The Tao of Daily Life: The Mysteries of the Orient Revealed The Joys of Inner Harmony Found The Path to Enlightenment Illuminated

In 1999, I first read a translation of the Tao Te Ching. I had found this little thin paperback in a used bookstore, and read it a week later on a flight to the Philippines. I misplaced that book and don't remember the translators name, but the book was a relaxing read on the section of the journey from LAX to Taipei in Taiwan. Although I had flown on planes before, but never on such a long flight, and with so much turbulence. However, I became absorbed in the Tao Te Ching, and what I read helped me remain calm during flight. When I returned from the Philippines, I purchased several books on Taoism, mostly translations by Dr. Thomas Cleary. His writings not only helped me to learn about Taoism, but I introduced me to the I Ching and Confucius. The problem, though, was that although initially I liked Dr. Cleary's translation of the Tao Te Ching, it really did not do for me what that first translation by that not very popular writer whose name I don't even remember me, though for years I did think Dr. Cleary's translation of the I Ching was second only to the Wilhelm/Baynes translation, and still read it today. Then along came Taoism.org. This wonderful website! Here I was reintroduced to Taoism in a fresh way. I eventually purchased Derek Lin's translation of the Tao Te Ching and found it to be the best one for me. I've read many good and popular translations of the Tao Teh Ching, none work for me as well as Lin's translation. I don't know why it took me so long, but I've known of Lin's book The Tao of Daily Life for years but did not purchase this book until recently. I liked the first short chapter so much that I read several of them right away, but have since settled into reading one short chapter every few days and spending a few moments reflecting on the chapter. Then I start over again after the last chapter is completed. The chapters never get old for me. I have always tended to be an anxious person, but these little chapters, along with my daily prayers, help me to remain settled and balanced. Thus, aspects of the philosophy of Taoism (along with Vietnamese Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh's books on breath meditation and mindfulness) have complemented my Monotheistic faith. There is no friction between the two. Chapter Two of Part One: Living in the Moment - Being Mindful of the Present, has been an excellent chapter to return to from time to time. Lin tells the story of a man trapped on a vine that is being gnawed by rats, while higher in the tree is a hungry tiger and on the ground below is another tiger. The man sees a strawberry that is just within his range, and he reaches out, grabs the strawberry and enjoys it despite his predicament. Lin's interpretation of the story according to the Tao is that the tiger above is our past, the tiger below is our future, the vine being gnawed on by rats is our present predicament. Life is short, so rather than being anxious and worry about our predicament, we need to take the time to relax and enjoy the present moment. I need to be reminded of this until I can successfully do this. So, I go back to this story often. It reminds me of a teaching by Jesus Christ in the Gospels, and is similar to a passage in the Quran and to a Shia Muslim tradition. So, this little treasure of a story is applicable to those who hold to one of the Abrahamic faiths. I heartily recommend the Tao Teh Ching and this book, The Tao of Daily Life, by Derek Lin. Next for me will be Lin's book The Tao of Happiness, which is about the wisdom of Chuang Tzu, whose "Inner Chapters" I first read in a book by Dr. Thomas Cleary. I expect that Derek Lin will present Chiang Tzu in tasteful and digestible manner in that book.

