Tao Te Ching for the West [Paperback]

Richard Degen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

This new rendition of the revered classic Tao Te Ching, generally attributed to Lao Tzu, offers a clear, contemporary application of Taoist wisdom to the problems created by modern Western living. This book presents a way of life characterised by harmony and integrity; a way that bypasses the happiness depleting traps that people of all ages have set for themselves and others.

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About the Author

Richard Degen received a B.S. in finance as well as a law degree from St. Louis University. Mr. Degen has been practicing law in Southwestern Illinois since 1963.He has been a student of Taoism for almost three decades. This exquisite version of the Tao Te Ching is the culmination of seven years of hard work and dedication. He lives in southwestern Illinois.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"When a virtue is flaunted, you can be assured it is that virtue's opposite you are witnessing. Everything has an opposite and is defined in relation to it."

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Hohm Press (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934252920
• ISBN-13: 978-0934252928
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,236,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Taoism
  • #52 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Eastern > Taoism
  • #63 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > General

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Lucid Approach to an Ancient Text, May 15, 2001

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"nitram_ttcs" (Wellington NEW ZEALAND) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tao Te Ching for the West (Paperback)

The first thing to note about this book is, as the author makes clear, this is not a translation of the Tao Te Ching. The author describes it as a rendition of the old Taoist text by Lao Tzu (the `old boy'). Richard Degen has drawn on his nearly Thirty years of study of Taoism and the translations of many scholars to form his own reading/interpretation of the Tao Te Ching.

Whereas many translations of this book have an ambiguous and mysterious quality to them Mr Degen's `rendition' is surprisingly lucid. I have a number of translations of the Tao Te Ching but I find this one is a favourite because it seems to speak plainly to the heart of Taoist ideas. This reading is aided by an introduction that ably introduces and describes some of the ideas of Taoism. One of these ideas is the limitation of language. Looking at chapter one of the Tao Te Ching is instructive here. For example, James Legge's translation says:

The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.

(Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things.

Degen's take on this is:

There are things that can not be described by or understood through language. A complete description and understanding of the purpose and operation of the Way is beyond the power of language.

While this does not have the `colour' of previous approaches, I feel that it makes clear that path is probably an experiential one and that trying to convey this all with words is `difficult'. This echo's in my own study and practice of Taoist Tai Chi where I'm learning (slowly) that it is - more `do', less `talk'.

The book is not large and can easily fit in a bag you might carry around with you. You can dip into it at random or read it cover to cover - it always repays the time.