Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao [Paperback]

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, a God-realized being named Lao-tzu in ancient China dictated 81 verses, which are regarded by many as the ultimate commentary on the nature of our existence. The classic text of these 81 verses, called the Tao Te Ching or the Great Way, offers advice and guidance that is balanced, moral, spiritual, and always concerned with working for the good.

In this book, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer has reviewed hundreds of translations of the Tao Te Ching and has written 81 distinct essays on how to apply the ancient wisdom of Lao-tzu to today’s modern world. This work contains the entire 81 verses of the Tao, compiled from Wayne’s researching of 10 of the most well-respected translations of text that have survived for more than 25 centuries. Each chapter is designed for actually living the Tao or the Great Way today. Some of the chapter titles are “Living with Flexibility,” “Living Without Enemies,” and “Living by Letting Go.” Each of the 81 brief chapters focuses on living the Tao and concludes with a section called “Doing the Tao Now.”

Wayne spent one entire year reading, researching, and meditating on Lao-tzu’s messages, practicing them each day and ultimately writing down these essays as he felt Lao-tzu wanted you to know them.

This is a work to be read slowly, one essay a day. As Wayne says, “This is a book that will forever change the way you look at your life, and the result will be that you’ll live in a new world aligned with nature. Writing this book changed me forever, too. I now live in accord with the natural world and feel the greatest sense of peace I’ve ever experienced. I’m so proud to present this interpretation of the Tao Te Ching, and offer the same opportunity for change that it has brought me.”

About the Author

Wayne W. Dyer, Ph.D., is an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development. He’s the author of more than 30 books, has created numerous audio programs and videos, and has appeared on thousands of television and radio shows. Many of his books have been featured as National Public Television specials. 

 Wayne holds a doctorate in educational counseling from Wayne State University and was an associate professor at St. John’s University in New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Hay House; Reprint edition (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140191750X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401917500
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (260 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #5,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

  #16 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Self-Help > New Age
  #2 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Taoism
  #2 in	Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Eastern > Taoism

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

345 of 365 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take time for 81 days of Wisdom and beyond, July 31, 2007

By	Daydream Believer (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao (Hardcover)

We're all so busy these days. And distracted. Who has time to pause and ponder on much of anything beyond what we're grabbing for dinner after school or work? That is, if we even have time for dinner. So at first glance this almost-400 page book with its obvious philosophical leanings appears a little daunting. But dig in and you'll quickly see that it is not a book to be read in one concentrated time period, but rather taken a step at a time as a meditative process.

Each chapter is based on one of the 81 verses of the ancient Chinese wisdom and philosophy of the Tao Te Ching and beckons the reader to stop and think before moving on with his/her busy life. Dr. Dyer studied numerous translations of the Tao, meditated on his own interpretations, and observed how each verse influenced his thinking (and life) for the day. Each chapter begins with the actual verse from the Tao, followed by a title which summarizes the chief learning, followed by Dr. Dyer's comments and interpretations. Each chapter ends with a short instruction on a way to "Do the Tao Now." The instructions are deceptively simple ranging from thoughts to hold in your mind to actions you can take. Some actions can take all day (such as a suggested fast for a day); others can be done in minutes, such as expressing kindness toward another.

The notion that changing your thinking can change your life is found in almost all cultures and writings since early civilizations. This philosophy is at the heart of the most successful psychological treatments for depression, anxiety, and other disorders. The Tao provides one more example of this powerful philosophy, and Dr. Dyer nicely walks us through it.

If I had to summarize this book in one word it would be "peace." There is something about the writing which demands that you slow down, focus for a moment on the present, and take just a few minutes to detach from the chaos of your life into a true "moment of Zen." Keep it by your bed, read a chapter before going to sleep or when you first wake up and notice what begins to change in your life.

REVIEW UPDATE: As I continue to spend time with this book, I continue to be impressed. Because each chapter is only 4-6 pages long, my initial impression was that one could read a chapter a night. And you can- but the thoughts in each chapter are so intriguing and interesting that I find I wanted to linger over them for several days. This book deserves to be savored. There's also an interesting mystery in the epilogue. Dr. Dyer closes with a brief discussion of a personal incident that very much challenged his beliefs and work with the Tao. He writes, "I was presented with the greatest personal challenge of my life." He goes on to describe his great hurt and pain. I assume he had his reasons for not explaining the event in greater detail, but it leaves the reader wanting to know more- and specifically how he applied to Tao to overcome his feelings. Perhaps he will enlighten us in a future book or CD.

160 of 173 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making the Tao More Accessible to All, July 31, 2007

By	Jo Ana Starr "Mind-Body-Spirit" (USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao (Hardcover)

Wayne Dyer has created a vast community of readers because of the level of heart he shares, as he writes his books. If you've seen Wayne in person or being interviewed on PBS, you can sense the gentleness of his nature, and his strength of character shines through. And if you have followed Wayne's career as a writer and reluctant guru, you have seen his books grow in stature over time. They have become more concerned with matters of the Spirit, as the ultimate way to create a life of joy, abundance and peace.

Even though each of his previous books has been wonderful, I believe that this book will become the hallmark of his work. Unlike many of his books which you can read through from cover to cover, this book is designed to be savored, a page at a time, and it is full of gentle life lessons that are designed to help you create a more joyous life.

The book is a compilation of translations of the 81 essays written by Lao-tzu, a highly spiritual being who lived in China hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. These verses were called the Tao Te Ching or the Great Way, and were revered by many, and translated many times. Wayne researched the translations, selected those he preferred, compiled them, and then interpreted them to make them more accessible to modern day readers. The book is made up of 81 chapters, each with a topic that makes living the Tao more possible, in a way that is inspirational, moving and timely.

This is the sort of book you might choose to read first thing in the morning before you start your day, or at the end of the day, as a review of your day, or both. This book is highly recommended for those seeking a source of spiritual guidance on living a richer, fuller, and more joyous life.

104 of 111 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive, August 11, 2007

By	Jay K. "just a thought..." - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao (Hardcover)

The author changed his lifestyle completely and took an entire year to study and put into practice this way of thinking and living. Dr Dyer committed himself to this work wholeheartedly and it shows. If you've read his other works, I think you'd agree that this takes us/him to another level.

Dr. Dyer helps "western" readers of today understand the sayings of the Tao. He interprets them for us to use in our everyday lives, as he has. The overall feeling of the book is one of calm acceptance and can help those who read it to reach this calm acceptance for themselves.

Dyer uses concepts such as trusting in your own nature, living contented, getting flexible in your thinking, to name a few.

One of the things I like about Dyer's work is that he wants you to DO something with these ideas. For one example, start letting go of your things. For another, he encourages being in nature an hour a day. And, he encourages you in that, whatever you want to become, be or do, take just one step to get started. (This from the most well known of the verses, "The journey of a 1,000 miles begins with the first step.")

After reading the ideas presented, I slept better than I had in a long time and woke up happy. That's worth a good review.