Customer Reviews

Tao Te Ching

5 star:		(138)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

Tao Te Ching is ancient, now a couple of millenia in print. Stephen Mitchell has not translated this classic, but rather has paraphrased it -- as he admits in the Foreward. But he is a Zen student of a couple of decades and has good insight into the Zen of the Tao (Zen Buddhism is Buddhism heavily dosed with Taoism).

Mitchell's version of the Tao Te Ching is very, even extremely, modern. Perhaps to the point of being "politically correct." However, he does have a way with words and this is a very readable version of the Tao. To show how modern it is, let's take an example and compare his version of the beginning of chapter 46 with two other versions:

- Mitchell
"When a country is in harmony with the Tao,
the factories make trucks and tractors.
When a country goes counter to the Tao,
warheads are stockpiled outside the cities."

- Victor Mair
"When the Way prevails under heaven,
swift horses are relegated to fertilizing fields.
When the Way does not prevail under heaven,
war-horses breed in the suburbs."

- Addiss & Lombardo
"With TAO under heaven
Stray horses fertilze the fields.
Without TAO under heaven,
Warhorses are bred at the frontier."

Obviously, there were no factories, trucks, tractors, or warheads in ancient China. So, Mitchell is providing a modern interpretation of the Tao Te Ching, while Mair as well as Addiss & Lombardo are closer to a literal translation (which is not possible however, because the Chinese language and the English language are so completely different from one another.)

None of this is to find fault with Stephen Mitchell. This is just to say that his book cannot be definitive, because it is less literal and not really a translation. However it is good, compelling reading, and honestly makes no pretense of being a literal translation. If you like Mitchell's approach, get one of the more literal translations too. I bet Stephen Mitchell himself would like you to have both.

I'm amazed at the storm that Mitchell's version of the Tao Te Ching has churned up. Reading previous reviews, there seem to be two factions: those who find Mitchell's version thought-provoking and soul-stirring, and those who focus on what they see as its poetical liberties with the original. The first group is primarily interested in using the text as a catalyst for reflective insight into the nature of reality. The second group is primarily interested in the text as an historical document. The first group seeks transformation. The second group seeks scholarship.

I don't know that there's any intrinsic dissonance between the methods of scholarship and the goal of transformation, but I do know this: as a professor of philosophy who wants his students to read texts as tools for discovery rather than as sacred cows to be worshipped, I'll take Mitchell's version over more "scholarly" translations any day. For the nonspecialist who's not interested in parsing Chinese, which is really more important: entering into the spirit of the Tao Te Ching so that the reading of it becomes a lived, integrated experience, or memorizing a lot of scholarly footnotes? Mitchell's version breathes new life into a 2500-year-old text that most people today would find too arcane if they read a more literal translation. What a pity to begrudge contemporary readers an opportunity to discover the Tao simply because we don't think that the vehicle made available to them is "scholarly" enough!

As Mitchell admits, he doesn't read Chinese. Instead of calling this a "translation," he calls it an "English version." But why would you want to read a loose English paraphrase by someone who can't read either the original or the early Chinese commentaries on it when you could read a translation by any one of a number of gifted and insightful scholars?

The standard defense of a "version" like Mitchell's is that he has some special insight into the text that entitles him to interpret it. But the danger of an interpretation like Mitchell's is that it projects modern Western preconceptions onto the Tao Te Ching instead of allowing us to be challenged by the powerful, paradoxical, and even frightening original text. In fact, Mitchell projects Zen Buddhist and New Age ideas into his "interpetation." (And, No, Zen Buddhism is not the same as Taoism, any more than Catholicism is the same as Judaism.) Someone who actually reads the original Classical Chinese, and is familiar with the historical and cultural context in which the text was composed is much more likely to be insightful about the text. Another common comment is that someone like Mitchell doesn't get lost in boring scholarly stuff. But there are plenty of exciting, fun to read translations by people who can actually read the original. The first Tao Te Ching translation I read was by D.C. Lau. He was a truly great scholar, but his translation is very elegant and very readable. Other terrific translations by people who actually know the "text and context" include those by Victor Mair, Robert Henricks, and Philip J. Ivanhoe. (Ivanhoe's translation is available both as a separate book, and as part of the anthology he co-edited, Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy.)

Oh, and the "editorial review" that Amazon lists above is actually not a review of Mitchell's translation at all. (There is no way to report that using their "corrections" button.)

..Meaning Book of The Way, or book of the Word. One of the best books ever written. I recommend this version because:

The Chinese language has less specific gender distinction, according to the author. Sometimes using female references broadens the meaning of Tao, at least for me.

Explanations for each chapter are at the back, so you can absorb the content first.

The hardback version has a silk string bookmark like the Bible, so you may easily refer to a specific passage also making this a perfect gift.

