Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • The Way of Chuang Tzu (Second Edition)

  • By: Thomas Merton
  • Narrated by: Greg Chun
  • Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (29 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Way of Chuang Tzu (Second Edition) cover art

The Way of Chuang Tzu (Second Edition)

By: Thomas Merton
Narrated by: Greg Chun
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £6.39

Buy Now for £6.39

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Zen and the Birds of Appetite cover art
Tao Te Ching cover art
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind cover art
The Wisdom of the Desert cover art
Practical Zen cover art
Shōbōgenzō cover art
The Tao Made Easy cover art
Zen and Tao cover art
The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius cover art
Tao Te Ching cover art
Eight Pillars of Prosperity cover art
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching cover art
Chuang Tsu cover art
The Magic Monastery cover art
Dangerous Mystic cover art
Thomas Merton’s Path to the Palace of Nowhere cover art

Summary

Classic writings from the great Zen master in exquisite versions by Thomas Merton, with a preface by his holiness the Dalai Lama, now in audio for the first time.

Working from existing translations, Thomas Merton composed a series of his own versions of the classic sayings of Chuang Tzu, the most spiritual of Chinese philosophers. Chuang Tzu, who wrote in the fourth and third centuries BC, is the chief authentic historical spokesperson for Taoism and its founder, Lao Tzu (a legendary character known largely through Chuang Tzu’s writings). Indeed, it was because of Chuang Tzu and the other Taoist sages that Indian Buddhism was transformed, in China, into the unique vehicle we now call by its Japanese name: Zen.

The Chinese sage abounds in wit and paradox and shattering insights into the true ground of being. Thomas Merton, no stranger to Asian thought, brings a vivid, modern idiom to the timeless wisdom of Tao.

©1965 The Abbey of Gethsemani (P)2018 New Directions

What listeners say about The Way of Chuang Tzu (Second Edition)

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    24
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A decent abridgement of the key ideas

The book of Zhuang Zi may be the most important text in Daoism, but like many within this genre, is difficult to understand.
This volume, by a Christian Monk, takes the most readily understood parables from Zhuang Zi's teaching and compiles them into an hour of easy listening.
Note that half the actual audio is introductory material which can seem overly long and could possibly tire the reader out before getting to the main bulk of the argument. However, the narrator is very clear and maintains the readers interest.
The main concepts are non action, acceptance and Harmony with the world. They may sound simple but the anecdotes help the listener understand and absorb these life lessons. So in many ways it's a pre modern self help book.
This volume serves as a good introduction, but I would recommend the reader equip themselves with an unabridged version of Zhuang Zi's full book and be prepared to read and reread certain chapters. Worth it because it is highly rewarding.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Not Bad Overall.

The narrator speaks a little too fast (which can be slowed down) and the main body of the book is not separated into chapters, which is a real shame. The selections themselves are fine and intro is okay (if you're a Christian I suppose you'd get more out of it). Merton was clearly dissatisfied with Christianity but for his own reasons stuck with it to the end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!