Rating: 
Summary: Tai hao le
Review: This book (or, rather, this witness) is worth more to me than all my other books added together.
Rating:
Summary: Lao Tzu-The Way and Power of the Way
Review: This is an excellent work, particularly for Westerners. It gives
a peek into the unpretentious ways of the early Chinese thinkers.
It begins with a discussion of the uncomplicated life of
Confucious. His version of Tao was that it was the way of the
ancients. He stressed filiel piety and practiced what he
preached. His lasting discovery was a testament to the moral
nature of man/people. He provides a simple explanation of
the famous yin/yang theories. Yin stands for darkness, cold, negativeness, weakness etc. Yang stands for light, heat,
strength and positiveness. The first rule of mysticism is to
disregard your own personality."The secret was for the insight
Of eyes unclouded by longing;
Those who are bound by desire
See only the outward container". Put another way, they don't see or appreciate the inside of
the container. The work seeks to have man one with nature.
This concept is the most elusive. The work is a treasure-chest
of advice from famous Chinese philosophers. It is highly
recommended for students of China and Eastern thought. The author is critical of too much power and the pursuit of
material things and their accoutrements. "To take all you want
Is never as good
As to stop when you should.
Scheme and be sharp
And you'll not keep it long.
One never can guard
His home when it's full
Of jade and fine gold:
Wealth,power and pride
Bequeath their own doom.
When fame and success
Come to you, then retire.
This is the ordained Way." Need I say more!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Poetry, Not So Great Fidelity
Review: This isn't a translation. It is a "rendition" (Ms. LeGuin's word) much like Thomas Merton's "appreciation" (his word) of Chuang Tzu. Choosing that description allows a looser fidelity to the original than readers would accept in a translation, and she takes full advantage of that long leash, to good and bad effect. The language is stunning; no one else has presented this source with such clarity, with simple, concrete images and words so unfailingly right they seem to run with sap. This is the Tao Te Ching returned from the realm of philosphical discourse to poetry, where it started, and where it belongs. The liberties she takes to achieve this are many. There are chapter headings, where none exist in the original text, she has simply deleted some portions of the text that "make no sense" to her, and her use of "Power" to translate (or to "render") Te (usually translated as "Virtue" or "Integrity") puts a harder edge on the concept than it warrants. And, her opening couplet, "The way you can go isn't the real way" is, to my thinking, fundamentally wrong. Those taken liberties (most of which she points out herself) shouldn't prevent you from reading this book; Lao Tzu is here rendered exquisitely, and there are plenty of accurate, scholarly translations around to help you tweak your understanding into line with the original, if you wish.
Rating:
Summary: A-1 INTERPRETATION RATHER THAN TRANSLATION
Review: THIS VERSION COMES ALIVE TO THE READER. IT IS MADE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. AFTER STUDYING GIA-FU-FENG, BRIAN WALKER, TAM C. GIBBS and THOMAS CLEARY, I FOUND THIS VERSION TO BE NOT ONLY REFRESHING BUT PROBABLY THE BEST ACCESS TO THE TAO EVER AVAILABLE. THIS IS NOT A TRANSLATION LIKE THE OTHERS, BUT AN INTERPRETATION BY ONE OF THE GREAT IMAGINATORS OF OUR PERIOD. URSULA K. LE GUIN HAS ECLIPSED HERSELF IN THIS BODY OF WORK. I HOPE THAT AFTER ONE READS THIS, THEY INVESTIGATE HER PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED GENIUS (like THE LATHE OF HEAVEN)... DAVID BECHTA
Rating:
Summary: The Way of Being. Outstanding Book
Review: Ursula K. Le Guin did a remarkable job in bringing us her translation of this magnificent book that will lift your heart, bring more understanding to your mind, free your ego from its grip on your life, and bring your soul peace from the ancient and extraordinary verses in this book. This is one book that would bring harmony to anyone, when taken into the depths of consciousness. It will show you the way of being. It will help you live with what IS, and that alone will help free you from pain. Highly recommended for its profound truth, and the extraordinary difference this truth can make in your life. Deserves 10 Stars.
Rating:
Summary: a translation by the great science fiction author
Review: Ursula K. Le Guin is considered one of the all-time great science fiction authors, partly because of a profound thematic content in her stories (never explained but always there in the background if you look for it). The very best of her science fiction is grounded in Taoism, for instance, "The Left Hand of Darkness." Le Guin's Tao Te Ching catches hold of the profound through the poetic and easy to visualize. She is also very faithful to the intent of the original Chinese, especially when she expresses the universal in terms that are colloquial, for instance in her use of "oh, yes" for emphasis -- which means, "don't we all know," or "wouldn't you know, how wonderful." The expression is left out as insignificant in most translations, as though it were a mere punctuation or particle, but it's there in the Chinese, not something the translator added on her own, but something she was insightful to see. Her comments, very simply stated in the notes, are also right on.
Rating:
Summary: A walk with a friend
Review: Walk with Ursula on the path beside the stream. Listen as she recites the Tao, the melody of her voice blending with the chuckling sound of the water over polished stones. Here and there she offers a word or two of her own understanding, but, like the Tao herself, her own thoughts are sparse and beautiful. When I pick up and open this book, I feel like I am sitting in a green forest, the poet beside me, and everything I see has a deep and precious meaning. I am at peace. I have many translations of the Tao, but this is one of my very favorites. It doesn't preach or offer scholarly interpretations or commentaries, it is a friend, a comfortable friend, and I love it.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful book
Review: While I realize that this book is not a literal translation, I find the writing of Le Guin soothing and powerful. I return to it again and again as I try being in a at times very stressful, confusing world.
Rating:
Summary: the way of no-way
Review: wise is the one who sees no gain in contemplation and judgement and trivial argumentation. we all kneel under the same stars but they are different to each. we may all hold a clay pot but into its inner emptiness we fill with what we want.
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