Tao Te Ching (Penguin Classics) | 
|  | | | Title: | Tao Te Ching (Penguin Classics) | | Author: | Lao Tzu
D. C. Lau (Translator) | | Publisher: | Penguin Classics | | Type: | Book / Paperback | | Publication Date: | 30 May, 1964 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 014044131X / 9780140441314 | | List Price: | $9.00 | | Amazon Price: | $9.00 | |
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Product Description
Whether or not Lao-Tzu was a historical figure is uncertain, but the wisdom gathered under his name in the 4th century BC is central to the understanding and practice of Taoism. One of the three great religions of China, Taoism is based upon a concept of the Tao, or Way, as the universal power through which all life flows. The "Tao Te Ching" offers a practical model by which both the individual and society can embody this belief, encouraging modesty and self-restraint as the true path to a harmonious and balanced existence.
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Customer Reviews:
• Not Your Average Fortune Cookie 07 June, 2007
My first reaction was negative to the fatalism of
"doing nothing"
that is a major theme of this mystic path philosophy,
but I realized that this was contemporary to the Hebrew biblical wisdom books
like Proverbs. The dualism seems more Persian as in Zorasterism
than would be expected for such an early Chinese document.
I actually think the translation trys more for poetic form
than actual meaning. One gets a feeling of Vulcan like stoicism
than seems out of place in an era that is mostly polytheistic.
The author was a well respected wise man who advised the kings of his time.
The result is a blending of wisdom, politics, philosophy and mysticism
with the religious origins of both Taoism and Zen Buddhism.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A126KX6FVI4T66
• Ancient Wisdom For Ancient Times 30 August, 2008
Although Tao Te Ching contains a decent amount of insightful knowledge, it is not the best I have seen and would recommend only for those who's spiritual journey has led them here directly.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1KW704NJGM1FG
• Kick The New Age Right Out Of Your Ddj... 25 December, 2007
I love this translation. Not so much for the translation but for the introduction in the original edition. Lau was really the first critic of the traditional story of Laozi and the Dao De Jing to bring it to the English masses. The DDJ is a composite work, not the work of one author, as romantic as the story of Laozi may be. It was the work of many and thus the reason for some of its inconsistencies. Sure the work can be made to fit into one's particular scheme (the Dao obviously has plenty of flexibility to accommodate) but quite often this reflects the reader/translator/interpreter more than it does the actual DDJ which makes sense as the 'mirror' is a latent symbol in this work.
Lau grounds this translation. Though he notes there may be hints of an ancient cosmology and perhaps traces of a guide to lengthening one's life through mystical practice, he notes that in reality the DDJ does not emphasize these at all. Any hints of these are reinterpreted and recontextualized due to the multiple layers of sayings represented here. It's just one particular view of the multitude of views of the Daoism school. If anything, such views are actually stripped away. Contrary to the belief (and translation) of many, the DDJ does not emphasize long life. In fact, it even points out that those who emphasize life too much surely come to an early end.
In all my years and in all my readings (from at least a dozen different translations) I too have come to a similar conclusion. This isn't a mystical treatise; it isn't an otherworldly spiritual guidebook; it isn't even a philosophy. It is a guidebook that teaches us how to live here and now, on earth, in the dirt,with the people. No fortune telling, no mystical visions, no otherworldly gurus, no escapism, nothing transcendent here.
Lau's translation reflects this spirit. Don't expect a poetic, mystical, New Agey translation tailored toward a Western audience nor one that embodied in the Perennial Philosophy. Too often the book is viewed as exotic, as "the Other", an alternative to the overly analytical, linear and often overbearing Western religious traditions.
But as the DDJ reminds us:
"Beautiful words aren't true; true words aren't beautiful."
"When people hear the Dao they think: How bland it is."
- Reviewed by customer ID: A595T15OO91DC
• Ancient Wisdom For Contemporary People 20 January, 2008
Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
Traditionally ascribed to Lao Tzu, an older contemporary of Confucius, the work is more probably an anthology of wise saying compiled in about the fourth century, "says the rear cover of this book. Whoever did it, the Tao Te Ching is wonderful. I have this version.
- Reviewed by customer ID: AQN2NZ5VEUVS6
• Tao Te Ching - Peaceful Reading 25 September, 2008
The Tao Te Ching is one of the most influential books of Taoism. This Penguin Classics version is an excellently translated version of the timeless masterpiece. Translated by D.C. Lau, this version is a very smooth and easy read. The footnotes explain confusing passages with clarity and allow you to get a better undertanding of the intented meaning of the books within the Tao Te Ching. I fully recommend this book for those who want to get more in touch with the Tao and the flow of the universe!
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2P2NNOP4TMCSO
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