The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents [Paperback]

William Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 1999

William C. Martin has freshly reinterpreted the Tao Te Ching to speak directly and clearly to the most difficult of modern tasks -- parenting. With its combination of free verse and judicious advice, The Parent's Tao Te Ching addresses the great themes that permeate the Tao and that support loving parent- child relationships: responding without judgment, emulating natural processes, and balancing between doing and being.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A masterpiece. William Martin captures the essence of what it means to raise a child. Urgently needed, this precious book lifts parenting to new heights -- Judy Ford, author of Wonderful Ways to Love a Child and Wonderful Ways to Be a Family

I loved William Martin's The Parent's Tao Te Ching. Advocating patience, compassion, simplicity, and parental awareness, these ancient lessons allow mothers and fathers to quietly reflect on their own selfhood, then to see and respond to their children's authentic selves. Every parent should keep this book on their bedside table to read and re-read as they negotiate the tumultuous reality of family life -- Virginia Beane Rutter, Jungian analyst and author of Celebrating Girls: Nurturin and Empowering Our Daughters

If ever there was an undertaking that could use every bit of ancient wisdom available it is parenting, and William Martin's The Parent's Tao Te Ching consistently and elegantly brings us back to the beautiful depths of this most honored role -- Will Glennon, author of Fathering and 200 Ways to Raise a Girl's Self-esteem

William Martin shows how the universal lessons of Taoism can be applied to parenthood. In the process, he not only sheds light on the most sacred of tasks we face, but he also works to bring peace and understanding to a coming generation -- Deng Ming-Dao, author of The Chronicles of Tao, 365 Tao and Everyday Tao

About the Author

William C. Martin, a writer, teacher, and counselor, lives in Otter Rock, OR. Dan Millman is the author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 31, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569246629
• ISBN-13: 978-1569246627
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 4.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Tao Te Ching
  • #57 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism

More About the Author

William Martin Bio.

The name given me is William Cecil Martin, Jr. Everyone calls me Bill. I am the spouse of Nancy, the father of Lara and John, and the grandfather of Jillian and Andrew. I live in Chico, California, where I teach at The Still Point Center for Zen Practice. I also write. I am the author of several books on Taoist and Zen thought, including: The Parent's Tao Te Ching, The Couple's Tao Te Ching, The Sage's Tao Te Ching, A Path and a Practice, and The Tao of Forgiveness. You can purchase these books through Amazon or any local bookstore.

My professional history is varied. If my father were alive he would still be waiting for me to get a real job. He was delighted when I graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. in Engineering. He never really got over it when I left my job as an Electronic Engineer and embarked on a path that led me to a M.Div. degree from Western Theological Seminary and a brief, uncomfortable, stint as a clergy. From there I spent a few years working in Criminal Justice Reform. Then I entered private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist and spent twelve years as a therapist and also teaching counseling at a Community College in Phoenix, Arizona.

In 1999, Nancy and I sold all of our furniture, packed our remaining possessions in a 5 ft. by 8 ft. UHall trailer, and moved to the Oregon coast. We spent a year living in a small apartment overlooking the ocean. Nancy worked at a small Inn in Newport and I wrote a book. We walked, talked, and thought about life. We felt the intensity of natural forces - wind, water, and forest. It was a transformative time.

In 2000, we moved to Chico and began The Still Point Zen Center, and a new life. We are delighted with every moment of it.

If you would like to contact me, please do so. [e-mail] or visit our website www.thestillpoint.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prayers of Remembrance for the Soul, November 6, 2000

By 

"mllnm_goddess" (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents (Paperback)

The Parent's Tao Te Ching is not about behavior modification and table etiquette. There are plenty of other books for that sort of thing. How many times have you read on of those "How to Raise a Perfect Child" books and tried to apply their practical advice to your unpractical offspring? (note: I have just counted and I have 37 books about practical parenting on the shelves of my living room library that I have collected over the past 19 years of being a mother). I can't count how many times my children have looked at me with smirks on their little faces and said, "What book did you read that in?" when I've tried yet another spin on an old parenting technique.

I am so grateful for Mr. Martin's book. It does not tell me I can be Martha Stewart, Mother Goose and the Pink Power Ranger all rolled into one as long as I follow the steps. It simply reminds me of what is real. For example, here is an excerpt from one of my favorite passages:

"They look so small and frail but they are great and magnificent. They are born of the same womb that birthed the cosmos and knitted together the galaxies."

This book is a simple, elegant reminder of what truly matters. I have two copies. One for my bedside and one for the office. I open the second one when my husband calls with the latest child- related disaster update.

I highly recommend Willam Martin's other Tao Te Ching related books: The Couple's Tao Te Ching and The Sage's Tao Te Ching.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parenting lessons EVERYONE should follow!, February 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents (Paperback)

This is the ONE book on parenting that everyone (parents, grandparents, caregivers, anyone at all who cares about children of all ages) should read and carry with them, always. It is especially helpful for those who have limited exposure to non-Western ideas, spiritual or otherwise. What is so special about Mr. Martin's book? It forces one to focus on the CHILD, and one's reactions to the child, and to stop worrying about classifying everything and overanalyzing the child. Parents these days get so worked up about raising the perfect child, and parenting perfectly, that no one winds up happy, and I for one think many of these current generations will suffer because of this. If only more parents would read Martin's book, they'd realize that children will grow up, with or without our interference. This book will guide those who choose to let the child become who THEY should be, rather than who we WANT them to be...wise words for us all.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Spiritual, September 1, 2000

By 

DA (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents (Paperback)

I recently read about this book in Oprah Winfrey's magazine (September issue of "O") and thought it might be a nice gift for my brother and his new wife- as they are thinking about taking on the gift of children. I picked up the book and flipped through it with the intent of putting it in the mail immediately... then I couldn't stop reading. Each short and simple chapter was like a drink of cool, refreshing water. I have no intention of giving up this copy (autographed) so I'm planning on buying several more as gifts to all of my friends. I also picked up "The Couple's Tao Te Ching" by William Martin. That is going on my gift list, also.