2020/12/19

The Way of Chuang Tzu (Second Edition) Audiobook | Thomas Merton | Audible.com.au


The Way of Chuang Tzu (Second Edition) 2nd Edition, Kindle Edition
by Thomas Merton (Author), Dalai Lama XIV (Preface) Format: Kindle Edition


4.6 out of 5 stars 240 ratings





The Way of Chuang Tzu (Second Edition) Audiobook | Thomas Merton | Audible.com.au


Classic writings from the great Zen master in exquisite versions by Thomas Merton, in a new edition with a preface by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.Working from existing translations, Thomas Merton composed a series of his own versions of the classic sayings of Chuang Tzu, the most spiritual of Chinese philosophers. Chuang Tzu, who wrote in the fourth and third centuries B.C., is the chief authentic historical spokesperson for Taoism and its founder Lao Tzu (a legendary character known largely through Chuang Tzu’s writings). Indeed it was because of Chuang Tzu and the other Taoist sages that Indian Buddhism was transformed, in China, into the unique vehicle we now call by its Japanese name—Zen.



The Chinese sage abounds in wit and paradox and shattering insights into the true ground of being. Thomas Merton, no stranger to Asian thought, brings a vivid, modern idiom to the timeless wisdom of Tao.


Editorial Reviews

Review

A most admirable introduction to this less known but important source book of Taoism. (Alan Watts, The New York Times Book Review) Thomas Merton is the saintly man who caused the Dalai Lama to come to admire Christianity as the equal of his beloved Buddhism. (Robert Thurman) Merton is an artist, a Zen. (Thich Nhat Hanh) "

Thomas Merton is the saintly man who caused the Dalai Lama to come to admire Christianity as the equal of his beloved Buddhism. (Robert Thurman Merton is an artist, a Zen. (Thich Nhat Hanh) --This text refers to the paperback edition.


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  • Print length : 164 pages
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Top reviews from the United States
Bernie GourleyTop Contributor: Fantasy Books
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5.0 out of 5 stars The Trappist mystic's take on a Taoist Classic
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2016
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“The Way of Chuang Tzu” is Thomas Merton’s take on Chuang Tzu’s lessons of Taoism. One might ask why a person should learn about Taoism from a Trappist monk any more than one would learn the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi from a Zen monk. Maybe you should and maybe you shouldn’t, but I think Merton did a remarkable job in putting this book together and that there’s a lot to be learned from it. Some may find a fresh fusion in Merton’s approach to Chuang Tzu.

What I like most about this version of Chuang Tzu’s teachings is that Merton doesn’t foul it up with a bunch of analysis. Because the lessons are short and—admittedly, in some cases—arcane, there’s a temptation to write in a bunch of explanation and analysis—both to hit a page quota and to prove how smart the translator is. Ironically, some don’t seem to see the irony of rambling on in explication of Taoism—a philosophy that advocates simplicity and rebukes the wordy for their arrogance. Merton doesn’t fall into this trap. He offers a few pages of introduction as context for the reader, and then moves straight into 62 lessons of Chuang Tzu.

I’d say the introduction is useful, particularly for individuals without a great deal of background in Taoism. In it, Merton gives insight into potentially confusing topics like wu-wei (actionlessness), the yin/yang dichotomy, and the divergence of Taoists from Confucian scholars on the four-fold Ju philosophy of virtue. However, the intro can also be skipped if you do know a about Chinese philosophy, and don’t care to read a commentary on Taoism inflected with Trappist worldview. (Taoists may want to skip the intro if they’re prone to becoming infuriated by an outsider proposing that their life philosophy took a wrong turn along the way. Merton suggests that one shouldn’t confuse Chuang Tzu’s Taoism with what the system has become, the implication being that it was a sound philosophy and became voodoo hokum in modern times.) Merton does inevitably project some of his own worldview as a Christian monk into Chuang Tzu’s teachings. Some might find this to make for a refreshing commentary on it, and others may find it a bit off the mark on occasion.

Merton’s poetic background serves him well here as many of the lessons are in poetic form—partially or totally. Translating poetry is one of the most difficult linguistic tasks imaginable. Merton has the added challenge of never having read the original. He doesn’t read any Chinese languages. He did, however, consult four different translations in three different languages (English, French, and German.) This, of course, means that besides Merton being in the text, there’s a further seepage of Western framing into these Eastern teachings. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide whether this is a good or bad thing, and arguments could be made either way.

