Tao Te Ching
By Laozi, HB Classics and Lao Tzu
4/5
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About this ebook
Laozi
Laozi was a Chinese philosopher and author commonly understood to have lived in the 6th century BC, although the time of his life is much disputed, and he has become as much a legend as a historical figure. Traditionally credited as the author of The Book of Tao, also known as The Tao Te Ching and The Tao and Its Characteristics, he is regarded as the father of Taoism and one of the most universally influential figures in Chinese culture.
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Reviews for Tao Te Ching
2,345 ratings58 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another reread and it's as good as ever.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I breezed through this one fairly quickly, with the intention of rereading it often and sometimes more thoughtfully. Even at a too-fast pace, this is a calming delight of a text. Much of it does, in fact, need more time and mental effort, but this time through I loved it for its soothing and simply-stated precepts that hint at contemplative depths. In short, I'll be back for more.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The text itself reads well, and is basically a set of somewhat paradoxical-sounding or counter-intuitive wisdom sayings. Within the paradoxes or 'appositions' and 'oppositions' lurks a deep insight and illumination on the nature of life and its vagaries. However, one does not understand the highly exaggerated sense of mystery attached to this cult-status text. Much of the older wisdom tracts of world literatures are of this nature, using pithy clauses and aphorisms to drive home a truth. In Sanskrit, for instance, a similar tone is adopted by 'good-sayings' or 'subhashitani', usually in four quarters or 'padas'. Many of the ideas of sufficience, frugalism, under-statedness, self-restraint, 'less-is-more', fullness and emptiness, are contained in different parts of the Vedas and Upanishads. So the Dao appears to me to be one among these first-BC writings. However, the Commentary appended to the translations somehow strikes a jarring note, by being exaggeratedly scholarly, somewhat pretentious, using excessive jargon, in the worst tradition of 20th-century 'doing theory' of the likes of Spivak or Homi Bhabha, or the 'self-realization' literature coming our of some our so-called gurus, and in direct contradiction to the minimalist and spare spirit of the tract itself. It's best to just rely on the text alone and work out our own interpretation.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Advice on how to live and rule.1.5/4 (Meh).Everything in this book is disconnected from everything else, and also a repetition of everything else. I gave up halfway through; there didn't seem to be any point to reading more and more of the same (before immediately forgetting what I just read).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Agnieszka Solska’s Tao Te Ching: A Klingon Translation (pIn’a’ qan paQDI’norgh) goes beyond the Klingon translations of Shakespearean works that elaborated on the Klingon characters’ Shakespearean references in Nicholas Meyer’s 1991 film, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Solska builds upon the translation projects of Nick Nicholas, who translated Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing, as well as Roger Cheesbro’s translation of Gilgamesh. Unlike those works, Solska begins with an introduction establishing the work as one that Klingon scholars specifically translated from Terran sources rather than one the Klingons claim to have originated (unlike Wil’yam Shex’pir’s works). She discusses some of the intricacies of Klingon grammar that make the Klingon translation closer to the original Chinese text rather than the Romanized text with which English-speaking readers are more familiar. In addition to parallel text, with Klingon on the left and English on the right, Solska’s volume concludes with endnotes about the text and the context of her translation. As part of her work with the Klingon Language Institute, Solska later translated Sunzi’s Art of War. This book features a beautiful cover with art by Frank Wu in the style of traditional Chinese ink wash painting.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stephen Mitchell's version of the Tao Te Ching is, according to Huston Smith in his book "World Religions," "as close to being definitive for our time as any I know." That is high praise indeed. This is a slender, handsomely illustrated volume that can be read in half an hour, or as Huston Smith says, over "a lifetime." The Tao is "yin" to Confucianism's "yang" (or vice versa). The Tao is more esoteric, all lightness and poetry. There is wisdom here, but it's romantic - not practical like the Analects of Confucius. I think it depends on your personality which philosophy appeals more to you. After reading it I better understand the meaning of "unclench."
