The Tao Te Ching
The Classic of the Tao and Its Power
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The Tao Te Ching
Narrated by:
Sir Nigel Hawthorne
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Narrated by:
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Sir Nigel Hawthorne
About this listen
In 80 short chapters, it reveals a profound view of the Tao, a unique and satisfying way of life and nature. This revered collection of wise sayings and commentaries is a complete guide to living the sagely life and finding a calm and tranquil center in the midst of the chaos and stress of 21st-century life.
©2008 Man Ho Kwok, Jay Ramsay, Martin Palmer (P)2008 Mark ForstaterListeners also enjoyed...
Sound sound!
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Whimsical, unapologetically unstructured Tao philosophy
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Beautiful Performance By Nigel Hawthorn
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Nope - that's Nigel Slater or Nigella Lawson.
Is he one of those Shakespearian actors who narrates audiobooks?
Well, he does do Agatha Christie, but he is not Brian Blessed or Ian Richardson.
No, this Nigel Hawthorne is none other than Sir Humphrey Appleby (from Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister) - the Late Master of Posh, Cynical Irreverence narrating arguably the greatest philosophical work in history.
With a hint of skeptical wisdom & an ironic sense of Real politik, the Tao is given a whole new angle through one of Britain's finest actors. Each verse is compelling, yet also has that evasive quality that the Tao has which cannot be grasped, only allowed.
And best of all the whole work is condensed to a mere 76 minutes, meaning that the whole book can be listened to in one car journey!
This is, however, the one problem with it. The Tao Te Ching is rich & dense in content & one verse can last you a whole day of thinking. Crammed into one download (with only two or three word titles per verse) isn't really enough to explore the text's meaning.
Furthermore, this text is not the best translation of the Tao. Every translation is different & has different meanings but this one, if anything, seems a bit too literally translated.
As an example, there is the line on the back cover 'The Tao goes on forever doing nothing And yet everything gets done'. Why not 'The Tao does nothing, but leaves nothing undone'? Translation is no barrier to economy of language.
Despite this, this is (as the cliche goes) exactly what it says on the tin. It is a raw, pithy version of the Tao & is a good condensed version of the work.
Shades of Satire...
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If you could sum up The Tao Te Ching in three words, what would they be?
Very abstract, but have listened to it many time. Shame it is abridgedWho was your favorite character and why?
Those who speak, do not know, Those who know, do not speak.What does Nigel Hawthorne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Great actor, gives a very good performance of a classic textclassic - well narrated
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Memorable quotes
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Very good
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classic recording of a national treasure
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To the point, but not the best translation.
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