2022/05/17

Tao Te Ching: With Over 150 Photographs by Jane English : Tsu, Lao: GIA-FU FENG

Tao Te Ching, G. Feng and J. English

Full description

Jump to Page

You are on page 1o

Tao Te Ching: With Over 150 Photographs by Jane English : Tsu, Lao: Amazon.com.au: Books

See this image

Tao Te Ching: With Over 150 Photographs by Jane English Paperback – 1 January 1998

by Lao Tsu (Author)

4.8 out of 5 stars 279 ratings

See all formats and editions

Paperback

$29.80

1 Used from $28.18

16 New from $29.27

For nearly two generations, this bestselling translation of the Tao Te Ching has been the standard for those seeking access to the wisdom of Taoist thought. Now Jane English and her long-time editor, Toinette Lippe, have refreshed and revised the translation, so that it more faithfully reflects the Classical Chinese in which it was first written, while taking into account changes in our own language and eliminating any lingering infelicities. This beautiful oversized edition features over a hundred new photographs by Jane English that help express the vast spirit of the Tao. Also included is an introduction by the well-known writer and scholar of philosophy and comparative religion, Jacob Needleman.

Lao Tsu's philosophy is simple- 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, for to try to change what is only sets up resistance. Nature provides everything without requiring payment or thanks. It does so without discrimination. So let us present the same face to everyone and treat them all as equals, however they may behave. If we watch carefully, we will see that work proceeds more quickly and easily if we stop "trying," if we stop putting in so much extra effort, if we stop looking for results. In the clarity of a still and open mind, truth will be reflected. Te-which may be translated as "virtue" or "strength"-lies always in Tao meaning "the way" or "natural law." In other words- Simply be.

Read less

Print length

184 pages

Language

English

Publisher

RANDOM HOUSE DIVERSIFIED

Publication date

1 January 1998

Dimensions

21.51 x 0.91 x 27.81 cm

ISBN-10

0307949303

Frequently bought together

Tao Te Ching: With Over 150 Photographs by Jane English+Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching+Tao Te Ching: A New English Version

Total Price:$74.57

Add all three to Cart

These items are dispatched from and sold by different sellers.

Show details

This item: Tao Te Ching: With Over 150 Photographs by Jane English

by Lao Tsu

Paperback

$29.80

FREE Delivery

Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Paperback

$21.36

FREE One-Day

Get it Tomorrow, May 18

Tao Te Ching: A New English Version

by Reader in Classics Stephen Mitchell

Paperback

$23.41

FREE Delivery

Products related to this item

Sponsored Page 1 of 24Page 1 of 24

Previous page of related Sponsored Products

Bhagavad Gita (in English): The Authentic English Translation for Accurate and Unbiased Understanding

Bhagavad Gita (in English): The Authentic English Translation ...

Hari Chetan

153

Paperback

$21.99

The History of China: A Concise Introduction to Chinese History, Culture, Dynasties, Mythology, Great Achievements & More of The Oldest Living Civilization

The History of China: A Concise Introduction to Chinese Histor...

History Brought Alive

Paperback

$21.99

Tao Te Ching

Lao Tzu

1,282

Kindle Edition

$5.27

How Does It Feel to Be You?: An Introduction To Animism

O s h r i H

Kindle Edition

$8.79

The Mosaic: Realizations about Our Life, Consciousness, and Existence

The Mosaic: Realizations about Our Life, Consciousness, and Ex...

Markus Obrock

Kindle Edition

$9.99

Ancient Mesopotamia: An Enthralling Overview of Mesopotamian History, Starting from Eridu through the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Hittites, and Persians to Alexander the Great

Ancient Mesopotamia: An Enthralling Overview of Mesopotamian H...

Enthralling History

Paperback

$21.98

The Tao Te Ching Collected: Classical Translations of Laozi’s Daodejing

The Tao Te Ching Collected: Classical Translations of Laozi’s ...

Lao Tzu

Paperback

$45.14

Next page of related Sponsored Products

Product description

Review

No one has done better in conveying Lao Tsu's simple and laconic style of writing, so as to produce an English version almost as suggestive of the many meanings intended. This is a most useful, as well as beautiful, volume--and what it has to say is exactly what the world, in its present state, needs to hear. --Alan Watts

From the Inside Flap

Available for the first time in a handy, easy-to-use size, here is the most accessible and authoritative modern English translation of the ancient Chinese classic. This new Vintage edition includes an introduction and notes by the well-known writer and scholar of philosophy and comparative religion, Jacob Needleman.

