I Ching Accurate

[Xiaoqi Hauge]

Wouldsomeone who is vary familiar with Lao Tzu's philosophy please refer me to a translation of Tao Te Ching that preserves the spirit and eternal messages of Tao Te Ching. I don't like the translations I've read that try to modernize the text, and relate it back to modern life (such as Ron Hogan, Stephen Mitchell, etc.). I know that each person's translation says more about the translator than the work itself, and so I would like a translation that doesn't take liberties with ideas or turn general concepts into overly specific ones. I am also aware that I should read multiple translations, which I will do on my computer, but I'd like to pick up one hard copy that is reasonably true to the original work. An embedded analysis might be beneficial but it's not necessary.

It would be helpful to know why you want to read the Daodejing in order to suggest a helpful translation. Are you reading it for (a) raw investigative purposes, (b) meditative / religious / ethical purposes, (c) academic purposes?

I would recommend looking at the translation by Roger Ames and David T. Hall. The text is translated by two scholars who are quite good with the languages, and it includes an extensive preface that explains why they translate several controversial terms the way that they do. I wouldn't say I agree on every front with that. I say this in large part, because their translation represents one of the best efforts in contemporary philosophy to render the text both philosophical and comprehensible -- and this is philosophy.se.

But the big problem here is that it's nearly impossible to translate the sort of fragmentary elements found in the Daodejing into English without commentary and interpretation. A large source of this is that Ancient Chinese does mark words by declension or conjugation and does not clearly specify word type -- the same word could be a noun or verb depending on sentence position. Moreover, it's not always clear whether a word is meant to have conceptual weight or just to be taken as having the common meaning. (one speculation is that the written form of ancient Chinese was never a spoken language).

Finally, it's worth remarking that the vast majority of contemporary scholars do not think Lao Tzu is a person. He's more a fictionalized advocate for Daoism set up to stand against Confucius et. al and give Daoism a more fixed historical standing.

On a certain level, all translation is interpretation but the interpretive distance can vary quite a bit: Snow is white -> Schnee ist wei doesn't leave much room for wiggle, other things are not so easy.

My favourite translation is by Jonathan Star. Although it is not altogether true to the original Chinese I believe, after reading many different translations, that Star retains the essence of what is being said, but delivers it in a readable and poetic format.

I've read about thirty translations, and found that this is the most comprehensible one. This book stands out of the crowd because it is based on the author's research breakthroughs and is a new translation from the original Chinese text, so it can try to be true to the intent of Lao Tzu and has introduced Lao Tzu's teaching in form of a system of philosophy. It tells exactly what the Tao is, how to experience the Tao, what your true nature is and how to know it, and how to work with the Tao, unlike others which keep convincing you that the Tao can not be told or explained, and leave you in dark and helpless.

I've done a translation of the Dao De Jing myself, from the chinese version available here, and the aid of several different translations, in english and portuguese, and some slight different versions of the original (noted in some of the english/portuguese translations).

Most translations seem too "mystic" to me. Many (like James Legge's) were made by christian scholars, so they may have altered some passages to promote their own religion, or just by ignorance (writing "eternal life" when the original says "longevity", for instance, or translating Dao as "God").

I'm not such a profound student of chinese culture yet, but I studied some of the things Dao De Jing is about: nature and ancient peoples. As a biologist, I see more sense in translating 常 (chng) as "usual", "most of the times" than most philosophers do, translating it as "eternal", "fixed", "immutable".

Also living 3 years in a indigenous small city in Amazon forest (So Gabriel da Cachoeira) taught me a lot about the way they think. They say, for instance, "we study nature not to rule over it, but to follow its way". That's a daoist idea that indigenous peoples usually follow. Considering their asiatic ancestry, and the points in common between chinese and Yanomami language (at least 3 points not present in european languages), I think they have more in common than most scholars have ever thought. That's why I think my translation is in some aspects better than many scholars'.

Two main differences: I translate Dao as Nature, since they are the same to me. And I translate De as Harmony (previously I used Spontaneity, now I think Harmony has a wider meaning, though Spontaneity also makes sense), since this makes perfect sense in the overall text (and also in the Zhuang Zi), and is not so vague or full of other meanings as "Virtue".

I have also spent time in the Amazon with Shipibo, Yanomami amongst others.It's true, that their manifestations in many ways echo Taoist principles.But not because they have read it - or have the definitive translation - but because they embody it.

"Knowing the exact meaning" of any word can be misleading.For example, it may seem strange to translate from Tao to God (a very loaded word) - But that opens a huge question about what God means. The origin of all things? - Nature? - Goodness? - The essence behind all manifestations? - An old guy with a white beard sitting on a cloud?

You can ask yes or no questions, but there are better ways to phrase your questions. The I Ching does not contain a kua or a line that answers "Yes" or "No." But, if you ask a question that requires a yes or no answer such as, "Should I marry now?" and you receive as an answer the kua of "Strong Restraint," your answer would be clear.

A more meaningful answer can be obtained if you ask, "What can I expect if I marry, now?" Depending on your answer, you might then want to ask, "What can I expect if I marry, later?" Intelligent, well thought out questions will be the most rewarding. Getting Results from I Ching Online Many people find it good idea to print out and keep their questions and readings in a journal. As events transpire this can be useful for later study and reflection. You will find that your question and the date appear on the same page as the reading to facilitate your understanding of the way of the I Ching.

Fu Hsi (pronounced foo shee), the great Chinese sage to whom the I Ching system is attributed, constructed his answers in the form of sixty-four hexagrams. The six linear lines stacked one above the other, either undivided, or divided, are called kua.

Following the law of eternal change, the lines are always in motion, always moving upward. As a new line enters from the bottom, it pushes the five lines above it upward, thereby displacing the line at the top. The movement is always in time to the rhythm of the universal heartbeat, always mirroring the universe itself. Taken together, the kua and their lines represent every conceivable condition in heaven and on earth with all their states of change.

Each of the sixty-four kua can change into one another through the movement of one or more of the six lines that form the kua. This requires extra attention be paid to the changing line or lines. The transformation of the changing line to it's opposite results in a supplementary reading to the original kua formed. There are 4,096 possible combinations (64 x 64), which is said to represent every possible condition in heaven and on earth.

Each of the sixty-four kua, with their combined total of 384 lines, represents a situation or condition. Each situation or condition contains the six stages of its own evolution: About to come into being Beginning Expanding Approaching maximum potential Peaking Passing its peak and turning toward its opposite condition.

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Background: No systematic meta-analysis is available on the prevalence of cancer patients' accurate prognostic awareness and differences in accurate prognostic awareness by publication year, region, assessment method, and service received.

Aim: To examine the prevalence of advanced/terminal cancer patients' accurate prognostic awareness and differences in accurate prognostic awareness by publication year, region, assessment method, and service received.

Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were systematically searched on accurate prognostic awareness in adult patients with advanced/terminal cancer (1990-2014). Pooled prevalences were calculated for accurate prognostic awareness by a random-effects model. Differences in weighted estimates of accurate prognostic awareness were compared by meta-regression.

Conclusion: Less than half of advanced/terminal cancer patients accurately understood their prognosis, with significant variations by region and assessment method. Healthcare professionals should thoroughly assess advanced/terminal cancer patients' preferences for prognostic information and engage them in prognostic discussion early in the cancer trajectory, thus facilitating their accurate prognostic awareness and the quality of end-of-life care decision-making.

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