Chinese Books - Page 3

The Art of War: The Denma Translation (Shambhala Classics)

Sun Tzu

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Previous translations of The Art of War have presented Sun Tzu's classic from the point of view of military strategy, Chinese history, or Taoist philosophy. This translation—accompanied by the translators' in-depth essays and illuminating line-by-line commentary—offers a fresh perspective on this ancient Chinese text. Here, Sun Tzu's strategic principles of warfare (based as they were on the fundamental insights of the Chinese spiritual and philosophical tradition) are seen as universally relevant—the foundation for personal transformation and the creation of an enlightened society. In this translation of The Art of War , Sun Tzu's teachings are revealed in an entirely new light. War is any situation that demands hard choices about creation and destruction, life or death. The state is the system in which we live—our household, our culture or society, or our own mind. Defense ensures the integrity of our boundaries and allows life to flourish within them. Force is the energy of concentrated action. Victory lies in bringing others around to embracing a larger view—one that includes their own—without ever going to battle.

The Illustrated I Ching

R.L. Wing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Beautiful book 5 out of 5 stars.
20 of 21 people found this review helpful.

I own both this one and the I Ching Workbook and they are practically the same book, though this one doesn't have the spiral binding (which you'll need because you'll open it so much) but has the most beautiful, meditative paintings on each hexagram. The pictures give you a profound inner sense of the truth of each throw of the coins, transforming the experience into a deeply effective tool for inner growth. Not to be confused with the Art of War or the Tao Te Ching, the I Ching focuses mainly on political relationships and the development of character as one navigates one's way through professional and personal relationships. The main thing you'll get from using the I Ching is, to learn which situations you can definitely change and which ones you should just let pass. It also shows you where you are in the development of goals and what to prepare yourself for, as you go on. Start with one question, and when you read the answer, if you have deeper questions, ask them too. You'll get amazing answers.

Editorial Review:

This companion to The I Ching Workbook offers an easily accessible yet powerfully enlightening tool that will help readers understand the I Ching's way of knowledge and grasp the principles behind the world's most ancient book.

B & W illustrations throughout

Lieh-Tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great material, but -- 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Lao Tzu, the first author of Taoism, described abstruse, metaphorical scenes in abstruse language. Chuang Tzu uses prosaic descriptions, but still described philosophical ideal rather than gritty facts. Lieh Tzu came later. He used prosaic words to describe prosaic, everyday scenes, and to find enlightenment in them.

Many ring true for me. The "yellow mare" reminded me of a technician who was finely attuned to the circuits we used. He was always wrong in his diagnosis onf the problems he showed me. That never mattered. He was always right in pointing out that there was a problem, often based on small clues that I might have missed.

Lieh discusses honesty and friendship, poverty and happiness, great riches and death. Still, the language is always modern and clear, and a good supplement to Chuang and Lao.

My problem, though, is that this isn't a translation. It's Wong's interpretation. She says, early on, "Instead of a straight translation of the sematics of the text, I have decided to present the 'voice' of Lieh Tzu." As much as I like Wong's text, it troubles me. Translation is never exact, but there are degrees of inexactness. I am concerned about how much Lieh's text has suffered.

This is good anyway, and I'll probably come back to it eve if I find a more scholarly Lieh Tzu. This is readable and thought-provoking, no matter what it's authenticity.

//wiredweird

Editorial Review:

The Lieh-tzu is a collection of stories and philosophical musings of a sage of the same name who lived around the fourth century BCE. Lieh-tzu's teachings range from the origin and purpose of life, the Taoist view of reality, and the nature of enlightenment to the training of the body and mind, communication, and the importance of personal freedom. This distinctive translation presents Lieh-tzu as a friendly, intimate companion speaking directly to the reader in a contemporary voice about matters relevant to our everyday lives.

The Original I Ching Oracle: The Pure and Complete Texts with Concordance

Rudolf Ritsema, Shantena Augusto Sabbadini

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Chinese Whispers? NOT! 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 18 people found this review helpful.

The notion of this being the `original' I Ching, carefully translated by obvious experts in this field appeals to me immensely, since I like the concept of being able to go directly to the source of information rather than through many different layers of interpretation by a variety of people and in the end being distorted (a bit like `Chinese Whispers'!).

`The Original I Ching Oracle' was inspired by Carl Gustav Jung's insights into the psyche and has been researched for more than 60 years through the Eranos Foundation of Switzerland. This stunning new work presents the oracular core of the `I Ching' as a psychological tool. The Eranos Foundation began in 1933 in Switzerland and is an East/West research centre.

