Tao Te Ching: Text Only Edition

In 80 short pages, this book carries some serious weight; keep it close... I agree with another reader -- you can read the entirety in an afternoon, or you can read a line every day and carry those words with you always. Naturally, to read a little and absorb would be the way to go. I found myself reading perhaps 2 chapters a night and then writing my notes all over the pages (NOTE: this edition provides ample space for your thoughts to pour out). It is from my notes, that I will provide a short review. Naturally for us laymen, it is difficult to understand everything. However, I think this is a good translation and very approachable for anyone. You must allow some time to think and ponder. HINT: I personally found that while reading each chapter, I went back and reread the lines to apprehend the best meaning possible. The Tao Te Ching is one of the priceless masterpieces that can make the world a much better place to live in; the problem is no one cares to read and apply. ----------------------------------------- "Under Heaven everyone knows this, Yet no one puts it into practice" ----------------------------------------- The Tao Te Ching is not an easy task. It is not just a book you read at face value, but rather you read it, ponder, absorb and then, to the best of your ability - APPLY. Here are a few precious gems I will take with me... 1. Let nature takes its course. Sometimes the right move is to do nothing, but do you have the patience, faith and will to allow that to happen? Can you simply do nothing? To lead others, but not dominate. You must allow others to make their own decisions. You can guide and share your knowledge, but they need to travel their own path. Such is nature... 2. It is okay to be considered different or less important than others. Misfortune is a part of being human; it is simply a part of life. More importantly, it is how we deal with that misfortune that shapes our lives. Misfortune sometimes carves out who we are - use it wisely. 3. Temptation - there is much of it in the world. Too much of anything is not good, so everything in moderation. There are many things that are pleasing to the eye; however it takes an extraordinary man to look the other way. This is a man, different than the rest, in that he chooses the path less traveled in the hopes of finding the `true riches' life has to offer. 4. To master others, requires force in some way, but to master yourself requires strength. You must realize your own faults and discover ways to correct them. Look at yourself as a project, as a goal to achieve. Constantly search for ways to self-improve. 5. Humbleness - to fulfill your purpose and make no claim. To be humble in all that you do. Do not look for acknowledgement. Rather seek happiness in the fact that you are useful. Do not make a spectacle or boast, brag etc. Only then do you come to realize that you are reaching greatness with regard to what is truly important - inner peace. I hope you appreciate this small selective breakdown. I wish I could have written more, but it would have been too long! These are just a few words of wisdom that I was more than happy to share; to see the rest, you'll have to buy the book!

I've bought a few translations (the Miller and the LeGuin, etc) and this one is my favorite. I'm reading this and the LeGuin concurrently, and honestly they're both terrific, and the translations do bring out various micro-meanings. You can't go wrong with either. LeGuin says that she wanted to bring the poetry back to the text, and she certainly did, but there is tons of poetry in these pages as well.

The presentation here is beautiful and very in keeping with the ethos of the text. It is supportive of clear, calm reflection. The artwork on the pages is conducive all around; the images aren't "subject heavy" enough to pull your thoughts away from what you're reading or busy enough to constantly engage you or fill you with subconscious preconceptions as you read, but they are, in fact, beautiful. The translation itself is somewhat obscure at times, less accessible and direct than some of the others, but at the same time, the openness and ambiguity is the point in many cases. After owning several translations for years—I don't know all the players by name, I'm no expert, I just own several—I like this one the best because it seems less pat. I don't read or write Chinese, but I appreciate the way that there are shades and variations and multiples of rather profound meanings and analogies in this translation, while in some other translation, a given line or chapter/section will point very clearly to one concrete meaning or another, with little room left for ambiguity or other allusions. Based on what I do know about Chinese and its structure, the experience of reading this translation is likely closer to the experience of reading the originals. All in all, a lovely edition of one of humanity's treasures. I've given it away on multiple occasions to people that I thought were in need of the Tao Te Ching for a moment in their lives, and all have appreciated it and commented later on about how it was a pleasure to encounter this book and its simple, unforceful, peaceful, and austere wisdom at that particular time in their life. Probably one of the best gift books ever, not to mention one of the best to keep on your own coffee table and read often.

