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The Tao of Pooh Audiobook
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(4.00) - 6,594 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
Three men stand over a vat of vinegar- the vinegar of life, to be precise. The first, Confucius finds life's vinegar to be sour. The second, the Buddha himself, feels life's vinegar is bitter. But the third man, Laozi, tastes the vinegar of life and finds it to be, of all things, satisfying. This famous story- and painting- of the founders of the three great Eastern philosophies, is the first thing one encounters when reading The Tao of Pooh.
In The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff presents the teachings of Laozi in a readily understandable manner, relying upon the characters of A. A. Milne's classic children's stories, Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. Sometimes these characters recite their words from those classic books, and sometimes they present new ideas which cannot be found in Milne's work, but seem to be entirely consistent with what we know of them. Each character represents one or more of the ideas of Taoism, some negative things to be avoided, and some positive aspects which are the central tenets of the Tao.
While the other characters generally represent ideas which contrast the central tenets of Tao, Pooh himself is seen as representative of the Taoist philosophical foundation, and also the characteristics of wei wu wei and pu. That these characteristics sound strikingly similar to the parts of Pooh's name is but one of the whimsical aspects of this introduction to the Tao.
Benjamin Hoff was an American author, born in Oregon in 1946. A student of Asian culture, Hoff wrote the Tao of Pooh on nights and weekends while working as a tree pruner in a Japanese garden. In addition to writing, Hoff has also been a member of a pop band, and spends time as a composer and amateur nature photographer. In 2006, Hoff renounced the publishing industry and publicly resigned as an author.
"This is enjoyable and quick to read, with some fun Chinese history and wonderful interpretations of the lovable characters from the Hundred Acre Wood in terms of Taoism and of Taoism in terms of the characters, with Pooh as the Taoist hero, of course. Towards the end degenerates into a slightly preachy, let's-all-hold-hands-and-be-Taoists, ramble."
— Leslie (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
Winnie-the-Pooh has a certain Way about him, a way of doing things that has made him the world's most beloved bear. In The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff shows that Pooh's Way is amazingly consistent with the principles of living envisioned by the Chinese founders of Taoism. The author's explanation of Taoism through Pooh, and Pooh through Taoism, shows that this is not simply an ancient and remote philosophy but something you can use, here and now. And what is Taoism? It's really very simple. It calls for living without preconceived ideas about how life should be lived—but it's not a preconception of how life—it's.... Well, you'd do better to listen to this book, and listen to Pooh, if you really want to find out.
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Quotes
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“Vance demonstrates his great range, shifting easily from didactic sections of the book to fictional narrative and imbuing Milne’s characters with distinct voices…This audio edition, due in large part to Vance’s performance, is surprisingly engaging and accessible.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred audio review) -
“Through brilliant and witty dialogue with the beloved Pooh-bear and his companions, the author of this smash bestseller explains with ease and aplomb that rather than being a distant and mysterious concept, Taoism is as near and practical to us as our morning breakfast bowl. Romp through the enchanting world of Winnie-the-Pooh while soaking up invaluable lessons on simplicity and natural living.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“Hoff explains the central tenets of Taoism and further illustrates them with familiar excerpts from The House at Pooh Corner stories, Chinese proverbs, maxims, and tales from Lao Tzu and others. The result is at once thought-provoking and charming.”
— Library Journal -
Vance demonstrates his great range, shifting easily from didactic sections of the book to fictional narrative and imbuing Milne's characters with distinct voices. . . . This audio edition, due in large part to Vance's performance, is surprisingly engaging and accessible.
— Publishers Weekly Starred Audio Review
Awards
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An Audible.com bestseller
The Tao of Pooh Listener Reviews
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Ted Loomis, 8/20/2024
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" The book I come back to time after time. "
— Matt, 2/20/2014 -
" not the box set...I have no piglet. Do you? "
— Jia, 2/6/2014 -
" This book SO inspired me to think outside the box without being preachy or to "intellectual". I think they should have this be required reading in grammar school. "
— Breeze, 2/1/2014 -
" These books are fun, insightful, and uplifting. "
— Denise, 1/30/2014 -
" Pooh makes taoism simple. With an old friend as your guide, the taoist prinicples are explained. Basically this book teaches you to slow life down and enjoy it's ride. Very calming for our life stressors - "roll with the punches." "
— Keri, 1/29/2014 -
" Love, love, love anything Pooh related. These books were very practical, as well. "
— Daphne, 1/20/2014 -
" Fascinating foray into eastern religion "
— Brett, 1/13/2014 -
" I LOVE THESE BOOKS.. one i can read over and over and over again and enjoy ever minute of it :-) "
— Kristen, 1/7/2014 -
" interesting read. not a lot of substance to it. "
— Bobby, 12/29/2013 -
" One of my favorite books. And it's one that I can see myself re-reading often. "
— Jenny, 12/27/2013 -
" Best way of explaining Taoism in this little book. Simple, but amazing. "
— Shalamar, 12/23/2013 -
" easy to read beautiful little taoist philosophy book. a new kind of approach to learning about the tao using the characters of winnie the pooh. fucking yay. "
— Kirstin, 12/20/2013 -
" Interesting connections between Pooh Bear and Taoism. "
— Gregory, 12/20/2013 -
" First read as an adolescent, this one still has a resonance to maintain that child's heart from defining a personal connection to the Universe. "
— Dr., 12/1/2013 -
" very good intro to the principles of the tao... "
— clara, 11/16/2013 -
" This book is a great book to have to be read and reread for a lifetime. I'm on my 3rd time around. "
— Bearclaw, 11/7/2013 -
" tao te ching for dummies. so good. "
— Castelle, 8/29/2013 -
" I know, I know---I give a lot of 5 stars! But you will adore this book. Again, I highlighted a bunch of it, and need to re-read. Didn't read Piglet, but it didn't give me the option to pick just one. "
— Michelle, 7/12/2013 -
" the first book i ever read and enjoyed, very zen in simple language "
— Mmccagh23, 3/18/2013 -
" Got to read this. a friend showed this book to me. RIP richard! "
— Monica, 3/12/2013 -
" I love both of these books and re-read them from time to time to get new perspectives on life. They are each a joy. "
— Carisa, 2/28/2013 -
" My first introduction to Eastern philosophy when I was just a kid... LOVE this book set :) "
— April, 10/11/2012 -
" The message is keep it simple! "
— Kristin, 9/3/2012 -
" This was a really fun book to read. The applications to Taoism are simplistic, but I think that's the point. It is appears, however, that that the author has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to academia. "
— Dan, 8/5/2012 -
" I think everyone should read this book. Taoism is trying to be good naturally...what most of us want anyway. Very easy read "
— Kendra, 7/24/2012 -
" Love them!In my most cherished collection of life changers. "
— Patricia, 6/2/2012 -
" In my opinion, does a great job of explaining the principles of Taoism for the everyday normal folk like myself. "
— Cameron, 5/10/2012 -
" Both books are good, but I really liked the Te of Piglet. Daoist principles applied to these beloved characters. "
— Jennifer, 4/19/2012
About Benjamin Hoff
Benjamin Hoff is an Oregon writer, photographer, musician, and composer with a fondness for forests and bears. When not writing, he practices Taoist yoga, T’ai Chi Ch’üan, stunt kite-flying, boomerang shaping and throwing, and Taoist tennis, whatever that is. He is the author of The Tao of Pooh, The Te of Piglet, and The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.