Living the Wisdom of the Tao

by Wayne W. Dyer

This book offers you an opportunity to internalize and directly experience the great wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, a collection of verses authored by the Chinese prophet Lao-tzu. The words Tao Te Ching translate to 'living and applying the Great Way' Although just 81 short verses, the Tao encourages you to change your life by literally changing the way you think. By reading through the verses presented here (which I've pieced together after reviewing hundreds of translations)-along with the corresponding affirmation I've created for each verse-you'll be embarking on a path that encompasses the profound ideas that Lao-tzu intended to convey. "The Tao Te Ching offers you Divine guidance on virtually every area of human existence. It is a new way of thinking in a world that needs to recapture its ancient teachings. Work with the verses and affirmations regularly and you will come to know the truth behind the ancient Tao observation: When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change" - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Genres: Spirituality, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Growth, Personal Development, Psychology

165 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2008

About the author

Wayne Walter Dyer was an American self-help author and a motivational speaker. Dyer earned a Bachelor’s degree in History and Philosophy, a Master’s degree in Psychology and an Ed.D. in Guidance and Counseling at Wayne State University in 1970. Early in his career, he worked as a high school guidance counselor, and went on to run a successful private therapy practice. He became a popular professor of counselor education at St. John's University, where he was approached by a literary agent to put his ideas into book form. The result was his first book, Your Erroneous Zones (1976), one of the best-selling books of all time, with an estimated 100 million copies sold. This launched Dyer's career as a motivational speaker and self-help author, during which he published 20 more best-selling books and produced a number of popular specials for PBS. Influenced by thinkers such as Abraham H. Maslow and Albert Ellis, Dyer's early work focused on psychological themes such as motivation, self actualization and assertiveness. By the 1990s, the focus of his work had shifted to spirituality. Inspired by Swami Muktananda and New Thought, he promoted themes such as the "power of intention," collaborated with alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra on a number of projects, and was a frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Reviews

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

اگر کتاب تائوت چینگ اثر لائوتزو را خوانده و طرفدارش شده باشید و در میانه ی خواندنش دلتان خواسته بود مفهوم ابیاتش را بهتر در قالب مثال هایی روشن درک کنید ، پس این کتاب قطعا معلمی زنده و چراغ راه شماست و با خواندنش به خواسته ی خود رسیده اید . وین دایر با شهود قوی ای که دارد و با کمک گرفتن از روح والای استاد خرد ، لائوتزو ، توانسته اشعار این استاد خردمند روحی را ترجمه کند و این ترجمه و مثال ها اصلا جنبه ی شعاری ندارند و خود وین دایر فردی هست که سعی کرده تک تک اشعار را زندگی کرده و امتحان شان کند و بببیند که این آگاهی ها و خردها چه اثری بر روی خودش و زندگی شخصی و اجتماعی اش دارد و بسیار موفق هم بوده و برای شخص خودم خیلی جالب هست که وین دایر توانسته فقط با خواندن اشعار تائوت چینگ و تفسیرش و عملی نمودن این خردها اینقدر خردمند تر و بیدار تر و رها تر از قبل شود و مثال های عملی شگفت انگیزی را هم از زندگی شخصیش بعد اثراتی که دائو بر روی او گذاشته بنویسد، ما با کتابی میشود گفت روشنگر طرف هستیم، کتابی که شاید حجیم بودنش به چشم بیاید و گاهی که حواسمان به متنش نیست طولانی و کسل کننده شود، اما آهسته و آرام و با دقت خواندنش زیباترینِ لذتی هست که میشود از این کتاب برد ، زندگی بر اساس تعالیم خردمندانه دائو کتابی است که تفسیرهای مناسب و به جا و امروزی و زیبا از اشعار کتاب تائوت چینگ را در اختیار ما انسان قرن ۲۱ ام میگذارد و واقعا ارزش خوانده شدن و وقت بسیار برای خواندن دقیق اش گذاشتن را دارد ...

