Lao Tzu : Tao Te Ching : A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way

Translation:

翻译/5分，手稿/4分，按照我目前的想法。简·英格利希的摄影和贾富峰的书法也很华丽。

一本改变人生、感人至深的读物。我有偏见，因为我首先接触到了印度教和佛教，在这种背景下，我发现道教缓解了它们的一些关键摩擦。在我目前看来，印度教的法、佛教的法和道教分别是辩证法中的正题、反题和合题。鉴于绝大多数佛教文献都围绕其作为一种弃绝神学的根源，它为将其中道阐述为普通人的神学提供的空间非常小。这就是我认为道教适合的地方。道教是佛教的中道，理应得到应有的重视。

同样，在这个立场上，我认为道教弥合了佛教去中心化的无我模式与印度教以自我为中心的模式、禅修瑜伽与业瑜伽、佛教的弃绝观察与《薄伽梵歌》中积极的纯粹行动之间的差距。当你停止尝试时，自然之道就会赋予你活力——对一个人来说，这可能是一种坚定的内在探索方式，对另一个人来说，这可能是一种与世界接触的方式。当你剥夺了自我所有强制的催化努力时，它就处于一种自然的、毫不费力的运动状态，从而沿着其轮子天生适合的道的轨迹前行。对一些人来说，这会导致自我走向消解，对另一些人来说，则是肯定。就像鸟儿飞翔、鱼儿游泳的原因一样。

不过，我可能有些随意，因为有些经文似乎支持更印度教的肯定自我的观点。但话说回来，这正是你从一个更具哲学可及性的佛教版本、从中道所期望看到的。正如一位教授曾经告诉我的，没有什么比拥抱佛教教义本身的可塑性更具佛教特色了。

我还必须考虑这份手稿内容中那些对我来说不那么个人化的方面。《道德经》在承认领导者是一个单独的群体时，将自己编码为一本实践之书。然而，它似乎自相矛盾地将他们的精神气质与其他人的视为相同。它期望那些绝对有能力影响许多人生活的领导者遵循与他们的臣民相同的规定，而臣民的行为后果并不那么严重。说在道中所有人都是平等的是高尚的，但当说王子应该与乞丐遵循相同的道德标准时，你就失去了有效实践的主张。他们每个人都有不同的道德现实。

我意识到这里有一定程度的细微差别，可能需要我更多的时间来欣赏。这本书承认战争的存在是领导者必须参与的事情，而不是禁止它。所以很有可能我误解了它对实践的看法，这可能会随着进一步的研究而消除。

目前，我的评分反映了某些经文对我的偏见的深刻影响。随意指责我挑挑拣拣吧。

Manuscript:

Translation, 5 out of 5. Manuscript, 4 out of 5, according to my current thinking. The photography of Jane English and the calligraphy of Gia Fu Feng are also gorgeous.

A life-changing and moving read. I come in with a bias as I have encountered Hinduism and Buddhism first. In this context, I find that the Tao alleviates some of their key frictions. As I currently see it, Hindu dharma, Buddhist dharma, and the Tao are respectively a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis within a dialectic. Given that the vast majority of Buddhist literature is oriented around its roots as a theology of renunciation, it offers very little bandwidth for articulating its own Middle Path as a theology for everyday people. This is where I see the Tao fitting in. The Tao is Buddhism's Middle Path, properly given its due accord.

Likewise, in this position, I see the Tao as bridging Buddhism's model of decentralized non-self with Hinduism's model of a centered self, of dhyana yoga with karma yoga, of the renounced observation of Buddhism with the engaged pure action of the Gita. When you stop trying, nature's way comes to animate you. For one, it might be a way of committed internal inquiry; for another, it might be a way of engagement with the world. When you strip the self of all its forced catalytic efforts, it is left in a state of natural effortless motion whereby it travels the treads of the Tao that its wheels fit innately into. For some, that leads the self toward dissolution; for others, affirmation. For the same reason a bird flies and a fish swims.

I might be taking liberties, though, because there are some verses that seem to espouse the more Hindu ideas that affirm the self. But then again, that's what you'd expect to see from a more philosophically accessible version of Buddhism, from a Middle Path. And as a professor once told me, there are few things more Buddhist than embracing the malleability of Buddhist doctrine itself.

