Customer Reviews

Barefoot Doctor's Guide to the Tao: A Spiritual Handbook for the Urban Warrior

5 star:		(14)
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1 star:		(3)

 

 

I found this quite down to earth, no flowery philosophy like other books which had previously made if difficult for me to learn about Taoism. The exercises are straight forward and cover 2-3 pages each. This is a book that works for me as a beginner and will continue to be in my library for years as I refer back to it to get a greater sense of Self Spiritual Understanding. I highly recomend this to anyone who likes answers and straighforward instruction.

I like my life and my stuff! I don't want to cloister myself on some mountain top and eschew the modern world. This is a great book for all the citizens of the real world who want to explore the Tao, but don't want to become great scholars. Taoism is about being and experiencing, not about pouring through ancient tomes for answers other people have found. If you'd rather get a few pointers on how to be a little more Tao, get this lovely little book. It is truly a diggable and easily portable guide to life on the cooler side of the fence.

When I acquired this book several years ago it appealed to me because it seemed to be an up-to-date take on a philosophy which had long interested me. In retrospect I can see that it needlessly steered me into a lot of confusion and uncertainty. In my opinion the product being marketed here is a toxic concoction of New Age quackery and mental hopscotch masquerading as spiritual guidance.

I humbly recommend readers seeking clarity and peace of mind to investigate the book 'Food For the Heart' (available for free online) which contains the collected lectures of the late Buddhist monastic Ajahn Chah. Here you will find tough, no nonsense, gimmick-free insight relating to spiritual practice and the nature of reality.

I found Barefoot Dr's book on the Tao excellent. It explained concepts in a clear and hip manner and provided exercises to incorporate the teachings in a practical way. The work is also in my opinion quite comprehensive.

I found this book to be engaging, humorous and informative. I just picked it up one wet afternoon and couldn't put it down. This is the first book that I read by the Barefoot Doctor and it related Taoism to my world in a way that other texts couldn't, while making me look at life in a new and positive way. You can read it straight through from cover to cover or dip in at random according to your mood. I have read it many times and just keep getting more from it. Once you've read this one, you'll want to read more - good thing he's just written his 5th book - Liberation.

I bought this book several years ago and I thought it was one of the best books I have ever read on a "spiritual" subject. The Barefoot Doctor is extremely funny and brings the complex and mysterious subject of Taoism down to a level that anyone can understand. There are also wonderful and simple exercises included in the book. I gave my copy away to someone I felt needed it. But, just recently I purchased this book again, because it is that good. I have also ordered 4 of his other books from Amazon.UK, as they are hard to obtain here in the U.S.

Blessings, Rev. Jeff, Professional Psychic, Reiki Master
(...)

If you're curious about Taoism that's good. A dedicated scholar is even better. But if you can't manage to do that in your hectic daily life, behold this book! It explains the Tao in an easy going style with plenty of humor and lots of good old common sense. Even concepts that seem otherworldly will start to make sense when you read it a second time. It is thorough, yet manages to avoid intimidating the reader with archaic language. There are many books on the tao, from the spiritual to the scholarly. This one manages to bring it straight to the people with no frills. And while some reviewers think it advocates drug culture, I believe the author is patently aware that you cannot preach to most people or convince them to stop self destructive behavior even if they know you're right....so it is best to arm them with practical knowledge and let THEM do the changing. And that is the essence of the Tao. Ever changing--ever learning. Some will read this book and hungrily move on to more serious books on the Tao, while others will want to keep it in their backpack and think on it for a long time. I am doing both.

This book is a very clear way to relate to a Taoist way of living. I found it very helpful in most difficult moments. I'm thankful with the author for writing it. It's a lot of fun too, even while speaking about the deepest matters.

The barefoot doctors guide to the tao is a super fun way to expose yourself to taoist thought, and the ideas behind tai chi and qigong. This one small handbook seems to hold all the lessons of The Secret, What the Bleep Do We Know, and The Power of Now. A more light and silly and fun way to approach all those ideas and a great book to go back to over and over again! Be careful with some of the suggested energy exercises, it would be best to have a teacher than to practice them without a guide, but much of what is here offers a great start to meditation/relaxation, positive thinking and abundant living.

Wish the publisher would run another printing as I would love to give this as gifts to my students, clients and friends.

Enjoy!

This is definitely not a book for those who want to be scholars of the Tao. However, I thought it was a great tool for those who actually want to participate and use the Tao in day-to-day life. The author stresses personal responsbility and helps you reconsider both what is really important to you and how to concentrate on it. It seems especially relevant to younger folks or those in the club scene, but I imagine anyone with an open mind and an interest in living healthy and happy would enjoy it. The writing is very lively and you really get a good sense of the guy's personality.