Chuang Tsu: Inner Chapters (Paperback)

~ Gia-Fu Feng (Author), Chungliang Al Huang (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"(The new photographs added to the 1997 edition of Chuang Tsu) are more skillfully crafted and more sensual. Rippled sand suggeste creased moist skin, Feng's face sleeps glistening among the ferns. Retreating waves caress each other. Twisted branches jut out into the sky. Shrubs grow from dunes like brushy hairs. The images are more dynamic, more engaging than (Jane English's) earlier illustrations." -- Express Books, September 1997

"This present volume is indeed a gift to all lovers of Chuang Tsu and anyone else who would like a taste of this wild, irascible and astonishing sage. the oversize pages, with their calligraphy and Jane English's haunting nature photography, draw us into the work in a relaxed and easy way so that before we know it, we are inside the world of Chuang Tsu." -- The Empty Vessel, Winter 1997

A gift to lovers of Chuang Tsu and anyone else liking a taste of this wild, irrascible and astonishing sage. -- The Empty Vessel, Winter 1997

Product Description

Chuang Tsu/ Inner Chapters is a companion volume to Gia-fu Feng and Jane English's translation of Tao Te Ching, which has enjoyed great success since its publication in 1972, and had a 25th anniversary edition published in 1997.

Very little is known about Chuang Tsu and that little is inextricably woven into legend. It is said that he was a contemporary of Mencius, an official in the Lacquer Garden of Meng in Honan Province around the fourth century B.C. Chuang Tsu was to Lao Tsu as Saint Paul was to Jesus and Plato to Socrates.

While the other philosophers were busying themselves with the practical matters of government and rules of conduct, Chuang Tsu transcended the whang cheng, the illusory dust of the world--thus anticipating Zen Buddhism's emphasis on a state of emptiness or ego transcendence. With humor, imagery and fantasy, he captures the depth of Chinese thinking. The seven "Inner Chapters" presented in this translation are accepted by scholars as being definitely the work of Chuang Tsu. Another twenty-six chapters are of questionable origin; they are interpretations of his teaching and may have been added by later commentators.

This translation of Inner Chapters was originally published in 1974. This new edition, published by Earth Heart in 1997, includes many new photographs by Jane English and an introduction by Tai Ji master Chungliang Al Huang, who has been highly successful in bringing to the West the wisdom of the East.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Earth Heart; Earth Heart edition (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934747164
• ISBN-13: 978-0934747165
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,854,502 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Am I a butterfly dreaming I am a man?, March 3, 2003

By	"ancientskyman" (Miami Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews

While the Tao Te Ching is considered to be the foundation work of Taoism, I find the Chuang Tsu to be much more accessible. At over 2000 years old, this book addresses the human condition in a way that holds meaning even today. It is filled with tales that entertain on the surface while lodging deeply into your consciousness to chip away at your cultural conditioning. Save yourself a trip across the world looking for a guru . . . buy this book instead and take it along for a hike in natural surroundings. When you settle down in a comfortable spot, read the Chuang Tsu and see if it doesn't speak to you.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As needed today as when it was written, August 27, 1998

By	[e-mail] (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

As a reader of the original translation by Gia-Fu Feng since publication in 1974, I can offer that this book is an enlightened, fulfilling and wholly heartening look at the times and spiritualism both Chuang Tsu and we live in. I recommend it highly for those whose spirit looks beyond our contemporary travails and limited perspective.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wise, funny and irreverent philosopher, December 19, 2002

By	Lleu Christopher "www.liminalworlds.com" (Hudson Valley, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chuang Tsu: Inner Chapters (Paperback)

Next to Lao Tsu, who wrote the Tao Teh Ching (at least its attributed to him), Chuang Tsu is probably the best known Taoist. This audiobook is based on the translation of his writings by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English. The narrator, Chungliang Al Huang, is a well known tai chi teacher and contemporary writer on Taoism. Born in China, he speaks with an accent, but his English is easily understood. He prefaces each passage with some of the original Chinese, which gives the listener a certain flavor of the language. At the end of the book, he explains some of the difficulties in translation. Chinese characters, for example, are not simply letters or words but also images, so it's not a simple matter to translate them into other languages. Chuang Tsu was an irreverent and humorous character. He teaches with stories and anecdotes, similar to some Zen stories (Zen was greatly influenced by Taoism). Some of the meanings are quite obscure; it's best to simply read (or listen) and not try to understand everything logically. As Chuang Tsu says, "When there is questioning, there is something beyond the question. Why is this? The sage keeps his wisdom to himself while ordinary men flaunt their knowledge in loud discussion. So I say, `Those who dispute do not see.'" For those who are interested in learning more about Chuang Tsu, I'd recommend getting both the book and this abridged audiotape.