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All in all, a valuable text for anyone looking to expand their spiritual views. The great thing about the text, is that it can be (and has been) re-interpreted in any historic period, and still retain it's unique message.The text is a series of verses offering advice on how to lead a virtuous life in the context of the Tao, advice to a ruler on benevolence, and a guide to becoming a sage.
Due to the poetic dialect used in the text and the use of various plays on words, a particular line can have multiple meanings. In addition, some translators tend to edit out/modify what they feel are mistakes on the part of the original.
Since there are multiple ways to translate the text, the reader should familiarize him/her self with more than one translation. Then again, the text has been re-interpreted many times by various elements of Chinese society, so an originally intended defenition may be somewhat moot in our time.
For this reason, no one single translation is a complete work.Furthermore, this text should be viewed within the context of Taoism's shamanic origins and traditions. To refrain from doing so, would remove the message from it's original context.
Since the meanings are multiple, it can also be interpreted in the context of martial arts (Taiji Quan,) and various other pursuits. A must for any scholar of Taoism.
The Tao Teh Ching is a great source of perennial philosophy. truth that withstands the test of time. I highly recommend it. It is a life changing read for those who are willing to meditate long upon it.
They say this is the best and it is. Very well done.
TAO TEH CHING is ascribed to Lao-Tzu ("The Old Boy"), an approximate contemporary of Confucius, who when asked to summarize his own philosophy, produced this incredible little volume before vanishing into the trackless wastes of central Asia. The mere act of description is a delimitation. Titles in the set include THE BOOK OF TEA, THE ART OF PEACE, ZEN FLESH ZEN BONES, THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD, POEMS BY EMILY DICKINSON, THE ART OF WAR, THE WAY OF THE JEWISH MYSTICS, and this unequalled classic, TAO TEH CHING (roughly translated as "The Book of The Way"). Heavily (though not exclusively) concerned with Buddhist and Taoist thought, Shambhala Pocket Classics are an attractive set of unabridged minibooks which fit comfortably in a shirt pocket, making them perfect for reading on planes, trains, and automobiles. Named for the mythical (). Lao-Tzu's spare, clear and indescribable vision ultimately gave rise to Zen, with which it shares the necessity of direct experience. No one has yet succeeded. Many people have attempted to describe the Tao (pronounced "Dow" or "Taw" depending on the local dialect).
The Tao, like Quantum Physics, must be grasped intuitively. The Old Boy is far less opaque than he is accused of being; it is simply that human language is too limited to concretize the ideas of TAO TEH CHING. and mystical kingdom in the East, Shambhala Publications is known for bringing some of the greatest and sometimes most obscure philosophical writings of Mankind to the attention of the general public. Conceptually linked to flowing water or a candle flame, Tao is the natural order of things (but even that fails to suffice). Long considered by Westerners to be the very essence of Oriental inscrutability, TAO TEH CHING attempts to quantify the immeasurable and speak the ineffable. Literally thousands of translations exist, all different. The Book of the Way had a grand effect on Chinese Confucianism, on Japanese Shinto, and on Indian Buddhism as they spread throughout the Far East. Neither religion nor philosophy, TAO TE CHING is one of the most brilliant and enigmatic writings to come from the mind of man.
Therefore, whereas the Chinese may use 10 words to describe something, English might require 10 times that words to adequately translate the meaning. In fact, different translations sometimes say radically different things about the same passage precisely because of this ambiguity. His actions are like breathing, and almsot imperceptible; thus it is as if he does not act. I've myself pored over it many times in Chinese, Korean and now English, and every time I read it I cannot but be amazed by the wisdom of Lao Tse (or, as some allege, the group of people who contributed to this text).The problem with English, or I suppose any language not associated with Chinese, is that it is almost impossible to translate Tao Teh Ching with sufficient coherency. You can probably read thru it in a couple hours or less.
In ancient times, scholars in China and Korea really did spend a lifetime on this one text, not only sudying, but transcribing it, discussing it, and abiding by its tenets in their daily lives. Tao Teh Ching is not some kind of Buddhist sutra that you can just recite over and over without knowing what it means. Unlike other religious texts, the Tao Teh Ching is barely 5000 letters spread over 81 single-page poetic passages. For example, in the second passage, third stanza, the translated text says, "therefore, the Sage manages his affairs without Ado." What does "without Ado" mean.
Concepts like "Mu Wi" and "Mu Ji" - non-knowledge - abound in Tao Teh Ching. But unless you are versed in ancient Chinese language and tomes, you should really consult the literally thousands of guides that scholars wrote over the years to help you read thru the text. Chinese words are each and all very efficient, in that virtually every single "letter" is replete with meaning. In chinese this is stated in two letters as "Mu Wi" - non-action. In China and Korea many of these guides - some of them more than a thousand years old - still survive.
Tao Teh Ching is a monumental work. These cannot simply be translated away with a couple english words.In short, a Tao Teh Ching ranslation requires pages and pages of footnotes to accurately reflect the rich meaning behind every passage. Moreover, many passages can be read in more than one way. Any serious translation of Tao Teh Ching should point these out.Tao Teh Ching is very concise, and written in a poetic style. Rather, "Mu Wi" means doing things in a very natural, spontaneous way that is not forced, does not create conflict and has no secular motives. I've yet to find an enligsh guide. But for the serious reader, it can take a lifetime of study and contemplation.
But I am sure they exist. It does not mean to sit back and not participate or instigate any activity. As there are no secular motives behind the action, it is as if the Sage does not "act" in the way other poeple act. It is deeply profound and rich with hidden subtexts. PLease find them; refrain from reading the translation by itself, for most times all you will see are a jumble of meaningless words.
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