Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching & Hau Hu Ching Paperback – January 1, 1995

Both in its illustrious beauty and its simplicity in describing the nature of every facet of the universe, the human condition and man himself, I am calling this the best piece of spiritual literature ever written.I have used this as a meditation/pondering tool for 10 years and pick it up every morning to read one verse and a corresponding story from it. I cannot say how many hundreds of times I've gone through it but I never tire of it. It is my very favorite text and have had several other-worldly spiritual awakenings as a result of being overcome by the energy elicited from this book.You either get the Tao or you don't. In fact, it says that in one of the verses (#38). If you feel the Tao - truly feel it - you know what I am talking about. Feeling is how the Tao transmits and assimilates, rather than through cognitive understanding. The teachings of Lao Tzu are beyond anything describable in terms of ordinary logic.I remember being in Barnes and Noble looking for something else after being with Tolle's Power of Now and meditating with that text; itself, a magnificent treatise. I started poring over the many versions of the Tao, and this book literally fell off the shelf at my feet. There’s a message from your Higher Power if there ever was one.Master Ni's version of the Tao te Ching is the most clear, beautiful and eloquent version I've seen. I have purchased many of these and given them away over the years, and nobody has ever called me to tell me how much they love it and use it, not once. It's not for everyone and definitely not mainstream-exciting like, say, Candy Crush or Call of Duty.BUT - a fellow named Brian Browne Walker loved it so much he actually wrote, as an homage to Master Hua Ching Ni, author of this, TheGreatest Works of Lao Tzu, a shorter, more concise - almost pocket-sized - version of the Hua Hu Ching portion (the stories) in his own words, called The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu.I felt it necessary to obtain permission from both of these incredible authors to use passages in a book I have been working on for years about the spiritual experience and recovery from alcoholism. In doing so I discovered that Master Ni, from Santa Monica, CA, was not aware that Mr. Walker had paid him such tribute in releasing The Unknown Teachings in his honor.Both are fantastic and have great value, at least to me. Both authors were indeed gracious as well. I also highly recommend Tolle's Power of Now.

Another crumb other path to who knows where. It us a wonderful, enjoyable and uplifting read. The dialog was gentle, relaxing and peaceful. After reading this if you are the same read it again, it will change you forever. Much love and light my freind.

I have a lot of translations, and this is a a fairly good one to have in the library

This is an excellent presentation of the Tao. I am not a fan of the Tao, believing it to be way, way overrated; a lot of it is meaningless noise. However, if you are a fan, this book is direct, well done and offers the real text in blunt language. I also think Sun Zu and Master Kong are mostly noise and I have always been on the lookout for better translations. Asian studies are very worthy, but do not be persuaded by antiquity, linguistic double-speak or cultural snobbery. To study, one requires good tools. This particular book of the Tao is quite worthy for study.

I chose this translation because of the author. Many of the reviews are critical of Ni HuaChing for lending too much of his own interpretation to the translation. However, I found this to be the case only for the second part, the Hua Hu Ching. I have several other translations of the Tao Teh Ching, my favorite being from Lin YuTang, and found Ni's to be consistent. I am familiar with Ni's other works having read several and was interested in seeing Ni's interpretation. I think Ni provides a practical understanding and context for application of what is written by the ancients. Most translations seem to be academic and do not provide much insight into the meaning. Ni provides two things I believe are essential to translation of ancient texts: point of view of a native speaker and his long family tradition of Taoist practice. I think this makes him uniquely qualified to translate the text for western readers.

This is a good book, it really makes you think. Given that it's philosophy it's more like reading a book of riddles for interpretation.

This is a book that I want to always have on hand, and always be reading. I think that the wisdom contained in this book can't get any better and the more you grow as a person the more you will understand. It does not matter if you are any certain religion or which spiritual teacher you like. I think it is important to read Hua Hu Ching and not just the Tao The Ching, and this book has both.

When I first bought this, I wasn't ready to understand it. I picked it back up two years later and everything started clicking. You can only perceive that which you are the vibration of. Proof in the pudding!