It would be more appropriate if I gave this no-rating and wrote no-review, but I can't help myself. I really want to say how I feel about this book.

I LOVE IT!

Granted, it doesn't have quite as many zingers as The Tao Te Ching, but Chuang Tzu also had a way about him of conveying the Tao. This particular rendition is not a translation of the original, but rather Thomas Merton's rendition based on his reflections on four different translations (two English, one German, and one French). Merton also writes a lovely introduction. Reading this made me want to read other versions.

From the chapter titled "Means and Ends":
"Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to."

I couldn't get through much of this. Maybe it's Merton fucking things up, but Zhuangzi comes off as a weed-high pseudeep freshman poetry major in what I read. Painful.

It is a good introduction for Chuang Tzu/Zhuang_Zhou for readers with Catholics or Christian background, thanks to "A Note to Reader" and "A Study of Chuang Tzu" chapters by the author. The introduction chapters are gems by themselves, reflecting the rays of bright mind of the author.

The poetry part from Chuang Tzu is the main course and maybe the part that you would re-read again and again, even only for some of them.

An old favorite! Wonderful as ever.

Really beautiful collection, put together by Thomas Merton, the Christian contemplative. A great introduction if you’re looking for a way to build some familiarity with Taoist thought. (I am no expert. But this was beautiful and thought-provoking and pointed me toward deeper engagement.)