From the Back Cover

The Tao Te Ching, the esoteric but infinitely practical book written most probably in the sixth century B.C. by Lao Tsu, has been translated more frequently than any work except the Bible. This translation of the Chinese classic, which was first published twenty-five years ago, has sold more copies than any of the others. It offers the essence of each word and makes Lao Tsu's teaching immediate and alive. The philosophy of Lao Tsu is simple: 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, for to try to change what is only sets up resistance. Nature provides everything without requiring payment or thanks, and also provides for all without discrimination - therefore let us present the same face to everyone and treat all men as equals, however they may behave. If we watch carefully, we will see that work proceeds more quickly and easily if we stop "trying", if we stop putting in so much extra effort, if we stop looking for results. In the clarity of a still and open mind, truth will be reflected. We will come to appreciate the original meaning of the word "understand", which means "to stand under". We serve whatever or whoever stands before us, without any thought for ourselves. Te - which may be translated as "virtue, or "strength" - lies always in Tao, or "natural law". In other words: Simply be.

About the Author

GIA-FU FENG was born in 1919 in Suzhou. He grew up in Shanghai and during World War II graduated from Peking University. He came to the United States in 1947 and earned a Master's Degree at the Wharton School. Meeting Alan Watts in San Francisco and studying at the American Academy of Asian Studies, he found the path he had been seeking. He taught at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California and founded Stillpoint Foundation, a Taoist community in Colorado where he lived until his death in 1985.

JANE ENGLISH, whose photographs form an integral part of this book, was born in Boston. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College and received her doctorate in experimental high energy particle physics from the University of Wisconsin. Her other books and calendars include Different Doorway- Adventures of a Caesarean Born, Fingers Pointing to the Moon, and the IceWisdom Calendar. She lives in Vermont. Her current work may be seen at www.eheart.com.

TOINETTE LIPPE worked at Alfred A. Knopf for more than thirty years. In 1989, she founded the Bell Tower imprint. Her own books include Nothing Left Over- A Plain and Simple Life and Caught in the Act- Reflections on Being, Knowing, and Doing. She now devotes herself to East Asian brush painting and her paintings and cards can be seen at www.toinettelippe.com.

JACOB NEEDLEMAN is professor emeritus of philosophy at San Francisco StateUniversity. Among his books areLost Christianity, The American Soul,and What Is God?. In addition to his teaching and writing, he serves as a consultant in the fields of psychology, education, medical ethics, and philanthropy, and he was featured on Bill Moyers' acclaimed PBS series, "A World of Ideas." www.jacobneedleman.com.

Read less

Tell the Publisher!

I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Pay with Zip

Buy now and pay at your pace using Zip Learn more

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ RANDOM HOUSE DIVERSIFIED; 1st edition (1 January 1998)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 184 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0307949303

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0307949301

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 21.51 x 0.91 x 27.81 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 112,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

193 in Taoist Philosophy

198 in Taoism (Books)

18,915 in Christian Books & Bibles

Customer Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 stars 279 ratings

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Tao Te Ching: Text Only Edition

Lao Tsu

4.5 out of 5 stars 351

Paperback

$21.05

Get it 10 - 21 Jun

FREE Shipping

Usually dispatched within 3 to 4 days.

Tao Te Ching: The Essential Translation of the Ancient Chinese Book of the Tao

Lao Tzu

4.5 out of 5 stars 592

Paperback

$15.13

FREE One-Day

Tao Te Ching

Lao-Tzu

4.2 out of 5 stars 104

Paperback

$9.90

Prime FREE Delivery

Usually dispatched within 5 to 7 days.

Tao Te Ching

Lao Tzu

4.7 out of 5 stars 1,896

Paperback

$12.46

FREE Delivery

Tao Te Ching: The New Translation from Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition

Lao Tzu

4.7 out of 5 stars 541

Mass Market Paperback

$14.45

FREE One-Day

Lao-tzu's Taoteching

Red Pine

4.8 out of 5 stars 183

Hardcover

$30.40

FREE One-Day

Products related to this item

Sponsored

Top reviews

Top reviews from Australia

There are 0 reviews and 0 ratings from Australia

Top reviews from other countries

AlanSharland

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Pocket-Sized!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 July 2018

Verified Purchase

I bought what was meant to be the 'pocket sized' version of this book which appealed to me as i already have an old copy of the larger version and fancied carrying a smaller version around with me...in my pocket, to get out and read from time to time. The book that came through was the same size as the original so not pocket sized at all! I'll keep it anyway as my old version is starting to fall apart but it was a misrepresentation to say this is 'pocket sized'.....unless you have bigger than A4 sized pockets!

4 people found this helpful

Report abuse

Hermit

3.0 out of 5 stars I love this translation but....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2018

Verified Purchase

This translation by Gia-fu feng and Jane English is one of my favorites but for me the photos {although lovely pictures} make for a huge floppy book and the shiny paper used in this edition reflects light in such a way so as to make it difficult to read comfortably without glare from the pages in any light.

Bought second hand, seller dispatched quickly and in excellent condition....

