Accept what is in front of you without wanting the situation to be other than it is. Derek lin is an awardwinning, bestselling author in the tao genre. The first english translation of the tao te ching was produced in 1868 by the scottish protestant missionary john chalmers, entitled the speculations on metaphysics, polity, and. The tao te ching does not refer to god or the eternal word or the lord of heaven and yet this book is littered with that christian filth. Tao te ching book of the way and its power, or manifestation a work of seminal importance to taoism and influential on zen buddhism, this work is elliptical and often mystifying, perhaps the inevitable result of trying to describe in words what the author insists is ineffable, unnameable, and unknowable. Since the tao te ching is believed to be the oldest and most important of the taoist texts. A while back i acquired a copy of the tao te ching and it turned out to not be the best translation. According to holmes welch, it is a famous puzzle which everyone would like to feel he had solved. Now jane english and her longtime editor, toinette lippe, have refreshed and revised the translation, so that it more faithfully reflects the classical chinese in which it was first written, while taking into account changes in our own language and. A profound mystical insight into the nature of things forms the basis for a humane morality and vision of political utopia. You may also want to check out revealing the tao te ching.
You can only compare five translations at the moment. Here is the classic tao work the tao teh king by laotse in the james legge translation. Beginning of the book of the dao way or path of the daodejing tao te ching, classic of the way and virtue. Traditionally attributed to the legendary old master, lao tzu, the tao teh ching. When you try to define taoism, you immediately run into trouble. Tao te ching of lao tzu is so profound its true essence is unable to be captured by any one translation alone. This is not a translation it is a reinterpretation. Unsure, found online awhile back and could not refind, someone linked me to another. Classic book ching about the tao way, nature, patterns, processes and te virtue, potency, power, integrity, wise person, sage concordance.
Tao te ching, the world is a sacred vessel, more easily harmed than improved or controlled. The tao te ching translated into dudeish newly updated and annotated breaking news. Recommend best see description english translation of. A beautiful, eloquent, subtle and profound translation of the tao te ching. Aleister crowleys tao te ching lao tzu, the legendary writer of tao te ching, who rode a water buffalo when leaving the emperors court after growing tired of politics. Christ, the eternal tao is not such a book of religious syncretism. The tao te ching is basically everybodys handy guide to taoism. The classic tao te ching or book of the way and its virtue, attributed to laotzu, sets out the principles for leading this higher life. John minford, using the term lectio sinica, has creatively suggested such an approach as an essential way to read the tao te ching. Built because my favorite tao te ching site disappeared. The prose doesnt flow, and it seems to be worded in such a way to actually be saying the opposite of other translations i have read. Unsure, found online awhile back and could not refind, someone linked me to. Rather, it is deeply specific in exploring both the christian and taoist teachings and traditions, and concludes that they address the same ultimate reality in a way that honors them both. The name, tao teh king, can be translated in a number of ways from the.
As far as im concerned you only need the tao te ching. For nearly two generations, giafu feng and jane englishs bestselling translation of the tao te ching has been the standard for those seeking access to the wisdom of taoist thought. Merel 1992 a composite version based upon several earlier translations of the tao te ching. Big sur, and now directs the stillpoint foundation, a taoist meditation center in colorado.
It doesnt tell us what to do or think, but rather stimulates us to think and reflect. Read it, re read it, read a different translation, compare translations, think about it. Other notable english translations of the tao te ching are those produced by chinese scholars and teachers. It is nothing more than a collection, filled with nuggets of wisdom that the ancient chinese felt. Since the taote ching is believed to be the oldest and most important of the taoist texts. A lucid translation of the wellknown taoist classic by a leading scholarnow in a shambhala pocket library edition. The tao te ching the core taoist scripture invites us to open our mind to the underlying mystery and simplicity we lose sight of in daily life. Following is one translation of the first lines of the tao te ching the taoist holy book. It is nothing more than a collection, filled with nuggets of wisdom that the ancient chinese felt were very effective when applied to life.
This is misrepresentation it should be labeled a a very christian reading of the tao te ching. Mar 25, 2020 tao te ching, or laozi, is a chinese classic text. Actually, the tao te ching is completely unlike the holy books you have studied. Taoist texts, part i sbe 39 lao tzu, chuang tzu, tr. This collection of parables is a logical continuation of the theme started in the book divine parables the parables published in both collections were narrated by the divine masters the holy spirits to help us, embodied people, assimilate the philosophy of god, so that we. Known versions and commentaries date back two millennia, including ancient bamboo, silk, and paper manuscripts discovered in the twentieth century. Thus, the constant void enables one to observe the true essence. The author, who has written many books on japanese psychotherapy, notes in his introduction that this book is not a new translation of the famous taoist treatise but an adaptation in terms of reynolds. Tao teh king is also known as laozi and it is suggested that the book origins from the late 4th century bce. It could be argued that the best people to translate the tao te ching are those who try to embody tao. In order to get the most from the book, the best compromise is to read more than one translations if you are not prepared to learn the archaic chinese.
