[.ca] Lao-Tzu: Te-Tao Ching (ISBN 0345370996)

The path to contentment:
The Te Tao Ching, or The Book of the Way and its Power, written around 500 B.C., is traditionally attributed to a man named Li Erh. Because of his wisdom, he is given the title "Lao Tzu", which means "old Master". Many historians believe, however, that it better represents the ancient Chinese thought of around 300 B.C., directly following and reacting to the Era of the Warring States. In any case, the book is a collection of teachings on the correct method of living with virtue and the following the Way, the path to contentment. The Lao Tzu communicates his ideals to us through a variety of means, telling us how, in his mind, we are to achieve a virtuous and content life. Lao Tzu uses the phrase "uncarved wood" to represent the way the common people should be. This is particularly effective because when we read it, we get a vivid, clean, natural image. The uncarved wood is unaltered by man. It is, according to Lao Tzu, "genuine and simple" (26), and this is how people should exist. So, "in the government of the Sage: He empties \othe people's\c minds, and fills their bellies. Weakens their ambition, and strengthens their bones" (55). By keeping the people fed, healthy, and without knowledge, the people become happy, simple, and contented. He "causes the people to be constantly without knowledge and without desires... Then there is nothing that will not be in order" (55). According to Lao Tzu, when you "throw away knowledge,... the people will benefit a hundredfold" (71). Knowledge seems to be unnecessary for true contentment. In fact, it seems to hinder it. When people have knowledge, they become ambitious. When the people are ambitious, they will not be content in their lives. The ideal people will have weapons but have no need of them and means to travel but no desire to leave their villages. "They will relish their food, regard their clothing as beautiful, delight in their customs, and feel safe and secure in their homes. (36)" They will be content to live out their long, healthy lives, having no desire to change their conditions. The Lao Tzu also adds onto this by the principle of "wu-wei", which literally interpreted means "without taking any action" (xxi). When this is taken in context, though, the principle can be better understood as "does nothing, and yet there is nothing left undone" (xxi). There are several examples in the book of things that follow the principle, to "act without acting". The Sage "takes actions but does not possess them; accomplishes his tasks but does not dwell on them" (48). According to Erh, the Sage follows the Way not by actually doing nothing, but he simply does not do anything that is not genuine or sincere. The Way for men is like the Way of Heaven: "to benefit and not cause any harm; ...to act on behalf of others and not to compete with them" (37). He does not act to gain glory from the world or put on a show for others. He does not "make a display of his worthiness" (48). The Sage who follows the way lives simply, giving whatever others need and not taking credit for it. Lao Tzu uses another interesting metaphor to emphasize the principle of wu-wei and the minimalist ideals of Taoism in chapter 11of the second section. Here, he speaks of the power and usefulness of nothing. He states, "We fire clay and make vessels; it is precisely where there's no substance, that we find the usefulness of clay pots" (63). So, the useful part of the pot is the hole in the middle, where there is no clay. Likewise, in our lives, it is best when we can do nothing, but leave nothing undone. The metaphor of the hole in the pot also expresses the fact that too many possessions can lead to unhappiness. The book tells us, "When hollowed out, you'll be full... When you have little, you'll attain much; With much, you'll be confused" (75). Therefore, according to Lao Tzu, it is best to live as simply as possible with only as much as we need. We must not act to gain anything. We may act to benefit others, but we must not seek any reward. When our goals are to obtain material wealth, or power, or indeed anything, we cannot be content, because: Of crimes-none is greater than having things one desires; Of disasters-none is greater than not knowing when one has enough. Of defects-none brings more sorrow than the desire to attain. The book contains a wealth of understanding in many areas. Many of the philosophies and ideals are intriguing, and the whole beauty of the work is amplified by the masterful use of paradox and other communication techniques. And if nothing else, you will find a few good quotes. Overall, Taoist or otherwise, if you are interested in culture, philosophy, or ancient China, the Te-Tao Ching may be well worth your time.

hard for us guys . . .:
i laugh as i read through the other reviews: the problem is not the powerfulness of the text but the western mind's inability to comprehend and give credit to something that does not show signs of being dictated by linear, progresssive, deductive logic. yes, it is a great text--esp. when confronting the messy ironies of existence--but the language is oftentimes too ambigous for us--the reason most of us stop to read this is for philosophic purposes and haven't the time to weave through the web of ambiguity when we were taught to allude ambiguity at all costs when outlining one's thoughts(philosophy).

Whatever works best for you:
There are hundreds of translations of the TTC available in English. I found this one to be a little lifeless. I was surprised to find that the premise of calling the book the Te Tao Ching, rather than the Tao Te Ching was that the translator thought the two halves of the book would have been put in a basket one on top of each other, in reverse order. I do not know why it is important to reorder the work, for me it has always made sense in the traditional order, i.e. first to understand what the Tao is, and then how it is applied (in the 'Te' section). Reversing this seems unproductive. If you would like to read a translation that is perhaps a little more poetic and which contains a more intelligible sense of the living ideas, then you could try the translation by Jane English. The ideas in the TTC are hard to describe, because they are fundamental and help us understand the workings of everything: anything from the course a trickling rivulet of water takes down a pane of glass, to how to govern a state of millions of people. I think the Jane English translation communicates these ideas effectivly. In fact, it is best to read more than one translation: it is always helpful for interpretation to listen to the same idea as expressed by more than one person. This edition reproduces the entire Chinese text, which will clearly be of use to many people who are studying the original.

