The Way of Life, According to Laotzu [Paperback]

Witter Bynner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 21, 1986

In an expanded format, enhanced with new calligraphy, is a timely and welcomereissue of the classic of Eastern philosophy and religious thought that sold over 200,000 copies in its previous edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade (November 21, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399512985
• ISBN-13: 978-0399512988
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best for Daily Use, May 26, 2004

By 

M. Waldman (Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Way of Life, According to Laotzu (Paperback)

While perhaps not the most scholarly accurate translation, this is far and away (IMHO) the best for daily reading and meditation. Bynner's foreward notes that the Chinese sparkles with rhythm and rhyme -- not a surprise, since most people could not read at the time and had to remember things verbatim. Language has power because of rhyme and rhythm as well as the meaning of the words, and thus Bynner's translation is the best one to have in your pocket at the beach, sitting on the porch with a beer or glass of wine, or reading to (or with) someone you love. I have spent 30 years repeating "Let life ripen and then fall, force is not the way at all, deny the way of life and you are dead." I have and sometimes read other versions (Chinese cannot really be translated to English), but this is the one I read for pleasure.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Heart of the Tao, May 11, 2000

By 

John Snyder - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way of Life, According to Laotzu (Paperback)

I own about a half-dozen versions of the Tao Te Ching, ranging from the scholarly to the poetic, and Bynner's version strikes me as head and shoulders above the rest.

"He who knows does not say, and he who says does not know." Bynner avoids the lecture trap and captures the spirit of the original in a gentle way that speaks subtly to the reader and lingers in the heart.

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to live by, September 2, 2002

By 

Tim O'Reilly (Sebastopol, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Way of Life, According to Laotzu (Paperback)

If I had only one book to read and re-read, this would be it. Far and away my favorite translation of the book that is part of my blood and bone. I've memorized much of it, and have read it aloud onto CD as a gift for my friends. A treasure. "Let life ripen and then fall. Force is not the way at all."