Tales of the Taoist Immortals (Paperback)

by Eva Wong (Author) "Lu Tung-pin's original name was Lu Yen..." (more)
Key Phrases: immortal realm, celestial lords, celestial realm, Lao Tzu, Hsi Shih, Tso Chi (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
As a girl growing up in Hong Kong, Eva Wong heard and memorized many tales told to her by Hong Kong's finest professional storytellers, by actors on the radio, and by her grandmother. These popular tales of the Taoist immortals were also often dramatized in Chinese operas. The stories are of famous characters in Chinese history and myth: a hero's battle with the lords of evil, the founder of the Ming dynasty's treacherous betrayal of his friends, a young girl who saves her town by imitating rooster calls. Entertaining and often provocative, these tales usually include a moral. The immortals are role models in Chinese culture, as well as examples of enlightenment. Some of the immortals were healers, some were social activists, some were aristocrats, and some were entrepreneurs. The tales chosen by Eva Wong here are of the best-known immortals among the Chinese. Their names are household words and their stories are told and retold by one generation to the next.

About the Author
Eva Wong is an independent scholar and a practitioner of the Taoist arts of the Pre-Celestial Way and Complete Reality lineages. She has written and translated many books on Taoism and related topics, including A Master Course in Feng-Shui; Tales of the Taoist Immortals; The Tao of Health, Longevity, and Immortality; and The Shambhala Guide to Taoism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (July 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570628092
• ISBN-13: 978-1570628092
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #352,564 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting stories, but no context, February 8, 2005

By	wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

In her introduction, Wong states her objections to other books that come across as dry, historical records. She wants the voices of the masters, not lists of dates and places. She has written her book accordingly. These are readable, non-academic stories of Taoist sages and masters. Dozens of different masters are presented, each in a short and readable anecdote. At the end of the story about some master, a few lines state the era and area in which [s]he lived, if known.

This book's goal is its weakness, however. It present each famous name in isolation, with no organization by place, time, or school of thought. It's almost impossible to get any sense of continuity, or sense of which sages lived at the same time. Some are simply identified as having lived in some dynasty - a span of a thousand years. It would have been nice if the information were just a little more specific.

Also, the relationships between different immortals and different Taoist traditions are rarely spelled out. Chuang Tzu, a major author, gets the same three or four pages as any other. The more practical sages are lumped in with the ones who founded the alchemical tradition, blurring distinctions that I find worthwhile.

It's an interesting and lively set of stories, but unsastisfying for any reader who wants more historical information.

//wiredweird

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Role models of spiritual attainment, November 17, 2004

By	OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

"The secrets of the Tao are transmitted only to the right person, even if you only meet him casually on the street."

I loved the stories in this little book. I found them to be both inspiring and comforting- this would make a great collection of bedtime tales for either children or adults.

There is just something consistently inspiring about the Immortals. They all share the same core characteristics: interest in the Tao at an early age, the shunning of fame and fortune, generosity, and the living of simple and unencumbered lives. Even when approached by the Emperor with high position and riches the typical Taoist immortal responds with "thanks, but no thanks." And if they do accept the task of advising a great lord for the good of the empire, they get out before the decline and the purges start. Oh yes, and they almost always have an excellent sense of humor.

The stories are divided into the Eight Immortals (the archetypical patterns of what it means to be an immortal); the Sages (the greatest of the scholars and patriarchs to achieve immortality- including Lao-Tzu, Chang-Tzu, Wen-Tzu, and the Yellow Emperor); Magicians; Diviners; and Alchemists.

If you think that you know something of Chinese culture through chop-socki films and Chinatown, you owe it to yourself to immerse yourself in this book. You'll find yourself much closer to the heart than to the fringes. And there is more than a little Taoist wisdom to be absorbed here.

"Whether you are a noble or a commoner, rich or poor, famous or unknown- at best you'll end up as a ghost. My destiny lies beyond this."

Lin Ling-su

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Entertaining and Instructive, October 29, 2004

By	Laura De Giorgio "www.deeptrancenow.com" (Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The stories in this book are from Eva Wong's childhood - stories told about Chinese heroes and Taoist Immortals.

Stories are divided into five sections; The Eight Taoist Immortals, Sages, Magicians, Diviners and Alchemists.

In Taoist tradition, the stories of immortals are meant to teach as well as to entertain. Even the immortals themselves learned lessons in these tales.

Taoist immortals are as diverse as any group of people. Some were healers, some were teachers, some were social activists and politicians. Some cultivated the Tao by living in seclusion, others lived in society but shunned the values of the establishment.

Despite their diveristy, the immortals had several things in common: they were interested in the Tao at an early age, they shunned fame and fortune, and they lived simple and unencumbered lives.