Customer Reviews

The Tao Te Ching: 81 Verses by Lao Tzu with Introduction and Commentary (Sacred Wisdom)

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This is a beautiful and excellent translation with some brief but insightful commentary that seems to focus on how we should apply "The Great Integrity" to solve problems in the modern world. Don't let the price or the cover fool you; this is a worthy translation!

After I finish this review, I am going to throw this book away. I really tried to give this book a chance... I really like the size and binding, and the cover art is rather attractive... but, this translation and commentary is so... well... check this out:

Here is the part of the commentary for vs 20:
"How often we who are rebels have despaired! We identify with Lao Tzu and his frustrations. We have so often shared his sadness and discouragement of not being accepted by either the power elite or by the majority..."

I make no claim of being daoist, or any other thing for that matter, but, one of the few things that most decidedly does NOT make me sad or frustrated or full of despair is not being accepted by the elite or majority... and in the often times I have delved into the wisdom of the dao de jing, (present book excepted), I have never gotten the impression that the old guy gave a flipping hoot of whether or not he was accepted by the elite or majority... in fact, quite the opposite.

I flipped back to see how this verse was translated, and here it is the first part:

"It is sometimes deeply depressing to be a rebel, knowing that we can never share more people's way of life, nor can they share ours."

Hmmm... I looked it up in Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo's translation, (my favourite), and here is what I read:

"Banish learning, no more grief. Between Yes and No How much difference? Between good and evil How much difference? What other fear I must fear -- How pointless!"

Here is Stephen Mitchell's:

"Stop thinking, and end your problems. What difference between yes and no? What difference between success and failure? Must you value what others value, avoid what others avoid? How ridiculous!"

And finally, here is John C. H. Wu's:

"Have done with learning. And you will have no more vexation. How great is the different between "eh" and "o"? What is the distinction between "good" and "evil"? Must I fear what others fear? What abysmal nonsense this is!"

I can see no connection between the first translation, and the following three.

I once went through every single Tao Te Ching book in the store, just to compare them all to this beautiful little book here.
Now I don't speak chinese, but I find most other translations to be ridiculous.

The binding and layout of this book is good, and the translation is readable (actually high praise when you consider the sheer number of garbage translations out there), but the commentary section opposite each verse is filled with leftist propaganda. This guy has an agenda outside of commenting on the Tao te Ching. I'd recommend avoiding this one.

I have been on the "spiritual journey" for a few years now ... yoga, vegatarian diet ... plenty of reading and study, but this book makes the best sense of the "way too many" writers out are there trying to "get you to understand"!

Lao Tzu ... is credited for the Tao although my studies indicate, as in other situations, with written material from thousand of years ago, that he is more than likely the "one who finally put it in writing". Even so, these words of wisdom for "living the virtious path" were written over 6,000 years ago!

As I mentioned in my title ... read this, meditate on it and try and live the life .... our world just may survive if you pass it along! It is the path and it "makes sense of it all".

Namaste,

Jim

Just read The Tao Te Ching. I wonder if another translation would be better; there are some interesting things in it, but the translator's (Ralph Alan Dale) commentary make me realize first of all, he doesn't embody the Tao at all, and seems to think communism would be the ultimate solution to everything. In some cases he shows what the traditional translation is, and the distortion is obvious. In most you're left with how he translated it. Even so, there are some worthwhile things, such as

"When the ego interferes
in the rythems of process,
there is so much doing!
But nothing is done."

But ultimately, I'm left wondering if I would agree with the "traditional" translation.