Customer Reviews

Living the Wisdom of the Tao: The Complete Tao Te Ching and Affirmations

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Tao Te Ching..meaning Book of The Way, or book of the Word. One of the best books ever written. Certainly , the book that has had the most profound positive influence on my life.

If you are like me, you may be wondering should I get this particular version, and how does it compare with other versions like the Mitchell, English and Star version.

No matter how great a writer you think Wayne Dyer is, he did not write the Tao, yet his rendition is consistent with the best versions I have read. The distinguishing trait of Dyer's version is that there is a short affirmation opposite each verse, a lesson to be derived.

Some of these are good, and still leave room for you to come up with your own ideas. In fact, that is an inspiring way to go through the tao, and I must make a point of going through my other versions and writing out my thoughts on each chapter. So, thank you, Mr Dyer. I also like the layout with the graphics. They add a little atmosphere to each verse.

So, my personal favorite version is the Stephen Mitchell version. The Tao is wise, paradoxical, counterinituitive, puzzling, fascinating, mysterious, inspiring, amazing and true. These concepts bypass ego based thinking, and the idea of doing things by not striving is allowing a higher more authentic way of thinking to inform your being and your action.

The Jane English version, has a 25th Anniversary Edition which is a large size book, coffee table version, with symbols, and graphics, and a regular size version.

One of the Jonathan Star versions has Chinese symbols at the back, with multiple meanings of each symbol.

This is a great idea, which allows you to come up with your own version of the Tao, and would really open up your thinking on the Tao.

If you are like me, then as you read you discover the wisdom
like a raw jewel which you shape into a glittering diamond. That is the brilliance of the book.

The Tao is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.


81 chapters, all less than one page. Like any great mystery, the Tao is there to be experienced and not necessarily understood. Here is a selection from verse 81 to illustrate the difference between different versions.

True words aren't eloquent;
Eloquent words aren't true;
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
Men who need to prove their point aren't wise.

A different version might substitute the word beautiful for eloquent.

You can feel comfortable buying the Wayne Dyer version, or any of these other versions.

I also recommend The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, which is another classic book of wisdom, and The Dhammapada featuring the succinct teachings of the Buddha.

Hope this was helpful, and hope you find this book useful.

The beauty of this book is that it encapsulates the information in exactly the way the scribes of Lao-tzu had probably imagined. It's easy on the eyes, nice to hold and fails to bog down, unlike previous editions that I've seen that often have twenty page introductions, giant prefaces and essays embedded in the prologue. This offering is void of all the nonsense.

Often, other versions and publications of this text is offered up in a dry and unflattering representation which causes the reader to strain the eye to the page, let alone the mind to the soul. This version gives you some of the most straightforward and fluid translations that I've read yet and is beautifully laid-out and well presented.

Dwyer prefaces each verse with a short mantra or prayer version that compliments the following verse very well and lets the mind wander even further along as you read each verse. A brilliant idea and very unassuming.

What more can be said about such a book that hasn't already been uttered?

Internationally renowned author and dynamic, inspirational teacher, Wayne Dyer, offers an opportunity to directly experience the profound wisdom of the Tao Te Ching. This book shares verses by the ancient Chinese prophet, Lao-tzu on virtually every aspect of human existence. Wayne guides, "When we change the way that we look at things, the things that we look at change. This book was created with great love and wisdom and could be your handbook to the more contemplative life.

Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

Here is Wayne's foray into the Tao. I really appreciated what Wayne has done. Decades ago when no one was speaking very clearly about inner development Wayne was there. Yep, even made it to big specials on PBS.

In this book Wayne combines a translation of the Tao with some practical, and mostly simple, if not simplistic, viewpoints as to how to orient your life to the wisdom in the Tao. Generally the material is OK.

However, for some years I have felt that Wayne's material has not kept up with where we need to go. Folks can only wander/slog through the self-help stuff until they stop reading what others are saying and really help themselves. For myself and many of my friends self-help was a temporary way point on the path to inner realization. Problem is that Wayne has not evolved his style to get people graduated. Wayne, like others leans heavily on others work (in this case Lao Tze) and repackages it as self-help / new age wares. And I have to say my feedback of this book and Waynes material is that he is sincere but is unable to really support those folks deeply on the path.

Wayne's guru was Sri Siva Baba Dattatreya and Baba is light years beyond what Wayne is able to communicate. Baba's videos are visible on the tube of you.

For a Tao/Dao de Ching translation I think you are far better served with Tao Te Ching: The New Translation from Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition (Tarcher Cornerstone Editions) That is if you are ready to take off the training wheels and ask yourself what does the Tao mean to you.

