Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition

Rating:
Summary: An Unbelievable Translation of an Unbelievable Work
Review: What began as a recording of simple lessons to better live and understand life spawned a religious and philosophical movement that endured 2,000 years of war and strife in China, and continues to make its effect on the world today. The Tao Te Ching is the basis for the combination philosophy/religion known as Taoism, which has over 30 million followers worldwide.

Before I start my review on this particular translation, let me point out that regardless of religious background or belief, the Tao Te Ching is an excellent read for ANYONE. I myself am a Christian, yet the teachings of Lao Tze (or whatever other scholars contributed to the text) have enriched my life and given me added peace and comfort. Regardless if you're a follower of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, or (obviously) Taoism, the Tao Te Ching is one of the most philosophically rich works in history. Keep an open mind and there is much the Tao Te Ching can teach you. There's a reason it's second only to the Bible in the number of times it's been translated into different languages.

Part of the difficulty of translating a Chinese text like the Tao Te Ching is that the Chinese language is so much different from other languages, particularly English. While English by comparison is very specific and literal, the characters of Chinese language are more open to definition, allowing the readers to make their own interpretations. Fittingly, the lessons of the Tao Te Ching are similar in nature: each person's view of it and what it means will be different. There is no right or wrong way to practice or integrate Taoism into life, which is part of the beauty of the philosophy.

That's why this translation of the Tao Te Ching offers a separate section with all the meanings of the Chinese characters. It works best if you choose the words you think are right, and then record them on a computer or a piece of paper. That way, you can create your own original translation, if you're willing to do the work. This is just one of the great things about Jonathan Star's edition of the Tao Te Ching.

Star also offers his own unique translation, for those not dedicated enough to use the separate section. The last decent translation of the TTC that I read was the Ganson translation I got off the Internet. Star's translation completely blows it out of the water. The words are perfect. They're not too simple, they're not too complicated. They're just...right. And that's a central principle about Taoism: not resorting to extremes and just getting things right.

There's also a separate section for notes on the different verses, and an entirely separate section just for verse one. If you're looking for the truly definitive Tao Te Ching translation, this is it!