Customer Reviews

Tao Te Ching

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(A review of Stephen Hodge's Daodejing)
I have many different translations of the Dao De Jing and this one is very good. It relies on the most recent scholarly research and archaeological finds. Hodge, who is an ordained Buddhist monk, provides insightful and easily understood commentary. I don't think it is a "Buddhist biased" translation at all - which is good. His version of the Dao De Jing is organized into topical sections, where all passages relevant to "Language and guidance" or "the art of governing" for example, are put together. (He does include a "finding list" for those wanting 2 compare his translations with those following traditional chapter divisions.) It has a great introduction also of 26 pages. The 2-tone pictures which cover the entirety of every page are beautiful.

About the authorship of the DDJ he writes, "Looking at the Daodejing itself, we can discern several strands of thought running through the sayings, which are likely to have had their origins with distinct groups of people who later merged to form the religio-philosophical movement we now call Daoism. . . there is no unified philosophy in the Daodejing. Instead we have a collection of proverbs and sayings, lines from popular songs, and sagely aphorisms that resonated with the worldview of the various contributers. Often they added their own secondary comments and explanations . . . [however] there is no reason to suppose that each contributing group to the Daodejing existed in isolation - no doubt they exchanged ideas and even merged as time went on." (pgs 21-26)

Highly recommended!
Bao Pu

Of the five translations of the Tao Te Ching I have studied thus far this is the most unique and probably the best. The author has made use of some ancient texts not previously available to the earlier translators, and has approached the subject with more academic rigor than I have yet seen. The book begins with a 25-page introduction covering the people, events, and philosophies of ancient China that helped form this classic work. The 81 verses have been arranged "thematically" and each is accompanied by a commentary that is an immense help in understanding the often cryptic messages. This approach allows the verses to reinforce each other and brings a deeper understanding and better clarity of meaning. The author has removed some of the mystery and poetic license found in other translations, and has made the "Way" more accessible and even more convincing while retaining beauty in writing and illustration.

I have read dozens of translations of the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) and Stephen Hodge's deserves to be much more popular. The introduction and translation itself are very good. The nice pictures are a bonus. Both scholars and laypeople alike should have no trouble with this book. Try to get yourself a copy.