Customer Reviews

The Taoist Experience (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy & Culture): An Anthology (Suny Series, Chinese Philosophy & Culture)

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In her acknowledgements to "The Taoist Experience," Livia Kohn nods to Stephen Beyer's seminal (and recently reproduced and expanded) work on Buddhism, "The Buddhist Experience." She laments the fact that there was no analogous collection for Taoism, and, with admirable scholarly pluck, details how she proceeded to make one. The result is "The Taoist Experience," a collection of 60 primary texts with commentary, detailing the cosmology and practice of Taoism in a way never seen before in the West.

To refer to Taoism as a religion is misleading; it is a cosmology, certainly, but the Way is more of a view of the world rather than a specific tradition with detailed belief-systems. That isn't to say that Taoism isn't as varied and complex as other religious traditions, but it isn't looked upon in the same way. There's a Chinese saying that a person is a Confucian in their public life, a Taoist in their private life, and a Buddhist at the time of death. This sums up the worldview that many Asian Taoists hold, and one that tends to confound both Western students and missionaries: it would be wrong to refer to one's self as a "Taoist," because it would leave out very important parts of their beliefs. For this reason, monotheistic religions have had a very hard time finding converts among the Taoist peoples, because they tend to amalgamate beliefs into a whole rather than accepting one set of rules and rejecting all others.

This diversity is what "TTE" celebrates. It does not sugar-coat Taoism, and presents an even, historically-minded view of the development of Taoist thought from the legendary founder Lao Tzu through modern interpretations. Furthermore, it paints a picture of Taoism in practice, and the way this unique cosmology blends with Confucian and Buddhist thought in varying degrees through the East.

For those interested in looking at Taoism from a scholarly perspective, "TTE" is an imperative, necessary tool. There are no other books like this available, and there don't have to be: "TTE" is the be-all, end-all tool for Taoist scholarship. It's plainly-translated enough for the non-student to get a great deal from it as well. Highly recommended.

Final Grade: A

This book provides a wide range of Taoist material, ranging through philosophy, salvational religion, mysicism of a variety of kinds, etc. It gives a reader an excellent exposure to a variety of types of literature that have been produced in the Taoist traditon. Like most such anthology/sourcebooks it suffers a little bit from a lack of analysis and background information. This lack makes some of the materials presented difficult to understand for readers who lack a solid background in Taoism as a religion (i.e. not merely the Tao Te Ching). Still, by reveaing in a very direct manner the breadth and depth of the Taoist tradition, the book does fulfill its purpose. At all events, anyone interested in Taoism will find it interesting to read the selections.

Taoism is not an empty canvas waiting for non-religious Westerners to paint their personal mixture of Zen Buddhism, Alchemy, Individualism, FeelGood and Chaos theories. You cannot even begin to embrace the philosophical side while discarding the fundamental, religious insights and treasures. And you cannot pick up the fundamentals of Taoism during an Aikido class.
Livia Kohn has bravely set out to provide interested lay readers with the first representative textbook of religious Taoism. She has indeed salvaged some very beautiful and enlightening gemstones of the rich traditions in the Taoist Canon.
Kohn briefly outlines and introduces the major concepts, doctrines, precepts and practices of religious Taoism. The anthology is organised to follow the path toward the Tao. It points at the Way as it outlines the wholeness of Taoist tradition in the words of immortal masters.
If there is only place to secretly hide three precious books in your pillow, The Taoist Experience should be one of them.

In this excellent anthology, Livia Kohn has bravely set out to provide interested lay readers with the first representative textbook of philosophical, religious and practical Taoism. Bravely because she has indeed salvaged some very beautiful and enlightening gemstones from the very rich tradition of the Taoist canon.
Kohn briefly outlines and introduces the major concepts, doctrines, precepts and practices. This re-creates a multifaceted background, which makes even some of the more esoteric concepts of inner alchemy seem somewhat relevant.
The anthology is organized to follow a path towards the Tao, which initially focuses on the universal and philosophical principles, the creation and main teachings. Kohn then moves on to the disciplines for long life, physical practices and the theories of the cosmic body. The third section revisits the eternal vision, including insight and early meditation practices, and the last and most spiritual section address immortality.
Although these interesting excerpts come from widely different sources, centuries and schools of thoughts, they still point at the Way. The anthology outlines the wholeness of a rich Taoist tradition in the words of immortal masters.

The Taoist Experience

Professor Kohn's book is a introduction to the scholastic/theoretical view of Taoism. In 60 translated articles(10 by other translators) she gives a good overview of the concepts behind Taoism. Everything from history, doctrine to practices are covered.

However there are some faults with it. The first one is that Prof. Kohn relies strictly on ancient translated texts for her formulation of Taoism and in addition many of these texts come from different schools of Taoism. Consequently they can give the reader a confused view of what Taoism is, since the context of these texts are lacking. As some represent different schools thought that may be at odds with others in either doctrine to practices. In addition some the texts need explanation by living Taoists in order to be understood, especially the alchemical texts.

As to why Kohn relied strictly translated texts and ignored the living practitioners of Taoism to formulate her view of Taoism is a mystery to me. Since it could have only enriched this book and made it a worthwhile having instead of a also-ran. Because of this such I cannot recommend this book to people new to Taoism or seeking to further their knowledge, because some particulars are decidedly lacking. It is though thoroughly fit for those pursing a scholatistic/theoretical view of Taoism.

For people wanting to learn more about Taoism in general I'd recommend:
Taoist Body by Kristofpher Schipper
Master Chuang by Michael Saso
The Gold Pavillion by Michael Saso
Taoism by Eva Wong

Both Schipper and Saso are ordained Taoist priests and give a real world perspective on the practice of Taoism vs. that of scholars like Kohn. And lastly they are also much more accessible for ordinary people who want to learn more about Taoism.

The Tao! Probably you need an attraction to this to begin with, and know a bit about it already. I happen to be informed and like the book very much: different chapters varying from poeticly written verses about life and universe,about Tao. Other chapters give practical advise about e.g.breathing and longevity.
Not an easy read but very attractive for a bit of an insider. I cannot judge from expertise though if it is well translated from chinese? Well interpreted? But I love the book.