Will I love Tao Te Ching?

What is invisible is not therefore empty. 

I carry this thought from Chapter 14 with me everywhere. I first came to know it through my friend's translation, and I think that is why the Tao Te Ching feels so personal to me: I did not meet it as a distant classic on a shelf, but as a gift passed from one person to another.

Since then, it has been my measure. When I judge a person, an idea, or a situation, I remind myself that the most important things are often the ones I cannot see. I love how few… show more.

I love translation. Oftentimes, the style to which I aspire could be called “as translated.”

I especially enjoy translations of sacred texts. The Tao Te Ching stands out in that regard first because it admits in its first line that “the Tao that can be named is not the Tao.” Second, the entire text is so short you can compare translations while standing in the aisle of the bookstore.

I recommend this one because Stephen Mitchell is kind of the Goldilocks of all translators, and because this version is also among the smallest and most portable. I also enjoy that,… show more.

I have treasured this book since college days, as a concise summary of the truth of existence. 

That’s a lot to say, but try it. Eternal truths are so simple! Yet so profound! I was blown away by the first line – a book with its topic as “the Tao” says that if you can explain it, it’s not it! Then why did he write the xxx thing?

Ah, only through time can I start understanding. I feel this precious book gives me an anchor to view the world, life, people.

“Like the eternal void filled with infinite possibilities,” Lao… show more.

Lao Tzu’s Tao de Ching has been reprinted more than the Bible.

I recommend you have at least five different translations. I have seventeen. The central guiding version you should dive into is The Tao of Power by R L Wing. At a minimum, have Stephen Mitchell’s sublime Tao de Ching alongside Wing’s The Tao of Power.

I have been absorbing translations of the Tao de Ching for over forty years. Lao Tzu deftly explains how the world works. Grasp it with your intuitive self.

This specific translation by Stephen Mitchell changed my life. I love its poetic style, his contemporary but timeless references, and the way he captures the essence of the mystical worldview.

It’s as close to a perfect spiritual text as I can imagine. If I were allowed only one book for the rest of my life, this would likely be it. If I could suggest one book for every twelfth-grade student to read, study, and discuss, it might be this one!