Rating: 
Summary: unpretentious, simple, beautiful, and thought-provoking.
Review: I've bought several versions of the Tao Te Ching over the years, my favorite being that by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English. Le Guin's "rendition" startled me with its everyday language and showed the Tao in a new light.Translations of this work vary considerably, so I was particularly impressed with Le Guin's inclusion of material explaining what led her to this undertaking and why she cast Lao Tzu's ideas the way she did. This honesty and the bare, simple beauty of her language seem to me very much an expression of the Tao. In a world where everything seems so strident and competetive, this simple account of what one person found in this very old and much-loved book is more valuable to me than shelves full of scholarly, definitive, acclaimed, or approved translations. This book not only talks about the Tao, it exemplifies the Tao.
Rating:
Summary: Spare, beautiful rendition
Review: I've read a handful of Tao Te Ching translations and examined many more, but this one is by far my favorite. It's not because of its accuracy to the original text. Le Guin says up front that that wasn't her intention. Still, I find it a more faithful translation than most of the classics, which Le Guin discusses in the book's appendix. The reason is because Le Guin has captured the spirit of Tao. Her spare, gorgeous language goes to the heart. I came upon her version at a giant bookstore with dozens of Tao Te Chings. I wanted one, but I didn't know which. So I picked up a bunch that looked interesting and read the first three "chapters" of each. Le Guin's won hands down. It moved me in just that short of a time. Also, perhaps it's relevant, that I'm an anarchist (an issue that Le Guin coincidentally touches on in the book) as well as an atheist. This book connected with the sense of inner peace I get from these two beliefs.
Rating:
Summary: the way
Review: In a world gone mad, the Tao te Ching is a clear voice of sanity. Of course, to be sane requires "going crazy," as the Seal song reminds us. As Le Guin put it so well in ALWAYS COMING HOME, the people (the men!) running the world, who define how to think and act, are "backward-headed people."
There are reviewers here who are purists, who object to the liberties Le Guin has taken with the original Chinese. My sense is that they are "backward-headed people." Don't rely on this interpretation for your dissertation on Lao Tzu, o.k. fine, but if what you are looking for is wisdom for everyday life, not advice on running the State, then I believe that Le Guin's poetic rendering is beautiful and profound.
History is the forward march of folly, and this book is one of the few sources of quiet reassurance I have found that though human folly will come to an end, the Way goes on...
Rating:
Summary: This way, please...
Review: Like other reviewers, I have read some translations of the Tao Te
Ching (Daodejing) and looked at many others. Like Mrs. Le Guin points
out in her note at the end of the book, I also believe that the one by
Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English is the most satisfactory in a literary
sense. However, sometimes it lacks the simplicity and immediacy which
this rendition gives to Lao Tzu's "very easy to understand"
words. Also, Mrs. Le Guin stayed with me throughout the book, and what
she had to say amounted to a fantastic commentary to the wisdom of the
Tao. Take for example Chapter 11 in page 14. At the bottom is a note
that says: "One of the things I love about Lao Tzu is he is so
funny. He's explaining a profound and difficult truth here, ....[and]
goes about it with this deadpan simplicity, talking about pots."
This kind of comment conveys, in my opinion, exactly the essence of
Taoism as predicated by Lao Tzu. There's nothing complicated, nothing
intrincate about Taoist wisdom. And Mrs. LeGuin sticks to this
(taoist) simplicity throughout the book. Being a translator myself, I
dare say that some of Lao Tzu's translators became obsessed with
"extracting" deep meaning from the Tao Te Ching, trying to
retain the tone, now looking for complicated words to convey
"exact" meaning, now glossing over a passage, losing the
reader along the way. As Mrs. LeGuin points out in the introduction to
this book "Scholarly translations of the Tao Te Ching as a manual
for rulers use a vocabulary that emphasizes the uniqueness of the
Taoist "sage", his masculinity, his authority." The
result is dry, unsatisfactory, nihilistic, detached. This rendition
is, like Ursula Le Guin says of the original, "...the purest
water....the deepest spring". I daresay that if Lao Tzu could
read all the modern English versions of his work, he would enjoy
Ursula LeGuin's the most, laughing heartily at every page. There is no
way that someone who reads this version will not want to re-read it,
or fail to come out of the reading with a new perspective on life, one
that recognizes the simplicity, unity, and changeable nature of
everything. Thank you, Ursula Le Guin, for rendering Taoism for the
modern Western rader. This book is my bedside companion, I have given
it to everyone I love, and recommend it to anyone who has ever
wondered about Taoism, and to all other translators, not for its exact
use of English equivalents for Chinese words, but for the perfect way
in which the idea behind the words has been committed to
paper. "...I was lucky to discover [Lao Tzu] so young, so that I
could live with his book my whole life long" says Ursula LeGuin
in her introduction. I think I was very lucky to read her version,
which has helped me see the beauty, the magic, the simplicity, the
Tao.
