What's the Best Tao Te Ching Translation or Paraphrase To Use? — Taosurfers
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TAO TE CHINGYIN YOGAIDEAS & WELLBEINGDEATH DOULAAUGGIE MEMORIAL
What's the Best Tao Te Ching Translation or Paraphrase To Use?
The Tao set forth as dogma
is not the everlasting Tao.
Words cannot contain
the infinite Word.
This is our rendering of the first lines of the Tao Te Ching. You may have heard it before as something like: “The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao.” Over the centuries, observers have enjoyed laughing about the fact that after saying you can’t put the Tao into words, Lao Tzu went on for 81 more chapters (albeit short chapters). The problem with that joke is that it misses the point of the text. It’s precisely because the Tao is ineffable (not able to be perfectly contained with words) that it needs at least a bit of explanation, and in fact attempts at it from various angles. To be sure, the direct perception or experience of the Tao is more important than the second-order discourse about it. But this is true for almost all spiritual traditions. For this reason, you should consult at least a couple translations to get the point.
With that said, we don’t presume to suggest that our version is the best in general. We do think it will be the best rendering for our purposes, which include:
A) Jeff ‘s university students in history of religion or history of Eastern political philosophy courses;
B) folks with whom Stacie works as an end of life doula or Yin yoga instructor;
C) folks who grew up in a Western context with idioms and worldview of evangelical Christianity for whom, regardless of their current religious affiliation or lack thereof.
With respect to this final group, we’re particularly interested in serving as a resource for folks who have been traumatized by abusive forms of religion, but still need a resource for contemplation that isn’t tied to a sect or organization that is trying to convert them and doesn’t rely on specific doctrines. In practical terms, we are providing our own rendition of the Tao Te Ching so we can use it freely and record lines from it without copyright issues on our third season of our Protect Your Noggin Podcast. This season is Protect Your Noggin With Jesus; next will be Protect Your Noggin with Lao Tzu.
We began working through our rendition of the Tao Te Ching during our camper truck travels, when Jeff was on sabbatical. Finishing the first draft rather quickly in 2019, we’ve now split up our tasks as a couple, consulting various commentaries and comparing a few new translations we hadn’t previously seen, and trying to gain as much Chinese language training as possible (which we readily admit is very weak and not our emphasis). Follow us on Twitter for updates as they come, on YouTube for occasional renditions of chapters set to video with commentary, and on Instagram for some sample selections. We’ll soon post something dedicated to the exact nature of our upcoming version. In the mean time, folks have asked about the best go-to English translations, so here is an abbreviated, annotated list of resources.
CART 0
TAO TE CHINGYIN YOGAIDEAS & WELLBEINGDEATH DOULAAUGGIE MEMORIAL
What's the Best Tao Te Ching Translation or Paraphrase To Use?
The Tao set forth as dogma
is not the everlasting Tao.
Words cannot contain
the infinite Word.
This is our rendering of the first lines of the Tao Te Ching. You may have heard it before as something like: “The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao.” Over the centuries, observers have enjoyed laughing about the fact that after saying you can’t put the Tao into words, Lao Tzu went on for 81 more chapters (albeit short chapters). The problem with that joke is that it misses the point of the text. It’s precisely because the Tao is ineffable (not able to be perfectly contained with words) that it needs at least a bit of explanation, and in fact attempts at it from various angles. To be sure, the direct perception or experience of the Tao is more important than the second-order discourse about it. But this is true for almost all spiritual traditions. For this reason, you should consult at least a couple translations to get the point.
With that said, we don’t presume to suggest that our version is the best in general. We do think it will be the best rendering for our purposes, which include:
A) Jeff ‘s university students in history of religion or history of Eastern political philosophy courses;
B) folks with whom Stacie works as an end of life doula or Yin yoga instructor;
C) folks who grew up in a Western context with idioms and worldview of evangelical Christianity for whom, regardless of their current religious affiliation or lack thereof.
With respect to this final group, we’re particularly interested in serving as a resource for folks who have been traumatized by abusive forms of religion, but still need a resource for contemplation that isn’t tied to a sect or organization that is trying to convert them and doesn’t rely on specific doctrines. In practical terms, we are providing our own rendition of the Tao Te Ching so we can use it freely and record lines from it without copyright issues on our third season of our Protect Your Noggin Podcast. This season is Protect Your Noggin With Jesus; next will be Protect Your Noggin with Lao Tzu.
