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First Impression: Spiritual lessons that would be impossible for most, and take some major practice. The ultimate series of conundrums.

The Vible Opus 1: The Tao of Lao-Tzu book coveer

The Vible Opus 1: The Tao of Lao-Tzu is a faith that begun around 25 centuries ago and originally produced in 5,000 Chinese characters. Written by Vian Den Groot, The Vible Opus 1: The Tao of Lao-Tzu, also known as the Truth of Lao-Tzu, the old sage, takes the reader on a spiritual journey over 81 short chapters that each represent one element of the faith. Aside from the introductory sections, the teachings are no more than two pages long.

The book opens with a disclaimer that acknowledges the various translations and interpretations of Lao-Tzu, thus, providing a sense of transparency. It also introduces a glossary at the start rather than at the end of the book, which is useful as there are some terms that are used in a complex way, i.e., I would assume ‘masterful one’ to point to a higher being, but it, in fact, points to human life.

Before I go any further, I would just like to thank Vian Den Groot for the opportunity to read this book. From the review that follows, you’ll see it is an interesting read but probably isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Colours subjugate vision, Sounds subjugate hearing, Flavours subjugate taste, and concepts subjugate the mind.

The more one reads, the more difficult it is to believe this is a faith that can be followed. There is a lot to be said about not making comparisons and judging. The book promotes that to judge things as good or powerful or beautiful means you are also attributing bad, or powerless or ugly to other things. As humans, we are wired to judge, so to be masterful and follow this faith, you have to transcend humanity.

As the book continues, it promotes the idea of remaining emotionless, egoless, yet moldable/pliable by flowing like water and adapting to one’s confines. After a handful of chapters, the titles aid the predictability of the lesson to follow. However, the chapters themselves are written beautifully, some in poetical fashion.

I found the book to have several formatting flaws. I accept these may be stylistic choices, but as a reader, the fully capitalized content page was hard to read and slowed me down. I also didn’t appreciate the spattering of bold across the chapter other than at the very end. I felt a lot was unnecessary and excessive. There are also a lot of blank pages between chapters that are unnecessary and wasteful. Hopefully, this is only a factor in the e-books.

Whilst the idea of following this guidance seems impossible, I do like the idea of trying to be ‘free’. Many of the chapters provide a summary of what the ‘masterful one’ is or isn’t giving clearer guidance on how to benefit from the chapter. The book will appeal to readers who are less religious, but more spiritual. The teachings are a way of life that seeks to wipe out any kind of flaws that humans have. Although lacking in any kind of obscenities, there are some complexities that require reflections. Consequently, this book is better for adults, but teens and above may benefit. Realistically, as a serial reviewer this book is not for my judgmental self, and I’d be hard pushed to find a handful of people ready to take on the challenge of following Lao-Tzu. The book is worth a read, with some chapters being more interesting and manageable than others.

Quick Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ / PG-Rated

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