Rating:
Summary: A simple, beautiful rendition of the Tao Te Ching
Review: The protagonists of Le Guin's work are no strangers to the Tao Te Ching: they struggle with the question of how to live properly in the world, how to work with others to create little countries without many people, working by not working to create ambiguous utopias, the only kind that have any chance at longevity. Many of her works are in fact commentaries on, and practice of, the Tao. It is fitting, then, that she should publish her own rendition of the Tao Te Ching. Her version is poetic without obscuring meaning, uses everyday language without being dry, and emphasizes the humor that a more uptight translator might miss or be inclined to overlook: it wouldn't be the Way if there weren't jokes about it, as her translation says. I myself was introduced to the Tao Te Ching through Le Guin's works, and I am grateful for a chance have her Tao all in one place at last. Her notes are also useful, especially in telling us the various strengths and weaknesses of the translations she consulted to create her own version. Le Guin was not content with merely printing her rendition, however: she has recorded it on audiocassette as well. Her voice is beautiful in the manner that the Tao is beautiful: gentle and therefore strong, tranquil and calming, and therefore compelling, unpretentious and yet authoritative. It flows like water, and yet is deep, rich, and earthy at the same time. Ms. Le Guin could not have trained her voice to have these Tao characteristics: it is a gift, I suspect, that comes of long familiarity with the Tao, and one which she shares here with us. The book and tape are recommended for those who want to read an inviting version of the Tao, as well as those who are familiar with Le Guin's work and want to learn more about her sources.
Rating:
Summary: A simple, beautiful rendition of the Tao Te Ching
Review: The protagonists of Le Guin's work are no strangers to the Tao Te Ching: they struggle with the question of how to live properly in the world, how to work with others to create little countries without many people, working by not working to create ambiguous utopias, the only kind that have any chance at longevity. Many of her works are in fact commentaries on, and practice of, the Tao. It is fitting, then, that she should publish her own rendition of the Tao Te Ching. Her version is poetic without obscuring meaning, uses everyday language without being dry, and emphasizes the humor that a more uptight translator might miss or be inclined to overlook: it wouldn't be the Way if there weren't jokes about it, as her translation says. I myself was introduced to the Tao Te Ching through Le Guin's works, and I am grateful for a chance have her Tao all in one place at last. Her notes are also useful, especially in telling us the various strengths and weaknesses of the translations she consulted to create her own version. Le Guin was not content with merely printing her rendition, however: she has recorded it on audiocassette as well. Her voice is beautiful in the manner that the Tao is beautiful: gentle and therefore strong, tranquil and calming, and therefore compelling, unpretentious and yet authoritative. It flows like water, and yet is deep, rich, and earthy at the same time. Ms. Le Guin could not have trained her voice to have these Tao characteristics: it is a gift, I suspect, that comes of long familiarity with the Tao, and one which she shares here with us. The book and tape are recommended for those who want to read an inviting version of the Tao, as well as those who are familiar with Le Guin's work and want to learn more about her sources.
Rating:
Summary: Le Guin's work is natural, simple, straightforward.
