Customer Reviews

Christ the Eternal Tao

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As a Chinese Christian (and now a minister), I grew up reading and hearing bits and pieces of Jesus being the Tao. Only recently I took the effort to browse the book store to find a solid book that would give me a fuller knowldege of it and I ran into this book. As a third generation Chinese Christians (and also third generation minister) growing up in China and Burma, most of the information in this book are not new for me but I am so glad that it is put together so beautifully in one book that I can use to share it with the seekers of the Truth.

The 'Word'(Logos) is translated as 'Tao' in the Chinese Bible and the more I learn about the Tao the more I am amazed by the wisdom of the tranlators of the Chinese Bible. To most learned Chinese Christians, Taoism and Christianity has never been two completely unrelated "religions." Taoism is purely the ancient Chinese's effort to seek the "relationship" with Christ and it became fuller knowing Tao became flesh. (To the nagative fundamantalist reviewer above, please be informed that even though Laozi's name is not mentioned in the Bible, but Tao is. Don't think God speaks only English!)

Just as a today's Taoist without knowing Christ does not know Tao in a fuller form, a today's Christian who doesn't know Tao misses an opportunity to know Christ deeper.

This book makes me proud of being Chinese and of my ancestors, and also feel thankful to God who didn't leave them alone but have spoken to them. Every seeker of truth must read it!

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There have been many books published in the latter half of the twentieth century that attempt to bridge the gap between East and West, more specifically, between Christianity in the West and Buddhism or Taoism in the East. Some of this has been due to increasing communication and resulting global shrinkage, but the basic presuppositions of most of these books seem to have fallen into three camps:

* Superficial and featureless syncretism (it's all ultimately the same)

* The spiritually impoverished West must experience renewal based on new wisdom from Eastern religions

* A fundamentalist type reaction against finding any wisdom outside their own "camp".

There have even been books by teachers of Eastern wisdom that attempt to find a place for Christian spirituality "within" their
own world view. Few of these books meet both traditions on their
own terms, relying on a superficial understanding of them, or on
reinterpretation of traditional content to meet "new" needs.

With the publication, of Christ the Eternal Tao, we have a truly new book which does not fall into the usual 3 camps. First of all, it presents a picture of Taoism which is the result of a serious study. Fr. Damascene draws on the deep and detailed notes of his spiritual predecessor, Hieromonk Seraphim Rose (whom he has extensively written about in the soon to be published biography), and the latter's studies with Taoist philosopher, Gi-Ming Shien. Even many of the quotes from the Tao Te Ching are from a completely fresh translation by Fr. Seraphim. Fr. Damascene is also apparently not unfamiliar with Eastern spiritual paths in his own experience.

Secondly, Fr. Damascene has not drawn on an impoverished Christianity seeking new roots, but the more ancient and mystical Christianity of the East, which is at home in deeper spiritual waters, although not well known in the West (Orthodox spirituality is occasionally referred to as "The best kept secret in America"). He is a recipient of this tradition, and is able to explain the essence of it in contemporary terms.

The first section is a "Gospel according to Lao Tzu", by which we see the Gospel of Christ in the light of Lao Tzu's intuitive, philosophic and poetic vision of the source of life.

The second section is a spiritual history of the world, which focuses on essential aspects of the work of Christ and of Lao Tzu, and the meanings they share.

The third section, my favorite and the bulk of the book, could be an effective book all by itself. In demonstrating the real link of spiritual psychology and practice between Lao Tzu and Orthodox Spirituality, Fr. Damascene gives us an essential exposition of the spiritual path in practical form. This section gives us a glimpse of spiritual life in working experience beyond philosophical conception. He demonstrates his practical understanding of spiritual psychology and development in a manner that will make sense to students of Zen, Dzogchen or Vedanta as
well as Taoism or Christianity. This section can serve as a practical manual of spiritual development even for those not interested in the other themes of the book. It gives us a glimpse, not just of "our original face", but of the image of Christ which transcends a merely conceptual belief system mediated by words or thoughts.

