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This is my favorite version of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. The collaboration between Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English combines a commitment to the deep meaning of the original in fluidly poetic English. The book’s design enhances the Tao with its generous proportions and its beautiful and moody photographs. I came to this book early in my study of Tai Chi and it struck me as a perfect synthesis of Eastern and Western perspectives on the Tao. Originally published in 1972, this updated edition came out in 2011.
Stephen Mitchell’s translation of the Tao Te Ching is very accessible for the Western reader. I usually read this side by side with the Feng/English translation so I can blend the more traditional translation with this distinctly modern rendering. Mitchell has consulted many translations and written the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching with a faithfulness to the spirit of the writing that lets it read like English poetry. The accompanying Chinese paintings convey the spirit of the Tao in this compact rendering of Lao Tzu’s classic.
This interpretation of the Tao Te Ching by science fiction author Ursula Le Guinn is distinctly literary and therefore quite poetic. Her interpretation provides sharp insights into what can sometimes seem to be esoteric and culturally specific concepts. She writes from her own experience, translating quite loosely to match her sense of the meaning as it relates to the modern world.
Less known than Lao Tzu but just as important to the tradition of Taoist philosophy is Chuang Tzu who elaborated on Taoist principles in amusing, elliptical and seemingly contradictory folk tales. Burton Watson’s rather academic translation of Chuang Tzu’s basic writings was published in 1964 as the Basic Writings. There are later editions of this book than the original but since this is one of several translations that I refer to, I’m fine using the older version for what seems to be its more literal translation from the Chinese. For instance, Watson uses Great Clod where Feng/English call this the Universe. Together, they form a complete picture, Great Clod giving some Chinese cultural flavor and texture to the image while Universe speaks more directly to an English speaking audience.
This beautifully produced translation of Chuang Tsu’s ‘Inner Chapters’ captures the humor and profundity of these ancient morality tales. Solala Towler provides amusing commentary that places the lessons in a modern context and his photographs help set a mood of calm contemplation.
Evocative photographs and crisply humorous words characterize this translation of Chuang Tsu’s Inner Chapters. Gia-Fu Feng work together to combine, just as they did in the Tao Te Ching, a faithful translation that reads like fluid and natural English. This translation breathes life into the revolutionary mystic who tweaks everything rigid to espouse true flexibility.
The Essence of Tai Chi Chuan quite simply is “the Classics”. When I first began studying I read lots of references to the “Classics” but the references always seemed shrouded in mystery as if those classics may not even have existed. Before this book I don’t believe they did exist under a single cover. But through the complex collaboration between four scholars: Lo/Inn/Amacker/Foe, the major expositions and treatises that form the basis of Tai Chi Chuan principles and practices have been brought together in this simple book. It is at once poetic and scholarly, full of both history and practical application of the Tai Chi principles both in the form and in life. I make reading from this book part of my daily practice, a place to gain insight into my meditation in motion that is Tai Chi Chuan. For the student of Tai Chi and the Tao this book is worth it for the glossary alone.
Taoism, the Road to Immortality by John Blofeld helped me distinguish between Taoist philosophy and religion. This was crucial early on in my study because I had serious doubts about some of the folk traditions. Blofeld made it clear to me that the folk religion was, and is, quite distinct from the philosophy of Taoism. That philosophy is neatly captured by Lao Tzu and Chuang Tsu. Everything else in Taoist philosophy builds on these two authors. The folk religion was used to minister to a broad audience through magic and mystery and the quite open admission that it was often a way of collecting tithing to support the meditative practices of the philosophy. The ready admission that the folk religion catered to fears and superstitions came as a refreshing change from so many religions that bundle their superstitions into their philosophy.
Tao, the Watercourse Way by Alan Watts with Al Huang presents the Tao with the erudition typical of Alan Watts, a great popularizer of Eastern concepts. This book aptly describes the core principles of Taoist philosophy and places it in historical and cultural perspective. It was Watts’s last book, published posthumously. Its five chapters stand on their own even as Watts had planned two additional chapters. The collaboration with Al Huang helps lend an authentic Chinese perspective to the insights that Watts demonstrates have great practical value in our increasingly complex culture.
Al Huang’s lyrical book embodies the spirit of Taoism with his characteristic elan. Huang does a great job of illustrating Tai Chi principles with a sense of their original place in Chinese culture at the same time that he makes those principles extremely relatable to a Western audience. A personal reflection incorporating his own Tai Chi journey, this book places the Tai Chi concepts into his life experience in a way that provides living context. This book takes the Essence of Tai Chi Chuan beyond the form and into life in a lively narrative.
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