[Samane Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

مکتب دائو -یا تائو- یه جور راه و روش زندگیه…یه جورایی شبیه تعالیم بودا یا “گفتار نیک،پندار نیک، کردار نیک” زرتشت…یه نوع از تعالیم برای بهتر زندگی کردن، انسان بهتری شدن، حال خوب درون داشتن…یه کتاب درست و حسابی کامل که اگه با قلم و تفسیرهای وین دایر آشنایی داشته باشی، میتونی مطمئن باشی که از خوندنش پشیمون نمیشی…
کمتر از شش ماه از روزی که توی یوتیوب ویدیوهای مربوط به تاریخ چین علی بندری رو دیدم و شیفته تاریخ و فرهنگ عجیب و باستانی چین شدم و رفتم سراغ ادبیات چین میگذره…و هرروز بیشتر از قبل علاقمند و پیگیر دنبال فهمیدن و یادگرفتن درباره هرچیزی از این کشور، یه جورایی انگار همه چیز مطابق علاقه من پشت سر هم ردیف میشن و من شیفته وار به دنبالش…مثل وقتی که این کتاب رو توی کتابخونه دایی دیدم و از ذوق خوندنش، نوشتن مقاله و کارهای ریویوی دانشگاهیم رو گذاشتم کنار و غرق تفسیر فوق العاده آقامون وین دایر -خدایش بیامرزد- از حرف‌ها و سروده های لائوتزو بیش از ۲۵۰۰ سال قبل شدم…
یه کتاب با کیفیت و باحال…
همین.
پ ن: اونطوری که من متوجه شدم و قانع شده‌م که درست متوجه شدم، منظور لائوتزو از دائو، همون ذات خداست.
پ ن ۲: لائوتزو در بعضی ترجمه ها لائوتسه ست.

[Ƥαʋℓα Я. ♏❥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

Chapter 29

..."There is a time for being ahead,
a time for being behind;
a time for being in motion,
a time for being at rest;
a time for being vigorous,
a time for being exhausted;
a time for being safe,
a time for being in danger...."

Similar to

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
King James Version (KJV)

3 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

[Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the size of the book and some of the verses. I do not like Dyer’s meditations on the verses; they aren’t the Tao.

[Elsie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never read the complete works of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Zi before, but for the past 3 weeks,went through the 81 verses in 3 different translated versions.They are : "Living the Wisdom of the Tao" by Wayne W.Dyer (2008) "Tao Te Ching" by Gia-Fu Feng & Jane English (1997) and "Tao Te Ching" by Stephen Mitchell (2000).

The beauty of the Tao Te Ching is in the Chinese classical way it was written more than 2,500 years ago.And of the 3 books, only Gia-Fu Feng was able to give the true essence of the verses by giving a line to line translation of what is said.

In Stephen Mitchell's version, he is able to stay close to the essence, and at the same time, present it in a short, simple and clear manner, that reflects the Tao's way of "Less" is "More". By doing so, it allows the reader to reflect and in understand, is then able to receive the wisdom of each verse.

As for Wayne W.Dyer version, I can only say, it's simply a cut and paste of many other earlier authors' work, including that of the above 2 authors.Each verse has such lengthy and colourful translation - that the original meaning is lost! In this case, the book seems to achieve the opposite of the Tao by doing "More" and achieving "Less"...

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living the Wisdom of the Tao is a beautifully illustrated little book compiled by Dr. Wayne Dyer, who reviewed 100s of translations in order to choose the versions that resonates with him. Each of the 81 passages is presented along with an affirmation created by Dr. Dyer to help simplify the message for readers to put it into their spiritual practice.

The overarching message is the “ancient Tao observation: When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” No truer words have been spoken.

Originally authored by Lao-tzu, a Chinese prophet living over 25 centuries ago, the Tao is often called the “wisest book ever written.” Whether you agree or not, the teachings of the Tao offer insight that encourages us to change the way we think not only for the betterment of the individual but also for all of humanity as well.

Spiritual but not religious, this little text will enlighten readers with its simplistic language and easy-to-grasp concepts that are universally applicable. The Uni-verse, literally one-Song, includes all of us and excludes none, whether we recognize it or not. We are all related, we are all One in the one-Song of our creation and our existence. Reading this book will help you sing along.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book! The pages are covered with lovely artwork. The book consists of the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching that Lao-tzu wrote with Dyer's rendition of the many versions available. Plus, each verse is prefaced with an affirmation that compliments the verse quite well. I was really interested in reading the actual Tao Te Ching writings after reading Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life. Similar to the Bible, each verse can have many meanings and I enjoyed coming to my own conclusions. This was a super easy read!

[L3ehfar · Rating 3 out of 5]

"هیچ چیز در دنیا ملایم تر و ضعیف تر از آب نیست اما در مقابله با اجسام سخت و نفوذناپذیر، هیچ چیز بر آن برتری ندارد"

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to be learned from this collection of 81 verses by the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu—simply a lovely book with elegant illustrations.