The latter part of the book shows us the fruit of the spiritual path set forth in section three. It is a compendium of recent Orthodox Saints, sages and living confessors, who have followed
this path until they have literally shone with uncreated Teh or the uncreated divine energies in the form of light. In this way, we have their examples and instructions to us which reinforce the clarity of this path. There is also an appendix with a brief history of Chinese Orthodox Saints, who further demonstrate how sages of the Tao have found the completion of their path in this experience of Eastern Christianity.

The book is beautifully illustrated by photos of Saints and Sages, masterful Chinese calligraphy and seals, the life of Christ via rare traditional Chinese scroll paintings, and the cover: a Russian Icon of Christ which naturally absorbed Chinese artistic influences.

Christ the Eternal Tao is a highly original, beautifully written study of the relationship of the Taoist tradition to the Christian tradition. However, this book is not a foray into the religious relativism of contemporary studies of "comparative religion" typical of academic religious studies programs. Neither is it merely a theological effort (as was common in Church circles a generation ago) to "appreciate" the positive qualities of what used to be called "natural mysticism" while comparing it unfavorably to the "supernatural" mysticism of Christianity.

In fact calling it a "study" probably does not do proper justice to the beauty and originality of this work. It is rather an intuitive and profound meditation on the mystery of the Logos in its Taoist "incarnation". Its originality is such that there is little to compare it with in recent publication history. The closest works to it might be Raimundo Pannikar's The Hidden Christ of Hinduism or Ravi Ravindra's Christ the Yogi: A Hindu Reflection on the Gospel of John, but even in the company of these superb studies, Christ the Eternal Tao stands out as something decidedly different, even unique. For one thing, the author is not only a monk and a theologian, he is also an accomplished poet. Indeed, the first section of the book is itself a Christian commentary in verse on the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu. The last time the Christian theological world saw anything like this was perhaps St. Ephrem the Syrian in the 4th Century. Like St. Ephrem the Syrian, perhaps the greatest poet-theologian in the Christian tradition, Monk Damascene shows himself capable of theologizing through poetry. The first section of Christ the Eternal Tao is actually a long poem, composed of enneadic sections in the manner of the Tao Te Ching, This is in fact a meditation in verse on the deep realities of the Christian faith and the astonishing manner in which these are anticipated in the work of Lao Tzu. The commentary which follows stands on its own as a theological study of the Orthodox Christian tradition, especially in its dimension of mystical theology. Highest recommendation.

I read "Christ the Eternal Tao" five or six years ago. I had become a severely disillusioned American Evangelical Protestant. I was in a great deal of emotional pain at that point in my life and had grown weary of pious platitudes and simplistic theology. I wanted a religion or philosophy that addressed suffering with some depth. I longed for beauty, simplicity,harmony, and silence. I found some in Zen and Taoism. I also discovered the Tao Teh Ching to be strangely trinitarian (the One gives birth to Three). That intrigued me.
Then I found "Christ the Eternal Tao". I actually cried while reading it. It showed Christ as the fulfillment of all mankind's deepest longings. It showed classic Chinese culture as having the simplicity, silence, beauty, etc. that I most craved. I discovered that I didn't have to label all other religions as completely false in order to believe in Christ. Every culture gets some things right. You have to build on what is true in any given situation.
It gave Christianity context. Believe it or not, I had never heard of Eastern Orthodoxy. I saw how the Greeks evangelized the Russians who evangelized the Chinese and the Alaskans. I saw the martyr connections between the churches. Christ was not painted as a westernized, blue-eyed person.
Christ says He is the Way. Tao is Way in Chinese. The humility of Taoism is profuoundly Christian. Lao Tzu wasn't wrong. He was prophetic. He saw through a glass darkly, as we all do. I had come full circle: converted by the Protestants, leaving that for the beauty and simplicity of Zen and Taoism, and returning to Christianity through the Eastern door. I had finally come home.

