Product Description
Printed throughout in two colors is this new, definitive version of one of the great books of world literature--comparable in its sales and influence to the Bible, the Bhagavad Ghita, and the Koran. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

The more you attempt to "know" it, the less you will
Said to be the defining book of the Taoist philosophy. I'm still wondering how and where exactly to place this work; It's short and talks about the Way, ethics, politics and government, guide to living (actually surviving) and a touch of cosmogony. It advices you to follow the Way and the Way, though difficult to put down in words, is identified by attributes like humility, no-action, stillness, suppleness, contentment and more. There are parts of it one can employ in their lives and there are parts which I find a bit confusing. For example, it talks about returning to one's roots and following one's nature. But towards the beginning it also says the following, "Therefore in governing the people, the sage empties their minds, but fills their bellies, weakens their wills but strengthens their bones. He always keep them innocent of knowledge and free from desire, and ensures that the clever never dare to act"
Perhaps this work is mostly of a political nature and intended for the ruling class of the period? I'm not sure if purely reading the Tao Te Ching in isolation will provide a genuine and deep understanding of the Taoist philosophy.

D.C. Lau's introductory analysis is helpful and comes across as objective. Though Chinese is Greek to me, it appears, based on the footnotes and analysis, the translation is something one can depend on.

Still the best.
This is the classic, and despite some other claims, still the best translation. The scholarship is excellent, the translation poetic.

I got what I wanted out of this
My review will be short (as is the book).I was looking for a quick read giving me a flavor for Taoism, and this is the place to start.I am an non-expert who wanted to get a framework for understanding the big picture of China.The introduction is fine, but the book remains enigmatic to me.My Chinese hosts this week told me it is enigmatic for them too!I know there are enthusiasts for Taoism, but I don't think I will become one, as there are other things (Victorian literature at present) that capture my enthusiasm more quickly.Nevertheless, it is not difficult to get a straightforward appreciation for the framework of this philosophy by investing a couple hours.

I got what I wanted out of this
My review will be short (as is the book).I was looking for a quick read giving me a flavor for Taoism, and this is the place to start.I am an non-expert who wanted to get a framework for understanding the big picture of China.The introduction is fine, but the book remains enigmatic to me.My Chinese hosts this week told me it is enigmatic for them too!I know there are enthusiasts for Taoism, but I don't think I will become one, as there are other things (Victorian literature at present) that capture my enthusiasm more quickly.Nevertheless, it is not difficult to get a straightforward appreciation for the framework of this philosophy by investing a couple hours.

I got what I wanted out of this
My review will be short (as is the book).I was looking for a quick read giving me a flavor for Taoism, and this is the place to start.I am an non-expert who wanted to get a framework for understanding the big picture of China.The introduction is fine, but the book remains enigmatic to me.My Chinese hosts this week told me it is enigmatic for them too!I know there are enthusiasts for Taoism, but I don't think I will become one, as there are other things (Victorian literature at present) that capture my enthusiasm more quickly.Nevertheless, it is not difficult to get a straightforward appreciation for the framework of this philosophy by investing a couple hours. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Sister Namibia, published by Sister Namibia on June 1, 2010. The length of the article is 588 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Dealing with menopause--go with the flow: 'life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Do not resist them'. (Lau Tzu).(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
Author: Yasmin Agnew
Publication: Sister Namibia (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2010
Publisher: Sister Namibia
Volume: 22Issue: 2Page: 11(1)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
A classic of both military strategy and Eastern philosophy from the fourth century BC. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ian Myles Slater on: A Welcome New Edition
So far as I have been able to tell, this volume is a re-designed version of "Sun Pin: The Art of Warfare," by Lau and Ames, originally published in 1996 by Ballantine Books, and, like too many of the "Classics of Ancient China" series, allowed to go out of print.

Besides the change in the title from Wade-Giles to Pinyin transliteration (pronounced the same way), Pinyin has been used throughout (except in citing other works), and the Chinese and English sections have been rearranged to eliminate the enormous amount of blank space in the original edition. This sacrifices convenience of layout (the Chinese text originally faced the translation, with, if necessary, only a few lines on each page) for economy. The index has likewise been revised in arrangement as well as page references. If there have been other modifications, corrections, or additions to the bibliographic references, I have missed them.

There is one major omission: sixteen pages of photographs are missing (except for one, reproduced as a cover illustration). These are useful, but not essential. This was presumably in the interest of economy. Given that the previous edition is becoming more difficult to find, SUNY is to be praised for bringing the book back into print, even if this fact is somewhat obscured, and their version is slightly truncated.

For those not familiar with it already, "Sun Bin" was long thought to be a bibliographic ghost, or even a lost forgery, a supposed long-missing counterpart to the existing "Art of War" of the elder Sun (Sun-tzu). It was one of the texts described in Han Dynasty bibliographies and histories, but not reliably reported as existing for well over a thousand years. The conclusions that it probably hadn't existed, or wasn't authentic if there was such a work, had to be abandoned when substantial fragments of it, and other texts, turned up in 1972, during the excavation of early Han Dynasty tombs.

