books for beginner taoist practitioners?

[Trickster_Crow]

looking for book recommendations

[RyanO]

Free ebook on the Inner Smile if you enter your email at http://www.healingtaousa.com/ It's fantastic. Or just read it here Inner Smile

 

Also Eric Yudelove's 100 days books are great, starting with 100 Days

 

Enjoy!

[Ten Thousand Methods]

looking for book recommendations

 

Some books I would recommend are:

• The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity: A Modern Practical Guide to the Ancient Way
  
• The Complete Book of Chinese Health & Healing: Guarding the Three Treasures
  
• A Complete Guide to Chi-Gung
  
• The Root of Chinese Qigong: Secrets of Health, Longevity, & Enlightenment
  
• Chinese Medical Qigong 1 Anatomy & Physiology
  

I hope that helps.

[Aaron]

"The Tao of Pooh" and "The Te of Piglet" by Benjamin Hoff are must reads. "The Book" and "The Watercourse Way" by Alan Watts are also good reads. John C. H. Wu's translation of the Tao Teh Ching is my favorite and the one I carry with me.

 

Steer clear of anything claiming to present the "True" or "Authentic" Tao, it most likely is anything but true or authentic.

 

Aaron

[Sloppy Zhang]

"Relaxing Into Your Being" - B.K. Frantzis

"The Great Stillness" - B.K. Frantzis

"Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body" - B.K. Frantzis

 

 

For an astounding mix of theory, philosophy, and practices to embody that philosophy.

[Aetherous]

Edited this because I take back what I said...it wasn't very helpful.

 

For a beginner I think they should focus on:

 

Embryonic Breathing by Yang Jwing Ming

Way of Energy by Kam Chuen Lam

 

Those are good methods, and should be practiced very often.

 

Reading the Hua Hu Ching is good for understanding.

 

A beginner should know that they're severely limiting themselves by not finding a teacher, and choosing to remain at a beginner's level. They should also understand that many books out there are rehashed second-hand methods, which have absolutely nothing to do with the Tao. They are just ways of messing with your nervous system, to make it seem like you're getting an effect, when really no progress is being made.

Edited December 12, 2010 by Scotty

[Lao Sun Tao]

Well, my library seems to get bigger and bigger!

Someone in another thread had suggested a free ebook that explained chi in a very nice way, trying to introduce Qi to the west. I had it downloaded but I seem to have lost it.

Anyone knows what I'm talking about?

Edited August 24, 2016 by Lao Sun Tao

[Gerard]

The book of life or how to shake off the conditioned mind due to society's 'corruption.'

 

Pick up an internal martial art and put a lot of effort into it. This will be worth 10,000 books.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Gerard

[Rocky Lionmouth]

Taoist Master Chuang by Michael Saso, about a taoist priest, his sons and the western guy who went there to do academic studies on the taoist canon.

 

Also +1 on starting with an internal martial art.

+100 on steering clear from true secrets revealed.

 

Also: avoid charlatans, narcissists and sociopaths. You'll recognize them by their unwillingness to teach interested and passionate students in favor of ranting and preaching and changing the subject frequently.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Rocky Lionmouth

[tumoessence]

http://daoistmeditation.com/

This is a great book.

[sillybearhappyhoneyeater]

Tummoessence:  thanks for the referral!

 

 

I think you should read everything by everyone, but that would take a long time.

I second the suggestion on Michael Sasso's work, because he really put effort into studying, and studied the real thing.

You could also consider reading Zhuangzi Nanhuajing, because it is fairly directly translated into English, and is probably the easiest Daoist book to understand.

You could also consider learning to read a little classical Chinese and read Dao De Jing and other books, but the best thing you can do is find a qualified teacher.   I live in Canada and don't really know who is good in any other country, but I suspect that there are some people in the USA and Europe who are quite knowledgeable.

 

What I suggest you don't read is anything by healing Tao, or MR. Franchise.   I mean, read them, but don't take them too seriously.  New age Daoist book pushers from the 1980s are a lot like the used car salesmen of the spiritual world.  You could think you were buying a porsche at a great price and actually getting a Lemon and a pain in the ass.