This is a really interesting book to people who have some knowledge of both belief systems and want more. From the point of view of Taoism, it shows how "flowing like water" (a Taoist metaphor) in a Christian context can be an adventure in letting go and letting God (a Christiam metaphor). There are echos of Tillich and Père Theilhard throughout the book, especially its discussion of God as context for living. No hard-and-cold theism here, its discussion of the logos christology within a Taoist setting is breathtaking. Well done, no new age syncretism to be found, simply heartfelt love for both traditions and a very important call for both traditions to dialoge with each other more.

Incidentally, I see no "attacks" by "good christians" in the reviews below. I do see misspelled and grammatically unfit attacks on this book by people who pretend to have read it. This sort of thing comes from an anger that is foreign to Taoism or Christianity, and is saddening. If either tradition were better understood among the populace, this sort of attitude might be less prevalent. As it is, the importance of the book is hardly affected by such outbursts. I think the negative reviews recommend the book even more. Ponder this...

Christ: The Eternal Tao. Very interesting book, published by a Romanian Orthodox monk, Hiermonk Damascene, who writes on the work of another monk, Fr. Seraphim Rose, who saw the connection between Christ and the Tao, and studied directly under the great Chinese Taoist Teacher, Gi-Ming Shein. He sees Lao Tzu as intuiting the Eternal Logos in China several hundred years before the coming of Christ. Christ and Lao Tzu each shed light on the other. There is also several beautiful Chinese paintings, calligraphy, Chinese text, and a new Taoist Work, called the Gospel according to Lao Tzu, written and translated by Fr. Seraphim and based on the teaching Gi-Ming Shein. Although he sees Lao Tzu pointing to the Eternal Logos, which is revealed in Christ, he does not see the Tao as an inferior religion or philosophy to Christianity, but as an enduring witness to the Eternal Nameless (Beyond Names or Conception), that is Incarnated in Christ. On the other hand, this book does not teach a religious syncretism or relativism. IT does maintain the unique revelation of Jesus Christ, and explains how Lao Tzu prepares minds and hearts for the revelation of Christ, much in the same way the Torah and Greek Philosophers had done at the birth of Christianity. There is also some very moving history on the Chinese Christians, especially as the suffer persecution in the Communist Regime in the underground Church movement in Modern China. A Moving, Inspiring book. It is very beautiful to look at. Higly recommended, for the Taoist, Christian or any other spiritual person.

So many of the other reviews are focused on the comparative aspects of Taoism and Christianity, which certainly is a factor in the first sections of this book. But the middle sections on "Watchfulness", "Prayer", etc were, for me, life changing. I have never read such wonderful instructions and inspiring guidance on how one can truly pray, develop a relationship with Christ and experience the spiritual healing and peace that can occur when one get's beyond the 'little mind' to the 'higher mind' or 'Nous' from which one can receive God's peace and guidance. I hope Fr. Damascene someday writes a book just on Prayer. If you are looking for profound spiritual instruction from one whom I know lives his path ( for I have met Fr. Damascene) then just buy this book and start in the middle. Then move into the history and his version of the 'Christian Tao Te Ching', if you will. You may be amazed and touched.

I don't think the reviewer below me has actually READ the book. This is a thoroughly Orthodox treatment of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, which the Orthodox monk shows to anticipate the coming of Christ.

Brilliant, Fascinating, Orthodox.

Again, I really don't think the reader directly below this review has actually read the book. This is not about relativism, but how Christ fulfills all faith-- how the world, not just the Jews, were prepared for His glorious incarnation.

Hieromonk Damascene is an Eastern Christian Monk. For him it is truly East meets East, thus this book synergizes the truth revealed through the Church, the illumination of the Holy Spirit and the truth revealed to a humble human, Lao Tzu, when he left pride far behind him in a search for the true way, the Tao.

This book includes little to none western nuances or anything hinting to rationalism. The only ideas from the west that parallels the contents of this work are leftovers from the theology of the Church the West left behind a thousand years ago.

Christ the Eternal Tao is an amazing work. Please read it and feel the warmth both these traditions have to offer when centered around the message, life and being of the eternal Logos and Tao, Jesus Christ.

