Regarding translations; I have 13 versions of the Bible, and each is important and suited to a particular purpose. Having tried many times to completely read through the entire Tao Te Ching using various translations, this particular one seemed very good, in that it gave the sense, meaning, or essence of what the ancient valuable text would want the reader to understand, in today’s modern terms or language. So using this translation, I have easily met my goal to read through the entire Tao Te Ching, and, simultaneously gaining a good understanding of the sense, meaning, and essence of the archaic text.
August Gold, who penned the Introduction to this translation, clearly articulated why this translation is her favorite, and her reasons are quoted below:
“This is ‘the’ translation for anyone truly wanting to understand the Tao Te Ching. Up until recently, this Eastern Text has been translated into English by scholars since the late 1800s. While they use the English lexicon to accomplish their purpose (which was to make a scholarly translation), and while it left the text correct in a literal sense, it deprived the verses of their sheer beauty and poetic power. Thus many of these early translations come across as a bit dusty, old-fashioned, and irrelevant to our lives.
Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself. First the older translation of the first stanza of Verse 5:
‘Heaven and Earth are not humane, And regard the people as straw dogs. The sage is not humane, And regards all things as straw dogs.’ (Translated by Charles Muller, Tōyō Gakuen University)
Now Jonathan Star’s translation:
‘Heaven and Earth have no preference. A man may choose one over another, But to Heaven and Earth all are the same. The high, the low, the great, the small - All are given light, All get a place to rest.’
The first is an accurate translation that might be intellectually correct. Jonathan Star’s translation also adheres closely to the original text, but is far more profound because of its ability to be immediately grasped and applied to your life. Scholarly texts feed the mind and that’s a good thing; but a text that feeds the mind, body and soul, and, not to mention, one which can help us transform our lives today, is infinitely more valuable.
While the early translations are still common fare and have value for the scholar, a recent number of modern translations have emerged that appeal to the spiritual seeker. Those translations (or ‘versions’) - by Stephen Mitchell, Ursula Le Guin, and Brian Browne Walker, just to name a few - all offer something of value, and I’ve admired many of them. However, none of them have done what Jonathan Star has done, which is to marry the scholarly concerns of accuracy with the poetry of someone who has lived the words. He brilliantly balances the two worlds - the academic and the experiential - in a way that I believe no other translator of the Tao Te Ching has done before him. For me (August Gold), this is simply the best translation available, bar none.” - August Gold, ‘Sacred Center New York’.
For all the aforementioned reasons, mine, and August Gold’s (quoted), Jonathan Star’s translation of the Tao Te Ching clearly deserves a full five star rating; and while the 81 parts of the Tao Te Ching may not amount to so many pages as compared to the healthy price for this translation, I had to ask myself prior to purchasing it whether the spiritual benefit gained would far outweigh and therefore justify the comparative high price per page - and I answered, yes.
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Jonathan Star's Translation is THE BEST out there! Look no further!
Jonathan Star's translation is hands down the best version out there. I own a copy of all the other translations I could find, but none of them resonated with me like Star's. It's Beautiful. This tiny book is full of big wisdom. Thank you Jonathan Star for doing such an amazing job.
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Rob Constant
Purchased yet another copy in order to enlighten another seeker for truth
Reviewed in Canada on October 5, 2021