One of the strengths of Chuang Tzu’s lessons is his use of the narrative form. That is, the Taoist sage liked to use stories to impart his wisdom, like the wheelwright who insults the Emperor but then ends up teaching him a valued lesson. One of my favorites is the story about the Prince of Chu sending out high ranking emissaries to appoint Chuang Tzu to a ministerial post. Chuang Tzu explains why he is turning down the offer by way of an allegory about a turtle.

Chuang Tzu also uses dialogue to get his point across in a way that is easy to follow and clear. A prime example of this is the discussion between Chuang Tzu and Hui Tzu about the happiness of fishes, which has an almost Socratic ring to it. The combination of story and dialogue makes Chuang Tzu’s lessons sometimes easier to follow than the “Tao Te Ching” of Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu tends to be more arcane by way of his use of short, declarative statements that are vaguer and abstract (that could be a good thing, but given vast loss of cultural context it might be confusing as well.)

I’d recommend this book for anyone interested in Taoism. I enjoyed the Merton’s sparse approach, and think that he does a good job conveying Chuang Tzu’s lessons.
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C. Cannone
3.0 out of 5 stars Just a series of quotes
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2018
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I was surprised after reading some of the descriptions and reviews that the book has no real input from Thomas Merton. Just a series of quotes...no discussion, no interpretation, nothing. Many of the quotes seem meaningless and Merton offers no explanation. 'A silk hat salesman goes to the south where savages shave their heads and wear no hats'....ok, so? Whats that suppose to mean? Merton could help connect the dots a little. "An owl sees a phoenix fly over head and clutches a dead rat to him.. the phoenix responds..."why to you clutch at your ministry and screech at me in dismay?"" Im sure there is a very profound and deep explanation for this story, there is a point, obviously, but the book offers no insight. Just a series of mostly inexplicable quotes.
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Bret Blakeslee
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is an excellent starting place in the study of the early writings ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2015
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This book is an excellent starting place in the study of the early writings of the Tao.

I have a lot of different translations of the works of Chuang Zi. None of them are exactly like the others. Translating from ancient Chinese must be a real challenge since all of them are quite different . Most of them however get the gist of the subject. Merton may get it more than many who try to translate word for word. This is a transliteration of Chuang's work. Kind of like Edward FitzGerald's transliteration of Omar khayyam's Rubaiyat. FitzGerald didn't translate Khayyam's work. But he did a truly remarkable job of getting the meaning of several of Khayyam's quatrains.

And this is a remarkable book in the very same manner. I always have an extra or two on hand to give away to people who might get something from it. I've given away more than 50 to date. I think that much of it. Yes, Merton does see the Tao through Christian eyes but I allow for this and translate it back to the Tao in my head. Or, at least, my image of the Tao which, by definition, must be imperfect. But, as I said, I've read (and re-read) several translations of the Chuang Tzu, the Lieh Tzu, the Tao Te Ching, the Analects, the Doctrine Of The Mean, the Han Fei Tzu, the I Ching, and several other early works of the Tao, the Chan, and Zen, All of which come directly from these books.

And Merton gets it. He doesn't get it all. Or, maybe, he doesn't present it all here, I can’t actually speak to what Merton gets or doesn’t get. But this book is an excellent starting place in the study of the early writings of the Tao. It's easy to read and easy to comprehend, but there is a lot in it. Every time you read it you will get something new out of it. Like most beginnings it can be re-examined and studied at most places along the way and It never fails to offer a good foundation. If you don't start here, it offers an alternative foundation that will, at least, be interesting.

You can do a lot worse than buy this book. Reading it until you get all the meaning out of it will reward you greatly. Have fun. It’s worth it.