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From the book description: Drawing on meticulous study of multiple sources, this fresh but authoritative reading of Lao Tsu's timeless classic combines the poetry of the Tao Te Ching with a wealth of additional material: an introduction to the enigmatic Lao Tsu and his times; a discussion of the many challenges facing the translator; 81 illustrative Chinese characters/phrases, selected to highlight key themes in each chapter; separate commentary and inspirational quotes, as well as room for you to record your own impressions, section by section.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is one of those quick to read, but long to digest books. It was interesting and will take more than one reading to feel more comfortable with.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As D.C. Lau points out in his highly readable introduction to this Penguin Classics edition, it is highly unlikely that Lao Tzu was an acutal person, despite stories of Confucius once going to see him. Instead, the contents of the Tao Te Ching seem to be a distillation and compilation of early Daoist thought. Like the Analects of Confucius, there are passages that are corrupted and whose meaning is either unfathomable or in dispute. There are also certain ideas that are repeated in nearly identical phrases in different parts of this very short work. Compared to the Analects of Confucius, this is a shorter, easier read, but like that work, I’m sure it benefits from reading in multiple translations and from reading more about it—not just of it. Since the Teaching Company doesn’t have a course on this book as they do for the Analects, I’ll just have to rely more on my own first impressions. Daoist philosophy (or Taoist, if you want to use the old spelling—but Daoist is how you pronounce it) is intriguing because it seems to rely on not taking action rather than on actually doing anything. It is full of things such as, “He who speaks doesn’t know.” And “He who knows doesn’t speak.” You’ll be nodding your head at things like that, comparing them to your own life experience. Putting such ideas into practice, however, seems problematic. No wonder some famous Daoists were monks. I’m not sure how following the precepts in this book would work in most people’s lives, unlike, for example, applying a few Buddhist tenets. I’m sure they wouldn’t fly at my house when it’s time to wash the dishes. But I’m trivializing things here. Just trying to wrap your mind around these concepts and spending a while contemplating them is beneficial. We do, for instance, act far more often than we should. How many times can we think of when not doing something would have served us better? But we just felt compelled to act, since that seems to be part of our human nature. Not to mention being easier to explain to your friends if your act goes wrong. I’m still trivializing, I guess. I highly recommend reading this well-done translation and its commentary. There are, for instance, a lot of ebooks available that give you an old translation of this work—which may be a fine translation for all I know—but without some context, you will lose much of the pleasure of reading. People who write books with titles that include “before you die” in them should immediately die themselves before they can write more such books. But if you’re an intelligent person, and if you have a little time to spare and an interest in philosophy, give this a try and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good visuals for contemplation
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was totally surprised to find out that this is actually a political treatise but less surprised to learn that quiescence is strength.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Laozi's set of 81 brief chapters sets forth the philosophy of Taoism. The author cautions the reader that words alone cannot faithfully describe his subject, the Tao or the way of the universe, which in our time has led some to dismiss this perspective due to its ambiguity. Enigmas and apparent contradictions appear frequently, which compelled me to pause to contemplate what Laozi was trying to convey. The necessity of pausing and reflecting makes reading this material fulfilling, especially when I felt I moved closer to understanding.I found the three jewels of Taoism appealing: Compassion, frugality (also translated as restraint and moderation), and humility (or not seeking to be first). Laozi is also persuasive in advocating selective gradual change rather than confrontation.This book is not for the been-there-done-that crowd, who see the ideal life as a experience of episodes of serial consumption. Instead the truths here are intended to be revealed though a combination of experience and contemplation. Some have wisely recommended memorizing some of the chapters, allowing the enigmas and puzzles to remain with us and perhaps to be solved later on with the help of experiential and contextual diversity. The edition I read was translated by Thomas H. Miles and his students. It served my purpose well, though at times I would have appreciated some additional commentary to supplement the helpful existing guidance. Miles' translation also has some useful introductory material in which key terms are defined, insofar as that is possible within Taoism. I intend to read other translations to get a better idea of the range of interpretations.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5"People certainly have been confused for a long time."The introduction and endnotes went a long way helping me read this. I can see why it takes a lifetime to decipher this.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I felt this was one of those things I should read to help understand another culture from another place and time. It was enjoyable from that point-of-view, but I didn't gain anything else from it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A beautiful translation with a wonderfully illustrated explanations. Everyone ought read The Tao once.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Some things were true and I didn't need an ancient master saying them for me to know that. Other things were not true but were couched in psuedo-wisdom and illogical platitudes. Some things were useful and reaffirmed what I know at my core and other things were purely fanciful. It is fascinating that the author starts he book with the notion that the true Dao cannot be described and then continues to try to describe it.
