Customer Reviews
A Great Introduction - By: Danny Bernardi, 19 Nov 2006 
This is a lovely book to own. The photographs by John Cleare are stunning & it would be worth buying the book for these alone. The text consists of an introduction & preface which provides the reader with a good groundingin the theory & principles of Taosim, followed by the verses. The latter part of the book provides an explanation of the versesin fairly plain English. Most of the verses are relevant for modern living & would provide an excellent basis for a moral & ethical code for individuals who find religion is not relevant for them. Equally, for the religious person the verses will probably be just as insightful. Cheap it aint but it is worth every penny & this book would, I am sure, provide a reassuring & thought provoking presencein anyone's life.
good starting to exploring the tao te ching - By: , 24 Jan 2006 
Unlike like the reviewer who gave this only two stars I think this is a very good version of the Tao Te Ching particularly for the western mind. Calling it the Great Integrity does it no harm at all. I have read several versions of the Tao Te Ching & this is by far the best as an introduction. I daresay if you approach it from a purist point of view it may well fall short of the mark but after all any sacred text is open to interpretation of the individual reader.To try & limit it is to deny the wisdom it has to offer.Unfortunately fundamentalism will always creepin when anything new comes onto the scene. If you want a good version buy this one I have recommended it to my friends.It is well worth the money, if you buy one Tao Te Ching but this one, I have no regrets.
Beautifull and evocative - By: , 07 Mar 2005 Having spent an hourin the bookshop reading different versions of the Tao Te Ching I chose this one for it's beauty & poetic translation. I am reading two versions of the Tao but think that this one is perfect for the average western reader because it captures the essence of the original script butin an easy to read & profoundly moving manner. I can see why many would wish to read the Taoin as close a translation as possible (And there are many books out there that do so) but this version conveys the meaning clearly to people without an academic or scholastic background. I have just brought another copy of this for a family member & I think it makes an excellent introduction to this fascinating school of philosophy.
Great Integrity is a narrow interpretation - By: , 05 Jan 2005 
I thought that this would be a lovely version of Tao Te Ching, but was disappointed when I read it. Translating 'Tao' as the 'Great Integrity' takes away from the substance of what Lao Tzu was trying to say & narrows the reader's capacity to understand & feel his messages. Taoism isn't an academic or intellectual pursuit, it is something that is directly experienced as a way of life; some of Lao Tzu's verses can even take you into a Tao-like zone when read, however notin this version. Other versions/translations of the Tao Te Ching seem to be more effective than this book particularly because they have kept 'Tao' as 'Tao'. To try & define Tao as Great Integrity is to deny what Taoism is - Tao can't be named (see verse 1 of any translation which basically says how to name it means you haven't 'got it'). The picturesin this book are wonderful but sadly the aforementioned translation plus the sentiment to make the verses more poetic/linguistic detracts from the substance of Lao Tzu's messages & makes for a disappointing read.
