The Eternal Tao Te Ching: The Philosophical Masterwork of Taoism and Its Relevance Today

by Benjamin Hoff

The bestselling author of The Tao of Pooh offers a uniquely authentic translation of the enduring Tao Te Ching , based on the meanings of the ancient Chinese characters in use when the Taoist classic was written.

From Benjamin Hoff, author of The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet, which have sold millions of copies worldwide, comes The Eternal Tao Te Ching , a new translation of the Chinese philosophical classic, the Tao Te Ching.

The Eternal Tao Te Ching is the first translation to employ the meanings of the pre-writing brush characters in use 2,400 years ago, when the classic was written, rather than relying on the often-different meanings of the more modern brush characters, as other translations have done. Hoff points out in his chapter notes the many incidents of meddling and muddling that have been made over the centuries by scholars and copyists, and he corrects the mistakes and removes such tampering from the text. Hoff also makes the provocative claim—and demonstrates by revealing clues in the text—that the Tao Te Ching ’s author was a young nobleman hiding his identity, rather than the long-alleged author, the “Old Master” of legend, Lao-tzu. And Hoff’s chapter notes shed new light on the author’s surprisingly modern viewpoint. With a selection of lyrical color landscape photographs by the author, this is a unique, and uniquely accessible, presentation of the Tao Te Ching .

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Self Help, Taoism, Audiobook

272 pages, Hardcover

Published December 7, 2021

About the author

Benjamin Hoff grew up in the Portland, Oregon neighborhood of Sylvan, where he acquired a fondness of the natural world that has been highly influential in his writing. Hoff obtained a B.A. in Asian Art from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington in 1973.

Hoff has also studied architecture, music, fine arts, graphic design and Asian Culture. His studies in Asian Culture included reaching the certificate level in the Japanese Tea Ceremony, had two years of apprenticeship in Japanese fine-pruning methods, and four years of instruction in the martial art form of T'ai chi ch'uan, including a year of Ch'i Kung. In his spare time, he practices Taoist Qigong and T'ai chi ch'uan.

Hoff was awarded the American Book Award in 1988 for The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow. The Tao of Pooh was an international bestseller and spent 49 weeks on The New York Times' bestseller list. The Te of Piglet also became an international bestseller and spent 59 weeks on The New York Times' bestseller list.

In 2006, Hoff published an essay on his website titled "Farewell to Authorship", in which he denounced the publishing industry and announced his resignation from book-writing.

Reviews

[Trio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Granted, it was a number of years ago now, but my undergraduate minor was East Asian Studies. At the time I got hooked on the Tao Te Ching, and consulted it daily (sometimes multiple times a day). It's totally addictive! And it's a wonderful way to aid in decision making.

I haven't used it in years, but when the opportunity came up to review the audio version of Benjamin Hoff's The Eternal Tao Te Ching, I couldn't resist.

The book begins with an introduction where Benjamin Hoff explains how he became interested in the Tao Te Ching. He explores his reasonings behind his translations, and describes how mistakes have changed the meanins behind some of the original scriptures.

I enjoyed the book a lot more once Mr. Hoff moved on to his translations. This book would be a good resource for folks consulting the Tao Te Ching.

High praise to the narrator, George Newbern. He has a very pleasant voice, and does a nice job reading this book.

thank you to Tantor Audio via NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook copy of The Eternal Tao Te Ching: The Philosophical Masterwork of Taoism and Its Relevance Today for the purpose of my honest review, all opinions are my own

[Cheng · Rating 2 out of 5]

Always on the lookout for the best translation/explainer of Tao Te Ching; unfortunately, this one wasn't it. In the author's long introduction, he tried to explain that he believed most other translations didn't stay true to the original text and people tend to editorialize translated text such that it changed the meaning of the original. While that may be, but his approach wasn't much better because the strictly translated text was very hard to understand (often nonsensical) and nearly impossible to internalize - as demonstrated by the fact that half the book (120+ pages) was dedicated to explaining his translations, which defeats the purpose of reading translated text. Would not recommend.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is beautifully bound and illustrated. The first part of the book introduces the author's theories and approaches to the text, followed by his translations of the individual verses. His commentary on the verses comprises the second half of the book. I don't like this as a format, since it forces the reader to jump from each verse to a later part of the book for the verse's discussion.

