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Tao Te Ching: Annotated and Explained (SkyLight Illuminations)
by Derek Lin

Tao Te Ching: Annotated and Explained (SkyLight Illuminations) Cover

About This Book

ISBN13: 9781594732041
ISBN10: 1594732043
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In a world where East and West are drawing closer together, the penetrating teachings of the Tao te Ching speak to believers and seekers of all faiths more directly than ever before. Through an accessible, poetic and completely original translation of the Tao te Ching?a translation that also sets a new standard for accuracy?this introduction to an Eastern classic highlights ways readers can integrate into their daily lives the ancient spiritual insights of the Tao, a word that originally referred to the universal wisdom at the heart of all religions and philosophies. Including insightful yet unobtrusive facing-page commentary that explains the pithy words of the Tao te Ching, this accessible introduction responds to the groundswell of interest in both the Taoist way of life and the text at its foundation?offering one complete, easily readable volume that will be an inspiration and a guide for readers of all faiths and all backgrounds. About the series: SkyLight Illuminations?over 100,000 copies in print in seven languages?offers today's spiritual seeker an enjoyable entry into the great classic texts of the world's spiritual traditions. Each classic is presented in an accessible translation, with facing pages of guided commentary from experts, offering readers the keys they need to understand the history, context, and meaning of the text. The series enables readers of all backgrounds to experience and understand classic spiritual texts directly, and to make them a part of their lives.

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Profchan, April 9, 2007 (view all comments by Profchan)
My qualifications--not to toot my own horn, just sticking to the facts--I am a senior lecturer on classical Chinese literature at the university level; I am also a professional translator of 27 years specializing in English-to-Chinese work. I have a personal interest in Chinese-to-English and do it from time to time to keep my skills sharp.

As one would expect from a background like mine, I am very picky when it comes to other people's translations. A popular Tao Te Ching translation like Mitchell's may be okay for the masses, but would never measure up to my standards due to the massive mistakes it contains. It is painfully obvious to me that Mitchell doesn't know Chinese from hot rocks. I have always said that a translation by a real Chinese speaker like D.C. Lau is far superior.

Until now, that is. This translation smashes all previous standards in a couple of ways. The first is that this is, as of now, the most accurate translation bar none. I may be able to do a better job myself if I devote a year or two to the task, but most of my word choices are going to be pretty close to Lin's and will probably look like plagiarization.

The second is that the commentaries in this book are also the best available right now. I have one or two quibbles here and there, but have to admit that overall the commentaries range from very good to excellent. This is to me a more dramatic difference because most other Tao Te Ching books contain either no commentaries, incorrect commentaries, or more often than not dry and boring academic details that most people would not care about.

One thing I really like about this translation is Lin's use of the plural form. It's a brilliant solution to an old problem. Now everyone will wonder why they didn't think of applying it to Tao Te Ching first. Also, I feel there's not enough commentaries to whet my appetite and would like to see more, perhaps in a future edition.

So here is my bottom line recommendation. You can stick to whatever translation appeals to you. If you don't know Chinese, the translation quality probably won't matter to you anyway. But if you ever get a burning curiosity to know what Laozi really, really says, this book will probably be your best bet. The highest praise I can offer is this: If your translation differs significantly from this one, you can pretty much be sure that yours is wrong.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781594732041
Author:
Lin, Derek
Publisher:
Skylight Paths Publishing
Foreword:
Das, Lama Surya
Subject:
Taoism
Subject:
Laozi
Series:
SkyLight Illuminations
Publication Date:
August 2006
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
169
Dimensions:
8.58x5.58x.56 in. .56 lbs.
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