We began working through our rendition of the Tao Te Ching during our camper truck travels, when Jeff was on sabbatical. Finishing the first draft rather quickly in 2019, we’ve now split up our tasks as a couple, consulting various commentaries and comparing a few new translations we hadn’t previously seen, and trying to gain as much Chinese language training as possible (which we readily admit is very weak and not our emphasis). Follow us on Twitter for updates as they come, on YouTube for occasional renditions of chapters set to video with commentary, and on Instagram for some sample selections. We’ll soon post something dedicated to the exact nature of our upcoming version. In the mean time, folks have asked about the best go-to English translations, so here is an abbreviated, annotated list of resources.
NOTHING TOO OLD
We’ve found many of the older, public domain translations that are free online to be almost unusable since they sometimes misrepresent the very heart of a passage. Notoriously, they tend to revel in bald paradoxes or assume that the void is preferred to existence, or that the author isn’t opposed to authoritarian power. Indeed, we suggest going with a self-published recent version over translations from a century ago, even if it was through a prestigious publishing company.
THE BEST ACADEMIC VERSION
Darrell Lau, The Tao Te Ching (Penguin, 1974).
If you’re looking for the most reliable and scholarly translation, you need read no further than this entry. It’s been around awhile, and there have been more recent manuscript discoveries, but if you want an unadorned and accurate translation that sticks to the original, this is it.
THE BEST VERSION FOR A CLEAR AND UNDERSTANDABLE RENDERING OF THE CHINESE ORIGINAL
Derek Lin, Tao Te Ching: Annotated and Explained (Skylight, 2006).
It wasn’t easy to make this determination, with several readable but scholarly respectible options out there. Lin helps readers avoid some of the most problematic pitfalls mentioned above, is keen to observe repeated words, and knows the philosophy of the Tao well enough to reject readings that suggest it is about slacking off and never acting assertively. This is your go-to if you don’t want to be mislead about the form or language of the original. You can also check out Lin’s helpful lectures and commentaries online, via YouTube for deeper engagement with each line. He’s trustworthy as a teacher of both the philology and the philosophy, so you can’t go wrong here. If you only had to have one version that could cover both scholarly and personal concerns, this is it.
THE BEST VERSION FOR REPRESENTING THE UNADORNED NATURE OF THE VERSES
Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo, trans. Tao Te Ching (Hackett Classics, 1993).
Jeff first got into the Tao Te Ching after interviewing Stanley Lombardo on an old podcast about Classical Greek translations. Lombardo developed an interest in Zen Buddhism, which is historically linked to Chinese reception of Buddhism in a form that resonated with Taoism. After digging his work with Ovid, Jeff picked up this version, and the rest is history. This is a good one to have alongside Lin’s or another, in case you come across patches that sound cool but don’t make much sense. Addiss and Lombardo don’t insert too many extra words for explanation. That said, this helps English readers understand why there are so many variant interpretations of lines: even Chinese readers need to try and fill in the spaces between simple words. We’ve been struggling for a word to describe both the Tao Te Ching’s unadorned language and this particular translation, and the adjective “Zen” as it is colloquially used—as a way to refer to something that is beautifully simple and not overly ornate—is fitting here. After all, Lombardo is a Zen Buddhist! Consider their take on the opening line: “TAO called TAO is not TAO.” That’s of course cleaner and shorter than our opening line, and it demonstrates the difference in priorities. Whereas we are trying to show the value of this way of thinking related to the question of religious language in general, and dogmatism in particular, if you want to know how the text felt when originally read aloud, this is a great option.
THE BEST IF YOU CARE ABOUT PRECISION AND NUANCES WITH THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS
Roger Ames and David Hall, trans. Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation: Featuring Recently Discovered Bamboo Texts (Ballantine, 2010).
The subtitle justifies the publication of this version. It incorporates textual discoveries that occurred in 1973 and 1993. As with biblical studies, if you want to know what was going on with the original, it’s good to have the oldest and best manuscripts available. This is how Erasmus of Rotterdam, via his critical edition of the Greek New Testament led, whether he wanted it to or not, to a rethinking of the nature of the movement Jesus started. This book is worth it for the introduction alone. As for the translation itself, this includes translations that elucidate the philosophical meaning of the words on the other side of the spectrum from Addiss and Lombardo. Consider Ames and Hall’s rendition of the first line:
Way-making (dao) that can be put into words is not really way-making, And naming (ming) that can assign fixed reference to things is not really naming.