[Daniel De Los Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, that is essentially Dyer’s interpretation of the Tao with an accompanying affirmation. Really love how practical and liveable the Tao becomes with Dyer’s accompanying affirmation

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps no book touches us the way it does the first time we read it. I fell in love with the first copy I read of the Tao Te Ching, it was borrowed from the library at a time of deep spiritual struggling and so admittedly I may be biased to that version. While Dr Dyer's translation gets the same meaning across, for me it doesn't hold the magical/poetic quality of the one I read so many years ago. However it is still a wonderful work that I refer to frequently and the bonuses to this version is it's readily available and cost concious.

[Sher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Self help Is the perfect category for this interpretation of the Tao Te Ching. Each chapter of the Tao Te Ching is interpreted in several lines and the facing page provides affirmations written by Dyer. New age translation attractive to Western readers...strong focus on "I".

[Cyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

95% of the book is ripped fr Tao Te Ching. how could it changed the author s name and became his own book? There s not much insights beyond what Tao Te Ching told. I d prefer to read the original book fr Lao Tse w better translation.

[Madhav Sekar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't realize entire Tao Te Ching was a short series of verses. Super insightful. Main takeaway is on the importance of happiness and peace of mind coming from within. 2 favorite ideas/quots: "There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way" and "Paradise is wherever I am"

[Hadis · Rating 4 out of 5]

«به جهل خود پی‌بردن، عین فضیلت است و کمال؛ و جهالت خویش را نادیده انگاشتن، نقص است و عین بیماری.
تنها آن‌هنگام که به نقص خویش واقف گردیم، دیگر نقصی وجود نخواهد داشت.
شخص خردمند به جهالت خود آگاه است؛ برای همین از آن رهایی می‌یابد.
و این است رمز کمال.»

[Ethan Healey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandfather gave me this book. He is a practicing Buddhist in the comfort of his own home, and through the years he has shown me bits and pieces of this book in conversation about life, buddhism, the universe, and so much more. It was enlightening, but I didn't think he would ever give it to me to read seeing as how close to his heart it was. So I was shocked when he gave me his copy to read.

I laid down on my bed, sitting on my stomach reading against the fish tank light, reading each affirmation and verse wondering how a book from the Fourth century has more answers than most people alive today? People who have doctorates, and people who are leaders of the free world, and others; this books says forget the big names and titles; be a leader but one for the people; stay quiet. It is all about discovering your inner self.

Seventeen centuries ago, Lao Tzu paved the way for brilliance to understanding our own lives in the modern world. This book, more so the verses than the affirmations (although they do hold their savor), is poetry. It must be read again and again. And although it was my first time reading it, I can tell that I will give my grandfather his copy back and go buy my own. I need to keep reading this. This time, I read it in one sitting. Next time, I may take a few days or weeks; maybe reading only two or three verses a day to discover my inner self. That is, after all, what the book suggests.

It you're interested in poetry, and while at the same time discovering more about yourself, buy this book. It's a piece of art that you shall admire time and time again.

[Eddie Chua · Rating 5 out of 5]

The original lessons of Tao Te Ching have several translations, each carry the translator own personal perspective of what the core lesson is for them. Dr Wayne Dyer, in his own special way, crafted a key essence that is easy to read yet much to reflect and contemplate.

It was in verse 75 that I paused more, as it say "Act for the people's benefit; trust them, leave them alone" and on the opposite page "I place fewer and fewer demands upon others, especially self". Trusting others while acting on their benefit, with no expectations and demands on self and for returns. In short, unconditional contribution. It caught me, as I saw my invisible little black book, on seeking future returns and possible benefits. It is the way of transactional behavior, one that have lived through generations. This has been one of my long lesson to practice, of seeking and demanding less. To demand from others is seeking, to demand from self is expectation, either way, it feeds the ego.

And as how Dr Dyer describes it and also mentioned in class "change the way you look at things, the things you look at changes".

Might be a great breather book after a couple of tough reads. Not a book to rush, not a book for only once.

[Victoria Beige · Rating 4 out of 5]

" Sinking, in coming up with the invention of the ship. " If and/or when you see behind my eye balls If it was about an affair it would be a lie detector test or a polygraph etc. A Lie is, non interference. The Dow, I have an ego, Your soul mate, two beers, day and evening, Carl Jung, I had tenure. I just want to get laid. I am on the best seller list" Paraphrased.

