The Tao of Pooh | Benjamin Hoff | Golden nuggets of wisdom from the Tao in soiled wrappings?

The Tao of Pooh | Benjamin Hoff | Beautiful, Entertaining, and Thought-Provoking Masterpiece!

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The Tao of Pooh

	The Tao of Pooh Benjamin Hoff Dutton Adult, 1982 - 176 pages average customer review:based on 215 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

One of the world's great Taoist masters isn't Chinese, or a venerable philosopher, but is in fact none other than A. A. Milne's effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear Winnie-the-Pooh. While Eeyore frets and Piglet hesitates and Rabbit calculates and Owl pontificates, Pooh just is. And that's the clue to the secret wisdom of the Taoists.

Golden nuggets of wisdom from the Tao in soiled wrappings?

It is true that Hoff seems to display a certain "dislike" or "bias" against things that go against his vision of the Tao, but overall, this is a wonderful, enjoyable book that gets across in a rather easy and simple manner some ideas central to Taoism, especially when it uses quotes from the Tao Te Ching in explaining Pooh's actions.

In fact, I have used several quotes from the book in a compilation of useful Taoist guides towards the right Path:

Simple Tao:
http://www.blueboard.com/tao/

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Beautiful, Entertaining, and Thought-Provoking Masterpiece!

This elegant and well-written volume by Benjamin Hoff, along with its sequel âaeThe Te of Pigletâ, is perhaps one of the finest pieces of writing about Taoism in the West. Having just read and enjoyed the original Pooh stories by A.A. Milne, I became intrigued by this book and obtained it. As soon as I opened it I could not find a good point to lay it down. I kept reading and reading until I finished it in a single day. The book was so pleasurable, so well-written, and so intriguing. I kept thinking and imagining all the different concepts of Taoism that this book introduces me to. âaeWu Weiâ or effortless action; living in harmony with nature; Nowhere and Nothing; the importance of the present; the extreme alienation we in the West create for ourselves by being constantly busy. These are all important issues that relate to my life personally, and I feel I have gained something from reading this book, in addition to spending an enjoyable time reading it.

Those who didnâ(tm)t like this book for some reason are missing the point. The âaeTao of Poohâ was never meant to be the definite treatise on Taoism, or the dispassionate comparison of East and West. As a matter of fact, this book is classified under âaeHumorâ. In fact, it is this humor of pooh which lends itself so aptly to introducing Taoism. Since reading this book, I became interested in reading the other book by John Tyerman Williams called âaePooh & the Philosophersâ. What a disaster that turned out to be! See, the defining character of Pooh is that he never really takes himself seriously, which is perfectly in line with the attitude of major Taoist philosophers. Yet Western philosophy thinks of itself as a serious subject, an attitude that is quite un-Pooh-ish, so I donâ(tm)t know what on earth Williams was thinking in using Pooh to illustrate Western philosophy. Anyways, donâ(tm)t buy Williamâ(tm)s book, buy this! If you like Pooh and feel intrigued with Eastern Philosophy, you will find a pleasurable reading in this masterpiece that was the first to recognize this beautiful match.

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Philosophy's Favorite Bear

Recommended for everyone, a lighthearted look at the Tao and a simpler way of living through the eyes of my favorite bear. My husband lives the Tao of Pooh. If you're having trouble understanding the Tao, or having a hard time relating to that duck that seems to let the world roll off his back, this book puts everything into perspective. There's no denying the fun in this book; the beautiful, flowing, clear writing style is classic A.A. Milne Pooh, and demonstrates what a perfect example this bear is for the concepts of the Tao.

Not very taoist

I gave this book 3 stars because it reads easily enough, there are some insightful moments, and because it is fairly enjoyable with the exchange between the author and Pooh bear. But, this book is not recommended for anyone wanting to understand taoism. Much of the book contains almost bitter western bashing, or the condemning of certain modes of life, which does not actually help to reinforce taoist concepts. There are portions that read more like rants, even.

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