The earliest known manuscripts of the tao te ching date to the third century b. Within its pages is summed up a complete view of the cosmos and how human beings should respond to it. Also, the translation is careful to use the same english word to represent a given chinese word whenever it appears in the text. The texts true authorship and date of composition or compilation are still debated, although the oldest excavated text dates back. Since being introduced to the tao te ching in high school i have read 56 translations, this one by dennis waller is really the best of the best. A new translation by giafu feng and jane english first vintage books edition, 1972.
Tao te ching chapter one tao the way that can be spoken of is not the constant tao the name that can be named is not a constant name. According to tradition, it was written around 6th century bc by the sage laozi, a recordkeeper at the zhou dynasty court, by whose name the text is known in china. The other taosim texts i have read are far below the standard of the tao te ching in my humble opinion. These eightyone short chapters cover the ways of the way and lay out all the main ideas of one of the worlds most oldschool philosophies. Tao is the way, not your way there are many things that you can learn in tao te ching, and. We are glad to make it a free download for everyone, thanks to special permission from the publisher of tao te ching. Tai chi chuan incorporates the taoist principles expressed in the tao te ching. Tao te ching book of the way and its power, or manifestation a work of seminal importance to taoism and influential on zen buddhism, this work is elliptical and often mystifying, perhaps the inevitable result of trying to describe in words what the author. Tao te ching annotated translation by victor mair reading lao tzu. Dating from around 300bc, tao te ching is the first great classic of the chinese school of philosophy called taoism. As stated earlier, the two most important of these ancient texts are the taote ching and the chuangtzu. On one hand, there are transmitted versions and commentaries that date back two millennia. Indepth commentaries on an ancient classic, by hu xuezhi author, and jesse lee parker editor.
If you are new to taoist thought, start with the question, what is taoist thought. Chen takes a philosophical rather than religious approach to the tao te ching. A profound mystical insight into the nature of things forms the basis for a humane morality and. Its basically a translation of the tao te ching the holy book of the taoists, only it utilizes lines from the big lebowski to transform an ancient and challenging bunch of philosophical poems into the parlance of our times. This collection of parables is a logical continuation of the theme started in the book divine parables the parables published in both collections were narrated by the divine masters the holy spirits to help us, embodied people, assimilate the philosophy of god, so that we can learn to live in accordance with his will for us. The great taoist philosopher and author of the tao te ching, lao tzu, begins his first chapter with the warning words, the tao that can be described is not the eternal tao. Tao te ching, which can be translated from the traditional chinese to the book of the way and its virtue, is an important classic chinese text. The ideas of taoism can be found within a rather short holy book called the tao te ching. The tao te ching is a short text of around 5,000 chinese characters in 81 brief chapters or sections. Nicholas koss, order of saint benedict elegant and poetic, john minfords translation of the tao te ching probably comes the closest of any to the essence of the mystical, ineffable taoist classic.
Now jane english and her longtime editor, toinette lippe, have revised and refreshed the translation so that it more faithfully reflects the classical chinese in which it was first written, taking into account. Tao te ching, english by giafu feng and jane english. He is the author with jerome kirk of tai chi a way of. His background lets him convey eastern teachings to western readers in a way that is clear, simple and authentic. The key book of taoism was compiled around the 3rd century bce. The tao te ching has been translated into western languages over 250 times, mostly to english, german, and french. The tao te ching has a long and complex textual history. Is there a good english translation of the tao te ching. Tao te ching explained my version of the whole book tao te ching translated and explained, chapter by chapter. For nearly two generations, this translation of the tao te ching has been the standard for those seeking access to the wisdom of taoist thought. James legges tao te ching the 19th century scottish sinologist james legge made a translation of the tao te ching in 1891, which is. Written around 600 bce by taoist lao tzu or lao tsu, lauzi, who was a sage and keeper of records at the court of the zhou dynasty. Sep 22, 2017 the tao te ching does not refer to god or the eternal word or the lord of heaven and yet this book is littered with that christian filth. Hu xuezhi is a practitioner and teacher of taoist internal alchemy meditation in china.
Indexing, search terms, topics, themes, keys, subjects. The above are the two opening sentences in tao te ching. This book is a great way to introduce the tao to someone new, to ancient chinese philosophy. The above is the most accurate translation of the ancient classic available anywhere at any price. This short book of around 5,000 chinese characters is divided into 81 brief chapters filled with short, enigmatic paragraphs of advice on life. This book was written in the 6 th century by a certain lao tzu, which mean the old master in chinese. There are many possible translations of the books title. Chinese culture, 2012 for nearly two generations, this translation of the tao te ching has been the main book for those looking for access to the wisdom of taoist thought. He was born in taiwan and grew up with native fluency in both mandarin and english. The new english version that makes good sense, because it is the only book in the market that has pointed out and successfully corrected all t.
Legge, translator sacred books of the east, vol 39 1891 a classic baseline translation for the tao te ching this is in the public domain. Before leaving china, he wrote tao te ching on the request of a guardsman at the chinese border. As stated earlier, the two most important of these ancient texts are the tao te ching and the chuangtzu. This translation is excerpted from volume 39 of the sacred books of the east. This doubtless makes the translation less poetic, but it brings out the rigor of the taoist philosophy. Written more than two thousand years ago, the tao teh ching, or the classic of the way and its virtue, is one of the true classics of the world of spiritual literature. Taoism in a nutshell how to follow the tao, or the way.