The book itself is as comprehensive as I thought it would be and actually covered a lot more about the I Ching than I thought it would. For example, I found out how to use coins to use this oracle which is handy in that most cultures have access to coins. The book also covers the use of the traditional yarrow-stalk method of using the I Ching oracle.

Part One includes an introduction to the oracle, consultation procedure and language used in the oracle, as well as myth and history and correlative thinking. An extensive note listing and index to Part One is included. It is important to read about the proper consultation procedure if you want to get full benefit from using this ancient oracle.

Part Two gives a listing of each of the 64 hexagrams followed by extensive exploration of each of them. I like the way the original text is in red with additional interpretative material printed in black, leaving you to explore the symbolic meaning for yourself, if you choose to.

Part Three, Concordance, lists all the occurrences of each term appearing in the texts of the Yi Jing (I Ching). What a mammoth task! I certainly don't envy the authors this mammoth task, particularly since they have done a spectacular job in putting it all together in a coherent way. When you stop to think about the complexity of the information found in these texts, you will know what I mean.

In summary, I would highly recommend `The Original I Ching Oracle' for the reader who has an interest in the occult, synchronicity, eastern mysticism or the person looking for THE book on the I Ching. It is comprehensive, educational and practical, allowing the everyday person the opportunity to consult an oracle that was originally brought to the West through Jesuit missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the overall scheme of things, a few hundred years isn't a long time to wait for a book of this quality!

Editorial Review:

This remarkable work is the final result of 50 years of I Ching research and over 10 years of roundtables and seminars. Based on a revolutionary translation method, and inspired by Carl Jung’s insights into the psyche, The Original I Ching Oracle offers Western readers the closest possible approach to the true content of the ancient Chinese oracle. By cutting through layers of philosophical analysis and recovering the original images of the I Ching, it puts readers in contact with a deep universal dimension of the human psyche, as present today as it was for the shamans in China over 3,000 years ago.

Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China

A. C. Graham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A classic study 5 out of 5 stars.
18 of 20 people found this review helpful.

A.C. Graham's Disputers of the Tao became an instant classic when it was published in 1989. Graham was the foremost scholar in his field in his day, and this book is still the standard study of early Chinese philosophy. (My understanding was that this title is out of print, so if it is still available, snatch it up quickly.)

However, the book is becoming more and more out of date with every passing year. This process of obsolescence is not due to any fault in the work itself, but to the continual discovery of new texts that Graham could not have taken into account, and to the improvement in our understanding of the received texts that the new ones have made possible.

Editorial Review:

Describes the classical age of Chinese philosophy (500-200 B.C.) that coincides with the final decline of the Chou empire and the period of 'warring states' (403-221 B.C.), an exceptional era in Chinese history when there was no central authority which could claim to rule the entire civilized world. In the absence of a single unified state power enforcing conformity, there blossomed a hundred schools of thought. Philosophical argument and rational debate flourished in China as never before or since.

Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China

Arthur Waley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

MASTERPIECE 5 out of 5 stars.
35 of 36 people found this review helpful.

This work is one of the very few great English language classics in the exposition of traditional Chinese thought. It is delightful reading. Its author, Arthur Waley, remains long after his death the premier translator of traditional Chinese and Japanese literature. The pleasure of reading this book for the first time, years ago, influenced me in great measure to complete a doctorate in Far Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Today, it is the first book I recommend that my students read as an introduction to traditional Chinese thought; the book gives a clear glimpse of the value systems of people in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore right down to today. Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China, by Arthur Waley, is a book not to be missed by any educated person. Enjoy!

Everyone with an interest in the Far East should read this 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful.

Mr. Arthur Waley has proven that a good work can stand the test of time. First published almost 60 years ago this work does a wonderful jobof explianing the differences between various schools of thought not just in China but in the rest of Asia.

The differences between the teachings of Chuang Tzu, Mencius and The realists may not seem like much to us westerners but these three groups have all done a lot to shape Asia.

The thing I like most about this book is that it is short and broken up into three parts. Therefore your mind doesn't do a blowout trying to digest all the material and you can study each school indivudally.

Overall-Great book, most of the stories are very deep and will hold some meaning for everyone if you are just willing to listen.

Editorial Review:

First published in 1939, this book consists chiefly of extracts from Chuang Tzu, Mencius and Han Fei Tzu. Chuang Tzu's.

