Translation of the Tao Te Ching

slythyr · 11-08-2009, 07:42 PM

I read some portions of Tao philosophy some time ago, I found it intriguing, but did not go any deeper into understanding it.
Now I am feeling led to do proper study of Tao philosophy.

I am looking for a good English translation of the Tao Te Ching.
I can find a number of translations online, but I am looking for a good translation, not just any random rendering.

If anybody has any knowledge/experience and/or recommendations, I will greatly appreciate it.
Thank you.

coltech88 · 11-09-2009, 08:11 PM

The Tao Te Ching as we know it conveys a literary tradition. I learned more of what it means, in the embodied sense in taking classes with the Taoist master Bruce Frantzis. Here is an excerpt from his book, The Tao of Letting Go:

"When Bruce Frantzis studied these texts with his main teacher, Grandmaster Liu Hung Chieh, he was taught their practical application: “This is what they say; this is what they mean; this is how to do them.” In the TAO of Letting Go, Frantzis offers a bridge to this pragmatic approach for living a spiritual life. Spirituality is not just an aspiration for which people strive, he says, but a genuine, accomplishable reality."

Frantzis says that the Tao Te Ching teaches the "Water Method" of Taoism. (The other Taoist tradition is the "Fire Method." Bruce teaches the water method of dissolving energetic blockages in their mental and physical states in his meditation, qigong and other workshops, and his books.

I personally have liked the Ursula LeGuinn translation because it takes on a poetic, mystical tone. This is a serious translation that was worked out with collaboration. I find many of the other translations too intellectual and they remind me of ineffectual poetry.

So if you do a serious study, know that there are several levels at which you can translate this work. Know that Taoists have a very strong connection to physical practices and that the meaning takes on a very real physical sense, an embodied sense.

11-08-2009, 07:42 PM	#1
slythyr slythyr Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Lincolnshire, England Posts: 19	I read some portions of Tao philosophy some time ago, I found it intriguing, but did not go any deeper into understanding it. Now I am feeling led to do proper study of Tao philosophy. I am looking for a good English translation of the Tao Te Ching. I can find a number of translations online, but I am looking for a good translation, not just any random rendering. If anybody has any knowledge/experience and/or recommendations, I will greatly appreciate it. Thank you. Last edited by slythyr; 11-08-2009 at 07:57 PM.

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11-09-2009, 08:11 PM	#2
coltech88 sás Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Costa Rica Posts: 6	The Tao Te Ching as we know it conveys a literary tradition. I learned more of what it means, in the embodied sense in taking classes with the Taoist master Bruce Frantzis. Here is an excerpt from his book, The Tao of Letting Go: "When Bruce Frantzis studied these texts with his main teacher, Grandmaster Liu Hung Chieh, he was taught their practical application: “This is what they say; this is what they mean; this is how to do them.” In the TAO of Letting Go, Frantzis offers a bridge to this pragmatic approach for living a spiritual life. Spirituality is not just an aspiration for which people strive, he says, but a genuine, accomplishable reality." Frantzis says that the Tao Te Ching teaches the "Water Method" of Taoism. (The other Taoist tradition is the "Fire Method." Bruce teaches the water method of dissolving energetic blockages in their mental and physical states in his meditation, qigong and other workshops, and his books. I personally have liked the Ursula LeGuinn translation because it takes on a poetic, mystical tone. This is a serious translation that was worked out with collaboration. I find many of the other translations too intellectual and they remind me of ineffectual poetry. So if you do a serious study, know that there are several levels at which you can translate this work. Know that Taoists have a very strong connection to physical practices and that the meaning takes on a very real physical sense, an embodied sense.