• Tao Te Ching

  • The Essential Translation of the Ancient Chinese Book of the Tao
  • By: John Minford, Lao Tzu
  • Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
  • Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (377 ratings)

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Tao Te Ching  By  cover art

Tao Te Ching

By: John Minford, Lao Tzu
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
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Publisher's summary

The original mindfulness book, in a landmark new translation by the award-winning translator of the I Ching and The Art of War

The most translated book in the world after the Bible, the Tao Te Ching, or “Book of the Tao,” is a guide to cultivating a life of peace, serenity, and compassion. Through aphorisms and parable, it leads readers toward the Tao, or the “Way”: harmony with the life force of the universe. Traditionally attributed to Lao-tzu, a Chinese philosopher thought to have been a contemporary of Confucius, it is the essential text of Taoism, one of the three major religions of ancient China. As one of the world’s great works of wisdom literature, it still has much to teach us today, offering a practical model based on modesty and self-restraint for living a balanced existence and for opening your mind, freeing your thoughts, and attaining greater self-awareness. With its emphasis on calm, simplicity, purity, and non-action, it provides a time-tested refuge from the busyness of modern life.

This new translation seeks to understand the Tao Te Ching as a guide to everyday living and encourages a slow, meditative reading experience. The Tao Te Ching’s eighty-one brief chapters are accompanied by illuminating commentary, interpretation, poems, and testimonials by the likes of Margaret Mead, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Dr. Wayne W. Dyer.

©2018 John Minford (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“The power of the ­Lao-­tzu’s imagery and, ultimately, the simplicity of its message seem to be able to overcome the problems of language and of distance in time and place, so that at the end of the twentieth century, this has become one of the most influential of texts, cherished by people in all walks of life throughout the world.” (From the introduction by Sarah Allan)

What listeners say about Tao Te Ching

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Part history, part geneology.

After looking and feeling dissatisfied with the other books and translations I got exactly what I wanted with this text. This book provides context from the translator while being completely self-aware of the pitfalls this task. The translator takes a "this is what you are getting yourself into approach" which is surprisingly liberating when it gets to the text. Can't recommend this enough.

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19 people found this helpful

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Great book

Tao te ching is a short book, this version have several adicional pieces of text that complement the original one very well , i found this book realy well made and the best on Audible to know more about lao tzu and his life changing teachings 10/10

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16 people found this helpful

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Insightful, but oh... the pronunciation

This is a wonderful translation of the Tao Te Ching. The narrator does a wonderful job but I wish more attention was paid to the pronunciation of the Chinese words and names.

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7 people found this helpful

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I liked it a lot

At some point I got a used print copy to look at occasionally. There is so much in this book that it is too much to only listen to without getting lost. BTW, I'm not saying everyone would need to get a print copy to keep from getting lost. I'm saying I needed to do that. The comment was not meant as a criticism.

However, I greatly enjoyed the book. I recommend it. I think I will be listening to and reading this translation multiple times in the future. The voice presentation is very good.

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The way that can be spoken of is not the eternal w

6 ish hours explaining the inexplicable, trying to expound upon a master's teaching. probably a great study guide for a college student content with staring at the fingers to pass a class, not for someone who wants to see the moon. tried skipping the "explanations" but it got tiring.

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  • 03-27-21

...And then he mentioned the Beatles. One star off

This is a fine work on Taoism whose impact is reduced by embarrassing hero worship of the 1960s controlled-opposition media creations who are no longer distracting or hypnotizing the masses with propaganda-product bubblegum LSD jingles. Young people are rediscovering, and creating, great and complex music today, baffled by yesterday's gullible imitators of corporate-backed multi-millionaire 'rebels' who in many cases came from privileged backgrounds (like the Laurel Canyon 'legends' with their links to the military they 'criticized'). The Beatles no more belong in a work about the most organic concept in human history, than greedy televangelists should be named and legitimated in an introduction to the Holy Bible.

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4 people found this helpful

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It is Great without being Great!

I enjoyed listening to the book.
I don't know what else to say.
Fifteen words.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

Tao te ching

Peaceful awareness, connections to Tao, being in the Void of TAO, silent and still, in this present moment of the Now.

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Great

This is a book of riddles that you will have to read many times so don't be discouraged if you don't understand the first time around.

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Truly mind opening

I’ve recently started the journey of learning more about myself and how to live life the way we are supposed to. This is my second book in search for truths and it has been eye opening. I was able to find similarities in Lao Tzu’s teachings that go hand in hand with other ideologies and religions. I found the book very easy to follow, and the addition of other people’s perspectives of the teachings really adds to the different ways you can process the book. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

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