Customer Reviews

Tao Te Ching

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

i purchased this on a whim, and, if i could i would sell it back for the simple reason that i find Mitchell distorts the essence of the way by trying to define it thereby limiting it. If one reads the Tao te Ching, one learns that "the way that can be named is not the eternal way" to quote another, truer version of the text.

i have several versions of this ancient classic, and this is my least favorite. it diverges too far away from the essentials. It seems to me that Mr. Mitchell got carried away with the sound of his authority. Sort of like the sound of one hand clapping, as it were.

I have only read one other version of the Tao Te Ching. The other was very pretty and well respected. It also made very little sense, was sexist, and had little if anything to do with my life. Stephen Mitchell, after 14 years of Zen training, has brought this amazing and beautiful work into our times. With non-sexist language and beautifully illustrating examples, he shows the modern westerner how to truly comprehend and embrace this wise and simple philosophy. Mitchell sometimes strays from the literal translation, but always for the better, and never without letting the reader know. His notes in the back are amazingly insightful and include the literal translations of the few parts he's changed. I read from this amazing and beautiful book every day.

Stephen Mitchell's translation of the Tao te Ching is a refreshing departure from most literal translations of such works. The fact that he attempts to translate the meaning as opposed to the language of the text is what makes it refreshing as well as suspect. The reader must rely upon Mitchell's spirtual background to have faith that they are reading a book by Lao Tzu as opposed to Stephen Mitchell. This is a good book for a reader seeking an easy to read Tao. More serious readers should consider reading a more standard translation prior to reading this book. Despite this caveat, I found this to be an excellent second book and read it more often that the more literal translation that I also own.

Having spent my youth in Korea; being both Korean and Chinese with a twist of Japanese (Dad was born there and spent his childhood there); and having spent most of my life in America, I've enjoyed and found this translation of the Tao Te Ching to be enlightening.

I've read other translations of the Tao (Dao). Even with my connections to the East, I've found reading other translations to be extremely difficult--they were all too literal. Stephen Mitchell has captured the essence of the Tao allowing the reader to get a broad, general understanding.

I think that this is a great intro to the Tao. Once reading this translation, move on to more literal translations. The problem with the more literal translations that I've found is that some of the analogies, metaphors, and specific Chinese references (ancient and modern) make it all too unapproachable.

I find it amazing that some occidental reviewers were able to attain such a clear grasp of the more literal translations where I could not (not only am I Asian-American, I have a very strong background in philosophy). Maybe the Tao has truly blessed these individuals with a deeper insight, or maybe they're just pretentious poseurs.

If you've never read the Tao, please start with this one. Once having a foundation, consider moving on to a more literal translation. I can clearly state that even though this may not be a direct translation, this is good stuff, and there's nothing in here that will lead your spiritual quest astray.

It is said, "The Tao te Ching is a book you can read in an hour or a lifetime."

Here's a little handy hint for the game of life folks:
"Start with the good, and then seek the better. Seeking instant perfection will only lead you to frustration."

Keep seeking, Seekers.

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.

The soul of Chinese literature is poetry: from oldest "Book of Odes" to TangShu (Tang poetry) to SongZu (Song dynasty poetry) to YungQu (Yung dynasty poetry) . Underneath this glorious landscape were Lao Tzu's (551 B.C.) influences running through gem-like poems by Wang Wei, Li Po, Mon Ho Jung(701-761) and reached the sea of Japanese Haiku poets, Basho, Buson and Issa(1763-1827). It is obviously the prerequisite read for anyone who wants to understand Chinese culture and philosophies of Zen. Lao Tzu's impact goes further beyond that: as the "most widely translated book in world literature, after the bible," TAO TE CHING finds religious and political leaders, business owners and enlightened masters, readers and writers alike worldwide, return to the source of his words and find its use inexhaustible.

