“He may have been an older contemporary of Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.) and may have held the position of archive-keeper in one of the petty kingdoms of the time.”.“All he left us is his book: the classic manual on the art of living, written in style of gemlike lucidity, radiant with humor and grace and largeheartednens and deep wisdom: one of the wonders of the world.” - Stephen Mitchell Mitchell believes he was simply writing a book that he always wanted to read: “The feeling was one of deep connectedness, of knowing exactly what to do, beyond any conscious intention.”Ībout Lao-tzu (also spelled Lao Tzu and Laozi):.He discovered the Tao Te Ching shortly before he began Zen training in 1973 (30 years old). His old Zen master taught him about Don’t-know mind: “the empty, luminous, infinitely open mind of realization.”.Stephen Mitchell was born in 1943, educated at Amherst, the Sorbonne, and Yale, and “de-educated through intensive Zen practice.”. A true philanthropist, like a good parent, brings people to the point where they can help themselves.” - Stephen Mitchell “The greatest help is wholeheartedly trusting people to resolve their own problems. NON-RESISTANCE, NON-JUDGMENT, & NON-ATTACHMENTĪ Quick Intro to the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.Quick Intro to the Tao Te Ching (about the author, about Lao Tzu)Ģ5 Favorite Tao Te Ching Quotes & Passagesġ0 Life-Transforming Themes (with supporting passages): Post Contents: Click a link here to jump to a section below When you see gray italics, these are notes from the author, Stephen Mitchell, that he included at the end of the book to help with understanding. For each passage, normal text is directly from the book the chapter is marked by a number at the end in parentheses (X).This helps me group them by theme and helps shorten the length of this page. I’ve taken the passages and turned them into sentences instead of the line breaks in the book.So, I’ve tried to group my favorite passages by key themes. It’s not quite possible for a book summary to do the Tao Te Ching justice.You can read a variety of Tao Te Ching translations online for free here and here. Over time, I will also be comparing my favorite Tao Te Ching passages to other translations/versions and update this post. This summary is based on the Stephen Mitchell New English Version.On Enlightenment: 3 Meanings of the “Chop Wood, Carry Water” Zen Quote.Zen Stages of Enlightenment: The Ten Bulls or Ten Oxherding Pictures (Short Story).If you like this post, you may also enjoy: But it’s one thing to read about being in harmony with the Tao, or even to understand what that means, and quite another to actually live it.” - Stephen Mitchell “It’s wonderful to discover that there is such a thing as a manual on the art of living, a book as profound as this, and as down-to-earth, that can point you in the right direction. Easily one of the wisest books I’ve ever read. I absolutely loved Tao Te Ching (pronounced Dow Deh Jing).
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