Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao

by Wayne W. Dyer and David S. Dyer

Book Overview

Five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, a God-realized being named Lao-tzu in ancient China dictated 81 verses, which are regarded by many as the ultimate commentary on the nature of our... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401911846
• ISBN13: 9781401911843
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Hay House
• Length: 395 Pages
• Weight: 1.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

This is a great book

Sure changed my mind about life, to be more positive and enlightened about my journey in life. Helped me find a the way and a purpose.

Wayne's world, part deux

Tao Te Ching..meaning Book of The Way, or book of the Word. One of the best books ever written. Or, if you read the author's insights in the preface, Book of the Way-ne Dye-r (adder of color and light) : ) If you are like most people, you may be wondering should I get this particular version, and how does it compare with other versions or his earlier book. No matter how great a writer you think Wayne Dyer is, he did not write the Tao, yet his rendition is consistent with the best versions I have read. The difference between this and his earlier book, Living the wisdom of the Tao, being the short essays of several pages, offering insights on each verse. Stephen Mitchell's version has worked best for me, and it has no essays. The Tao concepts bypass ego based thinking, and the idea of doing without doing yet getting things done allows a higher more authentic way of thinking to inform your being and your action. You can apply this wu wei (effortless action) principle anywhere. One Jonathan Star version has Chinese symbols at the back, with multiple meanings of each symbol. This allows you to come up with your own version of the Tao, and would really open up your thinking on the Tao. The Tao is always present within you. You can use it any way you want. 81 verses all less than one page. Like any great mystery, the Tao is there to be experienced and not necessarily understood. Here is a selection from verse 81 to illustrate the difference between different versions. True words aren't eloquent; Eloquent words aren't true; Wise men don't need to prove their point; Men who need to prove their point aren't wise. Here is what Dyer writes. True words are not beautiful; Beautiful words are not true; Good men do not argue; Men who argue are not good. Notice a difference in meaning? I bought this for my sister, because she loves Wayne Dyer's books. I recommend reading each verse several times and consider it line by line, see what meaning you get, put it aside and compare with Wayne's opinion later. The more you focus on the verses, and getting your own insights, the more you will get out of it. According to the author, this book arose from a year of meditation. I suspect if he wrote a new edition five years from now, his quality of insight would be even more profound because it's an ongoing process. Many of his insights differed from my own, some better, others not so much. For example Verse 44 to me seems to be about values, knowing what's important, not being attached to your identity and finding contentment within. He writes about Living by Knowing When to Stop. His verse words here differ significantly from the Mitchell version. That's why, if the Tao moves you I recommend you read more than one version. I also recommend The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, a classic book of wisdom, The Dhammapada featuring the succinct teachings of the Buddha, and The Way of Chuang Tzu by Thomas Merton. I wonder if you find this review he

Very Powerful

This book is a work of art. There are 81 powerful verses by Lao-tzu, followed by Dr. Wayne Dyer's thoughts. By the time I got to the 14th verse, I was beginning to reconnect to that inner sense of feeling connected with the natural world, seeing more beauty in everything. Something I had lost track of, and had not felt in 22 years! When I read the verses, and followed the suggestions by Dr. Dyer, which are grounding in the verses, I felt a new space within and all around me in which to become aware of the awesome power of peace, freedom, the Tao. This book will let you exhale. I could forget about stress.

He Inspires Me

I really have enjoyed everything Dr. Dyer has written, and I thoroughly enjoy the PBS series. One of my favorites was the Power of Intention, where I learned the motto for my life from Dr. Dyer: try not to be better than anyone else, but instead be better than you used to be. In the Inspiration book, he introduced us to a victim of genocide and a young boy who was born with a charitable heart and turned that gift into power. Change Your Thoughts is no less amazing than the other books. Frankly, it does reiterate lessons in life that we hear all the time, and deep down know are important. But somehow, the way Dr. Dyer writes strikes you more and you really start to think to yourself: if I change my thoughts, if I have faith and believe that things will work out a certain way, I will, in turn, become confident and I will achieve my dreams. It is a wonderful way to be, and this book helps you get there. I bought seven books for my summer reading (including mostly bestsellers) and the only two that really affected me, really opened my eyes, and really made me cry, believe and dream were "Change Your Thoughts" by Dr. Dyer and "A Beautiful Bucket of Bones" by M. Luci (a fiction book, but a very gorgeously powerful message, too). Read these books before the summer is out, and you will feel happier (and warmer) come fall and winter.

Magnificient!

Tao Te Ching written by the mythic figure Lao-tzu contains wisdom that is difficult to describe. As you read the words, they speak to you of a reality that is beyond words and yet mysteriously transmitted through words. What a wonderful paradox! The words function to point to a reality beyond them. A reality that cannot be named or described but it can be felt as a presence in nature, in silence and in other spiritually moving moments of inspiration. Tao Te Ching describes this mysterious eternal Tao. The text of the Tao Te Ching frees us from intellectual grasping of ideas to the actual reality or presence beyond our mental constructs. Reality is often filtered by our mental screen and we often create a closed reality based on our mental perceptions, beliefs and prior conditioning. In the open words of Lao-tzu, we can experience reality itself as a Whole that is Indivisible and Mysterious. Lao-tzu's teachings are simple and natural still our grasping mind finds them difficult. This is where Wayne's book is indispensable for relating these teachings to contemporary understanding and making them accessible for Western readers. You can also sense Wayne's sincerity in living the wisdom of the Tao and that gives his words conviction. He is not merely discussing abstract ideas but relating them to his own lived experiences. This is a magnificent book that every spiritual-seeker needs to have in their library for its inspiration and depth. I've also been reading an unusual spiritual novel about overcoming personal pain and finding your inner center called Nexus: A Neo Novel.

Making the Tao More Accessible to All

Wayne Dyer has created a vast community of readers because of the level of heart he shares, as he writes his books. If you've seen Wayne in person or being interviewed on PBS, you can sense the gentleness of his nature, and his strength of character shines through. And if you have followed Wayne's career as a writer and reluctant guru, you have seen his books grow in stature over time. They have become more concerned with matters of the Spirit, as the ultimate way to create a life of joy, abundance and peace. Even though each of his previous books has been wonderful, I believe that this book will become the hallmark of his work. Unlike many of his books which you can read through from cover to cover, this book is designed to be savored, a page at a time, and it is full of gentle life lessons that are designed to help you create a more joyous life. The book is a compilation of translations of the 81 essays written by Lao-tzu, a highly spiritual being who lived in China hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. These verses were called the Tao Te Ching or the Great Way, and were revered by many, and translated many times. Wayne researched the translations, selected those he preferred, compiled them, and then interpreted them to make them more accessible to modern day readers. The book is made up of 81 chapters, each with a topic that makes living the Tao more possible, in a way that is inspirational, moving and timely. This is the sort of book you might choose to read first thing in the morning before you start your day, or at the end of the day, as a review of your day, or both. This book is highly recommended for those seeking a source of spiritual guidance on living a richer, fuller, and more joyous life.