It was interesting when the author wrote that if his logic doesn't make sense, the reader doesn't understand the Dao (even if they are very intelligent). That's a nice built-in defense mechanism. If you criticize the content, you just don't understand it. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It didn't really explain WHAT Tao is. Maybe it was just my translation, but when the whole explanation of Tao is that ~those who know about don't talk about it, and those that talk about it, don't know about it~ isn't particularly helpful.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This translation with commentary by Ellen M. Chen has the reputation for being the best contemporary explication of the Tao Te Ching. I can't claim to have glanced at more than a few of the scores of translations currently available, but I did find that this had the terseness that I expect mimics the original. Also, the translation is careful to use the same English word to represent a given Chinese word whenever it appears in the text. This doubtless makes the translation less poetic, but it brings out the rigor of the Taoist philosophy.
The commentary is amazing. Chen takes a philosophical rather than religious approach to the Tao Te Ching. Her commentary not only draws on Chinese texts from the Confucian, legalist, and Taoist traditions, but also on such western philosophers as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Thomas, Hegal, Proudhon, Marx, Freud, and Wittgenstein (the Tao is like that "whereof one cannot speak"). The result is a book that places Taoism in a global philosophical context, emphasizing its commonalties and, especially, its differences with other schools of thought. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Just amazing.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The basic text of Taoism that was very influential in subsequent ancient Chinese philosophical and religious beliefs. Worth reading for a very different perspective on existence.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Written by Laozi shortly before the Analects of Confucius this classic Chinese text has been more frequently translated than any book except the Bible. It is one of the foundations of East Asian thought that is still read today. The Tao Te Ching provides a combination of spirituality, common sense advice and a little nonsense to remind us that we live in world that cannot be known. Much of the text is open to a wide variety of interpretations. The beginning is a famous quote that provides a good example:The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.The name that can be named is not the eternal name.There is an important thought conveyed in those two lines that loses its' meaning if you try to reduce it to an objective fact.On the other hand the following lines are simple good advice about how to live your life.In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.In speech, be true.In ruling, be just.In business, be competent.In action, watch the timing.One of the author's favorite devices is the use of contradictions to express an idea.When the Tao is present in the universe,The horses haul manure.When the Tao is absent from the universe,War horses are bred outside the city.The Tao Te Ching is eighty-one verses and each time I read it I discover something new. For me that is the hallmark of a truly great book. The edition I have is filled with full page pictures and has the original Chinese on the opposite page from the translation.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not a patch on Machiavelli, yet written from the same point of view: as advice for a would-be leader. The Tao Te Ching speaks from a point of view which I find very hostile, that of providing wisdom for an aspiring leader of a hegemonistic and ambiguous state. The advice includes tips on keeping your peasants stupid and happy, and much mystical mumbo-jumbo which doesn't stand up to ten seconds' solid thinking. Mysteriously popular.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I've read the Tao Te Ching many times and still come away uncertain as to its meaning, but each time I get little glimmers that I didn't see before. It's probably because I'm trying to understand it that I don't.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Guidance I needed.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5First time I've read the Tao Te Ching. Simple but profound advice for living. Simple to understand translation and the annotations and explanations are clear and helpful.