_Christ the Eternal Tao_ by Hieromonk Damascene (Serbian Orthodox) examines the philosophy of China's ancient sage Lao Tzu, and how it is a precursor to the Revelation of Christ. Lao Tzu lived in China about 500 years before Christ and is known by his metaphysical work, _The Tao Te Ching_, which translated can mean _The Way and its Power_. The first part of the book is an introduction explaining how ancient traditions not specifically Christian can be said to speak of Christ in mystical terms, based on human intuition but not Divine Revelation. The high point of human intuition lies in the _Tao Te Ching_, an indefinite yet profound document, which is as far as a human philosopher can approach the Truth without Divine Revelation. The highest Revealed Truth is in the Gospel according to John, "In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The ancient Greek philosophers such as Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Socrates and Plato shared many similarities to the Chinese, and there are also many parallels between the Byzantine Empire under an official Christian Emperor and Imperial China. Heraclitus developed the idea of the Logos or Word in Greece. Lao Tzu's "Tao" is translated from the Chinese as the "Way" or the "Word", both of which are titles of Christ. "Te" is similar to the concept of "grace" in Christian theology, an energy from God. The ancients before Christ had traditions that were handed down from generation to generation, but they became more diluted as time passed. The wise Chinese teacher Confucius confessed "that the great Sacrifice to Heaven had been corrupted and that its meaning had been lost." The introductory material also covers the phenomenon of Westerners becoming more interested in eastern religions, Taoism among them. Conversely, many Chinese today are converting to Christianity en masse. The _Tao Te Ching_ represents a human wisdom and insight uncorrupted by modernity and distortions of original Christian teachings, a pristine philosophy according to the interpretation here points to Christ. _Christ the Eternal Tao_ will probably not appeal to Protestant evangelical Christians; another commentator noted "there is no in-your-face theism here." In addition to evangelicals/fundamentalists the book will not appeal to people who consider themselves "Taoists." Many "Taoists" today are those searching for an alternative to Christianity, and are generally predisposed against a specifically Christian interpretation of Lao Tzu. The second part of the book is composed of a poem written after the style of the _Tao Te Ching_, intentionally rewritten to make it explicitly Christian. This "Gospel According to Lao Tzu" assimilates ideas from the Chinese scholar Gi-ming Shien whose exposition of classical Chinese philosophy (not the contemporary Western-liberal interpretation) influenced Fr. Seraphim Rose. This poem contains an explanation of the Trinity and how the three persons relate to one another, described in a way that almost approaches a rational explanation (of course a religious doctrine can never be explained "rationally"). The second half of _Christ the Eternal Tao_ goes into Chirstian mysticism and how hesychasm and the Jesus Prayer/Prayer of the heart relate to Lao Tzu's teaching. This section was not as interesting as the first and but would appeal to a monastic audience. The ascetic, suffering, all-loving, self-emptying ideal is the one most revered. To overcome worldly passions one must experience "ego-death", the total loss of self: "The Way...may also work through physical pain, or through emotional pain arising from the loss of a loved one or any other of our earthly attachments. At the time, we may find this to be terribly and unnecessarily cruel..." Life in the Divine "required the slow, painful, merciless death of the ego...with that true life begins." Damascene, in another section, draws from Fr. Seraphim's work and explains the enigmatic meaning of Christ's statement referring to Himself as the least in the kingdom of Heaven in addition to Lao Tzu's concept of "nothingness." "...'Nothingness' in the meaning that Lao Tzu gives it, is the `point of convergence' or axis of the universe...If nothingness or self-emptying is the axis of the universe, then the Cross of Christ, the greatest sign to man of the self-emptying of God, now becomes that axis. Christ the Tao/Logos stands at the axis; and there, in the `space where there is nothing,' we find not an impersonal void, but the personal heart of the selfless, self-forgetting God." In all I recomment _Christ the Eternal Tao_ as an insightful, if sometimes tedious read, about the "esoteric core" of the _Way and its Power_.