Customer Reviews

Tao Te Ching (SkyLight Illuminations)

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a native Chinese speaker. I have read the Tao Te Ching in many Chinese as well as English editions. However, it has always been difficult to match the Chinese and English versions, because many English translations have cut out much of the original material and added many of the translator's own words.

When I read this translation and matched it to the Chinese original line by line, I could see that there was an exact correspondence between the two. Nothing had been cut out or added arbitrarily. At the same time, the translator had rendered the complex and difficult ancient Chinese into simple, modern English.

As I am reading this book, I am absorbing not only the translation, but also the commentaries. The format is perfect for daily readings to help me cultivate the Tao. It really brings the teachings to life. I have introduced this book to many native Chinese speakers. Some of them find the original Tao Te Ching difficult to understand, and yet they can understand this English version easily.

I would highly recommend this book to you if you are interested in the Tao - whether you understand the original or not. You will find the clarity and simplicity of the writing most helpful as you explore this ancient Chinese wisdom.

In my opinion, this is one of the best translations of the Tao Te Ching. Derek Lin's explanations of the chapters are very clear and applicable to everyday life. The most helpful feature of this publication is having the explanations/commentaries right next to the book's chapters (on the facing pages)...easy access...instead of at the very back of the book (as end notes) which disrupts the even flow of the reading. I highly recommend this book!

I discovered the Tao about 15 years ago, however I did not understand it as well as I do now and Derek is the reason for this clarity. When I lived in Los Angeles, I attended Derek's classes at the temple where he the director of Tao studies. He would literally translate the ancient, dead text right before our eyes and bring it to back life. His book is the culmination of those weekly meetings. After translating a passage, he would explain it thoroughly and then we would discuss it. In his book he does the same thing. He offers probably the most accurate translation of this ageless oracle, then explains it in on an accompanying footnoted page, and is just waiting for the reader to discuss it with other Tao cultivators just like we would in his classes.

I have read several translations of the Tao Te Ching and was always confused by the passages because they did not seem very clear to me and this was because those books were translations of translations and were often modernized. Derek, who is fluent in both Chinese and English, provides the reader with an untainted translation which preserves the timeless words of the "Old Master", Lao Tzu. Included in this book is a brief history about Tao and the origin of the Tao Te Ching, a bonus feature that I have not found in other translations.

I highly recommend this version of the Tao Te Ching and would not be surprised if someone would attempt to write their own translation of the Tao Te Ching using Derek's book as a reference.

I want to say a few things to those who are searching for a modern understanding that gives you an overall view of your humanity and the world. Derrick Lin's notes and explanations recognize personal uniqueness and offers expanded insights of human capabilities and potential that is inclusive of modern medicine, science and psychology from the East & West. It includes and encompasses your inner world, your relationships, work environments, your culture, your government, nature, and existence, whether you are a teenager, psychiatrist, scientist or CEO.

I have heard that every Fortune 1000 CEO has a copy of Sun Tzu's, "Art of War" on his desk. Derrick Lin's translation of the Tao Te Ching will have significance in this way. The distinction between the Art of War and the Tao Te Ching is that it is applicable for executives, managers and employees.

This specific translation of the Tao Te Ching is applicable to all management methods, models and theories in all corporate settings. These include, but not limited to: small enterprises, public (especially hospitals and senior care providers), not-for-profit organizations, all religious organizations, government institutions like HUD and large corporations.

I have lived a life of obscurity, yet I have provided lectures and training, from time to time, to Psychiatrists, Medical Doctors, scientists, trainers, and individuals, at hospitals, universities, corporate settings, conference venues, churches and counseling venues. I have appeared on television locally and nationally and on live radio throughout the United States in the field of Public Health.

I have traveled for many years, worldwide, searching for live teachers, when possible. I have meditated many hours each day for these 30 years. I bring my awareness to whatever I am doing, feeling and thinking, when it is practical and when I remember.

Somehow, I missed the Tao Te Ching until my 62nd birthday on June 16, 2007.