Edit, there is a text only edition.(13by20½cm)

I have since purchased a used copy of this from America... could not find it new or used in uk! which also contains some interesting notes on the text not present in large version... now enjoying this wonderful book again.

Customer image

6 people found this helpful

Report abuse

Paul Griffiths

1.0 out of 5 stars Pages fell out

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 September 2019

Verified Purchase

Great book however not pocket sized and really cheap binding, single sheets set in glue which all started falling out in under a week. Still, at least I learned for every bound book there must be an unbound book!

2 people found this helpful

Report abuse

MC Watts

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully presented edition of this work

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 May 2018

Verified Purchase

Beautifully presented edition of this work. This is the translation recommended to me by a member of the British Taoist Association on one of their meditation retreats, and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

3 people found this helpful

Report abuse

WNM

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, quick delivery but Be Warned!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 April 2013

Verified Purchase

This is a remarkable edition.

The translation is my favourite of all English translations I have read, and it is presented beautifully with fantastic and fitting photographs,

however be warned this is not a travel-sized book.. I was hoping to take it on a bike trip but it's much larger than I had in mind, it is quite a big book!

If you are considering buying this, I highly recommend that you do. It is, quite simply, brilliant.

7 people found this helpful

Report abuse

Follow Author

GIA-FU FENG’S FOLLOWERS (12)

Add New VIDEOS
No videos have been added to this profile yet. Add one now.

Gia-Fu Feng

BornChina

edit data
Gia-Fu Feng (1919 - 1985) was prominent as both an English translator (with his wife, Jane English) of Daoist classics and a Daoist teacher in the United States, associated with Alan Watts, Jack Kerouac, The Beats and Abraham Maslow.

He was born in Shanghai in 1919 into a fairly wealthy family of some influence. His father was a prominent banker, one of the founders of the Bank of China; his mother died when he was 16. He was educated privately in his own home in the classics of the Chinese tradition and in private boarding schools. He was for several months tutored by the wife of the British Consul-General. His family members were Buddhist. For the springtime holiday, they traveled to the ancestral tombs in Yu Yao, in Chekiang Province, for the spring festivals. During the Japanese Occupation, Gia-Fu went to Kunming in Free China to complete his Bachelor's Degree at Southwest Associated University in the liberal arts. Gia-Fu once commented that he had become a millionaire three times in his life, giving his money away each time. The first time was when he worked for the bank in Kunming.
After he returned to Shanghai in 1946, he left again in 1947, to come to the U.S. for a Master's Degree in international finance at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. After the communists took over China and the Korean War began, U.S. policy kept many Chinese students from returning home. Then, when Chinese Communist Party policies made life for the Feng family and all of China less certain, his father advised him to stay in the U.S. During the Cultural Revolution, some members of his family were persecuted.

After this, he started wandering across the country “in an old jalopy.” He spent some time in a Quaker community, lived in a Georgia commune during the time of the Supreme Court decision in Brown v The Topeka Board of Education, and in the mid-fifties moved to the West Coast. There, he 'hung out' with Jack Kerouac and other Dharma Bums, and began teaching Taoism.
Initially he translated Chinese classics for Alan Watts at the American Academy of Asian Studies, the center where Alan Watts served as administrator primary teacher. Alan Watts was later to state that Gia-Fu was “The Real Thing,” sending aspiring Beat-and-Hippie Taoists to him.
Watts' championing of Gia-Fu as a genuine Taoist Adept substantially abetted sales of Gia-Fu and his wife, Jane English's classic Taoist philosophy, coffee-table picture-books, which were published by Random House in many languages. Gia-Fu and Jane's books contained Jane's artistic black and white photos in conjunction with his outstanding calligraphy and readily understood wisdom translations. They initiated an important segment of what would become for the global book industry a highly popular, multicultural spirituality and philosophy genre. They also foreshadowed a trend toward multi-media usage in an emergent, classy, holistic marketplace.

Calligraphy by Gia-Fu Feng, from the cover of the book Tao-Te-Ching
Gia-Fu became involved in the East-West philosophy and spirituality movement that occurred in Northern California, centered by the evolution of the AAAS, reformed as the California Institute of Integral Studies. This was part of a core sociocultural transformation that became known as the San Francisco Renaissance. Regarding that, Alan Watts stated, “I know what it is, but when you ask me, I don't. I am too close to what has happened to see it in proper perspective. I know only that between, say, 1958 and 1970 a huge tide of spiritual energy in the form of poetry, music, philosophy, painting, religion, communications techniques in radio, television, and cinema, dancing, theater, and general life-style swept out of this city and its environs to affect America and the whole world.”
Michael Murphy, a primary founder of Esalen Institute, was also a student at the AAAS during his Stanford student days. From this network, including the community of the Sri Auro (less)