I also have to consider the aspects of this manuscript's content that didn't speak so personally to me. The Tao Te Ching codes itself as a book of praxis when it acknowledges leaders as a separate population. However, it paradoxically appears to treat their ethos the same as anyone else's. It expects leaders, who categorically have the power to influence many lives, to follow the same prescriptions as their subjects, whose actions are not as consequential. It's noble to say all are equal in the Tao, but you lose claim to effective praxis when saying that a prince should be held to the same ethical standards as a pauper. Each one has different ethical realities available to them.

I'm aware that there's some degree of nuance here that might take me more time to appreciate as well. This book acknowledges the existence of war as something leaders must engage in, instead of forbidding it. So there's a high likelihood I'm misunderstanding its take on praxis, which might be dispelled with further study.

For now, my score reflects certain verses' profound impacts on my biases. Feel free to accuse me of cherry-picking.

I'm not a huge fan of poetry. However, I've decided to add it to my reading diet as a means of stepping outside my comfortable frame and uncovering other perspectives of the world. This is something I find more comfortable when reading multicultural fiction.

Lao Tzu's poetry, as translated by Ursula LeGuin, is simple yet profound. I envision a swiftly sketched but incisive line of characters adorning Lao Tzu's parchment. These poems, despite their simplicity and brevity, are challenging and yield benefits from rereads. In fact, this is my fourth reread. Lao Tzu describes The Way as both itself and its opposite, like yin and yang.

LeGuin did two significant things in her translation. Firstly, she brought the poetry back to the English translations of the Tao Te Ching. She aimed to capture the terse, strange beauty of the original poetry. Most translations had focused on the meanings but lost the beauty in the process. In poetry, beauty is not just an ornament; it is the essence, the truth. Secondly, LeGuin provided commentary on the metaphors in Lao Tzu's poetry and her interpretations of them. This was extremely helpful as many of his metaphors are unfamiliar to a Western reader like me.

LeGuin did not speak or read Chinese. Instead, she created this translation by reading previous translations and collaborating with scholars of the Tao Te Ching. Her description of the translation process has expanded my understanding of translations and how to understand others. It has made me realize that understanding others well is a lifelong endeavor.

I only remember one Christmas present from my father alone: a book of LeGuin's essays, which he gave me almost 40 years ago. I cherished that book. I had previously enjoyed her science fiction and fantasy. Sadly, I've misplaced that book, but it had a profound impact on me. It changed my perceptions of LeGuin and opened my eyes to different ways of seeing writing, writers, and people. We should be cautious about assuming we know the whole story just because someone writes or behaves one way in one context.

Rest in peace, Ms. LeGuin. You will be deeply missed. This review was edited and updated from my 2017 version.

I had actually forgotten that I had this translation of Lao Tzu's classic work on my shelf, serviceable as it is. Since this is the only one I could find to review, I'll talk about the text here.

When I was a young teen, I was given a less scholarly and more poetic version of the Tao Te Ching entitled The Way of Life by Witter Bynner. It was truly mind-blowing. The worldview presented was so profound and radically different from what I had been exposed to up to that point. It immediately caught my fancy, and I quickly embarked on a long Taoist phase. This led me to explore numerous translations and complimentary texts.

For anyone interested in a similar journey, I'll list some of them below to get you started. First, there's The Way and its Power, A Study of the Tao Te Ching and its place in Chinese Thought by Waley, which is quite scholarly. Then there's Te-Tao Ching by Henricks, from the Ma-wang-tui texts, also a scholarly work. The Way of Lao Tzu by Wing-Tsit Chan offers a good commentary on each section.

Other notable works include Chuang Tzu, Basic Writings by Watson, Wen-Tzu, Understanding the Mysteries by Cleary (he's really good), Awakening to the Tao by Liu I-Ming (again by Cleary), and Wandering on the Way by Mair, which is another Chuang Tzu text.

Happy reading, to all you uncarved blocks!

Believed to be written in the 6th century B.C. by Lao Tsu, this Chinese classic, the Tao Te Ching, has been translated more often than any book except the Bible. The 81 verses offer profound insights into being human, challenging and inviting us to explore our inner selves, beliefs, and live more fully. Whether Lao Tsu was real or not, he is highly revered as a Taoist spiritual leader.

