Tao Books: The Living Tao: Meditations on the Tao Te Ching to Empower Your Life

Up to this point in my review of books on Taoism, I've written about three I have thoroughly enjoyed. In this case, however, my feelings for Stephen Kaufman's The Living Tao: Meditations on the Tao Te Ching to Empower Your Life are a bit ambivalent.

There's no question that Kaufman's take on the TTC is different than many. As I check my sources for each day's verse, his interpretation often varies from everyone else. Different doesn't always mean bad, but it's...well...just different. Some of his observations strike me as very odd and they simply don't seem to fit with the verse cited. That said, I have indeed found several valuable insights and I will continue to cite this book from time to time.

I certainly wouldn't recommend it for a Taoist novice or someone taking a first look to try to get a feel of the land. My personal opinion is that it is better suited for those who are more familiar with Taoist terminology and have read several translations previously.

Kaufman is known as the founding father of American Karate. Here's a brief bio I found:

“Habu” Hanshi Kaufman has enjoyed an extensive career in the martial arts world since the middle 1950’s. An acknowledged Founding Father of American Karate, he is, along with his rank and title Hanshi 10th dan, Shodai soke, 1st generation founder of Dojo no Hebi-School of the Snake (Hebi-Ryu Budo) considered by many masters to be one of the most formidable and realistic martialist methods in the world. He began serious study of Ishinryu karate in Naha, Okinawa while serving in the United States Air Force and was one of the first USAF karate instructors as part of the American Karate Federation (Accredited by the Japan Karate Assn: Messrs. Shuji Masutani, Masotomo Takagi, Hidetaka Nishiyama, Charles R. Collinsworth.)

Continually striving to learn more of the bushi arts, Hanshi practices daily: karate, weaponry, and iaido with a select group of “shosei” students. He also teaches self-defense for many national security agencies, senior citizen groups, community centers, corporations, and private clients. He travels the world as a Good Will Ambassador.

Recognized as a master speaker and seminarist, he conducts business management and motivation seminars and is widely sought out by major institutions and global groups. He is considered one of the more functional and productive strategy facilitators on the contemporary circuit.