Beyond the shadow of a doubt, this book gets 6 stars!!! This is by far the best book I've read on Eastern philosophy. Like many, I have recently embarked on a minor `spiritual-education' quest of Eastern religious/philosophical studies relating to Taoism, Buddhism, Zen, Confucianism etc. So far I haven't been disappointed on the particular books I've chosen, and this book is NO exception. "The Tao of Daily Life" is above and beyond clarity. The writing style is effortlessly lucid, simple, straightforward and as smooth as can be. Derek Lin is definitely onto something here. He has a rare gift and I for one, am so happy he decided to share it with the rest of us. This is the first paperback I purchased by this particular author. Needless to say, I was so impressed with this book (the topics, the stories, the style, and the subsequent personal correlation which follows), that I purchased his resultant book "Tao of Success" almost immediately. His writing technique is as follows: 1. Each story has an ancient proverb (which on its' own, is already exceptionally clear) 2. Then, a complete and detailed description of the story 3. Next, comes even further explanation of the tales' meaning, and how it pertains to us 4. Lastly, the chapters are quite short - maybe 3-10 mini pages, so your attention span is never wandering SIDENOTE: I can't wait to read his next book (review to follow); I'm sure it will be nothing short of superb. I also purchased the 2 TAO books by Ming-Dao Deng - "365 TAO", and "Everyday TAO". They too have short chapters, yet they deem to hold wonderful words of wisdom in a small, yet all too important package. In closing, anyone ever hear of The Dhammapada, The Tao Te Ching, or the I Ching - well then, do you own this masterpiece yet? (Of course I'm being somewhat facetious. Many have heard of these books). However, "The Tao of Daily Life" just might be a sleeper on the shelf. So, if you don't know about it - NOW YOU DO!!! I don't think I have to go into much more detail regarding the contents of this book - to be honest there's just too much to say. There isn't one subpar chapter in its' entirety. Every chapter of every section has something powerful, and insightful to offer. With that said, anybody even remotely interested in TAOISM, Eastern philosophy, or just looking for a positive daily lesson -- has to pick this book up -- it's a no brainer. *Is it possible this book isn't a best seller yet?

As someone who is well into his senior years and has been a lifetime student of numerous martial and philosophical arts for more than 7 decades, I am always interested in continuing my search for knowledge and enlightenment. This is why while browsing on Amazon when I came across this excellent 225-page soft cover volume (The Tao of daily life: The masters of the Orient revealed the joys of inner harmony found the path of enlightenment illuminated by Derek Lin) I immediately purchased it. Even though I have read numerous books on Zen and Taoism over the years I found this book to be a fantastic and enlightening read. This incredible volume is organized into five parts and a total of 34 chapters exploring Taoism principles and philosophy using various parable and lessons coming from the ancient masters. The five parts include “In the beginning, at work, with friends, with family and at night.” I loved this book so much that once I began reading it I could not put it down. If you are interested in meaningful and educational Taoism lessons this is a book you may want to check out. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Martial Art and Warrior Haiku and Senryu).

I was skeptical at first about the use of stories and parables to convey ideas, but now see that this approach may be superior to any other method. The point isn't whether the stories are real or not, but that they can drive home a point better than other methods, and also make for easier memory and retention of the concept. Sometimes simpler is better. It transcends our usual bogging down in analyzing and inspecting in the microscope, and toying with from various "educated" angles. Letting go of the tired old way - especially Western approach - and using this Eastern approach, can do wonders. And it's not just the stories of course. Mr. Lin ties the stories and concepts into daily living, as the title suggests. He hits upon all the most important areas of our often complicated lives, slows matters down, and separates away all the trappings and noisy "decorations" to get to the roots, heart, and juice of life. All of it is done in a loving and gentle way. There's no pushing or pulling, no wrangling and wrestling to make his points. They flow as naturally as the Tao he talks about and describes. My only complaint - and it is very minor - is that it would have been nice to have added a practice exercise at the end of each chapter. Regardless, I wouldn't pass up the book based on that.

This Great book of stories and then lessons derived from them as it relates to the Tao is helpful to living life well. I will keep a lot of these stories with me and come back to this book often.

This book is so helpful! It really presents a lot of ideas of joyful living in simple ways. The stories are easy to relate to and understand and the explanations also add extra little tidbits to think about that I don’t think I would’ve thought of myself. I come back to this book every couple months and reread it. Each time I’m reminded of things I’ve started slipping up on and find new things that I didn’t notice before or didn’t understand fully in the context of my life, if that makes sense. Also, hot take: this is way better than The Tao of Pooh!! I finally read that recently and thought it would be way better. But it was much harder to get lessons from. This book is much more comprehensive and straightforward. I still think that one is good and provides a different perspective, but this one is my holy grail.

I treasure this book. It contains wisdom for the ages and, for me, the parable format makes it so much easier to digest the information. It is a wondrous book. There is one thing that I wish could be changed. The font size is very small. Even with my prescription reading glasses, I struggled a bit. But don’t let that keep you from buying it. It is truly a treasure.

