, as are the omens of revolution.
But what made the book a special experience for me is the psychological accuracy.
common people's struggle.......2003-11-20
This book absolutely deserves it's honor to be a Chinese classic. Yes, this book is a required text by many asian study courses, but there is a significant, and a great reason for it. Lectures only talk about the lives of the emperors and the lord of the dynasties. They lived wealthy lives, but what about the common people? even though lectures normally don't discuss the lives of the working people, that doesn't mean they aren't important.
Rickshaw brings the hardships of the labors to life through a somewhat humorous and satire tone. It's is worth reading, both for a class or not. The main character Hsiang Tzu will take your emotion on to a roller coaster ride!
Worst book ever!.......2002-11-21
Don't ever read this book or take Chinese History where you will be forced to read this book. I can't tell Hsiang Tzu from Sang Wu.
Amazon.com
Red Pine (a.k.a. Bill Porter) offers a new perspective on the Chinese classic Taoteching. A competent translator and interpreter of Chinese religion, he renders his work with an eye for detail and a spiritualism cultivated during years of Zen monastery living. It's odd that many read translations of Chinese classics as bare-bones texts, whereas no Chinese would tackle such obscurity in the absence of a helping hand from previous pundits. Fortunately, it is no longer necessary to rely on mystical insight in order to understand the Taoteching. Instead, we can look to the 12 or so commentators that Red Pine resurrects from Chinese history. With its clarity and scholarly range, this version of the Taoteching works as both a readable text and a valuable resource of Taoist interpretation.
Book Description
Red Pine's translation of the most revered of Chinese texts corrects errors in previous interpretations, truly breathes new poetic life into the English version, and includes selected commentaries-judged by Chinese scholars to be essential to understanding the wisdom of Taoism. Pine incorporates the commentaries of emperors and prime ministers, Taoist monks and nuns, Buddhist priests, poets, scholars, and the country's most famous philosophers of the past 2,000 years. This marks the first time that non-Chinese speakers have been given access to such a range of wisdom explaining the deeper meaning of China's famous ancient classic. With its clarity and scholarly range, this version of the Taoteching works both as a readable text and a valuable resource of Taoist interpretation.
Lao-tzu, founder of Taoism, is supposed to have written the Taoteching around 600 BC in the Chungnan Mountain region, where
Red Pine (Bill Porter) interviewed contemporary hermits as described in his book Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits. Bill Porter is also the translator of The Zen Works of Stonehouse, of Sung Po-jen's Guide to Capturing a Plum Blossom, and of The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain.
Customer Reviews:
It makes you think!.......2007-09-20
I liked this book. the commentaries are interesting and provide insight into the Tao. I would have liked more commentaries on how to apply them to daily life, but overall it's a good book. I would recommend it.
'untying our tangles. . . softening our light . . .'.......2006-05-08
The only language in which the Taoteching could have been written is Classical Chinese, a medium seemingly open enough to accomodate any translation without losing anything at all. But we should keep in mind, as the good book here says, ". . . the Tao in words is not the real Tao . . ." We could say that Classical Chinese could not really, in our day and age, be served up in literal translation, and we can be grateful to Red Pine, once again, that in this fabulous rendering, he does not begin with the words, but rather with the Tao.
Paul Reps once told me that we humans "are on the outside looking in". Like the space between the kanji strokes, as with the Chinese, thus with the Tao, and even the Truth. (Chapter 11: "Thirty spokes converge on a hub, but it's the emptiness that makes a wheel work . . ."
This translation does work. As in his other impressive translations (I especially love his moving early 1990's translation of Bodhidharma - recommended to all who wish to learn more of Ch'an or Zen) there breathes an immediacy which flows forth into the consciousness of our moment, resonant in these teachings. Relatively obscure in the West not half a century ago, they thus have been recognized for their pith, their eternal relevance, their vision.
Each Chapter in this well-bound, well-designed volume is accompanied by a series of commentaries or alternative translations from various sages in the Taoist tradition, a process which itself, once again, reveals the Tao, ever changing, always unchanged.
Chapter 19: "Get rid of wisdom and reason
and people will live a hundred times better
get rid of kindness and justice
and people once more will love and obey
get rid of cleverness and profit
and thieves will cease to exist
but these sayings are not enough
hence let this be added
wear the undyed and hold the uncarved
reduce self-interest and limit desires
get rid of learning and problems will vanish"
I've been reading this book since the early 1960's in various English renditions - this one is far and away my current favorite - a real delight!
Finally! A Tao Te Ching with the appropriate commentaries.......2005-07-25
In Asia, sacred texts like the Tao Te Ching are read with reference to the commentaries of its key historical luminaries. Only in the west is it read by itself, with no guidance. Finally, we have a TTC with key commentaries. Plus, the author has here given a translation that may come as close as possible to expressing the Chinese in English. It is concise, even pithy.
