![]() ![]() Stephen Mitchell is a prolific author, and we have reviewed many of his books. You must cut off all your thinking and wake up. Book Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. The bestselling, widely acclaimed translation from Stephen Mitchell 'Mitchells rendition of the Tao Te Ching comes as close to being definitive for our time as any I can imagine. In original clear mind there is no name and no form. If you are not thinking, your mind is the same as a mirror. Soen-sa said, “It is brown.” “But if I'd said brown, you would've said I'm attached to color!” Soen-sa said, “Brown is only brown.” Then, pointing to a glass of water, “What is this?” “Water.” “Yah. The writer makes use of that translation to discuss the text. They are holes in my face.” (Laughter.) “I ask you once again-what color is this door?” The student was silent. The most well-known translation is arguably by Stephen Mitchell. Soen-sa said, “What color is this?” The student said, “You have eyes.” Soen-sa said, “Eyes? These are not eyes. ![]() The Frog Prince: A Fairy Tale for Consenting Adults If wit was a rapier, courtesy was the button at the end of the blade.” Some of his great quotes are: When goodness is lost, it is replaced by morality. Intelligence walked hand in hand with individuality, although having finely sharpened points of view did not, it was felt, require you to poke other people with them. Nor did being well-rounded mean smoothing over your finest points and becoming like the reflection of a smile in a polished teaspoon. A gentleman or lady needed to be at least minimally skilled in many arts, because that was considered the fittest way of appreciating the good things in life and honoring the goodness itself. At almost every level of the social order, education was meant to create true amateurs-people who were in love with quality. Things were different in the Renaissance. Our century, whatever virtues it may have, is not an optimal time for princesses. Consequently, she receives the kind of education that one might think of giving to a particularly splendid papier-mâché angel before putting it at the top of the Christmas tree: an education whose main goal is proficiency in the arts of looking pretty and standing straight. “A modern princess-of England, say, or Monaco- serves the purpose of being an adornment in the fantasy life of the public. ![]()
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