Most Helpful Customer Reviews
156 of 161 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally: Prozac for the Compulsive Taoist, September 5, 2001
Regardless of the translation, the Tao Te Ching relaxes you. Then, you start comparing the different translations, and you get to panicking real fast. Pretty ironic. It's something the Tao itself would warn you against. Sharpen the blade too much, you lose the edge. Still, as an American consumer, I want the real deal, whether I'm buying a cheeseburger or an ancient philosophy. If true words can't be spoken, and you're gonna go and speak 'em anyway, at least make 'em as true as you can. I mean, what does a guy have to do to get the meaning of life around here, learn Chinese? Enter Jonathan Star. Based on my comparison to five others, Star's lawn jart lands smack in the middle. Isn't that what Taoism is about? Getting to the center? He also made sure this would be the LAST translation you'd ever need, by including a second, "verbatim" translation-- a list of the various possible English meanings of every single Chinese character. Don't like something about his answer? Check his math. That's truly definitive. There might be other translations that do that, but I've got a shelf full of ones that don't, and I'm glad to say my search is finally over. I'm giving this book a perfect score. It's a good place to start AND a good place to finish.
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45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly wonderful way to explore the Tao Te Ching for yourself, March 25, 2004
This review is from: Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition (Paperback)
One of the core ideas in Taoism (especially if you read a lot of Chuang-Tzu) is that there are infinite perspectives on anything and everything, and no one is more absolute or "correct" than the others. I think it's safe to say that the Tao Te Ching itself is an excellent example of this principle - just look at how many translations have been done, in various styles, approaching various perspectives on life, society, money, etc. And while there are certainly translations that speak to me far better than others do, I'd have to say that they are not always completely satisfying. If you feel the same way, then Jonathan Star has come to your rescue with /Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition/. It starts out with an overview of Lao Tzu's work and the challenges that come with translating it. Then there is a rather good literary translation by the author, which sometimes takes a bit of artistic license - definitely not a bad thing. This is not the meat of the book, however. That part is the "definitive" translation itself - the literal translation. Every character of every chapter is provided, along with multiple possible meanings. Using this, you can compose your own interpretations of your favorite chapters, or the whole book if you wish. The literal translation is extremely well done, and provided in a very accessible format that provides a lot of information in an easy to use manner. If I had to pick something to gripe about, it would be the fact that the literal translation uses Wade-Giles instead of Pinyin (this from a book with a 2001 copyright). I suppose this was to keep things consistent with the similarly old-style spellings "Tao", "Lao-Tzu", etc. This niggle is mitigated a bit by the concordance section of the book, which includes translations from Wade-Giles to Pinyin. Not very convenient, but then again you probably won't be reading the literal translation for its phonetic qualities anyway. Like I said, that's basically the only gripe I can come up with. Other juicy bits in the book: a section devoted totally to the different interpretations of the first chapter over the years, a summary of the many meanings used for each character throughout the Tao Te Ching, and a nice commentary on chapter one courtesy of Jonathan Star. If you want to explore the Tao Te Ching as it speaks to *you* then this is definitely a book you want in your collection. As good a job as Jane English, Le Guin, et al have done with their respective translations, nothing can compare to the one that comes from your own spirit and heart. Thus, this truly is the definitive Tao Te Ching. Highly, HIGHLY recommended.
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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why I bought this book when money was tight, July 24, 2005
I love the Tao Te Ching. I have twelve different translations of it. It didn't take long to realize that what I found particularly insightful or wonderful in one translation might not be even close to what is said in another translation. So, I thought, many times, what the heck is the actual text behind these English versions? What does it say? Partly, that's just the nature of Chinese language. "tao ko tao fei ch'ang tao" (the opening sentence) can have a multitude of meanings. So one day, browsing in a bookstore like a Tao-junkie, I spy "The Definitive Edition" and have to look inside. Wonder of wonders, it's all laid out. A Chinese word by word translation giving the varied possible English equivalents alongside each character. Jonathan Star explores the full range of meaning for each Chinese character, allowing you to hone and clarify any translation of the Tao Te Ching for yourself and come to terms with the full depth and range of meaning as never before. In addition to his own excellent translation - one of the best - Star provides a number of language tools: roots and radicals, comments on key terms, notations of the textual variants from different manuscripts, etc. Books like this are not cheap to produce or buy. Eventually, it drew me back in and I bought it and have been very happy I did.
Star's own translation is flowing and beautiful, though not word-for-word unadorned,like, say Red Pine's. There are phrases in Star's translation that don't even appear in the Chinese text, but he does this intelligently and purposefully, illuminating the nuances of meaning of the text. Star draws a lot from other languages and teaching (especially Sanskrit and great teachers from India) in his comments about the meanings of key concepts. A purist may object to this; I weigh each on its own merit and found them complimentary.
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