Walking the Way

March 11, 2013
Drawing on his experience as a Zen practitioner and qigong teacher, psychologist Rosenbaum reflects on the Tao Te Ching, written in the sixth century B.C.E. This founding text of Taoism, the author writes, “is not a ‘how to’ manual; it is an invitation for us to practice finding our Way.” The “original self” is a key theme as Rosenbaum explores each of the 81 verses, which he compiled from multiple translations; each section is followed by a brief, candid anecdote. Topics include silence, emptiness, effort, and empathy. Rosenbaum’s concept is ambitious; however, acute observations are mixed with rambling, clichéd, or dubious generalizations (“When you have no unfinished business, dying is not so big a deal”). Terms are sometimes used too vaguely, and the author addresses a “we” with pronouncements that not all readers may consider applicable (“We fear if we don’t have enough money, fame, and power, we’ll be vulnerable to the vicissitudes of life”). More “fragments of Zen” amid ruminations than “Zen encounters,” the book makes explicit at its conclusion the author’s attraction to the “effortless effort” of Taoism’s Way to balance the “striving” that can sometimes emerge in the practice of Buddhism.

April 15, 2013

There have been literally dozens of English translations and commentaries on the Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Virtuous Way), and many more in other languages. It's the basic text, after all, of the Taoist philosophy of life. But it also exerted a powerful influence on the development of Chinese Buddhism, particularly on the evolution of Chan (Zen) monasticism. This book sheds light on how Zen practitioners make use of this ancient classic. Rosenbaum (psychotherapist, Kaiser Permanente Medical Ctr.; Zen and the Heart of Psychotherapy) practices both Zen and qigong (a Chinese martial art and physical discipline), and uses his experience of both to help us appreciate the ancient text. The Tao Te Ching, written by Laotse, consists of 81 chapters--each a short poem on some aspect of the practice of virtue. Rosenbaum's translations of the poems are idiomatic and effective English free verse. His commentaries nicely clarify the meaning of each stanza. The added personal anecdotes illustrate how the verses apply in ordinary life. VERDICT Well worth reading, both by practitioners and those new to study of the Tao Te Ching, this book merits repeated study.--James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA

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