Tao Te Ching

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It is Stephen Mitchell's astute translation of Lao Tsu's teachings, which are bare bones, no frills, few words that dcover the most important things in life. As a result of being a a central figure in Chinese culture, both nobility and common people claim Lao Tzu in their lineage. 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. Mitchell’s meditations and risky reimagining of the original texts are brilliant and liberating, not least because they keep catching us off-guard, opening up the heavens where before we saw a roof.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu | Goodreads Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu | Goodreads

There is recent scholarship that is making the argument that instead of meaning “way” or “path”, which is usually taken to mean how we as people conduct ourselves in accordance with a mysterious spiritual principle, that “tao” actually refers to the Moon and its various phases and paths in space, with particular emphasis on the darkness of the new moon and its significance as potential in darkness. For me, the tragedy of the Great List is that the three that top it serve only to divide the world into believers and nonbelievers: regardless how closely you follow the last seven, if you don’t believe in God you’re not worth a fig. Taking secondary passages by taoist masters in the era following the Tao Te Ching, we get a further glimpse into the "workings" of The Way and each passage is followed by the author's commentary. C.Lau for his fantastic translation of the Tao, which includes a wonderful introduction as well as two very informative appendices. But there are also many places in his text that are inaccurate to the point of misconstruing the core concepts of the belief system.This book trivializes ancient philosophy and religion by forcing them into the mould of the worldview of the world's most entitled population, middle aged white Americans.

Tao Te Ching: Mitchell, Stephen, Tzu, Lao, Mitchell, Stephen Tao Te Ching: Mitchell, Stephen, Tzu, Lao, Mitchell, Stephen

Today I will break my habit of abstaining from rendering a measurable verdict on books considered sacred to say that this one is simply not at all worth reading. Lau later comments further on this in two very interesting appendices titled ‘The Problem of Authorship’ and ‘The Nature of the Work’. Gilgamesh was Editor’s Choice of The New York Times Book Review, was selected as the Book Sense 2004 Highlight for Poetry, was a finalist for the first annual Quill Award in poetry. To those who will not admit morality without a deity to validate it, or spirituality of which man is not the measure, the firmness of Lao Tzu’s morality and the sweetness of his spiritual counsel must seem incomprehensible, or illegitimate, or very troubling indeed”. Regarding Chapter 44, she states: ”The intense, succinct, beautiful language of the first verses of the poem is sometimes followed by a verse or two in a more didactic tone, smaller in scope, and far more prosaic.Had Chuang-tzu believed that there was anything to live up to he would have been too intimidated even to try. Some have wisely recommended memorizing some of the chapters, allowing the enigmas and puzzles to remain with us and perhaps to be solved later on with the help of experiential and contextual diversity. Seven of the 10 Commandments don’t mention God and are sound advice designed to facilitate peaceful community relations: respect your elders, don't kill, don't cheat on your spouse, don't steal, don't tell lies, and don't lust after another's spouse or his belongings. The most widely translated book in world literature after the Bible, Lao-tzu’s "Tao Te Ching," or "Book of the Way," is the classic manual on the art of living.