Tao of Surfing: Finding Depth at Low Tide [Paperback]

Michael A. Allen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1996

Michael Allen provides the lay reader with a greater understanding of Tao, an ancient Chinese philosophy that emphasizes simplicity and the flowing movement within the natural course of things. While the lessons of Tao are millennia old, longtime surfer Michael Allen has related them in a new and refreshing way. He uses the metaphor of the sea, and its ebb and flow, to describe the Tao of life's cycle. And he discovers within this unique reflection a simple, new way to comfort and heal the Self from the trauma of death.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael A. Allen holds a Master's degree in Philosophy from California State University, Long Beach. He has lectured on various aspects and applications of Taoism and East-West comparative philosophy. Surfing has been his passion since childhood. He was inspired to write Tao of Surfing after his brother -- his surfing partner -- died from the complications of AIDS.

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Rainbow Books (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568250576
• ISBN-13: 978-1568250571
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,223,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Amaturish and Repetitive; "TAO" typifies Poor Writing....., December 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Tao of Surfing: Finding Depth at Low Tide (Paperback)

Hello, I am Han Chinese born in Guangdong Province and have embraced the Five Elements of Taoism for 58 years. I also have surfed the sea on 4 continents. My formal education is in the United Kingdom, with two graduate degrees completed in the United States of America, where I lecture per annum.

To suggest this tome works well or even moderately well is to confuse the issues we have judged to be important in good writing, let alone the true simplicity and harmony of Tao. Mr. Allen has a pedestrian talent for crafting sentences and is at very best a tolerable narrator.

To construct tales directly from life experience or perceived life experience is a beautiful thing, but not to spend even a moment making any sense of, or trying to explicate these experiences proves a true lack of insight. Semi-literates lost in a chaotic twirl of inchoate thoughts and ramblings are capable of the same. All of this is not even to mention the trite, ridiculous heart that palps pitifully within this ill-considered and constructed work. Literature is, and must always be more than this. Always Sir; Always, until the end of time! For those who believe there is genuine meaning in organized human expression for the sake of communication, please do not be mislead by this inane chronicle.

To reflect from Tao:

"The best of man is like water, Which benefits all things, and does not contend with them, Which flows in places that others disdain, Where it holds fast to Tao."

My professional opinion is that with additional instruction, through research and close supervision, Mr. Allen is capable of a far superior work, as according to Tao:

"He does not contend, and so is without blame."

His interest in Tao is evident, his understanding is not. Mr. Allen please seek elucidation. Do not base your whole being on the philosophy of Lao Tzu {Yellow Emperor}.

Although this book was received as a Holiday {Boxing Day} Gift, in good conscious I am not able to recommend the title to anyone, nor will it be loaned out. It is in the nature of the Tao that it cannot be spoken of:

"To speak of Taoism in a clear and rational way is, in fact, not to speak of Taoism."

3.0 out of 5 stars tao of surfing, October 3, 2011

By 

kelea - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tao of Surfing: Finding Depth at Low Tide (Paperback)

an intersting slant to surfing and life in general. very short though and some grammatical errors make it a little less than perfect in the editing dept.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dyamite! Read this and all other books., February 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tao of Surfing: Finding Depth at Low Tide (Paperback)

Having read this book, I can recommend it unequivocally. It is filled with pathos, plot, subplot, dialogue, pages and alliteration, not to mention irony, paragraphs, and page numbers.

Don't miss this book, or, for that matter, "Post Office", by the unrelated author Charles Bukowski.