After each chapter, a helpful commentary is included. As much as the aesthetic of a pared-down translation can be good for contemplation, it sometimes is easier to explore the ideas of this text with wordier translations than to keep looking to footnotes. One of the principles of our own version, by the way, is that we want readers to have a chance to capture the key ideas of each chapter without footnotes or commentary.
THE BEST FOR USING IN THE CONTEXT OF CARING FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN DISTRESS
R. Joseph Owles, Everyone’s Tao Te Ching: The Tao Te Ching for Those of Us Who Just Want To Find the Way (Independently Published, 2020).
Owles, like us, crafted something that respects the original text but is concerned to apply it in practical contexts. His context is that of hospice care, and—as the subtitle states—is for people actually seeking existential insights and peace. There are New Age style versions that can also be used for this sort of purpose, but this version with some paraphrastic elements is helpful for folks who might need some spiritual peace but are wary of too etherial an approach to the sober wisdom of Lao Tzu.
THE BEST EXPLICITLY CHRISTIAN RENDITION
Marshall Davis, The Tao of Christ: A Christian Version of the Tao Te Ching (Independent, 2013).
Jonathan Star, Tao Te Ching: The New Translation from Tao Te Ching, The Definitive Edition (Penguin, 2008). Davis is a Baptist pastor (not of the fundamentalist stripe) who intentionally brings Lao Tzu into dialog with Christian idioms and themes. He also has a podcast on this theme.
THE BEST ATTENTION TO POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS
Cuo Hsiang, Waterway: A New Translation of the Tao Te Ching (Crispy Press, 2016).
Very free with the translation but very readable and helpful. He recognizes the anarchism that has been obscured by others, and doesn’t “privilege emptiness over existence.” This is also a solid option for not too much money on Kindle.
THE BEST FOR UNDERSTANDING THE TAO WITHOUT RELYING TOO HEAVILY ON PARADOX AND MYSTERY.
Wayne Wang, Tao Te Ching: An Ultimate Translation: With The Logic of Tao Philosophy (Helena Island, 2013).
This text sets forth the inner logic of the Tao Te Ching and moves beyond a big problem of older translations of the text that overly rely on paradoxical language. Perhaps in the past, that’s what made the text seem profound to new readers. This would be best used alongside something that is easier to read and understand on the first pass (something we’ve attempted), after which this text can help explain the philosophy behind the texts.
THE BEST MEDITATIVE VERSION IF YOU WANT INSIGHTS BUT AREN’T WORRIED ABOUT STRAYING FROM THE ORIGINAL TEXT.
Stephen Mitchell, Tao Te Ching: A New English Version (Golden Classics, 2015).
Mitchell is married to Byron Katie and folks who dig her work will resonate with the flow of this version. Indeed, while there are times when he takes liberties with the original, he often does so in a way that we find to be totally in keeping with the spirit of Lao Tzu. It’s a bit more on the New Age side of the spectrum, but in the best sense of that description. If you need something to fall asleep to during anxious times, get his audio version of this.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Corey Farr (host of the podcast A Christian Reads the Tao Te Ching) provides a list of some sources he uses.
There is a real cool Eastern Orthodox engagement with the Tao Te Ching by Hieromonk Damascene, and it includes some interesting historical information about Christians in China over the centuries.
Check this source out when you want to check on the original Chinese for a specific line or chapter.
To understand the various strands and periods of Taoism as a religious and philosophical tradition, there’s one go-to book by Eva Wong.
HAPPY TAO SURFING FRIENDS. HANG 10,000.
April 26, 2020
COMMENTS (5)
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Heidi 3 months ago · 0 LikesReally appreciate this thoughtful review. Thank you.
Joakim 4 months ago · 0 LikesNo mention of Ursula Le Guin's translation? It's my favorite.
video game localization companies A year ago · 0 LikesEveryone is making use of social networks nowadays as well as with the similarity Facebook, Twitter, etc the selections of on the internet systems abound. For client experience they have the alternative of working with either a translation firm or a private translator when organizations require their items equated right into various languages.
Peter A year ago · 0 LikesThanks for your very knowledgeable and readable advice. Based on your descriptions -- and my review of the first couple of lines of the various translations -- I’m looking forward to reading the Addiss and Lombardo version. Thanks again!
Vinc 2 years ago · 0 LikesThank you so much for this review. I've been looking all over for a perspective on different versions and interpretations. I have been using the Derek Lin version which is my absolute favourite. But it's always good to refer to alternatives for further insights and understanding. Much appreciated.
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