TAo Te Ching: The Book of Meaning and Life (Arkana S.) [Paperback]

Lao Tzu (Author)

Book Description

Series: Arkana S. | Publication Date: December 6, 2002

No other work of Chinese literature has attracted as much attention as Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching". It has been translated more often than any other book except the Bible and more commentaries have been written on it than any other Chinese classic. Both philosophical speculation and mystical reflection, the "Tao Te Ching" is about the harmony and flow of life and the necessity for affinity to it.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (December 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140190600
• ISBN-13: 978-0140190601
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,341,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Eastern > Taoism
  • #29 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Taoism
  • #41 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Ancient > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An edition for the more studiously inclined., May 16, 2001

By 

tepi "tepi" - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: TAo Te Ching: The Book of Meaning and Life (Arkana S.) (Paperback)

The title-page of my earlier Arkana (1985) edition of this book (which
does not include the later supplementary material by Darrell T. Liu)
reads: "TAO TE CHING - The Book of Meaning and Life - Lao Tzu -
Translation and Commentary by Richard Wilhelm - Translated into
English by H. G. Ostwald." Wilhelm's German translation was first
published in 1925 and appeared in Mr Ostwald's clear and vigorous
English in 1985.

Richard Wilhelm, of course, is better known for his
translation of the 'I Ching,' a translation that has had an enormous
influence. His remains the key edition of this classic for English
readers, and was so well done it is unlikely ever to be superseded.

In the present work, Wilhelm has given us a remarkably fine edition
of the 'Tao Te Ching,' a text whose author he feels was greatly
influenced by the 'I Ching.' His edition breaks down into three main
parts.

After a brief Preface we are given an interesting and
informative 20-page Introduction which covers The author, The text,
Historical context, and Content. Although relatively brief, Wilhelm
covers a lot of ground in this Introduction, and the general reader
might find the fourth part of it heavy going. It seems clearly
intended for the serious student who is prepared to come to grips with
some of the deeper philosophical implications of the text.

As for the text itself, I've
no idea what Wilhelm's original German is like, but Mr Ostwald is to
be congratulated on having given us a brisk and lively English
translation. Much of it somehow seems more readable than other
versions, possibly because Wilhelm himself found a certain amount of
drama in the 'Tao Te Ching' that other translators have either
overlooked or tended to ignore, and one often gets more of the feel of
a real person speaking. Here is a
brief example from Chapter
30, with my slash marks added to indicate line breaks:

"Whosoever in true DAO helps a ruler of men / does not rape the world by
use of arms, / for actions return onto one's own head. / Where armies
have dwelt thistles
and thorns grow. / Behind battles follow years of hunger" (page 40).

The translation is followed by a 30-page
Commentary on 'The Teaching of Lao Zi [Tzu]' which covers the DAO
[TAO], The phenomenal world, On the attainment of DAO, Worldly wisdom,
State and society, and Daoism after Lao Zi. The book is rounded out
with 28-pages of detailed chapter-by-chapter Notes, and a brief
Bibliography of Chinese and Western sources.

All in all, and
although the translation could be read with pleasure and profit by
anyone, Wilhelm's is a scholarly edition for the more studiously
inclined who are interested in such things as the historical and
philosophical context, and who may already have a certain amount of
background.

The general reader who is new to the 'Tao Te Ching,'
and who would prefer a more straightforward edition, might be better
served by the text-only editions of Gia-Fu Feng or John C. H. Wu.
These too read very well, and there's something to be said for the
immediate exposure to the text that such editions offer. I don't
think Lao Tzu would have had any quibbles.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Translation of this Ancient Text, December 30, 2003

By 

Swing King (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: TAo Te Ching: The Book of Meaning and Life (Arkana S.) (Paperback)

By far this translation stands out as the absolute best in my eyes. We will never have a "word for word" translation of this old book, and so we are left with comparing one translation with another. I study and practice Zen, and although The Tao Te Ching in a technical sense is not considered a Buddhist work, I would dare say it should be included as a Buddhist Sutra. This translation, for those of us who speak primarily in English, is quite illuminating and very deep.

After having compared Richard Wilhelm's translation with 3 other sources, I've concluded that his is the most alive. I feel that my practice with Zen allows me to see this more clearly, so to me this work is synonymous with Zen Buddhism. I recommend that anyone, of any religious affiliation or philosophical background, grab this book immedietely. I don't think you will at all be disappointed.

Enjoy!:)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wilhelm's translation is excellent., October 1, 2007

By 

Wesley L. Janssen (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: TAo Te Ching: The Book of Meaning and Life (Arkana S.) (Paperback)

The Tao Te Ching / Dao De Jing is said to be the second most printed, translated, and read book of the ages, surpassed only by the Bible. It is notably a challenging text to understand, even for the professional Sinologist or philosopher. It is not surprising that an ancient text that has been so recurrently translated and exposited, and which is so counterintuitive to most human culture--including the culture in which it was produced, and even to much other philosophy, should have produced quite divergent versions and exegetical opinions. Many translations and expositions travel wide of the mark (just ask anyone with a contrary view!) and this has been the case since distant antiquity. As with the Bible, schooled commentators have been happy to bend their expositions so as to conform the text(s) to their own views. The most popular `translation' of recent years is perhaps the worst (Stephen Mitchell's).

Like many people I've read a few translations of the Tao. The best I've read to date is probably Wilhelm's edition. Wilhelm's German translation is now almost a century old, and an English rendering of his translation was first printed less than thirty years ago. Wilhelm's sinological scholarship and philosophical sensitivity to the Dao and to the mysterious nature of its distant history, as well as his knowledge of other ancient Chinese texts, bring trustworthiness to this translation. His introduction, commentary and notes are excellent.