The Shambhala Guide to Taoism (Shambhala Guides) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "FIVE THOUSAND YEARS AGO, a tribal people settled along the shores of the Yellow River in northern China..." (more)
Key Phrases: terrestrial divination, divinational arts, tortoise breathing, Celestial Teachers, Shang-ch'ing Taoism, Northern Bushel (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Eva Wong, a long-time practitioner of Taoism and a translator of Taoist texts, has written a comprehensive overview of this often misunderstood spiritual tradition. Both diverse and fascinating as a historical profile, this colorful introduction to Taoist tradition and practices, its sages, and the practical application of stillness, are often likened to the mystical Chinese landscape of mountain and mist. Part One details the history of Taoism and the rise of mystical Taoism. It also includes a discussion of the rise of Taoist alchemy and the synthesis of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Part Two discusses the various systems of Taoism that include several of the esoteric Taoist practices. Part Three covers meditation, techniques for strengthening the body, and ceremonial rites."—The Inner Directions Journal

"This book is the first comprehensive introduction to Taoism by a modern practitioner of the tradition itself."—Russell Kirkland, Education About Asia

Product Description

This guide to the spiritual landscape of Taoism not only introduces the important events in the history of Taoism, the sages who wrote the Taoist texts, and the various schools of Taoist thinking, but also gives the reader a feel for what it means to practice Taoism today. The book is divided into three parts: "The History of Taoism" traces the development of the tradition from the shamans of prehistoric China through the classical period (including the teachings of the famous sage Lao-tzu), the beginnings of Taoism as a religion, the rise of mystical and alchemical Taoism, and the synthesis of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. "Systems of Taoism" explores magical sects, divination practices, devotional ceremonies, internal alchemy, and the way of right action. "Taoist Practices" discusses meditation, techniques of cultivating the body, and rites of purification, ceremony, and talismanic magic. A comprehensive bibliography for further study completes this valuable reference work.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1 edition (December 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570621691
• ISBN-13: 978-1570621697
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,335 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Informative Guide to Taoism, December 25, 1999

By	Russell W.Turner (SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES Australia) - See all my reviews

This is a marvellous book for those who want an insight into the nature and the mysteries of Taoism. I found this to be an enjoyable book from cover to cover. If you are new to the study of Taoism, or are a continuing student and wish to broaden your understanding in this discipline, then I recommend this book for you. By the time you have read this book you will have an understanding of the major branches of Taoism, the core philosophy and beliefs of those branches, as well as a good knowledge of the history, formation and development of Taoism from the days of the first shamans to the today. I would particularly recommend this book to college/university students who have been given assignments related to Taoism for the reasons just covered.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and serious introduction to Taoism, September 23, 2004

By	Steven Reynolds (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Those new to Taoism, or confused by it, will almost certainly find Eva Wong's book immensely helpful. It immediately addresses the problems most people experience when they first become interested in this tradition, i.e. "Why do there seem to be so many different versions of Taoism, some of them quite contradictory? What are the differences and similarities between these 'schools' and how did they arise? If someone is 'practicing Taoism' today, what does that actually mean?"

By dividing her book into three sections - History of Taoism, Systems of Taoism, and Taoist Practices - Wong clearly articulates the development and varieties of Taoist thought, its key figures, texts, beliefs, concepts, principles and practices. She does this in short, well-focused chapters, and uses a very clear and concise style. Each chapter ends with a "Further Readings" section offering what I've found to be very useful pointers into the immense body of Taoist literature, sometimes even referring to specific chapters of books and pointing out which ones are more general or more academic, and which translations she prefers. Wong also includes a detailed index, a solid bibliography, and two useful appendices containing a map of China and a chronology of the dynasties.

What you won't find here is the kind of nonsense that plagues so many books about ancient traditions that have recently become more popular - Wong gives you no detailed instruction on how to conduct ceremonies or create talismans or wield "magic". Rather, she respects Taoism as a serious and living tradition and recommends that if you are interested in learning the specifics of any particular Taoist sect then you must find a Taoist master and complete the necessary training. Wong refuses to treat Taoism as a New Age novelty. Moreover, her honesty about the limits and relativity of her work is admirable. As she notes at the outset, she is acting here as a guide: someone who offers knowledge arising out of personal experience; who offers a perspective, not necessarily rigorous objectivity; and who does not pretend that what she is saying can ever be complete. Having said that, I think Wong's book comes as close as you're likely to get to a comprehensive introductory text. It certainly answered all of my questions.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Uninspired introduction, September 26, 2007

By	ShriDurga (Japan) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Author Eva Wong notes in the Introduction to her survey of Taoism that by design guides are not complete. Once you've dipped into this volume, you'll quickly find exactly what's missing.

Ms Wong appears well read on Taoism and provides a fine bibliography, from which nearly any selection is bound to be more lively than this cadaverous, book-length encyclopedia entry. Here Ms Wong has taken one of the world's great philosophical and religious traditions and turned it into a parched prose recitation of lists - historical periods, great thinkers and leaders, philosophies, practices. A typical example from page 130 reads like this:

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The Nine Palaces is the pa-k'ua set in motion. With the Nine Palaces, the trigrams of the pa-k'ua are no longer tied to a direction. Their positions will move according to the cycles of the year, month, day and season. The Nine Palaces are the eight directions and the center. Each palace is designated by a pair of number and color. They are one-white, two-black, three-jade, four-green, five-yellow, six-white, seven-red, eight-white, and nine-purple. Each number-color combination is called a star, and each star is associated with a trigram in the pa-k'ua. Thus, one-white is k'an (water), two-black is k'un (earth), three-jade is chen (thunder), four-green is sun (wind), five-yellow is the center (chung-kung), six-white is ch'ien (sky), seven-red is tui (lake), eight-white is ken (mountain), and nine-purple is li (fire) The numbers in the following grid illustrate the "root structure" of the Nine Palaces:

4 9 2
3 5 7
8 1 6

The root arrangement is also known as the Magic Circle, because the numbers are so arranged that the rows, columns, and diagonals all add up to fifteen. In the root structure of the Nine Palaces, five is always located in the center. The root structure of the Nine Palaces is also the Later Heaven pa-k'ua.
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There's not a spark of life in this text, no hint that Ms Wong is fascinated by the Tao, that she shares any of the awe and wonder that inspire and inspired the subjects over which she labors. In her Introduction she notes that a good guide provokes interest and inspires further research. This guide makes you wish you hadn't taken the trip.

For a more interesting and enlightening introduction to the subject, try Alan Watts' What Is Tao?

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