In certain times of ancient Chinese history, TAO TE CHING was reserved for emperors and rulers, while commoners were instructed to study Confucius and Mencius. This is because Lao Tzu's spiritual scripture is liberating and best suited for people ready to unlearn what they learned, let go of their egos and emptied their minds from the world of experience for the being of higher innocence. Thus Lao Tzu teaches truth through words of paradox:

All streams flow to the sea
because it is lower than they are.
Humility gives it its power. (66)

In 81 brief chapters that contains a mere 5000 Chinese words, Tao Te Ching "looks at the basic predicament of being alive and gives advice that imparts balance and perspective, a serene and generous spirit (Book cover). Mr. Mitchell interprets Lao Tzu, the erudite librarian and eminent scholar in his own time correctly when he writes, "it's clear from his teachings that he deeply cared about society, if society means the welfare of one's fellow human beings; his book is, among other things, a treatise on the art of government, whether of a country or of a child." The reactions upon reading Lao Tzu's words range from "babbling" to "lofty" but actually his teaching couldn't be easier:

I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures. (67)

TAO TE CHING in its original Chinese text is referred to as "one of the wonders of the world". Every word written by Lao Tzu is a microcosmic image of macrocosmic world, complete with sound, tone, shape, rhythm symmetry and metaphoric resonance. It is the Chinese written characters that makes TAO TE CHING (and Chinese Poetry) an Art of art's kind. Through translation, it is all lost. What can be saved is the philosophical wisdom of Lao Tzu and Mr. Stephen Mitchell, through his own genius had masterfully rendered Tao Te Ching into English poetry with brilliance. It takes a poet and a scholar to translate another. If Lao Tzu is the most-read Chinese philosopher in the West today, we have Mr. Mitchell's New English Version to thank for. While Mr. Mitchell's translation is the best place to start, other works such as Dr. Wu's translation that has original Chinese text in it are also recommended. They are puzzle pieces for a better glimpse of the continent of the Way. But as proverb goes, "don't look at the hand that points to the moon. Look at the moon." Ultimately, we should all be looking at the truth that Lao Tzu is pointing to within us, be it English or Chinese.
(This text refers to the Hardcover edition.)

Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Asian Institute Translations, No 1)

I will be the first to admit that I am not a student of the Tao. My first exposure to it was when a friend gave me this book during a particularly difficult time in my marriage. I found it's simplicity of presentation and firm stance on principles refreshingly graspable. Unlike most self-help books, it does not preach or give advice, it's just there. If you choose to emulate "the master" that is your business. What makes this book so user-friendly is that it speaks in generalities that can be bent or interpreted to fit one's needs. I have heavily underlined and highlighted certain passages that I found applicable to my situation. I like to keep the book handy for periodic review (in the bathroom, if you must know), and I notice that when a few weeks has elapsed since my last reading, the marked lines speak to me anew. One passage in particular that has become my mantra during this very trying time is "Empty your mind of all thought. Let your heart be at peace."

An excellent read - wonderfully concise, pure and 'simplistic'. Great interpretations of the ancient sayings, wonderfully written. A great daily meditation guide.

Tao Te Ching: A New English Version I admire the translations of poetry by Stephen Mitchell, particularly his work with the poetry of Rilke, but I do find this translation just a little trendy and he is not an expert on the Tao -- it is cool these days to switch "he" and "she" but it does not guarantee a incisive reading of the work at hand. For a fine translation, and for a history and development of the Tao philosophy, and for explanations (Commentary and Footnotes) of major ideas as they arise and are developed, and debates about the meaning of the Chinese, look for something more profound, such as Wing-Tsit Chan's translation, "The Way of the Tao" by Lao Tzu. Way of Lao Tzu, TheAnd for an excellent examination of the meaning of Tao and how we live within it, check out "Tao: The Watercourse Way" by Alan Watts, who was/is a master of explaining Eastern thought to the Western mind.Tao: The Watercourse Way Both Chan and Watts will lead you on to Chuang-Tzu and a deepening understanding of Tao.

This book was a gift from a great friend of mine about fifteen years ago. I still read it from time to time because it gives me a different message each time I read it. These passages touch our hearts in different ways depending on where we are in my life. I cherish this book just like I cherish the friendship I have with the great person who gave this to me. This same friend also gave me a different book a while ago called "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. I really really love it too! This book is more concrete in its explanations but the central message is the same. Appreciate the life you are given. Love, care for, and respect everyone and everything around you. The most respectful person is the person who can keep his or her heart open no matter what happens. Enjoy the wonders of life!