As part of his introduction and commentary, Hoff tries to put the text into its cultural context, often against Confucianism, and I found this line of thought to be very instructive. He also puts forth the idea that the text we know as the Tao has been corrupted over time, with words mistakenly copied as well as verses added. The commentary is very well written, and where Hoff gets philosophical about current society, I often found myself to be in strong accord with him. In the commentaries, Hoff is very clear about where he diverges from "traditional" translations of the Tao, and it is evident that he has studied many of them.

It is clear that Hoff has made a very serious effort to analyze the old Chinese lexicon in an effort to unearth the hidden meanings of the text of the Tao Te Ching. This is a perilous task, since this is not a scientific or historical document with some obscure words in it - this is a highly allusive text with a lot of seemingly contradictory statements in it. (One would not gain much knowledge of Whitman's Leaves of Grass by looking up the names and definitions of various grasses.) His reliance on individual words in this way opens him up to a risk of being way too literal. As an example, I believe Hoff's literalness shows up clearly in his translation of verse 70 (My Words), in which he he postulates that the Tao is Master Lao's diary, and that these are therefore 'his' words. My own sense is that the 'me' being discussed in this verse is more likely the conflation of his (Master Lao's) own, ultimately unimportant, individual self with the all-important Tao (the Universal Self), which is the jade that is worthy of cultivation and protection, though it remains hidden and indescribable.

Since part of his theory is that the text is (likely) corrupted, Hoff feels at liberty to add and remove words as he deems necessary, and removes several verses as well, since he feels these are likely additions to the text by one or more unknown (and inferior) authors. I struggled mightily with this, though Hoff is very honest and clear about what he is doing. Unfortunately, when you couple this literal use of an analytical dictionary with a tendency to add and delete text, what you end up with is probably less a translation of the original Tao and more like Hoff's own Tao. This is ironic as hell, since one of Hoff's objectives appears to be to make the Tao understandable and relevant by correcting the accretions of scribes and other interpreters.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I collect versions of the Tao Te Ching because, not being able to read the original, I want to understand it as well as I can, like adding up all the views of the blind men and the elephant. This version has a couple of nuances that seem illuminating, like the idea of 'valley energy,' or 'valley spirit,' as a nurturing, soft, long-lasting power in contrast with other universal powers. I found it satisfying and a great addition to the body of work surrounding the Tao. Recommended.

[Alanna-Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star.

If I had a copy of the print copy with all of the pretty pictures, I may have given it 2 stars.
If the final section with Hoff's notes on chapter-by-chapter translation/interpretation/exclusion decisions had been included in the audio, my opinion might have been different (I am not sure as I was not given access, nor was it available on the Tantor Audio website as instructed in the audiobook).

I really struggled with this audiobook, in many ways.

For context, I will let you know a little about me. I have loosely read a few a few translations of the Tao Te Ching some time ago ago, and have never studied it fully. I am not a dedicated scholar of the Tao in any way. My only experience lays in lifelong meditation and studying Qi Gong with an elder Master for about 4-5 years. He himself is a fifth generation Gifted healer from Burma, raised Buddhist and Taoist, a twice-certified Chinese Medicine doctor, Canadian medical doctor, long-time acupuncture prof, and calligraphy Master, among much more. His Gifts are unmistakably otherworldly. In addition to studying Qi Gong, I also studied rudimentary calligraphy under him. After these years, I transitioned to a specific lineage of yoga instead (for very good reasons) and have continued to study under the same Teacher for several years. My meditation practice has been ongoing for decades. [This is probably enough to get where I am coming from as I write this review.]

Hoff explains in the first section that he underwent to produce this translation/interpretations of the Tao Te Ching, including reverting to the oldest ancient text available, correcting mistakes made by scribes over time, mistakes further exacerbated by new writing technology and perceived mistakes made in other translations due to their own choices and processes. The process is well thought-out and largely common sense, however seemingly from a somewhat arrogant perspective. This has me wondering how many decisions were made intending to mirror the Author’s original intentions, but from a perspective that isn’t actually able to SEE nearly as far? How many mistakes are made by this author by assuming a certain character of the original author of the Tao? While the Tao is endless and all-encompassing, the culture that has brought up a modern, affluent, white, male author of extreme privilege is nothing like the experience of the original author when the Tao was actually written. Certainly this entire book contains an element of striving, of needing to prove oneself and of being the first to take an approach that Hoff seems to think is much better than all those that have come before - which I found really irritating.

