Two Reader Reviews of P. J. Laska’s THE ORIGINAL WISDOM OF THE DAO DE JING: Translation and Commentary:

Review by Marita Garin:

This book is a treasure! Laska's translation/re-interpretation of these historic verses (dating back to early Chinese history, possibly 350 BCE or before) is a considerable scholarly accomplishment. The "Comment" section that accompanies each is an invaluable guide for focusing this time-honored philosophy on current ecological concerns. The poetry--aphoristic, occasionally elusive--retains the subtlety and wisdom of the ancient text yet reveals ecological insights of startling relevance to today's issues--how to sustain the totality of life without ruining nature's normal cycles. Awareness has become so global now that these questions are urgent, given the onset of climate change and population densities that are impacting resources at an alarming rate. Page by page, here is an illustration of how human intelligence can be brought to bear on governing the whole along with individual responsibility on governing the self in order to preserve natural sufficiency. The poetry is concise, provocative, highly appealing in its logical and profound wisdom--not esoteric, but quite accessible. And always instructive.

Review by Kirk Judd

In this thoughtful and timely translation and interpretation of the ancient classic, P.J. Laska has taken the meaning of the verses back to a context of the time and environment in which they were orginally produced. Doing so provides a fresh look at some of the content, revealing the text as a sort of handbook for living holistically within a civilized society in the early throes of moving from a village/tribal agrarian culture to a feudal/overlord system of governance. The wisdom, says Laska, lies in the advice of the verses to "do no harm" by taking more than is necessary in the name of power, thereby creating a harmful effect on the natural order. In this era of coming to an understanding of the human effect on the planet, this is a powerful point taken - that some have always known, and that we have mostly ignored the wisdom. It should not be ingored longer...