There have been several other translations into English during the last decade, but the co-authors of this volume make a distinguished combination of an eminent senior Sinologist, with a long career working with the problems of early literary texts (Lau) and a sophisticated modern interpreter of Chinese intellectual history (Ames). As a result, the reader is assured of first-rate technical scholarship, and clearly-expressed explanations.

The emphases, not unexpectedly, are on textual and linguistic problems, and the place of the text in the development of Chinese military and political theory. Of the several other translations of the fragmentary, and in part enigmatic, text which are now available, Ralph D. Sawyer's version, as "Military Methods of The Art of War," may be the most satisfactory alternative, or, better, companion volume. It is somewhat more popular in presentation, but the most important difference is Sawyer's attempt to place the text in the military (and political) history of China, as against the history of Chinese military thought. ... Read more

Product Description
No other work of Chinese literature has attracted as much attention as Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching". It has been translated more often than any other book except the Bible and more commentaries have been written on it than any other Chinese classic. Both philosophical speculation and mystical reflection, the "Tao Te Ching" is about the harmony and flow of life and the necessity for affinity to it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Tao Te Ching Junk
This crappy little book is overpriced and over rated. To make matters worse, the copy that I bought was used. Gigantic ripoff!!!!!

Wilhelm's translation is excellent.
The Tao Te Ching / Dao De Jing is said to be the second most printed, translated, and read book of the ages, surpassed only by the Bible. It is notably a challenging text to understand, even for the professional Sinologist or philosopher. It is not surprising that an ancient text that has been so recurrently translated and exposited, and which is so counterintuitive to most human culture--including the culture in which it was produced, and even to much other philosophy, should have produced quite divergent versions and exegetical opinions. Many translations and expositions travel wide of the mark (just ask anyone with a contrary view!) and this has been the case since distant antiquity. As with the Bible, schooled commentators have been happy to bend their expositions so as to conform the text(s) to their own views. The most popular `translation' of recent years is perhaps the worst (Stephen Mitchell's).

Like many people I've read a few translations of the Tao. The best I've read to date is probably Wilhelm's edition. Wilhelm's German translation is now almost a century old, and an English rendering of his translation was first printed less than thirty years ago. Wilhelm's sinological scholarship and philosophical sensitivity to the Dao and to the mysterious nature of its distant history, as well as his knowledge of other ancient Chinese texts, bring trustworthiness to this translation. His introduction, commentary and notes are excellent.

Insightful
This translation, along with two others (those of Wing-Tsit Chan and Paul Carus), provides the best explanitory introduction of this ancient Chinese classic. Wilhelm's Introduction and Commentary on Lao Tzu's teaching are unique in opening the English reader's eyes to the philosophy in the text that he might otherwise miss out on.It is also a good idea to read a translation based on more a recently discovered Chinese text. Still, here one will find the essential teachings of an ancient philosopher who had a remarkably good grasp of human nature and of the importance of our loving peace and co-operation and self-helpfulness/self-reliance over strife and competition and servile dependence.

Best Translation of this Ancient Text
By far this translation stands out as the absolute best in my eyes. We will never have a "word for word" translation of this old book, and so we are left with comparing one translation with another. I study and practice Zen, and although The Tao Te Ching in a technical sense is not considered a Buddhist work, I would dare say it should be included as a Buddhist Sutra. This translation, for those of us who speak primarily in English, is quite illuminating and very deep.

After having compared Richard Wilhelm's translation with 3 other sources, I've concluded that his is the most alive. I feel that my practice with Zen allows me to see this more clearly, so to me this work is synonymous with Zen Buddhism. I recommend that anyone, of any religious affiliation or philosophical background, grab this book immedietely. I don't think you will at all be disappointed.

Enjoy!:)

Lao Tzu's Dao is higher than GOD!!
Tao Te Ching : The Book of Meaning and Life by Lao Tzu, Richard Wilhelm

A Harvard Professor first introduced Lao Tzu to me in the late sixties. He translated the Tao Te Ching into American from the English. Tim's version of "Psychedelic Prayers," still stands as essential Tao. The Tao many of us will travel forever.

I came across the Ching in a completely different way. I had read the introduction to John Blofeld's translation of Richard Wilhelm's version of the I Ching; not knowing it could me used as an oracle. That night a few mystifying ladies from Yale University campus, took me home and in an incense & candle lit session, showed me how to enter the mysterious consciousness of the Tao.

My concern then as now has been the philosophy of Tao. Book two of Wilhelm's I Ching teaches of the philosophical background of the pattern of change. Everything changes but change has a design.

This probably led to my trading Commodities Futures for a living.

Recently I found this magnificent Wilhelm's Tao Te Ching.

Just as in Book Two, Wilhelm dives right into Lao Tzu's mind with clarity like no one else. "Lao Tzu's Dao is higher than GOD!!" ... Read more

Product Description
The "Lao Tzu", as it is usually called, is the principal classic in the thought of Taoism. Traditionally ascribed to one Lao Tzu, an older contemporary of Confucius, the work is more probably an anthology of wise sayings compiled in about the Fourth Century BC as a treatise both on personal conduct and on government. It is moral rather than mystical in tone, and advances a philosophy of meekness as the surest path of survival. ... Read more