Hoff also says that he spent only 6.5 years studying this ancient text, in contrast to others who spent decades before publishing their own translations/interpretations. He states that this is because he is a fast reader. Ha!! I am certain that he did a thorough *academic* study of the Tao, but Hoff’s writing doesn’t express to me that he has fully LIVED the teachings. There is a particular quality about Gifted Teachers and Masters that emanates from both them, and everything that they put into the world. This book/audiobook lacks all such magic and such humility. It is stiff and literal to the extreme - making statements of deep humility without grace or modesty. I am wondering if Hoff sat with and meditated on these teachings for several more years, if he would have been able to elucidate their meanings more truthfully and with all of the grace that this text lacks.

Given my huge reservations with the decisions that the author made with regards to translations and interpretations and exclusions in this version of the Tao Te Ching, I am uncertain what to think of the compendium of the fundamental chapters of the Tao. I am also concerned that 5 sections have been removed. Perhaps there were very good reasons, but without being able to access the accompanying PDF, I have no idea. I can definitely say that the narrator did not add any depth whatsoever.

I tried to find the "supplementary PDF" on the Tantor Audio website, as the audiobook suggested. I really struggle with physical reading in paragraph form, but I sought it out anyway. There was nowhere to enter the secret code to obtain this PDF on the audiobook's page. That said, traditionally the author's notes on translation/interpretation decisions they made in each chapter of the Tao Te Ching is part of any publication. Choosing to NOT include this in the audio section itself is absolutely a detriment to any disabled person wanting to listen to this book - and thus *ABLEIST* (never mind a real pain). Bonus PDF's should be reserved for the diagrams and/or photos included in any audiobook, not the whole last section. I should not have to download a whole extra PDF and have a text-to-voice software read that part of the book for me. And, as it was unavailable on the Tantor website at the time I made this review, I have thus missed the entire third section of the book.

I am sure that the beautiful photography that I have heard is in the printed volume adds to the feeling of Spirit, serenity, eternal now and wisdom of the verses. Having only listened to the audiobook, I cannot comment on that.

The audiobook was well read, but I’m not sure that the best narrator was chosen (or that they were instructed to use the most complimentary tone).

I really looked forward to listening to this audiobook. I am sorry that it was such a disappointment, to me. I would also really like to highlight to the publisher, Tantor Audio, that deciding not to include Hoff's chapter-by-chapter notes in the actual audio itself created a barrier to me as a disabled, neurodivergent person to actually complete the whole book. PDFs accompanying audiobooks should be reserved for diagrams and photographs.

I would like to deeply thank the original author of The Tao Te Ching, author Benjamin Hoff, the publisher Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for a (probably way too) honest review.

[Marina the Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pompous, self congratulating author.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before I begin, I want to note that everything I have to say is purely personal opinion; I have little to no knowledge of Taoism, its history, or practices. Also, this review is specifically about Benjamin Hoff's translation of Tao Te Ching.

I'm torn on this book. On the one hand, Hoff put a lot of hard work into translating the Tao. He provides a lot of linguistic and historical context for the text's oldest known ideograms to shed light on the original meaning. The sheer amount of contextual information he shares shows a love for the text that extends beyond what a purely academic reading would allow. I have to say, the pictures (also taken by Hoff) are quite nice too.

On the other hand, I think he takes this a step too far by taking certain liberties with the text. He attempts to intuit errors made by copyists, adding or removing words that seem erroneous. And even goes so far as to "delete" chapters that feel like they weren't written by the original author, whose enigmatic identity Hoff also spends time trying to envision. It's somewhat interesting but it's guesswork that distracts and, at worst, detracts from The Tao.

I also clashed with Hoff's interpretation of The Tao. I usually read it somewhat like Zen koans; writings we are meant to sit with and feel out rather than how Hoff translates to find clear and logical answers. This, like the invention of logic, feels intensely Western or like an overally-literal reading of the text, pushing it away from something open-ended and spiritual and more towards a utilitarian interpretation, as shown by how often Hoff interprets it as a treatise on government.

