Customer Reviews

Essence of Tao

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Western books on Taoism tend to fall into one of two main categories: New Age-y, fluffy titles that really have nothing to do with the Tao; and abstruse litanies about the "proper" way to follow the Tao. It is refreshing for me to say that /The Essence of Tao/ fits into neither category, and instead offers an excellent overview of Tao in its many guises. Finally, there is a book that can compete with /The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism/ for a readable and enjoyable introduction to Taoism.

This book is a bit like one of those holiday chocolate samplers - you won't get lots of any one thing, but you will get a good taste for what's out there. Pamela Ball manages to talk about the Tao, Yin-Yang polarity, Feng Shui, meditation, Taoist scriptures, Chinese medicine, the Tao's relation to other major religious concepts, and so forth. There's also a nice concluding chapter to tie everything together in a way that is meaningful for the reader, rather than dumping a dozen Chinese concepts in one's lap and saying "figure it out on your own." Of course, with the Tao, you have to do that anyway - but a little guidance never hurts.

Pamela Ball's style of writing is a refreshing one that is both informative and entertaining to read. My favorite feature of /The Essence of Tao/ is the collection of related quotations at the end of each chapter. Ball doesn't limit herself to Taoist or even Asian influences when picking these quotes, and they are often worth reading. Sometimes, they can be downright enlightening.

Ultimately, a book about Taoism can only do so much for you. The Tao is very much an internal path (as any true religion or philosophy is). /The Essence of Tao/ is a nice introduction, and a handy pointer to where you might want to go with your travels on the Way.

Pamela Ball has put together a book meant to be an introduction to Taoism. She tries to simplify Taoism then gradually lead the reader to some of the more complicated and demanding practices of Taoism. This is not something I am convinced that she achieved.

The book does succeed in giving one moments for pause. It is less a book that you would read and feel that you've learned something from than it is something to go back to and wonder about. This may be a great compliment to the author because this is a quality that is shared by the Chinese Taoist texts, especially the Tao Te Ching.

As an introduction to Taoism, it will likely serve to confuse those who have no familiarity with Taoism and seem lacking to those that do. She seems to have tried to include too much information in too little space or was trying to take up space with too little information. She includes several diagrams to illustrate the flow of energy but when it comes to describing how to take a Chi Gung Stance, she relies entirely on written description. Trying to reproduce a physical act that you have never seen is very difficult if all you have to work with is a written description.

The variety of information makes the book seem more like a sample packet than a coherant introduction. It might be worth a read for someone looking for something to help them along their study of Taoism, but by itself has very little to offer.