I could have saved a lifetime of searching.

Thought I'll throw my two cents worth in and congratulate Mr Lin for a wonderful translation and succinct commentary which provides, for me anyway, an ease of contemplation and insight.
KB

I went to sunday english meeting, teach by Derek Lin, at the I-KUAN TAO temple in El monte.
I never really read any english version of TAO TE CHING before, because I just felt like I don't wanna get confused by the english translation, since I have so much to learn as it is from reading the chinese originals.

However, by attending his english meetings, I realised, I actually learn more and understood more from hearing him going over Tao Te Ching in english.

So, this is my first English translated book on Tao Te Ching.
I trust him completely with his translation, and I recommend this to all new readers. This book is not just a tranlation of Tao Te Ching, it explains all things you need to know and understand before you begin to read it.

DON'T skip right into reading the Tao Te Ching... read all the foreward, introduction and his note on translation first, and so Tao Te Ching will makes much more sense to you.

To people who already read Tao Te Ching many times before, maybe you can read many more ONE MORE time? :D

best wishes and luck
maggie

This translation of the Tao Te Ching, by Derek Lin, is distinctly true to life. If a reader wants to know, as exactly as possible, what the Tao Te Ching actually "says," then she or he can rely on this book. Lin has carefully, in the tradition of Tao, considered every conceivable alternative meaning and endeavored to choose the most original, concise, and faithful option for each word, phrase and idiom.

This book is also a true to life commentary on the original text. Lin has drawn from his vast experience as a cultivator of Taoism, as host of a Taoist on-line forum, and as an associate of venerable Taoist leaders to provide the reader with valuable insight into how the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching can be applied to the modern world. Lin's book is not only true to the original Chinese characters, but it is also true to life in the sense that it provides practical, useful principles for living in the 21st century.

As a lifelong student of Theology, Religion, and Metaphysics, I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the Tao Te Ching, Taoism, or Comparative Religions. Moreover, I recommend it as a source of enlightenment for one's personal spiritual journey. There may be more than one way to get from the forest to the mountain, but it certainly helps to follow in another's footsteps. Follow Derek Lin through this book and you may discover a Tao Te Ching that is as true to life today as it ever was.

Everyone can translate a text, just buy a dictionary. But, translate a text and keep the translation as living as the origin is an art. And that art is what my Daoist Brother Derek Lin is a Master at.

I will recomend this Dao De Ching translation from my heart. The book is good both for persons who are not so familiar with Dao and Daoism and also for them who have study it for some time. Derek Lin's explanation of the text also make the text easy to understand and apply in the dayly life. He is breathing Dao and dont say that his understanding is the right and only understanding, what he do is offering his help to reveal the mysteries of the original text. I dont admire singel persons but i admire people who is offering their help without asking for anything back, and that i know Derek Lin is doing, not just in this book cause he is such a person. So thank you my dear Brother in Dao for that i have been given the possibility to read this fantastic work of yours.

Your Brother in Dao

Wei Yongheng

Derek Lin's translation and explainations allow one to follow the text more easily then most interpretations.

I have read several translations and find this one to be the most succinct.

The layout of the text also helps to simplify the read. All in all, just a fine work that anyone interested in the Tao Te Ching should read.

I have been a lifelong follower of the Tao and student of the teachings of Lao Tsu and Chuang Tsu. I've read several translations of the Tao Te Ching in both english and Chinese and this is far and away the best translation and interpretation I've had the pleasure to read. One of the most vexing problems for anyone who attempts to explain the ancient teachings of the Tao Te Ching in the west is the barrier of language and culture, and Mr. Lin overcomes this challenge with grace and clarity that has never been achieved until now. I can see in the translated text his efforts to remain precise and true to the ancient chinese text, a very refreshing departure from more "interprative" translations, and the annotations convey a rich understanding of the teachings that are beatifully simple and useful to any reader. The wisdom contained in this book is worthwhile and wonderful to anyone, I recommend it heartily!