Best of
Taoism

2012

Tao Te Ching


John Braun Jr. - 2012
    Reading it could change your life.If, however, you pick a translation that doesn't resonate with you, it could have almost no effect other than to confuse you and make you feel as if you have wasted your time. Naturally, you are looking for the best one.In this description, we are meant to sell you our book. Instead of attempting to do this, we would like to offer you your first and possibly most important lesson in Taoism: There is no such thing as a “best” translation of the Tao Te Ching.Certainly, many translations claim to be the best or employ the words of an expert who is quoted, swearing that this version surpasses all others in its clarity. Unfortunately, claiming that one translation is superior to all others betrays a slight misunderstanding the Tao Te Ching, which warns in its very first line against valuing words over what they are meant to convey.What this means is that the truth that lies at the core of the text can only be hinted at or approximated by words. Even now, many lifetimes after it was first recorded, people are still trying to capture this essence, which is why it is one of the most translated texts on the planet.The truth is, this essence cannot be captured in one form. The closest anyone can come to succeeding in this goal is to glimpse it for themselves, if only for a second. Only you can understand it. No one else, however brilliant, can understand it for you.Nevertheless, a good translation of the text can be a very useful tool for accomplishing this. What we try to provide to you is an entry point into the ancient wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, a companion that seeks to help open up the wisdom to you, to help facilitate your own understanding.When choosing, we highly recommend taking advantage of the convenience of e-books and basing your decision on the provided sample chapters rather than the description. While a cleverly written synopsis can promise you the world, you may find that the actual text does not deliver what it claims.Many versions claim an incredible accuracy of translation from the original, approaching the text as a sacred tome to be painstakingly maintained word for word, another practice that runs somewhat askew from the actual teachings.The original text was written in terms of the language and culture of feudal China. While, historically speaking, this is worth preserving, the idiosyncrasies of the archaic language can actually hinder a modern reader from connecting with the deeper message.The Taoist philosophy is meant to be applied to all times and places. Thus, preserving the linguistic peculiarities of a particular time and place can turn a broad philosophy into one that is so narrow as to seem impassible. Our version is the result of over a year spent poring over several different English translations, each one based on the same original Chinese text. We were surprised to find just how idealistically different some of these texts were, considering their mutual origin. For the purposes of our own growth, we made every attempt to find one thread connecting them all to the original and recorded this in our own words.The result of this method, however, might not be most accurately described as a translation of the Tao Te Ching. What we've done is a rendering. Through the juxtaposition of multiple English translations, the cultural and ideological fingerprints of past translators were exposed like decaying flesh on a skeleton. We tried to separate the skeleton -- the basic principles of the Tao Te Ching that themselves precede Lao Tzu -- from its flesh, and reanimate the Tao Te Ching for a contemporary audience.

Cosmic Nutrition: The Taoist Approach to Health and Longevity


Mantak Chia - 2012
    In Cosmic Nutrition, Taoist Master Mantak Chia and senior Universal Tao teacher William Wei reveal the secret to true health and longevity: keeping all four bodies--physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual--vibrant and balanced. They show you how to work with the four bodies through simple, step-by-step nutritional and energetic practices for everyday life. Combining the ancient Taoist principles of yin and yang energy with acid-alkaline balance and metabolic body types, the authors offer complete guidelines on what to eat for different yin-yang constitutions, specific health problems and organ systems, and energetic conditions. They provide an easy-to-follow food combining method for acid-alkaline and yin-yang balance, recipes for healing meals, detailed information on fasting and detoxification, and illustrated guides to several self-diagnostic methods from the East that allow you to interpret your body’s signs before disease manifests. Dispelling the myth of germs as the cause of disease, they reveal the cancerous dangers of too much protein or pharmaceutical drugs. They also examine the life-force-increasing and youth-renewing benefits of powerful “superfoods” such as sprouts and specific vitamins and minerals. Exploring emotional and mental balance, the authors explain the psychological aspects of yin and yang and offer simple practices to release fear and worries, promote inner calm, and build a positive attitude. Balancing body, mind, and blood chemistry, this book lays out the Universal Tao’s holistic path to a long and happy life.

Rude Awakening: Perils, Pitfalls, and Hard Truths of the Spiritual Path


P.T. Mistlberger - 2012
    This title is dedicated to examining, under a sharp light, the many ways our spiritual development goes wrong, or disappears altogether in the sheer crush of books and the routine grind of daily life.

Zhuang Zi


Zhuang Zhou - 2012
    German in Publisher: Yuelu bookstore Zhuangzi. also known as the South China Scriptures . is one of the Taoist classics. from the Warring States period philosopher Zhuangzi their after school book . Zhuangzi in the Library of Chinese Classics: Zhuangzi (control) Hande (Set of 2) inheritance and development of the I on the point of view of Imitation of Nature . Road. as the origin of the world that the Road is self-sufficient the difference between eternal things just relative. Is this cosmology adapt. Zhuangzi advocated a no action outlook on life. advocates maintain personal physical and mental freedom. the pursuit of a relaxed expression. the spiritual realm of Heaven's. Book Guoqing Fan the Zhuangzi set release Dibon school point and modern translation. the The German choice is so far the only complete translation of ...

