Reading the tao te ching the spiritual naturalist society. Laozi was a sage a wise man and he was a recordkeeper. Many scholars have attempted to translate the work. However, once you can interpret them youll find that it is actually a very practical philosophy book that dispenses timeless wisdom about leadership qualities and interpersonal relationships.
By the way, my friend emma clarke recorded a free spoken word version, which i encourage you to listen to. It was written around the 6 th century bc by the sage lao tzu. The essence of taoism is contained in the eightyone chapters of the book roughly 5000 words which have for 2500 years provided one of the major underlying influences in chinese thought and culture, emerging also in proverbs and folklore. What is the best english translation of the tao te ching. I have just learned that this may not be the best version to be reading from. The book of the way and how it manifests itself in the world. It could be argued that the best people to translate the tao te ching are those who try to embody tao. The tao te ching is one of the worlds most revered sources of spiritual wisdom. The tao te ching is a book that cannot be read directly. The constant being enables one to see the outward manifestations. 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.
Its clear from his teachings that he deeply cared about society, if society means the welfare of ones fellow human beings. The taote ching by laotzu translated by james legge. It must be said of the existing english translations, that most treat the tao te ching as a literary or poetic work, whilst many others treat it as a work of mysticism, rather than a work of classical scholarship, which i believe it to be. And burton watsons lucid and beautiful translation has been loved by generations of readers. Daodejing en espanol, tao te ching in spanish, spanish. An illustrated journey new ed by stephen mitchell isbn. I looked around and realise the best version is a free pdf i found done by lok san ho in hong kong because it harnassed the fact that most hong kong chinese are brought up bilingual with english and classical chinese cantonese as our mother tongues. It does not talk about gods, revelations, and miracles, but about harmonizing with the flow of nature. The texts true authorship and date of composition or compilation are still debated, although the oldest excavated text dates back.
A new translation by giafu feng and jane english first vintage books edition, 1972. Lionel giles translation of the book, titled the sayings of lao tzu, is one of the most clear english translations in the world. 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. Books similar to tao te ching goodreads share book. 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 gia fu feng and jane english translation, one of the very best english translations of the tao te ching, as uplifting as a first flush single estate darjeeling, should be read slowly one page per day in the early morning allow it to sink in then meditate. Thus, the tao te ching can be translated as the classic of the ways virtues, the book of the tao and its virtue. The tao teh king, or the tao and its characteristics by laozi free ebook project gutenberg.
The ancient work written 2500 years ago by the sage lao tzu is so popular it has become the most translated work in the world after bible. For the individual seeker interested in exploring tao, this work will speak sincerely to the heart and mind. The texts authorship, date of composition and date of compilation are debated. A while back i acquired a copy of the tao te ching and it turned out to not be the best translation. In english, tao te ching, pronounced approximately dow deh jeeng, is sometimes referred to as the book of the way. 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.
The tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging. Stephen mitchell attended amherst, the university of paris, and yale. The tao te ching is fundamental to the taoist school of chinese philosophy and strongly influenced other. The chinese title is so famous, however, and the words tao and te so untranslatable, that we usually call even english versions by the. The twopart program contains an unabridged reading of the text o. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. No information on what english translation this spanish version of the tao te ching is based, or if it was translated from the chinese into spanish. The tao teh king, or the tao and its characteristics by. The short text consists of 81 brief chapters, or verses. He is still considered the best interpreter of the tao te ching. The tao te ching is a short text of around 5,000 chinese characters in 81 brief chapters or sections. The enduring wisdom of the tao te ching can become a companion for your own spiritual journey. The internet classics archive the taote ching by laotzu.
If i was going to be stranded on a desert island for the rest of my life and could only take one book with me, im not 100% certain which one id pick. Now the tao te ching has been rendered into english by the eminent scholar and traslator stephen mitchell. Stephen mitchell presents it in a free translation, with endnotes that offer literal translations. Unsure, found online awhile back and could not refind, someone linked me to another. Buy tao te ching book online at low prices in india. In eightyone brief chapters, the tao te ching looks at the basic predicament of being alive and gives advice that imparts balance and perspective, a serene and generous spirit. Known versions and commentaries date back two millennia, including ancient bamboo, silk, and paper manuscripts discovered in the twentieth century. The tao te ching by laotzu is a classic work of chinese philosophy that talks about the art of living, embracing an inscrutable, eternal way tao. He studied at amherst, the university of paris and yale. Buy tao te ching by tzu, lao, mitchell, stephen isbn. Recommend best see description english translation of.
