Rating: 
Summary: Not Scholarly--Experiential!
Review: "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao."So begins this version of the Tao Te Ching. This book provides an experience of the Tao like few others. First, there is the blank page. Lots of white space. The absence, the void. "The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled." "Profit comes from what is there, / Usefulness from what is not there." Emptiness is the vessel which contains the words and images of this experience. Each chapter is written in both English and Chinese. I don't even pretend read Chinese, but the characters evoke a sense of something beyond ... "The form of the formless / the image of the imageless / it is called indefinable and beyond imagination." The English translation reads smoothly. This is not the awkward prose frequently stumbled over when a scholar attempts to reproduce the ambiguities of the original in a foreign tongue. These words play smoothly together. The text does "not tinkle like jade / or clatter like stone chimes." The final element in this alchemy is the photographs: "Less and less is done / until non-action is achieved. / When nothing is done, nothing is left undone." Absent in this volume are the reams of footnotes which clutter most Taos I've read. Absent, too, are chapters on historical background and the relationship to Confucianism. If you seek these things, seek elsewhere. For me, this book has opened a way to the Tao.
Rating:
Summary: Not Scholarly--Experiential!
Review: "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao."
So begins this version of the Tao Te Ching. This book provides an experience of the Tao like few others. First, there is the blank page. Lots of white space. The absence, the void. "The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled." "Profit comes from what is there, / Usefulness from what is not there." Emptiness is the vessel which contains the words and images of this experience. Each chapter is written in both English and Chinese. I don't even pretend read Chinese, but the characters evoke a sense of something beyond ... "The form of the formless / the image of the imageless / it is called indefinable and beyond imagination." The English translation reads smoothly. This is not the awkward prose frequently stumbled over when a scholar attempts to reproduce the ambiguities of the original in a foreign tongue. These words play smoothly together. The text does "not tinkle like jade / or clatter like stone chimes." The final element in this alchemy is the photographs: "Less and less is done / until non-action is achieved. / When nothing is done, nothing is left undone." Absent in this volume are the reams of footnotes which clutter most Taos I've read. Absent, too, are chapters on historical background and the relationship to Confucianism. If you seek these things, seek elsewhere. For me, this book has opened a way to the Tao.
Rating: 
Summary: The Undefinable Tao Is a Wonderful Thing
Review: (4.25 Stars)Here are 2 statements that sum up the difficulty in writing a review of the Tao Te Ching: The Tao is forever undefined -
The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao - This book is 81 chapters of Lao Tsu's teachings. It's an easy read. I read it in about an hour and I'm one of the slowest readers to ever read. Lao Tsu's teachings are simple and complex - like the back of the jacket says - "...accept what is in front of you without wanting the situation to be other than it is. Study the natural order of things and work with it rather than against it..." - simple and complex. This specific edition being the 25th anniversary edition has very pretty and captivating black and white photos that accompany each of the 81 chapters. It's a good book - give Lao Tsu an hour of your time. Have a cup of tea with him.
Rating:
Summary: some less literal translations are best...
Review: ...and this is my favorite; its simple poetry and tasteful photography make this a winning edition of the timeless classic.
Rating:
Summary: Read for comparison, keep for the artwork
Review: Although somewhat brief, this translation of the Tao Te Ching is concise, not lacking. It is a good complement to the Arthur Waley translation, and well worth reading. Read, compare, and keep for the art.
Rating:
Summary: Simply awesome
Review: Before I read this book, I knew nothing of Taoism. Now I am enchanted, and eager to study more. Not only was I enthralled by the ideas and wisdom of Lao Tsu, I was left breathless by the utter beauty of the book, and it's layout. A good friend recommended it to me, and I am now recommending it to you. Definately probably the best book I own.
Rating:
Summary: For me, the most profound book ever written
Review: For me, the Tao Te Ching is the most profound book ever written. This version is my personal favorite. I find the the gorgeous pictures go a long way to helping my limited understanding of the text.
Rating:
Summary: This book changed my life
Review: From the opening words i knew i'd love it, but i didn't know of it's profound wisdom. It contains more wisdom is it's eighty short verses then Christianity could do in two thousand pages. I discovered this in my "search for wisdom" i read the Bible(Bable is more like it) and couldn't take it. So i consulted a religions book and read some quotes. This stuck me and i quickly bought it. I loved it's views and have been philosophical Taoist ever since. Also read:Chuang-Tzu, Wen-Tzu, and Leih Tzu.
Rating:
Summary: A Thing of Value
Review: How can one place value on something? What is value? The Tao Te Ching is an amazing view of the world. More specifically the work of "Art" by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English is for lack of a better word; poetry. Of all the translations of the Tao Te Ching I have read or attempted to read this translation stands alone. It is concise and it flows in ways that no other translation of this great work ever have or potentially ever will.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: I bought this book over 10 years ago while searching for bargain books at my college bookstore. What a great bargain I got! This book helps 'enlighten' my view of the world. It is beautifully presented with calm and peaceful photographs. The philosophy of Lao Tzu follows Nature Order and thus is the truth and easily referenced and accepted. It is mind opening (Good is there because there is Bad. They both need each other to exist. A great teacher is one who teach without teaching...A great warrior is one who can win a war without fighting...Those are just a few examples of many more) Do not confuse Tao Te Ching with Taoism. They both are total opposite. Tao follows natural order while Taoism tries to manipulate the natural order to your advantage. Tao Te Ching is a philosophy while Taoism is a religion. Like many other great philosophies, they are eternal and withstand the test of time while religions come and go...Out of all great Chinese sages, Lao Tzu is undoubtedly is on the top of the list. We praise for his great contributions to human civilization. I put this book on the side of my bed and occasionally read it before I go to sleep and every time I read and digest the message, there is something new I learn. It's like a never ending communication between my inner self and I... This version of Tao Te Ching is translated in beautiful English and yet clear and precise. For those of you who have other translation of the book, try this beautiful translation to gain new insights. Tao Te Ching is a very old text (604 BC) and thus it was written in ancient Chinese characters which requires special knowledge even few Chinese can truly understand the meaning. Who can better translate the teaching than a Chinese scholar? And for those of you who never read Tao Te Ching, read this book and carefully digest it...You'll become wiser and thus can pass all the happiness and bitterness of life at more ease. That's a promise...
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