The Chinese use eloquent, powerful stories to illustrate thoughts and ideas. Derek Lin tells some old stories in this book to make the Tao come alive. These stories have been told many times. The book reminds me of Tales from the Tao: Inspirational Teachings from the Great Taoist Masters . But, it takes it a step further. This book tells the story and then shows the reader how to apply the lesson from the story to daily life. Lin tells a real-life story and then discusses its relationship to our own lives. This is an excellent book to read each day. One of my favorite stories is about the giant peng bird. I've read the story many times and it's quite meaningful to me. There are many stories like this in the book. In his introduction, Lin writes, "The Tao is Chinese for 'the path' or 'the way,' and this book is your invitation to a journey on the Tao. It is a journey of discovery, where you gain not only timeless wisdom, but also insights about yourself and your life." This is very much what the book accomplishes. He adds, "There is one simple reason for the Tao to have survived through the ages intact: it works. The principles of the Tao are extremely effective when applied to life." When describing the purpose of the book, Lin writes, "The purpose of this book is to present the secrets of the Tao in the most accessible way imaginable -- via stories." Highly recommended. -- Susanna K. Hutcheson

Having just completed this book, I am struck by its simplicity and clarity. Taoism is a discipline that I have been taking an interest in, along with Buddhism, with which there is a similarity for some time. Anyone wishing to develop an understanding of the Tao and how to start cultivating the Tao, this is an excellent starting point. Important Taoist teaching is explained through the retelling of stories from ancient China, which are explained and applied to our very different and fast paced modern society. These teachings and Taoist explanations are quite short, however this does not diminish the message, in fact the Taoist teaching is succinct and quite profound. At times these teachings are quite life changing and you will soon discover you are trying to integrate Taoism into your daily life and interactions with others. Derek Lin is an engaging writer who is clearly able to aid readers begin to seek the quiet voice within. There seems to be lots of books on this fascinating subject and as a novice in the study of Taoism, it has been quite confusing to know where to start. However Taoist students will find this book to be informative, clear, sensitive and a wonderful entrance into the study of the Tao and how we can become thoughtful, kind and hopefully wiser human beings. I wish you well in your journey into the Tao.

Good western way of loving the Tao in easy format a great version to buy five stars you won’t be disappointed in this purchase

I own a modest library dedicated to Taoism, consisting of about a hundred volumes, including canonical texts, historical texts, and essays (obviously in Italian, my native language). Taken together, they are worth as much as one of Master Lin's works; one of the greatest blessings of my life was being able to go beyond the publication of his volumes in English, using online translators where necessary. Believe me, if you want to understand the Tao firsthand, you absolutely must approach the Master's work; I'm not exaggerating when I say that you'll almost feel like you're conversing with Lao Tzu personally. It's incredible to find works of this depth, yet written so comprehensibly. Give yourself the greatest gift of your life; you'll literally fall in love with his words. Possiedo una modesta libreria dedicata al Taoismo, composta da circa un centinaio di volumi tra testi canonici, storici e saggi (ovviamente in italiano, mia lingua madre). Messi tutti insieme, valgono come 1 sola delle opere del Maestro Lin; una delle più grandi fortune della mia vita è stata riuscire ad andare oltre alla pubblicazione in lingua inglese dei suoi volumi, aiutandomi ove necessario con qualche traduttore on line. Credetemi, se volete comprendere il Tao "di prima mano", dovete per forza approcciare il lavoro del Maestro; non esagero, se dico che vi sembrerà quasi di star conversando con Lao Tzu personalmente. Incredibile trovare delle opere di questa profondità, eppure scritte in modo tanto comprensibile. Fatevi il regalo più bello della vostra vita, vi innamorerete letteralmente delle sue parole.

This book has been so wonderful to read. I love the simple and different perspectives that are given to solve our everyday worries. This has been the breath of fresh air I’ve needed.

I am not an avid reader..but some how this book caught me. The main thing I liked about this book is the way nice and simple stories are used to explain the philosophical gems and the in depth explanation on them by the author of the book. Coming to the concepts itself, its totally giving a different perspective of things...really different and a total treasure...hope this book had a1000 page..just didn't want it to finish...