Hoff's commentary also baffles me at times. For example, he translates The Tao's value of 'not contending' with things (e.g. not limiting ourselves to the premise of a problem to solve it) but then goes on to comment how much of The Tao he thinks is directly addressing (or contending with) Confucianism. In other places he writes of The Tao as having a particular approach, power, and energy. I understand (feel?) Taoism as something fluid, adaptive, holistic. It acknowledges that one particular energy (such as yin) cannot exist without the other (yang) and ultimately holds them as two sides of the same coin, neither better nor worse than the other.

There's also the commentary on modern issues like global warming, the oppression of indigenous peoples, and nuclear weapons (not to mention pseudoscience about water freezing in beautiful patterns when exposed to "positive words, positive thoughts, or classical music"). I get it, you get it, most of us get it; the world is dying and we are responsible. I'm sure these inclusions are well-intended and come from a place of genuine concern but the way they're shoehorned into the commentary makes them reek of pandering.

This all adds up to a commentary many times longer than the translated text and which feels a little self-important. Some translations of the first chapter of the The Tao read as: "The way that can be spoken is not the eternal way"; a sentiment seemingly lost in this version.

So again, I'm torn. I want to encourage readings like this in the spirit of people finding meaning and significance on their own as well for sake of reading perspectives counter to their own (like in my case), but I think this should have been sold as something more like a personal reading of The Tao Te Ching rather than a new translation. While not bad, I would only recommend this for someone's third or fourth reading of The Dao. If anything, I think this edition is more like a mirror for Hoff than a traditional translation and commentary - it reflects the personal biases and perspectives of the author rather than allowing the text to speak for itself.

[Annemarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an arc for the audiobook from NetGalley

I've been really interested in Taoism, so when I saw this book, I was super excited. I was ready to learn all about it, since I knew literally nothing.

This book isn't really good for beginners. It's a translation of an important Taoist text (the most important one, I think? But I'm not sure).

Before the translation we get a really long introduction. Like, really long. In which the author gives some context, but mostly talks about his approach when translating.
There were a lot of East vs West comparisons that felt a bit Orientalist to me, and I want a fan of that.
The author calls his translation both unique, because he looked at the historical meaning of the words and claims to have fixed mistakes of transcribers.

Firstly, I find it hard to believe that every single person looked at a 2000+ year old text and decided to ignore the historical meanings. The author also mentions that the original author uses a lot of words in a unique way and has a different way of writing compared to contemporaries. So either Hoff is a genius who knows exactly what and how everything was meant or certain things and text have been lost over the ages. Maybe it wasn't all that different but we just don't have similar texts because it's really old and not everything survives?
Then there is the claim that Hoff fixed the perceived mistakes. While some mistakes can be found by comparing sources and looking at the oldest available ones, Hoff claims to be able to tell just from the text itself. He scraps while verses because he feels they're added later but there's no actual proof given. This makes me wary about the translation as a whole, but because it's my first Taoist text I can't tell what's right and what's wrong, and it makes the whole thing feel like an unreliable source.

The actual verses were fine. Some were hard to follow and could use an explanation, others were obvious. They were very repetitive in their message. While I do actually really agree with the message most of the time, hearing it over and over is just redundant.

The audiobook was fine. It wasn't anything special, but I guess that's to be expected from a non fiction book.

All in all, I do still want to learn about Taoism but this wasn't the book to start with.

[Christi M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking book! The photography, the verse....beautifully done!

[John Wimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The eternal Tao Te Chi is a wounderful masterpiece to add to any bookshelf. Besides quoting the remarkable wisdom contained in the ancient texts, this book by Hoff offer beautiful illustration. The translated text into english is easy to understand and soothing to ones soul to read. Well reccomended for people of all ages.

[Colin Nairn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too intellectual almost arrogantly written. Nice looking book but the content is not trustworthy as it is the authors 'opinion'. Other translations stick more to the divinely inspired source leaving the mystery up to the reader.

[David Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife and I recently spent some time in the Napa Valley. During that trip, we visited Copperfield’s Books in downtown Calistoga, where I found this translation of the “Tao te Ching” on their discount shelf and decided to purchase it.

I’m very familiar with Hoff’s “The Tao of Pooh” and “Te of Piglet” but didn’t know he had published a translation of the “Tao te Ching.” So, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this work on the shelf.