(4.25 Stars) Here are 2 statements that sum up the difficulty in writing a review of the Tao Te Ching: The Tao is forever undefined - The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao - This book is 81 chapters of Lao Tsu's teachings. It's an easy read. I read it in about an hour and I'm one of the slowest readers to ever read. Lao Tsu's teachings are simple and complex - like the back of the jacket says - "...accept what is in front of you without wanting the situation to be other than it is. Study the natural order of things and work with it rather than against it..." - simple and complex. This specific edition being the 25th anniversary edition has very pretty and captivating black and white photos that accompany each of the 81 chapters. It's a good book - give Lao Tsu an hour of your time. Have a cup of tea with him.

Of all the versions of the Tao Te Ching I have read, this is by far the most transparent of what I've read. it's not "interpreted" for you or analyzed to death. It's CLEAR AND CONCISE, left with all the interpretations that the originator had intended. The photography and Chinese calligraphy overlaid by Jane English, Gia-Fu Feng's wife, is absolutely beautiful, and puts the proper perspective and attitude on the text. It is a work of art and love. I have read my copy SO many times, it is holding up, but very tattered around the edges, and I love it just the same. It is sacred text for the bringing out and lifting up of yourself in your life. When you read it the first time, a light goes on. And each and every time you re-read it, that light goes on again, and again. To say it is an enlightening book is an vast understatement. It creates a change in your life, and it is very good. I love God, I try to talk to Him as often as I 'have the kahoonas' for, and I think He must have had a hand in this for sure; because all good things come from the Lord. In any case, it has made a difference in my life by finding this book, and every time I read it, it gives me more. My life is not the same from experiencing this book. I will not be without a copy. Awaken!

It’s so hard to find the RIGHT translation of the famous Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu. Very few versions are a clear and precise as this one. Honestly you would either have to be a scholar of Ancient Chinese to know how to read the original text, or you need to read more than one translation. However, if you want to start with a good English version that gives you one useful way is to state the incomprehensible paradoxes of life this book contains, this is the one to buy. Bottomline: Tao Te Ching is a work of deliberate futility. It outlines the indescribable truth of the world. It shows the oneness of all things that appear to be at odds with each other. Only a fine translator make such concepts as real and meaningful as the original author. This is the handsome paperback version I would start with, but don’t be afraid to consult alternative translations. There is great truth to be understood in these pages, and yet, this only one aspect of the complete realty of the world we live in, that is just as complex as it is simple. Only reading this text can allow you to see how something can simultaneously be itself and it’s seeming opposite at once. We live in a universe that contains multitudes.

I have only just finished the Introduction to this translation of the Tao Te Ching and already I can tell it will become as a close friend to me. Jacob Needleman's introduction is poignant and clear. The chosen excerpts from the book proper are perfect examples for the exposition and summary he presents to prepare the mind for what is to be found in the TTC. Not only that, but the forward by Toinette Lippe sets the stage, clearly demonstrating "...how the Tao had been at work in the very publication of the book." I got the smaller version without Jane English's photographs, but I think I may just have to get another copy WITH the photographs. I am intrigued by the way they are described as "... photographs that teetered on the boundary between being and non-being... a way to go beyond the too static "thingness" of ordinary consciousness, a doorway to a vastness that seemed my native land." I know that I will not only return to this translation over and over again, but expect that I will return to the Forward and Introduction as well.

The translation captures the flavor of this wonderful work. The included graphics are a beautiful addition. First read this in mid 70s. Glad to find it still available.

Le "Tao Te Ching" est un des plus magnifiques livres de sagesse, magnifiquement bien traduit et illustré. Je l'avais perdu lors d'un déménagement et suis heureuse de l'avoir retrouvé.

Hab bei "Motor city books" gebraucht bestellt. Den Umständen entsprechend einwandfreier Zustand, ein fairer Preis wie auch die Einhaltung des vereinbarten liefertermins Stimmen mich zufrieden. Lediglich die mir fremde Auflage und das damit verbundene abweichen des mir bekannten covers irritierte mich zunächst, wird der Qualität der Übersetzung allerdings sicher keinen Abbruch tun

Good to have such a copy of Tao Te Ching for all time. Love this copy. Recommend it.

La traducción de este libro, el rigor del autor, es digno de elogio, no hay versiones al 100%, pero esta es la más leal a Lao Tsu. Recomiendo.

No words can aptly describe what I just finished reading. But this text is everything, at any time. Read.. and re read often. It hits deep, has answers to your questions, sheds light on confusion. You will find more then you are looking for!