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tao Te Ching or Daodejing is a classic Chinese text that traditionally is said to go back to the 6th Century BCE, and written by Lao Tzu, a figure whose historicity is in dispute. According to the Wikipedia, texts of it have been excavated that go back to the 4th Century BCE. Some introductions to editions claim Lao Tzu was a teacher of Confucius, but other authorities I've checked think Taoism was a reaction to Confucianism, and that the text dates later than Confucius, to the time of the "five warring states." If you have a fat book on your hands, it must be filled with commentary, notes or illustrations, because the entire work is extremely short, consisting of 81 brief verses. In the edition I own translated by D.C. Lau, the Introduction is half as long than the text. This is the entirely of Chapter 6, in the Derek Lin translation, which can be found online: The valley spirit, undying Is called the Mystic Female The gate of the Mystic Female Is called the root of Heaven and Earth It flows continuously, barely perceptible Utilize it; it is never exhaustedAs that demonstrates, the meaning isn't always clear, at least to this Westerner, even if you have some familiarity with Taoism from other sources. There's a lot of paradox, opposites juxtaposed, and as the introduction to my owned edition states, the text is often "succinct to the point of obscurity." And as a philosophy, well, these aren't connected arguments. They're more the collected wisdom sayings of a common philosophical movement and not meant to be breezed through cover to cover. Yet even from my first read I found this enjoyable to read, and filled with pithy little words of wisdom: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step." (Chapter 64) And especially on a repeat read I can see why some in the libertarian movement embrace it. Note Chapter 57 (Derek Lin) Govern a country with upright integrity Deploy the military with surprise tactics Take the world with non-interference How do I know this is so? With the following: When there are many restrictions in the world The people become more impoverished When people have many sharp weapons The country becomes more chaotic When people have many clever tricks More strange things occur The more laws are posted The more robbers and thieves there are Therefore the sage says: I take unattached action, and the people transform themselves I prefer quiet, and the people right themselves I do not interfere, and the people enrich themselves I have no desires, and the people simplify themselvesThis is reflected in several other verses and I've seen this described as the "Wu=Wei" principle, which has influenced both libertarians such as Murray Rothbard and the Cato Institute's David Boaz and Left-anarchists such as Ursula LeGuin, who wrote a translation I recently saw in the neighborhood bookstore. There's a whole shelf full of different translations of this book, a marker of the worldwide and deep historical influence of the book--which has links to both Confucianism and Buddhism--that makes this worth reading and trying to understand. I'd compare different translations to find one that's congenial, since different translators render very different readings. Wayist Org and TaoTeChingMe.com have pages online comparing various translations.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book version: First, it is beautiful with inspiring/matching Chinese artwork including a texture look. Secondly, love that this version has English text with the Chinese text for each chapter every two pages, with the Chinese in the correct vertical from right to left with extra bonus points that the Chinese is done in calligraphy style. Thirdly, a very long introduction proved to be very educational and fitting. Now, the ding – the translation is too casual, using modern language that I personally don’t like, at one point using words like “me, me, me” in reference to selfishness. Hmm, I can read a little bit of Chinese, and I can promise you that’s not what the original text reads! The quotes below should give more flavors of this.Tao Te Ching (TTC), when read with my modern metropolis city girl mind, instructs “The Way”, “The Virtue”, and the “The Coda” as a reminder to the simplicity of life, easily forgotten as we plow forward with our day-to-day to-do list. Contrary to Chapter 41 where “Those who think that the Way is easy will find it extremely hard”, I think the Way is hard and still find it extremely hard! TTC also depressed me a bit (true statement). If life is supposed to be following the way of ‘nothing’, then I sure have been working my ass off for no good reason. If wisdom and knowledge is to be condemned and vilified, then part of my identity is evil. The unspoken expectation, then and now, was simply always be ‘more’, quite not the ‘Tao’. Of course, I’m not taking TTC literally. The complexities of living do not readily allow for it. (Try and explain TTC to the IRS.) Instead, I take from it a few nuggets that are meaningful. Here’s an abbreviated list:Introduction: 1) “Wu-Wei doesn’t mean just sitting about doing nothing. It means ‘being’, it means being receptive, and it means going beyond our egos in what we do and how we do what we do.” 2) “I see the essence of the Tao as poetic, with all that implies, and all we still have to learn – to really be here, and to let go.”Ch1 (Start of Tao): “Following the nothingness of the Tao, and you can be like it, not needing anything, seeing the wonder and the root of everything.” --- Meaning that nothing is something.Ch 2: 1) “Neither future nor past can exist alone.” --- Acceptance and remembrance of who you were and who you have become. 