Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been studying taoism for about 2 1/2 years now, and while I'm no expert, there was plenty I disagreed with in this book. I felt that the authors were incorrect (at least in their explanations) about some of the key points of taoist philosophy, and one of the authors gives his own translation of the first verse of the Tao Te Ching which I also found to be off-base. The back cover also promises "in-depth" information on tai chi and the I Ching, yet the book actually only gives brief information on these subjects -- in fact, INSIDE the book it says "Here's a brief overview" -- no in-depth information. To make matters worse, the section on the I Ching contrasts the methods of eastern divination versus western divination, but the example it gives of a question in eastern divination is INCOMPATIBLE with the I Ching, suggesting an infamiliarity with it.

While the back cover was probably written by the publisher and not the authors (it even mentions "ying-yang" instead of the correct "yin-yang"), the material inside the book is what counts. But because of the faults I mentioned with the material inside, I found myself taking everything else I read in the book with a grain of salt because I was unsure of its accuracy. And while it does provide some information on the history of taoism, chinese dynasties, and taoist religion, I'm concerned that this book would mislead those new to taoism.

If you are new to taoism and would like to learn more, I recommend picking up a good translation of the Tao Te Ching and starting there. "Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Translation" by Jonathan Star is my personal favorite translation because it includes a verbatim, word-for-word translation of the text. Also recommended is the translation by Brian Browne Walker.

This book was my introduction to Taoism, and I am deeply grateful to the authors for writing such a splendid guide to the Way. /The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism/ starts out by working through the difficulties of defining "Tao" and introducing the reader to the works of Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu, the two sages of Taoism. The book moves on to offer an overview of key Taoist concepts like wu-wei, de, the yin-yang polarity, etc. All of this is done in a relaxed, enjoyable manner, making for a quick and fun read.

This /Idiot's Guide/ also has chapters on Taoist thoughts on nature, skill, and life and death. These chapters illuminate the Taoist perspective on many aspects of life, and do so a lot more effectively than a list of dry, fixed "shall" and "shall not" items would be able to. The book also includes some thought-provoking overviews of the links between Taoism and Christianity, modern physics, popular culture (i.e. The Matrix), and so forth.

This book is not page after page of dogmatic rules on how you should or should not think, or should or should not live. Anyone looking for such things will be disappointed with /The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism/, and indeed Taoism itself. The authors went to great lengths to provide a cohesive intro to the history of Taoism, as well as the core ideas that make it a viable philosophy (or religion) to this day. I think the main goal when writing this book was to get the reader to actively *think* about life, and how traditional Taoist perspectives match up with the experiences of daily life.

If you're up to the challenge of genuinely thinking about Taoism, and how it can be applied to all aspects of the world, this book will definitely satisfy you. As the authors say in their introduction, "Think of /The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism/ as a flashlight; judge its effectiveness by what it helps you see more clearly as you make your own way along the path."

I was expecting a complete wishy-washy new-agey mosaic of pseudo-science, pseudo-history, pseudo-scholarship; but actually the scholarship and historical information in this book were pretty darn good.

It's a good introduction to ancient Chinese philosophy, the context of Zhuangzi and Laozi. The philosophy isn't watered down too much, and fortunately (thanks no doubt to Chad Hansen's contribution) it's not mixed in with unrelated stuff from the Upanishads or anything like that.

There is a misprint on the back, "ying-yang" which must be slang for the padding surrounding one's gluteus maximus; inside the book the spelling is correct. The explanation of yin-yang is also correct and simple.

I would've wanted a lot more information on religious Taoism: information about modern movements and so on. Which deities are most commonly worshipped in Taiwan, which in Hong Kong, which in Beijing? And, how are they worshipped? I'd like information about Taoist pilgrimages, Taoist sacred places, and so on. The book doesn't touch any of that: minus one star.

Also, the bit on quantum physics could be greatly, greatly improved. Maybe they could've asked a few grad students at a physics dep't for commentary? It would have greatly helped: minus one star.

However, I just couldn't give the book 3 stars; the chapters on politics and ecology were surprisingly good, the internet links are too helpful, and as I said earlier the explanation of ancient Chinese philosophy was too good. So, maybe there's a little grade inflation here.

In sum, it's a good introduction to Taoism, and it'll prepare you to move on to deeper stuff, and help you find it.

If, like, you're already a Taoist immortal or something, this book isn't for you, and you can't really criticize it for that. I'd expect you to realize that already.

I knew a little about Taoism -- or thought I did -- but was surprised at how much I didn't know about Zhuangzi. An engaging and enlightening review of an important subject. Very informative.

I knew little about taoism, and while I feel that this book does a good job with introducing one to it, I realize now, after reading this book, that I still know little about taoism. I rated the book four stars because it served it's purpose well but falls short of a truly excellent book. It also seemed to be redundant in certain areas regarding tai chi, fung shuei, and Chinese medicine. Overally, I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a solid, comprehensive guide to taoism. Just realize that, as Lao Tsu says about the journey of a thousand miles, this book is only the first step!

What a great book! Toropov really helped me understand what Taoism is and how it fits in with many other Eastern traditions I've heard about. An excellent overview with real meat -- not just fluff.

This read is very informational for the beginning Taoist. A must add to any religious collection and a great companion with other Tao books.

Lots of info presented here but the authors have made it too esoteric and vague. You should not have to reach and re-read to comprehend the Tao.

You are sitting in the forest against a large, old tree. A graceful yet timid deer approaches you cautiously. If you ignore it, the deer draws nearer. If you acknowledge it's presence, it moves away from you. The deer is the Tao.

I recommend "The Tao of Pooh" by B. Hoff.

This book is poorly organized and confusing. The authors used way too many quotations from other sources, i.e. books, websites. In the end, I have to wonder what the authors' own take is on the subject. It doesn't have a backbone of its own, period.

I just felt that after reading this book, I still knew next to nothing about taoism. the search continues...