Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao Author: Wayne Dyer | Language: English | ISBN:
B00DHG22R8 | Format: PDF
Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao Description
Five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, a God-realized being named Lao-tzu in ancient China dictated 81 verses, which are regarded by many as the ultimate commentary on the nature of our existence. The classic text of these 81 verses, called the Tao Te Ching or the Great Way, offers advice and guidance that is balanced, moral, spiritual, and always concerned with working for the good.
In this book, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer has reviewed hundreds of translations of the Tao Te Ching and has written 81 distinct essays on how to apply the ancient wisdom of Lao-tzu to today’s modern world. This work contains the entire 81 verses of the Tao, compiled from Wayne’s researching of 12 of the most well-respected translations of text that have survived for more than 25 centuries. Each chapter is designed for actually living the Tao or the Great Way today. Some of the chapter titles are “Living with Flexibility,” “Living Without Enemies,” and “Living by Letting Go.” Each of the 81 brief chapters focuses on living the Tao and concludes with a section called “Doing the Tao Now.”
Wayne spent one entire year reading, researching, and meditating on Lao-tzu’s messages, practicing them each day and ultimately writing down these essays as he felt Lao-tzu wanted you to know them.
This is a work to be read slowly, one essay a day. As Wayne says, “This is a book that will forever change the way you look at your life, and the result will be that you’ll live in a new world aligned with nature. Writing this book changed me forever, too. I now live in accord with the natural world and feel the greatest sense of peace I’ve ever experienced. I’m so proud to present this interpretation of the Tao Te Ching, and offer the same opportunity for change that it has brought me.”
- File Size: 1437 KB
- Print Length: 421 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1401911846
- Publisher: Hay House; 1 edition (January 1, 2013)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00DHG22R8
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,843 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #3
in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions & Sacred Texts > Taoism - #4
in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Taoism - #20
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- #3
in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions & Sacred Texts > Taoism - #4
in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Taoism - #20
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Self-Help > Spiritual
We're all so busy these days. And distracted. Who has time to pause and ponder on much of anything beyond what we're grabbing for dinner after school or work? That is, if we even have time for dinner. So at first glance this almost-400 page book with its obvious philosophical leanings appears a little daunting. But dig in and you'll quickly see that it is not a book to be read in one concentrated time period, but rather taken a step at a time as a meditative process.
Each chapter is based on one of the 81 verses of the ancient Chinese wisdom and philosophy of the Tao Te Ching and beckons the reader to stop and think before moving on with his/her busy life. Dr. Dyer studied numerous translations of the Tao, meditated on his own interpretations, and observed how each verse influenced his thinking (and life) for the day. Each chapter begins with the actual verse from the Tao, followed by a title which summarizes the chief learning, followed by Dr. Dyer's comments and interpretations. Each chapter ends with a short instruction on a way to "Do the Tao Now." The instructions are deceptively simple ranging from thoughts to hold in your mind to actions you can take. Some actions can take all day (such as a suggested fast for a day); others can be done in minutes, such as expressing kindness toward another.
The notion that changing your thinking can change your life is found in almost all cultures and writings since early civilizations. This philosophy is at the heart of the most successful psychological treatments for depression, anxiety, and other disorders. The Tao provides one more example of this powerful philosophy, and Dr. Dyer nicely walks us through it.
If I had to summarize this book in one word it would be "peace.
Tao Te Ching..meaning Book of The Way, or book of the Word. One of the best books ever written. Or, if you read the author's insights in the preface, Book of the Way-ne Dye-r (adder of color and light) : )
If you are like most people, you may be wondering should I get this particular version, and how does it compare with other versions or his earlier book.
No matter how great a writer you think Wayne Dyer is, he did not write the Tao, yet his rendition is consistent with the best versions I have read. The difference between this and his earlier book, Living the wisdom of the Tao, being the short essays of several pages, offering insights on each verse.
Stephen Mitchell's version has worked best for me, and it has no essays. The Tao concepts bypass ego based thinking, and the idea of doing without doing yet getting things done allows a higher more authentic way of thinking to inform your being and your action. You can apply this wu wei (effortless action) principle anywhere.
One Jonathan Star version has Chinese symbols at the back, with multiple meanings of each symbol. This allows you to come up with your own version of the Tao, and would really open up your thinking on the Tao.
The Tao is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.
81 verses all less than one page. Like any great mystery, the Tao is there to be experienced and not necessarily understood. Here is a selection from verse 81 to illustrate the difference between different versions.
True words aren't eloquent;
Eloquent words aren't true;
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
Men who need to prove their point aren't wise.
Here is what Dyer writes.
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