Review: There are many 'translations' of Lao Tsu's words. Which is the best? Perhaps it is not measured by the literal accuracy of the translation, or the poetic artestry of the word, but by it's ability to help the reader gain the perspective that Lao Tsu envisioned as the Tao. A translation that works for one, may not yield the same result for another. Le Guin's rendition of Lao Tzu's 'Tao te Ching' was, for me, a good addition to my understanding. I have many copies. I almost always compare one with another when I sit down to think. Some 'translations' are better than others for different passages, or moods. With more than 15 years of experience in Asian cultures, primarily Japanese, and many years of contemplating Lao Tzu's writings, I recognize that some translations rely more heavily on a broader asian perspective than others. What seems natural or obvious to one steeped in asian culture may be contradictory or even 'silly' to a westerner This doesn't mean the message is wrong, but that the wording is not suited for that reader. One interpretation alone was insufficient to help me comprehend the simple nature of the Tao. Once I began to see my world from within the understanding of the Tao, rather than see the Tao from the outside through others' words, I found a new enjoyment in seeing how others perceive the Tao. This is why I enjoyed Ursula K. Le Guin's approach immensely. Clearly, Ms. Le Guin feels the awe and wonder of the simple way, as I am beginning to enjoy it. Hers is not as literal or as historically steeped as some, and not as contemporary as others (Stephen Mitchell). Not a hard-hitting philosophical analysis (Wing-Tsit Chan), nor an obscure or remote work [Asian feeling] (Gai-Fu Fen/Jane English). Her words invited me to enjoy the comprehension of the simplicity of it all. Her approach was natural, simple, straightforward. In her fresh wording, I saw an elegence in the principles, a form of beauty. Her words reminded me of how I felt when I began to understand. Thank you, Ms. Le Guin, for your contribution to my enjoyment of the Tao.
Rating:
Summary: Le Guin's work is natural, simple, straightforward.
Review: There are many 'translations' of Lao Tsu's words. Which is the best? Perhaps it is not measured by the literal accuracy of the translation, or the poetic artestry of the word, but by it's ability to help the reader gain the perspective that Lao Tsu envisioned as the Tao. A translation that works for one, may not yield the same result for another. Le Guin's rendition of Lao Tzu's 'Tao te Ching' was, for me, a good addition to my understanding. I have many copies. I almost always compare one with another when I sit down to think. Some 'translations' are better than others for different passages, or moods. With more than 15 years of experience in Asian cultures, primarily Japanese, and many years of contemplating Lao Tzu's writings, I recognize that some translations rely more heavily on a broader asian perspective than others. What seems natural or obvious to one steeped in asian culture may be contradictory or even 'silly' to a westerner This doesn't mean the message is wrong, but that the wording is not suited for that reader. One interpretation alone was insufficient to help me comprehend the simple nature of the Tao. Once I began to see my world from within the understanding of the Tao, rather than see the Tao from the outside through others' words, I found a new enjoyment in seeing how others perceive the Tao. This is why I enjoyed Ursula K. Le Guin's approach immensely. Clearly, Ms. Le Guin feels the awe and wonder of the simple way, as I am beginning to enjoy it. Hers is not as literal or as historically steeped as some, and not as contemporary as others (Stephen Mitchell). Not a hard-hitting philosophical analysis (Wing-Tsit Chan), nor an obscure or remote work [Asian feeling] (Gai-Fu Fen/Jane English). Her words invited me to enjoy the comprehension of the simplicity of it all. Her approach was natural, simple, straightforward. In her fresh wording, I saw an elegence in the principles, a form of beauty. Her words reminded me of how I felt when I began to understand. Thank you, Ms. Le Guin, for your contribution to my enjoyment of the Tao.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for those on a spiritual journey
Review: There are three great gender-inclusive editions of the Tao Te Ching in print -- this one by Ursula K. Le Guin, the second by Ellen M. Chen (with the best commentary of any translation out there, as you'll see from some of its reviews at Amazon) and the other by Stephen Mitchell, who in at least half of the chapters refers to the "master" as "she." As regards this edition, the Tao is all about Le Guin's intuitive, creative heart, which she demonstrates to perfection in her acclaimed science fiction novel, THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS. And yet LeGuin's version, though creative and magical, is nevertheless more faithful to the original than many of the others. Buy all three (at least) of the ones I've mentioned -- and you'll get a true yin-yang universe to explore and to delight you, with a little Zen from Stephen Mitchell thrown in. (And just to be inclusive, if you want a great translation with all male pronouns, try the outrageous, deliciously nutty version by Witter Bynner :-)
Rating:
Summary: a translation by the great science fiction author
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!
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