Ba Gua Circle Walking Nei Gong: The Meridian Opening Palms of Ba Gua Zhang


Tom Bisio - 2012
    However, the circle walking exercise of Ba Gua Zhang is not simply walking. It combines the benefits of walking with Qi Gong and meditation. It also develops a refined strength that can be employed in martial arts and other physical activities. Walking in a circle with intention, correct alignment and deep breathing is the characteristic internal exercise (Nei Gong) associated with the martial art Ba Gua Zhang. Circle Walking Nei Gong is not only the foundation of Ba Gua's sophisticated fighting method, but also an incredible system of health preservation that nourishes life and staves off illness. Ba Gua Circle Walking Nei Gong is rooted in ancient Daoist longevity exercises and internal alchemy practices, which aim at re-connecting us to our intrinsic nature and inner wisdom. While smoothly walking and circling, the practitioner holds different postures or "body patterns" known as Ding Shi. Each of these postures opens, unblocks and energizes a specific acupuncture meridian or group of meridians, thereby modulating and activating the body's energetic matrix. Regular practice of Ba Gua Circle Walking Nei Gong re-programs the body to walk and move correctly with balance, power and agility, while powerfully energizing the body and calming the nervous system. In Ba Gua Circle Walking Nei Gong: The Meridian Opening Palms of Ba Gua Zhang, author Tom Bisio, a renowned martial artist and acupuncturist, details the practice method and theory of this powerful system of internal exercise. The postures, alignments and practice methods are clearly explained and correlated with practical discussions of meridian pathways and pathologies from the perspective of internal Nei Gong practice. These discussions are accompanied by extensive illustrations, including drawings rendered from photographs of famous Ba Gua masters holding the Nei Gong postures. Also included are medical app

Fire Dragon Meridian Qigong: Essential NeiGong for Health and Spiritual Transformation


Zhongxian Wu - 2012
    The form works directly on the acupuncture meridians, releasing areas of stagnation and bringing the physical and emotional body into a balanced state of well-being.This Qigong form implements special visualization and breathing techniques in addition to movements that imitate sparks arising from a bonfire and swirling upward like a spiraling dragon. Stoking our 'inner fire' melts away the 'ice', or the areas of blockage and disease, opens our energetic pathways and allows the smooth flow of Qi in our meridians. The Fire Dragon practice follows the traditional internal alchemy process, where Jing (essence) transforms to Qi (vital energy), Qi transforms to Shen (spirit), and Shen returns to Emptiness. Fire Dragon Meridian Qigong is a key Qigong form for those seeking healing from cancer and other significant health challenges, and is the practice the authors turned to in order to transform the grief over their son's death.The book provides background information and a detailed description of the form itself, illustrated with calligraphy, meridian drawings, and photographs throughout.

Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary


Ellen M. Chen - 2012
    Refreshing and challenging, this is a landmark work for all those investigating Eastern religion and philosophy.

Basic Practices of the Universal Healing Tao: An Illustrated Guide to Levels 1 through 6


Mantak Chia - 2012
     Keyed to the corresponding book for each complete practice, such as Healing Light of the Tao and Chi Self-Massage, this guide includes 220 exercises from more than 20 of Master Mantak Chia’s practice systems, including the Inner Smile, the Six Healing Sounds, the Microcosmic Orbit, Iron Shirt Chi Kung, Wisdom Chi Kung, Tao Yin, Chi Nei Tsang, Cosmic Detox, Bone Marrow Nei Kung, Cosmic Healing, Tendon Nei Kung, and Karsai Nei Kung. Offering a comprehensive reference to the beginning and intermediate practices of the Universal Healing Tao, this book allows you to build a regular Taoist practice combining internal and external chi and sexual energy exercises from the full range of Master Chia’s teachings, enabling you to purify, transform, regenerate, and transcend not only your own energy but the energy around you as well.

The Gold Pavilion: Taoist Ways to Peace, Healing and Long Life


Michael Saso - 2012
    "The Gold Pavilion: Taoist Ways to Peace, Health, and Long Life" is astep-by-step description of a way of Taoist meditation from ancient China.This book proposes a way to find inner peace and wholeness in a world with little time for quiet contemplation.

Cook Ding's Kitchen: A Kung Fu Carry Out Practical Daoism in Everyday life A Personal Exploration of Daoism, Aikido, Taijiquan and Life in General


Rick Matz - 2012
    Drawing on the teachings of the Daoist sage Zhuang Zi (Chuang Tse), the lives of contemporary people and the practice of the internal martial arts of Aikido, Taijiquan, Xingyiquan and Yiquan; the author shows philosophical Daoism can provide a path of us to lead our daily lives.