2) “Life is made – and no one owns it.”Ch 20: Seek and want nothing. “What do the people want? Money and things. And yet I find I have nothing, and I don’t care. I am as unambitious as any fool.”Ch 28: Learn to yield, learn to bend, learn to think anew. “Understand the thrust of the yang – but be more like the yin in your being… Be like a stream… Be newborn – be free of yourself…” Ch 38 (Start of Te): Reminded me of leadership, a truly good leader. “A Man of Te rules by Wu-Wei, doing nothing for himself or of himself… A man who rules with compassion, acts through it – and no one even realizes.”Ch 44: “If you’re not always wanting, you can be at peace. And if you’re not always trying to be someone, you can be who you really are.”Ch 67: “I have three priceless treasures: Compassion, Thrift, Humility… These days people scorn compassion. They try to be tough. They spend all they have, and yet want to be generous. They despise humility, and want to be the best.”
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Review of Tao Te Ching: Annotated and Explained: I thought that this translation was quite readable, and I appreciated the facing-page commentary. I understand that the translator wanted to point out what distinguishes his translation from all the rest, but sometimes this came across as sniping at other translators. Still, this wouldn't be a bad first Tao Te Ching to read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not an "easy" read but very insightful. "Tao Te Ching" is a collection of a poems that are centered around Taoist philosophy.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Tao Te Ching is an amazing book; how does one "review" a text that is thousands of years old, that is so deep and profound, that contains so many spiritual mysteries, and that has effected the lives of so many over the centuries? I won't even try. I will only give my own recommendation and express my own personal hope that everyone will read this book. It can be read in a single sitting, in about an hour, maybe even less; don't do that! Sit and read it slowly -- let Lao Tzu reach through the centuries and speak to you where you are. Every sentence -- every word -- is filled with meaning; sit and contemplate the Tao. I highly recommend this translation; the introduction by Needleman is excellent and extremely insightful and the commentary near the back of the book is similarly insightful and helpful. I also recommend that as soon as you finish reading the Tao Te Ching itself you take up and read Hieromonk Damascene's "Christ the Eternal Tao" --the two should always be read together.
Book preview
Tao Te Ching - Laozi
Laozi
(Translator: James Legge)
Published: 600
Categorie(s): Non-Fiction, Human Science, Philosophy, Religion
1
The Tao that can be described is not the enduring and unchanging Tao.
The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.
(Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth;
(conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things.
Always without desire we must be found,
If its deep mystery we would sound;
But if desire always within us be,
Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.
Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development takes place, it receives the different names.
Together we call them the Mystery.
Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.
2
All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is;
they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is.
So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other;
that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other;
that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other;
that (the ideas of) height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other;
that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and that being before and behind give the idea of one following another.
Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.
All things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show itself;
they grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership;
they go through their processes, and there is no expectation (of a reward for the results).
The work is accomplished, and there is no resting in it (as an achievement).
The work is done, but how no one can see;
'Tis this that makes the power not cease to be.
3
Not to value and employ men of superior ability is the way to keep the people from rivalry among themselves;
not to prize articles which are difficult to procure is the way to keep them from becoming thieves;
not to show them what is likely to excite their desires is the way to keep their minds from disorder.
Therefore the sage, in the exercise of his government, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones.
He constantly (tries to) keep them without knowledge and without desire, and where there are those who have knowledge, to keep them from presuming to act (on it).
When there is this abstinence from action, good order is universal.
4
The Tao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment of it we must be on our guard against all fulness.
How deep and unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honoured Ancestor of all things!
We should blunt