Primordial Breath: An Ancient Chinese Way of Prolonging Life Through Breath Control, Vol. 1: Seven Treaties from the Taoist Canon, the Tao Tsang [Hardcover]

Michael Wurmbrand (Author, Editor), Jane Huang (Author, Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0944558003 | ISBN-13: 978-0944558003 | Publication Date: June 1987 | Edition: 1st

The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu states that, "the epitome of virtue is to acquire immortality (Ma Wang Tui Excavation, Version A, Chapter 42.)" A large part of the 200,000-plus pages of the ancient (500 BC to 1400 AD) Chinese Taoist Canon, the Tao Tsang, deals with life prolonging breathing methods, the so called "Embryonic" or "Primordial Breathing" techniques. The reader will find fascinating, detailed, objective instructions, written centuries and centuries ago, from personal experience, on how breathing is to be trained and refined, on the six different types of exhalations, that ancient Chinese believed, could cure different ailments and on the secret Taoist calisthenics or physical exercises that might prolong life.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese

Product Details

• Hardcover: 170 pages
• Publisher: Original Books; 1st edition (June 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0944558003
• ISBN-13: 978-0944558003
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #903,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars required reading for meditation and yoga, March 2, 2011

By 

J. Kalomiris "JK" (Fresno, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Primordial Breath: An Ancient Chinese Way of Prolonging Life Through Breath Control, Vol. 1: Seven Treaties from the Taoist Canon, the Tao Tsang (Hardcover)

The title of this review really says it all. The translator states in her introduction that Chinese breathing techniques have the advantage of being more detailed and specific than Indian pranayama. There is a grain of truth in this statement, although if you delve deep enough, many of the techniques found in these two volumes can be found in Kriya Yoga, specifically as found in the Swami Sivananda's books, as well. Still, these translations should be read if not because they are so unique and otherwise not available in English translation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Treasure!, January 22, 2011

By 

Prokopton (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Primordial Breath: An Ancient Chinese Way of Prolonging Life Through Breath Control, Vol. 1: Seven Treaties from the Taoist Canon, the Tao Tsang (Hardcover)

I don't know of any equivalent for these books, two volumes filled with Tao Cannon breathwork treatises. The 1st volume carries the distinction of being the only book to appear twice in the same Glenn Morris bibliography (see Martial Arts Madness: A User's Guide to the Esoteric Martial Arts), and having recommended it he adds: "A literalist could easily be led astray by these wily words." So it proves, and if you have no experience with Taoist-style energy work you will only be bamboozled into misinterpretation.

But if you can decode what's being said, this is a real gem of useful stuff to try out (always supposing you're doing so off the back of a steady and stable prior practice.) I won't pretend I've got out of it anything like what's possible, but every time I open it, which is not infrequently, I do learn something new and valuable.

I really have to praise the translator and publisher for putting these volumes together. They are a real resource, and the fact that they are so easily and simply available to us Westerners does represent a real opportunity. It feels a little odd to be the only person reviewing here! If you know what you are buying, you will get endless use out of these. Steep yourself.

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EDIT:

I'd like to thank all the people who click through from my Amazon profile to my blog, whether just to look or to discuss something. I'm going to update this review with a bit more info. I realise now it was on the skimpy side.

What do you get?
--------------------
In the first volume you get 7 Taozang treatises, that is, scrolls from the Canon of the Taoist tradition. In the second 9 more (some only excerpts of longer ones.) No Chinese, only translations but the translations are good.

Is this a scholarly work?
-----------------------------
Not in the sense of academic. Apart from the text, for each scroll you have a title and a couple of numbers to identify it, nothing more. There is no critical apparatus or foot-/endnotes of any kind and only the barest-bones general intro with glossary (good) and biblio. No history. You get the treatises alright but absolutely nothing beyond them to help you understand.

Why do you have to be careful?
--------------------------------------
Precisely because it's so unadorned. You have to have a clue already. For example in volume 1 the word 'breath' translates 'ch'i' in all cases. If you don't know about ch'i some things simply won't make sense. In the second volume 'breath energy' is sometimes used.

Is this internal alchemy?
-----------------------------
No, 99% not. The first volume concentrates mostly on the tradition of fuqi or 'breath ingestion'. The second has that too plus general yangsheng and daoyin stuff. There's a little about immortals and deities but mostly nothing to do with neidan.

However that doesn't mean that anyone into qigong generally or Taoist materials wouldn't be mad to pass these up if they could get 'em. Even if you don't want to do fuqi you get details about the six sounds, nature of the organs, daoyin moves, and a great deal of detail you can't get elsewhere which fills in a lot of the blanks. There is an excerpt from the Daoshu or "Dao Pivot" scripture too for example, by no means insignificant stuff.

Hope this helps. Best wishes to all. Visit my blog from my profile here if you like -- it covers all sorts of topics to do with meditation, spiritual psychology, etc.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Primordial Breath, Vol. I, August 30, 2007

By 

Original Books Inc. (LosAngeles, Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Primordial Breath: An Ancient Chinese Way of Prolonging Life Through Breath Control, Vol. 1: Seven Treaties from the Taoist Canon, the Tao Tsang (Hardcover)

The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu states that, "the epitome of virtue is to acquire immortality (Ma Wang Tui Excavation, Version A, Chapter 42.)"
A large part of the 200,000-plus pages of the ancient (500 BC to 1400 AD) Chinese Taoist Canon, the Tao Tsang, deals with life prolonging breathing methods, the so called "Embryonic" or "Primordial Breathing" techniques.
The reader will find fascinating, detailed, objective instructions, written centuries and centuries ago, from personal experience, on how breathing is to be trained and refined, on the six different types of exhalations, that ancient Chinese believed, could cure different ailments and on the secret Taoist calisthenics or physical exercises that might prolong life.