Pentajali, Francis Of Assisi, Wayne Dyers: "( There Is A Spiriual Solution To Every Problem)". " Living With The Tao" Wayne Dyer: I bought " Living With The Tao in ABC bookstore in Amsterdam, The Netherlands Spui Str. The cover is amazing.

This book, Living With The Tao, talks of the Dow, Tzu, Lao, and 1000 years living in a place. " If there is no one and a trees falls who is there to witness it". Sleeping Normalcy, and Dow, Conficicus, Li.

The Masters Karl Marx, Engel, Voltaire, Kant, Khalil Gibran, Nietszhe: " God Is Dead". Eckhart Tolle. "Living With Tao", Wayne Dyer has been translated into many language!!!

[Julio R. Ra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have attended workshops on the Tao te ching to listen to masters interpret these verses, and it is a beautiful experience. Wayne Dyer attempts something similar, using New Age and Law of Attraction philosophy to condense a possible message hidden in these verses to ONE sentence (affirmation). I definitively feel that if we respect tradition, Wayne Dyer must gives us a lesson rather than a sentence to live by. In that sense, I did not enjoy his contribution. But, the translation of these verses flows amazingly, and that alone is to be applauded. So, if you want a very readable and pleasant copy of the Tao te ching, this is a great copy. On the minus side, whose translations are these? The author of these translations is not mentioned in the book, something that I would appreciate from Hay House and Wayne Dyer. Yet, as it stands, the translation is very good and the affirmations are sometimes clever, sometimes a tribute to American pop culture.

[Pieter Pollet · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are constructing an own philosophy of life, the tao te ching can be your window into non-dualistic beliefs along with the essence of enlightenment by James Swartz. They all offer knowledge on what your possible perspective of life could be. The tao te ching is more focused on the outside world, whereas the essence of enlightenment is about the vedanta and self-inquiry into the nature of consciousness.

Philosophies next to Taoism, like Stoicism and Buddhism have theories that come to the same conclusion about what enlightenment or virtue looks like .Combined with non-dualism, this can make for a solid, complementary worldview that can adapt itself to anything thrown in its way, whether this be adversity or pleasure.

[Alex Mezulari · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I got an audiobook version of this book I listened to it every day for a year and definitely contributed to my appreciation of eastern philosophy and religion. The TAO was written thousands of years before the bible which makes it one of the most original and authentic creations on the subject of spirituality and God.

[Hailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I quite enjoyed the original Tao Te Ching versus, and got great value from them, I felt that Wayne’s pages were mostly repetition of the parts that resonated best with him (sometimes almost repeated word for word). I would have appreciated a more in depth breakdown of each verse instead of affirmations.

[Jennifer Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is NO better way to read the ancient text known as the Tao Te Ching.

Dr. wayne Dyer makes it easy to grasp the meaning of each passage by offering a modern, relatable translation/explanation.

Highly recommend!

[Sherry Monger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful little book filled with more profound thoughts than I can possible incorporate into my life. I am starting with releasing myself from judging and mindfully reducing my reliance on things. Once I master that, I will challenge myself with more wisdom from the Tao.

[Jacqueline Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful and modern translation. I can do without the meditations. I am more interested in where my mind takes me rather than where someone else's mind was taken. You can listen to him reading this here: https://youtu.be/kK9SiBNIDUo, but just the Tao Te Ching not the meditations.

[Lauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, that is essentially Dyer’s interpretation of the Tao with an accompanying affirmation. While it’s not my favourite translation of the Tao te Ching I really love how practical and liveable the Tao becomes with Dyer’s accompanying affirmation

[Janessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version over 3 days during my morning walks. The Tao te Ching is profound in its simplicity and ageless wisdom. A must read for the modern age. I will listen again and again, hoping to glean more each time.

[Aimee Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a delightful book of affirmations that encapsulate the wisdom of the Tao. This book is also a tactile delight - the size, the illustrations, the font, all add to the lovely experience that is the reading of the Tao and its incredible wisdom.

[Jess Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good lessons

Whenever I read the Tao I learn something new. Here the author takes us through their experiences while living the Tao for each day for 84 days. It's a good look at what it would take to live the Tao today and how it can be accomplished.

[Brandon Osborne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Great Read

Dr. Dyer really didn’t add anything new to this title that any other translation doesn’t have. Most of his books offer great insights, but this one merely rehashed what already exists in the many translations of the Tao Te Ching.