Interestingly, the word “Tao” is difficult to translate precisely. Typically, it is referred to as “Path” or “Way,” encompassing aspects such as how things are, how humanity develops, our essence, and how to be guided in the creation of the ten thousand things or the universe. “Te” is the “Virtue,” not in the moral sense but rather as a movement, quality, or human action that allows power to flow through. “Ching” means “Book.” The introduction further elaborates on the difficulty of analyzing the Tao Te Ching, emphasizing that it needs to be experienced in the moment and requires opening oneself to achieve the highest energy and the movements to and from the source. It involves inaction, the clearing of the mind, insight, and a “natural” state of mind. One arrives at nothing to obtain everything. It acknowledges both the female and male forces within oneself, signifying the union of the universe and the individual becoming one.

It all sounds very convoluted and paradoxical. The reading was intense, demanding my utmost attention, focus, and multiple rereads to attempt to grasp and understand the material. It is simple yet complex and contradictory. I realized that I am just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of how unenlightened I am in this philosophy. I am grateful for the exposure and share some of the following excerpts:

From Verse One: “Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil. Therefore having and not having arise together. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short contrast each other. High and low rest upon each other. Voice and sound harmonize each other. Front and back follow one another.”

From Verse Eight: “In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be true. In ruling, be just. In daily life, be competent. In action, be aware of the time and the season. No fight: No blame.”

From Verse 30: “Achieve results, But never glory in them. Achieve results, But never boast. Achieve results, But never be proud. Achieve results, Because this is the natural way. Achieve results, But not through violence.”

From Verse 64: “Deal with it before it happens. Set things in order before there is confusion.”

From Verse 71: “Knowing ignorance is strength. Ignoring knowledge is sickness.”

“A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.” This profound quote sets the tone for the exploration of a remarkable book that I have owned for years. Only now, I have found the inclination to take a closer look. The book is very slim, which allows for a quick read. However, like all poetry, it requires time to be properly digested and understood. Lao Tzu, the author, seems to have a penchant for "twisting" words, transforming nouns into verbs and vice versa. This unique style reminded me of two of my favorite poets, Emily Dickinson and William Blake. Their works, though quite different, share a certain charm. It's truly mind-blowing to consider the similarities and differences between them, especially when you take into account the fact that their works date back to different eras. Some of the poems in this book spoke to me more deeply than others. There were those that I wholeheartedly agreed with, while others left me with a different perspective. Nevertheless, I can definitely envision myself re-reading this volume every few years to see if my perception evolves with time.

To be fair, I was initially in search of a book on zen koans. However, upon stumbling upon a version of Tao Te Ching by Ursula K. Le Guin, I simply couldn't resist.

It offers a charming interpretation and commentary of this great classical text. Arguably, it is as good as any other version of the work, which is both obscure and sharp, highly theoretical and yet so obviously pragmatic.

If you're new to taoism, this is a great place to start. But it might be even more deeply appreciated by those who already have some understanding of the Way.

Besides being incredibly poetic, the book also references and provides examples of other translations and offers tips for future reading. It truly enriches the reading experience and invites further exploration of this profound philosophical and spiritual text.

Overall, Ursula K. Le Guin's version of Tao Te Ching is a gem that combines the beauty of language with the depth of wisdom.

Two thousand five hundred years ago, a book was written. It was waiting for a certain number of stars. I would give it in the courtyard.

This ancient book holds a mystery that has intrigued people for centuries. What could be the significance of the number of stars it awaits? Was it a prophecy, a code, or something else entirely?

Perhaps the author had a vision of a future event that would be signified by the appearance of those stars. Or maybe it was a way to communicate with a higher power or a hidden knowledge.

As time passes, the book remains a source of fascination and speculation. People continue to wonder about its true meaning and purpose. Will the day ever come when the stars align and the mystery is finally solved?

**Filosofía de vida!**

Philosophy of life is a profound and fascinating subject. It delves into the fundamental questions of human existence, such as the meaning of life, our purpose here on earth, and how we should live.

Different people have different philosophies of life, which are often shaped by their personal experiences, beliefs, values, and cultural backgrounds. Some may believe in living a life of happiness and pleasure, while others may strive for success and achievement.

A philosophy of life can also provide us with a framework for making decisions, dealing with challenges, and finding inner peace and fulfillment. It helps us to understand ourselves and the world around us better, and to navigate through the various stages of life with grace and wisdom.

Whether we are aware of it or not, we all have a philosophy of life, and it is up to us to continuously explore and refine it as we grow and evolve.