If you are like me, then as you read you discover the wisdom
like a raw jewel which you shape into a glittering diamond. That is the brilliance of the book.

The Tao is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.

The Tao is wise, paradoxical, counterinituitive, puzzling, fascinating, mysterious, inspiring, amazing and true. These concepts bypass ego based thinking, and the idea of doing things by not striving is allowing a higher more authentic way of thinking to inform your being and your action.

81 chapters, all less than one page. Like any great mystery, the Tao is there to be experienced and not necessarily understood.

True words aren't eloquent;
Eloquent words aren't true;
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
Men who need to prove their point aren't wise.

The Tao nourishes by not forcing.
By not dominating the Master leads.

I highly recommend it. When you buy, be sure to check the edition you are buying, as you may buy the pocket edition by mistake.

I also recommend The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, which is another classic book of wisdom.

Next to the Bible, the most translated book in the world is the Tao Te Ching, the ancient Chinese Book of the Way. It lays the philosophical foundations for one of the world's great wisdom traditions, Taoism. Written approximately 2,500 years ago by the legendary sage Lao Tzu, this classic continues to inspire readers today. To translate a work that has been translated so many times before--and so well--may seem almost an act of hubris. But as the English language continues to evolve, it is the duty of the translator to attempt to restate a classic for his or her generation, in a language that they can best understand. Stephen Mitchell, in Tao Te Ching: A New English Version, has done that for our generation. And to him we owe a debt of gratitude. Huston Smith has called this translation "definitive," and he has spoken well. At first, a traditionalist may be startled by, for instance, Mitchell's referring to the master as alternately "he" and "she;" whereas, the original refers to the master as masculine, only, thereby reflecting the truth of things in sixth century B.C. China. But when one remembers that the translator is duty-bound to bring the ideas of the text to his or her contemporaries in a way that will have most meaning for them, then one can see the wisdom of taking such a liberty. And, after all, it is in the spirit of Taoism to adapt to the circumstance. As water sometimes comes to earth in the form of rain, sometimes snow, and sometimes sleet, but always in accord with the season, so this classic comes to us now in a form that is right for our own day. Thus, once again, this time with the help of Stephen Mitchell, the Tao Te Ching speaks to humanity, pointing the way.

As other reviewers have mentioned, this can't fairly be called a translation: Mitchell doesn't know Chinese, can't understand the original, and in any case isn't interested in doing so. The sections where he says he's "translated freely" - or, less charitably, made passages up completely - are ample proof of that. Whatever value the book has, it's as a reflection of American pop-Daoism, and not as a fair or accurate interpretation of the foundational text of a major religion. In many places, Mtchell's text is inspiring. But it's Mitchell's text, and not Lao-tzu's.

A number of reviewers here seem to be under the impression that all Mitchell has done here has been to vary between "he" and "she" where the Chinese 'makes no distinction,' or gloss "warhorses" as "warheads," and that everyone complaining about his lack of fidelity is just a carping academic. Not so: Mitchell's pulled entire passages out of thin air in places where he either doesn't understand the text or can't square it with his own conception of Taoism. His book is, for sure, easier to read than actual translations such as those mentioned below, and he is undeniably blessed with a feeling for cadence and rhythm that most people - particularly scholars of Classical Chinese, who regrettably tend to be philologists - lack, but this would only be a virtue if Mitchell had the intellectual honesty to present his book as a commentary, a Californian version-for-the-90s, a McDonald's Super Value religion that tastes great without being filling. The Tao-Te Ching isn't an easy text, and any adult translation of it recognizes this. I hadn't heard the term 'wisdom text' before browsing these reviews, but it seems an apt term: wisdom doesn't come easy.

Mitchell's Tao-Te Ching is, by way of analogy, what a Jack Chick Bible tract is to the words of Jesus: an interpretation based on personal biases with no scholarship behind it. Or, in (perhaps) a less prejudicial light, it bears the same relationship to the source text that the movie 'Clueless' does to Jane Austen's 'Emma:' it's cute, chirpy, and inoffensive.

I'll be fair: I was given a copy of this years ago, and fell in love with it, and decided that I'd learn Chinese so that I'd be able to read it in the original. Along the way, I took courses in the history of Daoism, read actual translations (D.C. Lau's is OK and provides good commentary, as well as the Mawangdui versions of the text); Robert Henricks' and Victor Mair's translations are well worth a look for anyone interested in understanding the context and underlying thought of the text), and began to realize that I'd been had. Reading the text in the original while studying the Daode Jing (Tao Te Ching) and the Zhuangzi (Chuang-Tzu) at Beijing University, my suspicions were confirmed: Mitchell fudged his "translation." The result is a very nice work of English free verse and pop spirituality, but Daoist it ain't.