If you are searching for an esthetically pleasing version of the classic Tao, this is it. The small book has a nice feel and look to it and its compact size perfect for a meditation area.

Dyer presents the Tao Te Ching with corresponding affirmations.

For those unfamiliar with the work, the Tao was written over 2500 years ago, by the Chinese scholar Lao-Tzu.

Here is the 76th verse:

A man is born gentle and weak;
at his death he is hard and stiff.
All things, including grass and tress,
are soft and pliable in life;
dry and brittle in death.

Stiffness is thus a companion of death;
flexibility a companion of life.
An army that cannot yield
will be defeated.
A tree that cannot bend
will crack in the wind.

The hard and stiff will be broken;
the soft and supple will prevail.

Dyer: "I choose to be strong by being soft and pliable rather than inflexible, brittle and hard."

By the author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet.

The cover states this is the complete Tao Te Ching and affirmations. I believe the Tao, as it is called, is pronounced like the "ou" sound in "ouch" with a "T" in front of it. "Tao Te Ching" translates to "living and applying the Great Way". Ancient Chinese prophet and keeper of the imperial archives in the ancient capital of Luoyang, Lao-tzu, recorded his wisdom in the Tao some 25 centuries ago. Reportedly, many scholars consider the Tao to be the wisest book ever written. The Tao encourages you to change your life in a profound way (by changing your way of thinking).

This is what I call a desk-top booklet or a daily reminder booklet, great for keeping at work and reading something from it every day at lunchtime. It is the size of a 5" x 7 " photo and is only ½ inch thick, with a little over 169 pages plus blank pages for notes. There are 81 verses. Each verse is one small page with a page to the left which provides a short affirmation that relates to the adjacent verse. So, you read one verse at the beginning or the day or at lunchtime, then think about what it means to you as you go through the rest of the day. Of course, you can read the verses in the book order or randomly select them. It may also help you to find peace in a stress-filled workplace.

Just keeping the booklet on top of your file cabinet where others can see it even helps a little because it reminds people that there is something "greater" going on. I keep several Dyer desk-top books on top of the file cabinet and invite co-workers to pick them up and look through them during breaks or lunch. I personally found the verses themselves to be more meaningful to me than the affirmations.

Here is a nice example for you:

49th Verse:
"The sage has no fixed mind;
He is aware of the needs of others.

Those who are good he treats with goodness.
Those who are bad he also treats with goodness
Because the nature of his being is good.

He is kind to the kind.
He is also kind to the unkind
Because the nature of his being is kindness.

He is faithful to the faithful;
He is also faithful to the unfaithful.
The sage lives in harmony with all below heaven.
He sees everything as his own self;
He loves everyone as his own child.

All people are drawn to him.
He behaves like a little child."

The adjacent affirmation:
"It is my choice to be kind to those who are kind. It is my choice to be kind to those who are unkind, because the nature of my being is kindness, and that is all I have to give away."

Now, if you read through the 49th Verse above and really ponder its meaning, I think you will see much more than is stated in the affirmation adjacent to the verse. So, my challenge to you is to read it slowly and think about its meaning. Then ponder its meaning as you go through your daily routine. As you treat EVERYONE with kindness and goodness, then you are truly loving everyone. You are seeing the God, the Divine in all people and are living in a state of love and happiness that is beyond what many people experience. Is this not true beauty? Is this not what Jesus tried to teach us? And is this not how a child reacts to others, before he/she learns to behave differently from adults? Think on it for awhile. You CANNOT show unkindness if you only "do" kindness, because kindness is the only way you operate. Therefore, you can only show love, if that is the only way you chose to "be". And as you exhibit love, love is returned to you.

Namaste'
May you find the peace and love of God in all that there is.

How wonderful it is to find a book with such beautiful inspirations. The size and weight of the book is perfect. Hold it in your hands and you will understand what I mean. The teachings were so simply put, yet thought provoking, I truly believe this book is something that can be given as a gift to most people and thoroughly enjoyed by the recipient. A breath of fresh air during a hectic day, I highly recommend these teachings as a read to soothe and satiate a sometimes unsettled soul.

I bought this after reading Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life by Dr. Dyer. I adore this book. By reading an excerpt every morning, I am able to consciously set the tone for my day. Touching base with the Tao keeps me aware and conscious of inherent spiritual principles that have gradually altered my entire way of being and have begun healing many of my long-held perceptions about myself and the world around me.

This is a lovely book with plenty of wisdom on every page. I am also an author of a translation of the Tao Te Ching. Dr. Dyer has written a wonderful version.

Dawn Lianna
[...]
Author, Lao Tzu Now

A wonderful little book full of the wisdom of the Tao. A book I like to read a verse of every day that just sets me up for living my day with a great outlook.