Practicing the Tao Te Ching: 81 Steps on the Way Paperback – May 1, 2016

The author is a long-time student of Master Ni Hua-Ching, arguably the most accomplished Taoist in the West. I have not read any of Solala Towler's other six books. This book uses Master Ni's translation of the Tao Te Ching, and I must assume that the practices associated with the 81 stanzas must have been transmitted to Solala from his primary teacher of Taoist arts. The timing of the release of this book is particularly interesting because another highly acclaimed teacher of Taoist arts, Bruce K. Frantzis, is about the do the same thing as the Ni and Towler team: provide a fresh translation of the Tao Te Ching and also provide a practitioner's guide to the text. Dr. Alan Peatfield and Bruce Frantzis have very recently made a new translation of the Tao Te Ching, and Bruce is in the process of producing detailed guidance on how one should practice the Tao Te Ching. Bruce received all this detailed guidance on the Tao Te Ching from his primary Taoist teacher, Taoist sage Liu Hung Chieh, who used to teach Bruce about the Tao Te Ching using the format, "This is what it says, this is what it means, and this is how you do it."The format used by Solala for the instruction for each stanza is: first the translation, then a commentary section, followed by the practice section.I have read about fifty of Master Ni's books, which provides me with extensive preparation to evaluate this book from that perspective. The commentary and practice sections are very well written. The author is clearly highly experienced in actually practicing the various approaches to Taoist "cultivation." The range of approaches to inner cultivation is impressive. Although the number is stanzas is great and one would expect a lot of repetition for each commentary and practice section, this is not the case. Kudos primarily to sage Lao Tzu, but also to highly achieved cultivators like Ni and his student. I recommend this book to beginners and advanced cultivators alike. The breadth and depth of what is taught provides plenty of valuable spiritual counsel for practitioners at any stage.

This is a wonderful intermediate expression of the Tao. Great for those wanting to understand and integrate the fullness of this Life work. I highly recommend this as a practice book. The Tao that is not experienced is not the Tao

A remarkably beautiful interpretation to the Tao Te Ching. One of my personal favorite books. If I were ever stranded anywhere this book would be with me.

I read a chapter a day. I also found Towler’s courses on Insight Timer app. I liked doing them together.

I really love this book. I've been drawn to Taoism for years but have struggled with the translations. Sadly, most of the books on Taoism seem to be more concerned with demonstrating how scholarly the author is rather than communicating the essence of the teachings. The writing in this volume is clear, concise, and thorough and the author goes out of his way to be sure that the reader understands the meanings. Very highly recommended.

Wherever you may find yourself on your spiritual path, this rendition and commentary on the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu will extend your understanding of the process that takes you ever further on your journey. It matters not how many steps you have taken on the spiritual path, the Way, the Tao, nor does it even matter if you are aware of your movement. Take that which can not be said and know that it is a part of your own being.

I've loved the Tao te Ching ever since I first encountered Stephen Mitchell's illustrated translation decades ago. Solala Towler goes beyond translation, providing us Westerners(and probably some non-Western folks, too) with a more practical way to connect with the Tao te Ching and bring it into our lives in more concrete ways. The commentaries provide historical and philosophical context, while the easy-to-follow exercises illuminate the text and its teachings in ways I've not experienced before.I'm grateful to Solala Towler for helping me more fully connect with one of my favorite texts.

I've read many translations of the tao te ching, and this is one of the clearest and best - and the practices help bring a deeper understanding and integration of lao tzu's words