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Title: The Book of Chuang Tzu (Penguin Classics)
ISBN: 014045537X
Author:
Publicate Date: 2007-04-06
Publish: 2007-04-06
List Price: $16.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $8.92
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $8.90
Amazon Merchant Price: $10.88
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Chuang-tzu's the Man!
Were I too have one book on that proverbial desert island, this would be it. Chuang-Tzu speaks to my heart like no other both in the content of his "teachings" and in presentation. Experience this and there is nothing more. And this particular translation is both readable and true.
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2: A new understanding of the Way
I am one of those people who discovered Tao with many thanks to Benjamin Hoff.
In his book I read about the Chuang Tzu for the first time as well. And now I have it, I cherish this book. It makes Tao alive for me, shows the way through tales that move you, and, maybe very surprising for a book this old, it can still make you laugh.
I have not read any of the other translations others mention here, but I know this: as a starter on the way it was a very good read, the poetry of the words is amazing.
This book is a keeper, and I am very happy it is on my shelves.
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3: Five stars aint enough!
Fantastic!
Chuang Tzu is considered to have been a follower of the Taoist school of thought, influenced by Lao Tzu. However, we know much more about Chuang Tzu. He can be said to fit the classic ideal of a Taoist as a carefree ascetic with a sense of humour living in the forest in harmony with nature. This is certainly the portrayal of him in the book.
It is unclear who wrote the work and many authorities consider only the first few chapters as authentic. That's why it's good to get a translation that covers all the chapters as from reading them it's possible to get the feeling that even if are were a forgery, they are a worthwhile, beautiful forgery.
What is Chuang Tzu's philosophy? This is a question that has plagued people from religious Taoists to scholars for ages, because there is no definite answer but a number of strands. However, he is certainly a critic of contemporary society in terms of what he sees as a life that is too complicated. He is critical both of language as a means of pinning down concepts and civilisation in terms of corrupting people by creating rigidity. Many see him as a moral relativist, but I think he was just an advocate of a simplicity and "naturalness" and thought that moral labels only tended to make people more immoral.
The other concept I loved was wu-wei or "non-action". Unlike the cryptic nature of it in the Tao Te Ching, here, Chuang Tzu shows us through a series of misfits, cripples, ascetics and the like - all of whom figure as characters in his stories. Many of them survive and thrive through some kind of skill they've developped which doesn't require much intellectualising. When they're lost in their work (say trapping cicadas), they are happy and achieve success by not struggling, hence wu-wei. For starters, this highlights better than almost any other text I've read the intrinsic dignity of lives that are radically different to the norm in that they can still be worthwhile and fulfilling if we open our minds and see their essence. But Chuang Tzu was concerned in applying that kind of not-overly-intellectual action to government, which is also fascinating.
The edition has some footnotes but the book itself is large sections of narrative/prose/poetry that requires little external explanation. The translation probably leans towards poetic paraphrase over precise equality which I think is good for classic texts. The illustrations are great and really enhance the value of the book as a coherent whole.
A book of moving, funny, sad, chaotic, intuitive parables, stories, allegories and anecdotes that feel like they're speaking to you directly from over 2000 years ago.
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4: not the best - but still good
I prefer Burton Watson's translation to Palmer and Breuilly's, especially after reading parts in the Chinese text. But Palmer and Breuilly won't steer U wrong though. No, this is a decent translation of the entire text, which is not a common sight! Only Burton Watson, James Legge, and Victor Mair have put out complete Zhuangzi translations. AC Graham's translation is also quite good.BAO PU-
embrace simplicity
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5: Not good for a beginner
I got this book because I was interested in learning more about Tao -- my only experience had been the Tao of Pooh. This is probably a good book if you know about Tao and the philosophy behind it, but as a newcomer, it wasn't interesting or educational.
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