After purchasing it, I decided that I would read it in conjunction with Stephen Mitchell’s “Tao te Ching” and compare the two. And it is not hyperbole to say that doing so absolutely blew my mind.

Why? Because the two versions are so different that it felt as if I were reading two different books!

For example, look at Hoff’s translation of Verse 27:

“A skilled walker leaves no tracks.
A skilled speaker makes no mistakes.
A skilled counter uses no devices.
A skilled gate-securer requires no
Fixed crossbar,
Yet the gate cannot be opened.
As skilled binder needs no cord,
Yet whatever is used cannot be
Loosened.
As with those subtle skills:

A wise man is always skilled
At assisting other people
So that none of them feels abandoned,
And at helping other beings
So that none of them feels cast aside.
This subtlety of the wise is called
Cloaking one’s own light.

The skilled man is the unskilled man’s
Master;
The unskilled man is the skilled man’s
Material.
To not honor one’s master
Or to not love one’s material,
Even if one is clever,
Creates a great delusion.
That is called struggling for the subtlety.”

Now, compare that to Mitchell’s take on Verse 27:

“A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent on arriving.
A good artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is.

Thus the Master is available to all people
and doesn’t reject anyone.
He is ready to use all situations
and doesn’t waste anything.
This is called embodying the light.

What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man’s job?
If you don’t understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret."

The differences are startling, aren’t they? And this is just one verse! Nearly every verse can be interpreted differently, depending on which work you read.

What I realized after reading the two is that Hoff’s is a painstaking true translation of the ancient Chinese characters – along with some editorial license for clarity’s sake. On the other hand, Mitchell doesn’t even read or speak Chinese! In fact, he calls his work “A New English Version” because it’s not a translation. Basically, he collected a large number of the English translations available to him, spent months reading them, and then rewrote and revised each verse based on his interpretation.

So, which one do I prefer? It depends…on both the individual verse and the collective experience.

Hoff’s version feels much more like an ancient text that has been lovingly updated into modern English. Mitchell’s reads like a collection of sleek, concise modern poetry.

In the end, I believe the reader can get a lot out of both texts. But if I had to choose between the two, I would say that Hoff’s version is more powerful. That’s why I gave it four stars, while giving Mitchell’s three.

[Ming Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent. Some parts are so obscure that I am not sure if it is an obscurantism present in the actual text or rendered by the translation. Hoff's choice to exclude certain passages he deems are written by other authors also seems strange. While he might be right, it would not hurt to provide a translation nevertheless, as most other translations (I think) do, with a disclaimer as to his suspicions of the text's legitimacy.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benjamin Hoff has some interesting opinions on Laozi. His translations are serviceable and interesting, although I think he might be divorcing the text from its original context just a bit.

The pictures of nature that sometimes accompany the poems seemed hokey at first, but I found that they really do add something.

Overall, a great place to start but a terrible place to stop.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, I loved reading through the two te Ching completely and I enjoyed the translation tweaks. However, the structure of the explanations and analysis at the very end I found unpractical. For this reason I will rank the book solely on the content and not the format.

[Esther Malers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative introduction covers why this is a difficult piece to translate and gives background on its origin. The second half of the book is a deep dive justification of why Benjamin translated things the way he did. I didn't read that, opting instead to take his word that it's a good translation.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a treasure of a book! So well researched and beautifully presented.

[Cathyjost · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly I was very interested to receive this book. Unfortunately I had trouble moving forward due to the long introduction.

[Megan Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Tao Te Ching itself is great. The explanations that followed, while clearly well researched, were dry and hard to follow.

[Nicholas Pokorny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Timeless wisdom from the East

[Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This version is interesting. The intro was way too long. Defensive much? Put that in an appendix lol

[Matt Champion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good translation but the author's introduction can mostly be skipped, it's just way too long to explain why he made this translation and why he cut a few out.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure that an audiobook version is the best way to "read" the Tao Te Ching for my first time - it didn't really give me the time I feel I needed to think about things before we were already off to the next one. This version also had a lot of the author's own opinions on things included, which while interesting, I'm not sure were very helpful to someone trying to simply absorb this work for the first time. I look forward to actually reading some other translations.

[Rebecca Inch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah this style of book isn't my favourite. fun lessons though