The path to contentment:
The Te Tao Ching, or The Book of the Way and its Power, written around 500 B.C., is traditionally attributed to a man named Li Erh. Because of his wisdom, he is given the title "Lao Tzu", which means "old Master". Many historians believe, however, that it better represents the ancient Chinese thought of around 300 B.C., directly following and reacting to the Era of the Warring States. In any case, the book is a collection of teachings on the correct method of living with virtue and the following the Way, the path to contentment. The Lao Tzu communicates his ideals to us through a variety of means, telling us how, in his mind, we are to achieve a virtuous and content life. Lao Tzu uses the phrase "uncarved wood" to represent the way the common people should be. This is particularly effective because when we read it, we get a vivid, clean, natural image. The uncarved wood is unaltered by man. It is, according to Lao Tzu, "genuine and simple" (26), and this is how people should exist. So, "in the government of the Sage: He empties \othe people's\c minds, and fills their bellies. Weakens their ambition, and strengthens their bones" (55). By keeping the people fed, healthy, and without knowledge, the people become happy, simple, and contented. He "causes the people to be constantly without knowledge and without desires... Then there is nothing that will not be in order" (55). According to Lao Tzu, when you "throw away knowledge,... the people will benefit a hundredfold" (71). Knowledge seems to be unnecessary for true contentment. In fact, it seems to hinder it. When people have knowledge, they become ambitious. When the people are ambitious, they will not be content in their lives. The ideal people will have weapons but have no need of them and means to travel but no desire to leave their villages. "They will relish their food, regard their clothing as beautiful, delight in their customs, and feel safe and secure in their homes. (36)" They will be content to live out their long, healthy lives, having no desire to change their conditions. The Lao Tzu also adds onto this by the principle of "wu-wei", which literally interpreted means "without taking any action" (xxi). When this is taken in context, though, the principle can be better understood as "does nothing, and yet there is nothing left undone" (xxi). There are several examples in the book of things that follow the principle, to "act without acting". The Sage "takes actions but does not possess them; accomplishes his tasks but does not dwell on them" (48). According to Erh, the Sage follows the Way not by actually doing nothing, but he simply does not do anything that is not genuine or sincere. The Way for men is like the Way of Heaven: "to benefit and not cause any harm; ...to act on behalf of others and not to compete with them" (37). He does not act to gain glory from the world or put on a show for others. He does not "make a display of his worthiness" (48). The Sage who follows the way lives simply, giving whatever others need and not taking credit for it. Lao Tzu uses another interesting metaphor to emphasize the principle of wu-wei and the minimalist ideals of Taoism in chapter 11of the second section. Here, he speaks of the power and usefulness of nothing. He states, "We fire clay and make vessels; it is precisely where there's no substance, that we find the usefulness of clay pots" (63). So, the useful part of the pot is the hole in the middle, where there is no clay. Likewise, in our lives, it is best when we can do nothing, but leave nothing undone. The metaphor of the hole in the pot also expresses the fact that too many possessions can lead to unhappiness. The book tells us, "When hollowed out, you'll be full... When you have little, you'll attain much; With much, you'll be confused" (75). Therefore, according to Lao Tzu, it is best to live as simply as possible with only as much as we need. We must not act to gain anything. We may act to benefit others, but we must not seek any reward. When our goals are to obtain material wealth, or power, or indeed anything, we cannot be content, because: Of crimes-none is greater than having things one desires; Of disasters-none is greater than not knowing when one has enough. Of defects-none brings more sorrow than the desire to attain. The book contains a wealth of understanding in many areas. Many of the philosophies and ideals are intriguing, and the whole beauty of the work is amplified by the masterful use of paradox and other communication techniques. And if nothing else, you will find a few good quotes. Overall, Taoist or otherwise, if you are interested in culture, philosophy, or ancient China, the Te-Tao Ching may be well worth your time.

An interesting look at new versions of the text:
The reviewer Mr. Forrest couldn't understand why the translator changed the name of the text or re-ordered the two parts. If he had read the book he would know that Ma-Wang-Tui texts had this ordering in the original. He would also know that since the two parts are known as the "Tao" and the "Te" ("the way" and "the virtue"), the naming of the book is perfectly appropriate. Mr. Henricks divides his book into two parts also. The first is a straight-forward translation. The second contains the translation as well as comments, notes and original Chinese from the two Ma-Wang-Tui texts used. If you're not interested in chinese philosophy and history, this probably won't appeal to you. You can always get one of the new age, tao-of-pooh type versions.