Customer Reviews

Healing Light of the Tao: Foundational Practices to Awaken Chi Energy

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I have found this book to be exactly what I was looking for: a thorough guide covering the basic spiritual principles and energetic theory as well as practice methods for opening the microcosmic orbit and so much more!

The first section gives a succint, but thorough, overview of Taoist Internal Alchemy which I flew threw in a couple of hours I was so into it. The second section gives another succint, but complete teaching on the connection between alchemy, virtue, and explains how virtues come together to result in spiriutal accomplishment, fantastic! This chapter also includes the complete Inner Smile and brief 6 healing sounds meditations. There is an entire chapter with at least 7 or more preparatory practices that really work to change energy flow in the body so that one can open the orbit more easily. There are also multiple techniques to help one feel the energy if they are having a hard time.

There are numerous detailed sections on different applications of the orbit, channeling earth energy, opening the heart, working with sex energy (including things not in the Healing Love books), working with cosmic energy, pulsing with a macrocosmic orbit as well as information about how to work with numerous common ailments such as colds, hair loss, etc. There is a section for setting up a daily practice schedule to progress through the levels of the meditations and how to maintain it. There is also about 100 pages of detailed information about the numerous points of the orbit, what they are, organs & elements they are connected to, emotional, health, and energetic effects of open or closed points.

This book is excellent for anyone who really wants to understand the practice of Taoist Inner Alchemy. It includes virtually everything you will need to actually apply the practices. It is filled with numerous practice, many detailed diagrams, and explicit instruction on how to apply the practices.

A great comprehensive treatment that covers the material in numerous other books written by Master Chia. A great way to look at the practice in order and is written with great clarity. Highly recommended! If I was limited to owning only two books by Mantak Chia this would be one of them.

This book is wonderful. It is, as it says on the cover, "foundational" -- but it's also an extremely in-depth, practical and powerful work which will set anyone well on the way to understanding and experiencing internal energies from the Taoist point of view.

I won't go in-depth through the contents. What makes the book special is the large number of clever ancillary ideas and suggestions -- ways to locate the tan tien more precisely, to pulse chi, to guide it with the hands, etc. etc. Too many to mention.

It is still true to say that the original orbit guide:

Awaken Healing Energy Through Tao

... will work for anyone who wants to open the orbit. But this one is better. When I A/B them the additional sophistication in this book is very clear. For a start, more points on the orbit are mentioned in the newer book -- there is no mention of Gia Pe and Ta Chui in 'Healing Energy.' Then, the descriptions of the energetic, emotional and spiritual aspects of each point are far more in depth in this book. Addtionally the numerous techniques will give you a much better feel for what to do and how it should work. A lot will be clarified and explained that was left unsaid in the original and somewhat peremptory guide.

Finally, there is much more here than just the orbit because a number of different energies are tapped into and circulated once you have the basic route open.

Recommended to anyone with an interest in Taoist energy techniques, or Eastern meditation in general I would say. This is an important book. Glenn Morris called it "the classic guide", and he knew what he was talking about.

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EDIT: To make it clear, this publication is substantially identical to the older one:

Awaken Healing Light of the Tao

It's part of a series of new editions of Chia's work being published by Destiny Books. I haven't checked in detail, but I think there is absolutely no difference whatever between the two editions apart from title, cover, and some typesetting stuff. The newer editions are perhaps slightly smarter but you can take your pick.

I've had this book for more than ten years (older edition) and consider it a bible when it comes to training; i'm amazed how much I can still learn rereading it and going over exercises that I already know; indispensable for the modern taoist.

This is by far the most comprehensive guide I have ever found on Taoist exercises for health, happiness, and enlightenment...

If you want to get the broadest cross section of Mantak Chia's work, a thorough walkthrough of the most important exercises and a detailed description of the theory behind it... this is the book to get.

I have loved the Inner Smile for many years... but there are some very powerful additional exercises that expanded upon it in this book.

I have studied and played with the microcosmic orbit for quite some time... but this book gave a deeper explanation than I had ever seen before.

5 stars and then some.

keep smiling,

Benjamin

How many times over the years have I sat in meetings of people interested in metaphysics and heard people say longingly, "I want to grow," (meaning spiritually). Well, here's your chance, people. Mantak Chia has set up a system whereby we can do that very thing. It's all laid out for us in his books so that there can be no more excuses for not achieving spiritual growth. In the old days, we were the blind leading the blind. We were groping our way along not really knowing what we were doing. But now Master Chia, has brought us a clear-cut method though his modern translation and interpretation of an ancient wisdom system.

As others have said, this book is an overview. If you check up on Mantak Chia you will see that he has written many books on Taoism. He states that there are thousands of exercises you can do, but he gives you the main principles so that you can decide which exercises work best for you and even adapt them to you personally. However, there are two exercises which are basic, and you must learn them. They are the inner smile and the microcosmic orbit. Neither is difficult. My suggestion to anyone who begins to study Taoism is to learn first how to do the inner smile, then do it every morning. All by itself it is invaluable and yields, if not immediate, then almost immediate results. He states in one of his books that if you never did anything else but this one exercise, it would change your life for the better. Fortunately it is actually quite pleasant to do, although you will have to brush up on your anatomy.

If any of you old timers, and maybe some new timers too, remember, it has been said that in ancient times, over the main entrance to every esoteric school was the admonition to "know yourself." A lot of what Mantak Chia teaches is just that, how to know yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. But it is not painful like psychotherapy nor guilt producing like so many religious teachings. I always thought Taoism was a religion, but it is not. It is, however, compatible with all religions.

My impression of Master Chia is that he has ever striven to improve his teaching with newer updated books rather than just put out new books with nothing of further value in them as so many authors have done in an attempt to capitalize on the success of a first book. In his many books he also comes at the same subject from different angles in order to deepen your understanding of the system. I could go on and on praising Mantak Chia and Taoism because there is so much to praise, but you must experience his teachings for yourself in order to achieve the growth we have all longed for for so long.

Wonderful book,as are all of his books! Learn a lot and was well informed by it.