I Ching: The Book of Change (Shambhala Library)

Cheng Yi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The I Ching ( Book of Change ) is considered the oldest of the Chinese classics, and has throughout Chinese history commanded unsurpassed prestige and popularity. Containing several layers of text and given numerous levels of interpretation, the I Ching has been venerated for more than three thousand years as an oracle of fortune, a guide to success, and a source of wisdom. The underlying theme of the text is change, and how this fundamental force influences all aspects of life—from business and politics to personal relationships. In this translation, previously published as The Tao of Organization, the root text is supported by commentary by Cheng Yi. A distinguished scholar and teacher of the eleventh century, Cheng Yi is regarded as one of the greatest sociological thinkers of Song-dynasty China. He conveys a fundamentally forward-thinking attitude in his treatment of the text, based on the belief that since change is an inexorable law of the universe encompassing everything in the world, great and small, it is better to overtake change than be overtaken by it.

The 36 Secret Strategies of the Martial Arts: The Classic Chinese Guide for Success in War, Business and Life

Hiroshi Moriya

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Editorial Review:

The 36 Secret Strategies of the Martial Arts is a collection of ancient Chinese maxims that encapsulate some of the Far East's most cunning tactics for battle and deception. Each of these strategies represents a distilled nugget of Chinese wisdom. In the early 1980s, Hiroshi Moriya, an acknowledged authority on Chinese culture and philosophy, published a book in Japanese in which he analyzed and explained these strategies; then he used examples from ancient and recent history to further elucidate their meaning. Now, renowned translator William Scott Wilson makes The 36 Secret Strategies accessible to today's reader with his new English translation of both the Chinese maxim itself and Moriyas interpretive work.
The volume is organized into six parts (Strategies for Victory in Battle, Strategies for Engaging the Enemy, Strategies for Attack, Strategies for Confused Fighting, Strategies for Unified Battle and Strategies for a Lost Battle) with six chapters in each. Many of the ideas presented will be familiar; but Wilson makes their meaning even more readily understandable by assigning short, pithy titles to each of the thirty-six chapters: Borrow a Sword to Make Your Kill, If You Want to Take It, Leave It Alone, Stir Up the Water, Catch the Fish, Send Them to the Roof, Remove the Ladder, and so on.
While these strategies offer a look into the past, they are even more valuable to todays reader for providing insights into contemporary China. And, like such other classics as The Book of Five Rings and The Art of War, The 36 Secret Strategies gives the businessman, the diplomat, the politician, the military strategist, and the sports competitor keys to understanding, interpreting and countering the actions of even the most daunting opponent.

Daoism Explained: From the Dream of the Butterfly to the Fishnet Allegory (Ideas Explained)

Hans-Georg Moeller

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

One of the best books on Daoism 5 out of 5 stars.
23 of 24 people found this review helpful.

This is truly one of the finest books on Daoism. Professor Moeller's ability to illuminate many difficult daoist concepts in a clear and concise manner is very rare. Please take the time to read excerpts from the book. The excerpt: The Wheel - An image of Dao is a brilliant examination of Chapter 11 of the Tao Te Ching. Also, the chapters "The State", and "Presence and Nonpresence" (usually translated as being and non-being) are excellent. "Daoism Explained" is not a rehash of ideas taken from previous books on the subject. It is a unique and intelligent examination of Daoism.

Editorial Review:

Daoism Explained offers an interpretation of the tenets of Daoist philosophy on the basis of the imagery employed in various Daoist texts. The author explains the significance of such images as water and the female and allegories such as the "Dream of the Butterfly," and shows how they connect to each other and how ancient Chinese philosophers understood them. The book also sheds new light on many important allegories by showing how modern translations often conceal the wit and humor of the Chinese original. Written for those who are interested in Asian beliefs and religions as well as for specialists in the field of comparative and Chinese philosophy, Daoism Explained is a comprehensive and fascinating - yet easy-to-follow - introduction to Daoist thought.

The Secrets of Chinese Meditation: Self-Cultivation by Mind Control As Taught in the Ch'An, Mahayana and Taoist Schools in China

K'Uan Lu Yu, Charles Luk

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"The Secrets of Chinese Meditation is a classic text that presents a rare opportunity: a chance to study the ancient and original sources which are the basis for most contemporary texts on consciousness development. Lu K'uaan Yu is one of the foremost interpreters of Chinese meditation practices. This concise volume is a presentation of different methods of meditation as practiced in China, including extracts from ancient and modern classics as well as practiced and detailed suggestions for meditation. Meditation is crucial for the development of consciousness, and the Taoist art of controlling the breath is a prerequisite for training in the martial arts. The Secrets of Chinese Meditation provides students with practical instructions for controlling the breath and calming the mind- the foundation of self-realization. The way to consciousness will be different for all individuals. This classic work is a source book that encourages you to knowledgeably choose the way most useful to your chosen path."