About this book:
The Tao is the Way, the Way behind all ways, the principle underlying all principles, the fact underlying all facts. Taoism, in its broadest sense, is the search for truth and reality. In a narrower sense, it is the original knowledge tradition of China, yet Taoism has already in the last couple of centuries extended its influence to many different fields of endeavor in the West. In English today we have books on Taoism and investment, Taoism and health, Taoism and sex, Taoism and war, Taoism, and science, Taoism and art, Taoism and life. This book, "Awakening to the Tao," is none of these but includes something of all of them, and more--over one hundred methods of attaining reality as a fully conscious human being. According to the masters of ancient times, when you awaken to that unique Way at the crossroads of all ways, you then hold the key to all ways, and can succeed in any of the ways you choose to practice.
Synopsis:
Eighteenth-century Taoist Liu I-Ming was a proponent of the Complete Reality School, a Taoist tradition established in the middle ages that values self-realization and inner healing over dogma and ritual. This book of his essays is divided in two parts. "Contemplations" uses natural imagery--dung beetles, cranes, tortoises, flowers--to illustrate Taoist tenets. The next part, "Refrains of Lament," consists of several paragraph-long jeremiads against the state of the world, in light of its refusal to study the Tao. He ends on a positive note, suggesting that there is a way out when one gains proper understanding of the Tao. Thomas Cleary's straightforward, un-showy translation honors the gentleness and clarity of the philosophy it espouses. There are many simple, attractive books on Taoism suitable for the beginner or the merely curious. AWAKENING TO THE TAO provides more of a challenge, and though rendered plainly, is not always an easy read. Still, the effort put into this book yields a deeper understanding of the Tao, and is essential reading for anyone on the path.
Product Details:
- Author: Liu I-Ming
- Translated by: Thomas F. Cleary
- Language: English
- Format: Softcover
- Pages: 105
- Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Book Dimensions:
- Weight: 0.38 Pounds
- Length: 8.45 Inches
- Width: 5.51 Inches
- Height: 0.43 Inches
