Vitality, Energy, Spirit: A Taoist Sourcebook (Shambhala Dragon Editions) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The Tao-te Ching is the most widely read of Taoist texts and the most universally accepted by followers of all Taoist orders..." (more)
Key Phrases: elixir spontaneously crystallizes, true positive energy, yin convergence, Complete Reality, Tao-te Ching, Understanding Reality (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Vitality, energy, and spirit are the "three treasures" of human life as envis ioned in Taoist thought, and are viewed as the sources of creativity, capability, and intelligence. This anthology includes material from the Complete Reality School of Taoism, and commentary from such figures as Lu Yan, Chang Po-tuan, and Liu I-ming.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1 edition (July 30, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877735190
• ISBN-13: 978-0877735199
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #453,024 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conerstone reference..., October 7, 2002

By	Yuri Kuzyk "zentao" (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

Cleary has done an excellent job of putting a number of essential Taoist texts into one volume. The book begins with some Tao Te Ching and leads straight into some translations of Ancester Lu - not everything, just the essentials.

There are numerous other texts here and, quite framkly, the book stands quite well as a new start in the tradition of the old classics. That is, there appears to be a lot of 'method' to Cleary's 'madness' of taking only sections of the texts in conjunction with the general development of the material.

This book contains enough of the classics that it is essential to anyone seriously practicing Qigong. If you have this and a couple of Eva Wong's excellent translations you probably don't need much else for your library.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful addition to any Philosopher's library..., March 30, 2000

By	Sean Bolen (Las Cruces, New Mexico USA) - See all my reviews

This is a must have for anyone interested in Taoism. Has an excelent selection from numerous important authors from Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu sequentialy through the writing of 20th century Taoists. Superb for the beginner and indespensable to the serious collector.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vitality, Energy, Spirit, October 8, 2005

By	Maxine N. Carter (Terre Haute, Indiana USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A great anthology, and typical of Shambhala publications: concise, factual, and comprehensive! An excellent introduction to understanding Taoism.