[You will notice this book has only 1 (at this time of this review) negative review. I think that review speaks for itself. But like most of his ilk he seems uncomfortable with the English language and it’s uses, and sees conspiracy everywhere because he understands nothing. ‘Nuff said ‘bout this.]
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Top reviews from other countries
Richard the Taijigerheart
5.0 out of 5 stars An essential link between East and West...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2019
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Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk with a great gift for communication and dialogue, surely did the world a great favour with his passion for building bridges of understanding between West and East. He took great interest in finding common ground (as well as differences) between mystic Christianity and Buddhist and Daoist traditions. This essay on Chuang Tzu / Zhuangzi stands out as one of his best.
One person found this helpful
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M. Lawton
5.0 out of 5 stars Poetic and profound
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2012
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I first read Zhuangzi in Burton Watson's brilliant translation. He himself recommends that you read other versions because the archaic Chinese it's written in is obscure and apparently can be translated in many different ways. Thomas Merton complements that version wonderfully well, putting an entirely different spin on the writing in some places, whilst in others changing the emphasis and teasing out new meanings.

It's irrelevant to discuss which is better because they're both equally good in their own ways. Thomas Merton is a little more accessible and has a lovely flow to it but Burton Watson explores the nuances in more depth and contains the full text, not just Merton's selected highlights. Choosing which one to buy is not really too much of a dilemma though - you'll probably want to get them both in the end!
13 people found this helpful
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david
5.0 out of 5 stars profound book from amazon
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2012
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I have read this book so many times over the last 40 years and it always seems I am reading it for the first time!Very profound writings!
5 people found this helpful
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Publisher's Summary


Classic writings from the great Zen master in exquisite versions by Thomas Merton, with a preface by his holiness the Dalai Lama, now in audio for the first time.

Working from existing translations, Thomas Merton composed a series of his own versions of the classic sayings of Chuang Tzu, the most spiritual of Chinese philosophers. Chuang Tzu, who wrote in the fourth and third centuries BC, is the chief authentic historical spokesperson for Taoism and its founder, Lao Tzu (a legendary character known largely through Chuang Tzu’s writings). Indeed, it was because of Chuang Tzu and the other Taoist sages that Indian Buddhism was transformed, in China, into the unique vehicle we now call by its Japanese name: Zen.

The Chinese sage abounds in wit and paradox and shattering insights into the true ground of being. Thomas Merton, no stranger to Asian thought, brings a vivid, modern idiom to the timeless wisdom of Tao.
©1965 The Abbey of Gethsemani (P)2018 New Directions


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Philo
11-01-2020

Way of Merton -- Chuang Tzu, not so muchI am a casual scholar of Taoism and a drooling fan of Chuang Tzu. I also like Merton at his best. This isn't that. Merton seems so anxious to explain away Chuang Tzu's points and make him acceptable (my word) to a mid-20th century Catholic (if monastic) sensibility, he winds up making a hash of it all. Merton winds up, to my ears, making Chuang Tzu resemble nothing so much as a bureaucratized (if witty) Confucian underneath, the ultimate absurdity. Really a nice and caring guy underneath, really all about a very warmed-over sociable "love." All sugar and iced tea and not to cause too many ripples around the comfy listener's porch, or among acceptable company. Merton never really stretched beyond his origins and center all that much: sort of a spiritual locker-room football coach in the 20th century men's club, a back-slapping caring buddy who really couldn't comprehend something (or portend anything) truly outside of that. He has glimpses, but not a full sense. It is a palliative, something to make the listener feel nice and good inside. Well, the world is already overflowing with those; a (sometimes) truly different angle like Chuang Tzu's is the rarity. It takes guts in the listening and in the telling, to face parts of it. And even Merton's (I think, submerged) attempted goal to smooth over Chuang Tzu seems garbled. I guess Merton could be allowed a miss once in awhile. I recommend (here at audible) Chuang Tsu Inner Chapters, A Companion Volume to Tao Te Ching by: Gia Fu Feng, Jane English. Bits may seem pretty odd at first, but a little patience unfolds the writings, straight-up. They speak most eloquently for themselves. And yes, there is a humane inner glow, but not what I hear from Merton, this time around.


5 people found this helpful

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Hung Nguyen
01-10-2019

My mind is blown

This shall be a book I will read a thousand times and will still learn something new. Profound teaching appropriate at all time.

1 person found this helpful

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Michael
17-05-2019

Wow

Always a pleasure to hear about the similarities as opposed to the differences. Book leaves you in deep reflective thought.

3 people found this helpful



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