I have read a few different versions of translation of Tao Te Ching including translations by some Chinese and Korean scholars. Evem I am not a Chinese scholar, I studied and used Chinese characters over twenty years in Korea like most Korean students. I agree that Stephen Mitchell's book is not the best if you are looking for literal translation of the original ancient Chinese Toa Te Ching. But the literal translation often does not make sence to me and to the most readers in English speaking countries. Even among Chinese scholars there are many different opinions about the true meaning or interpretations of the original Tao Te Ching because it was written more than a thousand years ago in ancient Chinese.

Tao Te Ching is written by "Noza". In Chinese character "Noza" means an old man. "Old men" in oriental countries are very respectable. But in America "Old men" is not as respectable as in China. So how could you interepret "Noza" in English? Tao Te Ching is written by an old man literally. But better translation could be: "Toa Te Ching" is written by an "Old Wise Man", "Sage", or "Master" instead of (senile) old man.

If you, as a serious student, are looking for the literal translation of the original Tao Te Ching, you'd better read a few different translations by Chinese scholars. But if you are looking for a book to learn Tao Te Ching's intent and spirit, I have not found any other English translation smoother than Mitchell's.

to the very heart of the Way. When a person sets up a premise for a creation, in my opinion he may truly only be evaluated on how closely he has come to his mission. I have 4 versions of the Tao te Ching. Mitchell uses his ability to craft a piece of work using the Tao te Ching as his guideline. He makes it clear from the get go what his intentions are. Many have missed the point to criticize the work on the pros and cons of it's translation. The merit of the work is in the effectiveness of bringing a person to the Way in the simplest strokes. His gift is to bring the work alive in a way that touches the emotions as well as the mind. He inspires us because of his ability to reach us and bring us closer to our true nature. In many translations the direct or closest literal translation does not meet the western individual where we can A) understand it and B) assimilate it into our daily lives. His work reaches those places. Perhaps as a literal translation of the original it does not hold up to scrutiny, and those critics can have that one and walk proudly into the sunset saying, "Well I was RIGHT about that one." The Tao is not about being right, it's about who and what we are. The Tao is a spiritual philosophy meant to be integrated into daily life, not a quest for some clinical academic pontification of words and ideas. The Tao is a living breathing way of awareness and conduct and it cannot be contained in even the most brilliant of translations. The very first lines of the first poem tells you that (in anyone's translation). If a piece of art, writing or performance touches you to the core of your being then all criticism is really obsolete. Stephen Mitchell's book is a work of amazing beauty, whatever it lacks in artistry and cultural complexity, and for me it lacks none, it makes up for in it's honest and direct route to the spirit. Anyone would be making a great mistake not to have this "interpolation" in their collection of the Tao te Ching

I could forgive Mitchell for simply comparing translations (apparently never looking at the original text at all!) in this interpretation. I could even forgive what are sometimes gross, totally unjustified alterations of the meaning of words or entire passages. The business of personal interepretations of classics is not new.

But this is *not* a good introduction to Taoism or the Tao Te Ching. What it is is a highly personal, biased, American Zen interpretation of the Tao Te Ching.

As such, it does work in its own way, though I found the notes garbled, unhelpful, and sometimes misleading, and I've seen more poetic translations. But as a good, bias-free introduction to *Taoism*, it's a miserable failure. The reader is *not* being given straight Taoism here. That's especially disturbing because it's the most popular translation in print. For an equally elegant, more accurate (that is, Taoist) rendering, check out Henricks' translation.

I repeat: You may like the poetry, you may like the ideas and the philosophy, but it's impossible to like the Taoism, because it simply isn't there.

I was a bit bothered by Stephen Mitchell's version at first, but after spending more time with it begin to have second thoughts. It's true that he hasn't given us a literal reading of Lao Tzu's text. He's dropped bits here and there, and seems to have sneaked in a few bits of his own. But hey! Surely a guy who has survived fourteen years of Zen torture, erh... training, has earned some rights?

In effect what Mitchell has done is to give us a stripped-down and modernized re-working of the Tao Te Ching. This strategy has led to some very real benefits. Many of the obscurer details, details that even have Chinese scholars scratching their heads, seem to have pretty well gone. Also gone is the wordiness of other translations. What remains is the essence, and it stands out clearly.

Frankly I don't think you'll miss much of Lao Tzu's message of peace, simplicity, patience, compassion, tolerance. No important notion seems to have been lost. And Mitchell's language has a wonderful simplicity and directness. Here's an example chosen at random from Chapter 9, with my slash marks to indicate line breaks:

"Chase after money and security / and your heart will never unclench. / Care about people's approval / and you will be their prisoner."

These are important truths. Two of the many in this text that we do well to keep in mind. And "unclench" -- the grasping heart as a tight clenched fist -- is a very nice touch.

Of course, it isn't exactly what Lao Tzu said. But somehow I don't think Old Master Lao would mind. After all, didn't he suggest we should "welcome both saints and sinners"?