Thus, the constant void enables one to observe the true essence. Tao te ching italian edition and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. Yet the gemlike lucidity of the original has eluded most previous translations, and they have obscured some of its central ideas. The taote ching has been divided into the following sections.
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. Tao te ching daode jing english versions terebess asia. The most widely translated work in world literature after the bible, tao te ching or the book of the way is the. The basic writings of chuang tzu have been savored by chinese readers for over two thousand years. Tao te ching can be translated as the book of the immanence of the way or the book of the way and of how it manifests itself in the world or, simply, the book of the way. About the tao te ching the tao te ching was written in china roughly 2,500 years ago at about the same time when buddha expounded the dharma in india and pythagoras taught in greece. His many books include the book of job, tao te ching, parables and. 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. Lao tzus disciple who lived some two hundred years after him and wrote numerous treatsis on the tao.
The tao te ching is basically everybodys handy guide to taoism. The tao te ching has a long and complex textual history. The tao te ching is one of the most influential and profound chinese texts in the world. Written by laotzu choose your translation from the dropdown menu. The tao te ching is probably the most influential chinese book of all times. It is easy to read and has a good introduction as well. It can be read from the first to the last chapter as a typical book but it is ot necessary to do so. I am a relative newcomer to taoism, and i would like to know which version of the tao te ching is the best version to try to absorb and interpret. People believe the book was written around 600 bc it is an important text to chinese culture. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Built because my favorite tao te ching site disappeared. The title is often translated into english as the book of the way. Daode jing the daode jing is a short book of about 5,000 chinese characters. Tao te ching, english by giafu feng and jane english.
Every day we issue a verse of the day for contemplation, in two leading english translations, that nevertheless differ substantially, and since december 8 th 20, we have a radically different third translation. Its 81 chapters have been translated into english more times than any other chinese. A new english version version is the key word the author chooses to translate when the tao is absent in a country, war horses are bred on the borders to when a country goes counter to the tao, warheads are stockpiled outside the cities. The only thing lacking here are linguistic footnotes. Stephen mitchell was born in brooklyn, new york, in 1943. I have only encountered a few versions, and i have a copy of stephen mitchells version. Unfortunately, i have little experience reading books indirectly, so i found this a difficult book to read, end even more difficult to discern what was being said by the author. I strongly advocate reading many versions, and if you really like what you read you should consider picking at the chinese of which there are several different original versions. The tao te ching is the most widely traslated book in world literature, after the bible. Feng and english have done a good job of making the tao te ching accessible to the average reader. The title can mean the book of the way and its virtue. The taoteching, the ancient taoist text written by philospher laotzu in the sixth century b. I was asked by someone from my goodread networks for the best translation of tao te ching book he could buy. It is the main book for taoism, which is both a philosophy and part of chinese folk religion.
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. Laotzus tao te ching, or book of the way, is the classic manual on the art of living, and one of the wonders of the world. This beautiful edition contains chinese characters alongside the english text and is illustrated with black and white drawings. Totally magnificent, could even be the only spiritual book you need. Listen help info is the chinese name of a book by a man named laozi or lao tzu, which literally means old master. This program presents the bestloved and most authoritative modern english translation by giafu feng and jane english of this ancient chinese classic. The tao te ching is the most popular book outside the bible, with over 100 translations into english alone.
Tao te ching simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. In practicing the tao te ching, solala towler offers a thoughtful and practical guide to the practice of taoism. Friedrich nietzsches beyond good and evil is translated from the german by r. Tao te ching, the book of the way by lao tzu audiobook lvr duration. Getting right with tao features the latest revisions to ron hogans original take on the 81 chapters of the tao te ching, with a new foreword and afterword. Stephen mitchells translation of lao tzus tao te ching the book of the way. What is the best edition of tao te ching by lao tzu. Choosing the right translation for tao te ching is indeed a challenge for many people.
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