A number of other features make this volume unique and particularly valuable. Pine's extensive introduction covers an intriguing linguistic insight into the Chinese written character for Tao, Lao Tzu's historical background, the usual issues of authorship, etc., and some of the deeper understandings of the important themes of philosophical Taoism. Also, he has provided black and white photos of the famed Hanku Pass and the Loukuantai where tradition holds that Lao-tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching. The Chinese text is provided along side Pine's clear and unadorned translation. He utilizes the earlier but more recently discovered Mawangtui texts, and explains his preferences in choosing among textual variants. But most important for me, and for any student of the Tao Te Ching are his carefully selected commentaries which follow each verse. These show how the Chinese have traditionally understood the passages of the TTC in selected commentaries from the last 2000 years. Also, the book provides an extensive glossary of the Chinese terms and the commentators. Highly recommended!
Indispensible.......2004-08-21
For those interested in the Tao Te Ching, the red pine translation is indispensible. Though there's little way to check the historical or translational accuracy in the provided sources to each stanza, they remain an invaluble insight to the meaning of each, significantly helping to aid your understanding, and come to a conclusion on your own.
I recommend this book to anyone I feel may benefit from it's wisdom, and plan whole heartedly on sending a copy of it as a gift to every elected president of the united states that comes along, as the book was originally intended as a commentary itself towards the ruling class.
This is it !.......2004-01-30
This is the most helpful book on Taoism I have ever read. After years of reading different translations, overtly loose or too stiff interpretations, and inaccurate relativistic teachings by some Taoist "experts", I have never found a better translation and study book on the Tao concept. The commentaries are very insightful and very useful with several comments on each chapter to look through and compare. The whole book is very practical and nice to read. I'm fairly skeptical at heart (indeed, a skeptic), but there is plenty of wisdom here that is just plain obvious and helpful. If I could only choose one book on Taoism to have, THIS WOULD BE IT. I even bought a spare. I think that much of it.
Average customer rating:
- colkenzie
- Accurate and Elegant
- Many translations - this one is the best
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Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu , and
David Hinton
Manufacturer: Counterpoint
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ASIN: 1582431825
Release Date: 2002-01-02 |
Book Description
Having masterfully translated a wide range of ancient Chinese poets and philosophers, David Hinton is uniquely qualified to offer the definitive contemporary English version of the Tao Te Ching, rendering it with both philosophical rigor and poetic elegance.
Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching is not only the single most important text in Chinese spirituality, it is probably the most influential spiritual text in human history. Like all of his translations, Hinton's translation of the Tao Te Ching is mind-opening. It adds startling new dimensions to this text, revealing it as the originary text of deep environmental and feminist thought.
In the past, virtually all translations of this text have been produced either by sinologists having little poetic facility in English, or writers having no ability to read the original Chinese. Hinton's fluency in ancient Chinese and his acclaimed poetic ability combine both of these essential qualifications. Together, they allow a breathtaking new translation that reveals how remarkably current and even innovative this text is after 2500 years.
Customer Reviews:
colkenzie.......2007-05-22
I recently purchased this book on line and was very happy with the service from Amazon and unhappy with the book. I find it very boring and difficult to understand as a Westerner "who wanna be" an Easterner. Surely there must be a more Western friendly interpretation of the Tao Te Ching.
Accurate and Elegant.......2006-03-28
David Hinton is one of the very few translators who understands the subtlety of ancient Chinese and translates it well. The first sentence of the first paragraph of Tao Te Ching is usually translated as something like "[t]he Way that can be told is not the permanant Way". Such popular translation is often controversial because the Chinese word "way" was not used to mean "be told" until about 1000 years after Tao Te Ching was written. Hinton translated the same sentence as "[a] Way become Way isn't the perennial Way". How elegant! And what an accurate articulation of its philosophical meaning.
A couple sentences down in the same paragraph, Hinton wrote, "... in perennial being you see appearance". Again, the word that he translated as "apperance" is very tricky in Chinese. It originally means "covering by coiling" (or "winding around to block a view") and has mutated throughout history to refer to fences, alleys, and many other things that would totally obscure the meaning of the text. Most popular translations use the word "manifestation" in this context. This is not necessarily a bad choice because religion is, after all, subject to interpretations. But personally I think the emphasis here should not be on the indication of an existence, but should rather be on the ideal of seeing through the appearance of phenomena in order to attain an understanding that transcends experiences. I think Hinton chose a more appropriate word here.
Yet a few more sentences down, he coined a new word for one of the most fundamental concepts in Taoism `yuan'. Yuan originally means black color with an yellowish undertone. Its also means "dark" and "mysterious" as in the sensation one gets while staring at an abyss. To describe such religious experience in Taoism, any translation of yuan needs to convey both meanings. Hinton calls it "dark-enigma" and not just "mystery" as in most popular translations. And I think he is both etymologically and philosophically right on the mark.
There are many other things that he did right. I have never read a translation that is so faithful to the original yet so wonderfully articulated. Highly recommended to casual readers as well as serious scholars.
Many translations - this one is the best.......2003-05-26
The Tao Te Ching is, quite obviously, a work that poses great challenges to translators. Apparently it takes much more than just a through knowledge of the language, but also many years of involvement with spiritual practices that are organized around the principles of the tao. I have read all of the "important" translations of this work and know something of the philosophy of the tao, and say, without reservation that Hinton's translation is the most sublime, the most poetic, and the most profound. Compare them yourself. See what you think and feel.
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