Reading the Tao Teh Ching

[The Sum of Awe]

I wanted to read up about Zen, but I realized I don't have any books on Zen and I still have an unopened Tao Teh Ching.

But, I only have one translation, should I read more of it, or is just this one fine?

 

[Jainarayan]

There are a bunch of online translations of the Tao Te Ching. In one of my posts in the Taoism Dir is a link. They can be very different.

Edit: it's in my thread about the Tao of Pooh.

 

[dust1n]

Just read it... it takes a couple of hours.

 

[Sunstone]

I think it's best to read at least two or three translations.

 

[Alceste]

Most people who are into it read several translations, since it's not easy to translate. You should just read whatever you have, but if it's one of the super wordy ones that tries to explain everything, be wary.

 

[crossfire]

Here's a free copy of Ron Hogan's freely (and free-wheeling) translation of the Tao Te Ching, (not anything like a word-by-word translation--more like a paraphrase into modern vernacular) that is quite handy for comparisons.

http://www.beatrice.com/TAO.pdf

 

[crossfire]

Two important Ch'an (Zen) documents are the Hsin Hsin Ming (two translations side by side) and the Platform Sutra, with another translation of it here.

Complete works of Chuang Tzu are here.

 

[DreadFish]

The first copy of the TTC D) I got, and my favorite one, is translated by Stephen Mitchell. I didnt realize it when I first read it but, it has a zen/tao bent to it. Nonetheless, I find that to be quite appropriate, given the subject matter.

There is actually a school of Taoism called the Dragon Gate sect, which is a sub school of the Quanzhen or "All True" school of Taoism. The Dragon Gate school synthesizes elements of Buddhism and Confucianism with the Taoism. So I find no problem with the "zen-like" bent on the subject matter.