I am very new to Taoism ,please guide me

[beginner2314]

Hi i am very new to this and i think Taoism is my new way of life now . What books do you recommend to explore in taoism to the fullest ?

[Gerard]

No books, you won't learn Taoism from reading books. This had to be experienced by yourself from self-realisation.

 

Put all your sincere efforts in finding a good internal martial arts teacher. 

 

When your literally start opening up from within then Taoism (and everything else for that matter) will become clear.

 

You can find teachers here or ask if none listed in your area.

 

Another good learning source:

 

Internal Intent

 

Good luck!

[awaken]

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/藍石_無為丹道?id=rkJIEAAAQBAJ

 

我寫了一本書，關於道家修煉

歡迎參考

但是你需要自己翻譯成英文

 

I wrote a book about Taoist practice

Welcome to reference

But you need to translate into English by yourself

 

或是你可以參考我在這邊留下的1594篇文章

Or you can refer to the 1594 articles I left here

Edited April 23, 2022 by awaken

[silent thunder]

I'd recommend you get a few different translations of the Tao Te Ching and start there.  Usually some inexpensive ones available at used book stores.  You can also find many versions online for free/open domain.  Having multiple versions aided me with some of the trickier verse's meanings.  I prefer Tseng Lo Feng's version but have at least 15 versions bookmarked for quick referral.

 

Secondly I'd highly recommend the works of Chuang Tzu.  They've been invaluable to me.  I reread them often.  He was a truly insightful Sage who taught through stories using analogy and metaphor brilliantly.  His works are true treasures to me.

 

For more practical matters, I deeply appreciate any works by Wang Liping and Jerry Alan Johnson.

Also the recountings of John Blofeld's books about his encounters with Taoist Sages while traveling China in the early 1900's are real gems.

 

But most practically?  Observe Nature.  Nature follows Tao.  Quiet your mind and open your awareness to your environment.

 

No matter where you are, there is tao. 

 

It is never separate from any of us, by even a hair's width or a millisecond, ever.  It lies within your very body and awareness.  You can access it from your own person and your environment at any time.  Begin to engage actively with the world around you and you will experience it for yourself.

 

Enjoy the journey and welcome to the Bums mate.

Edited April 23, 2022 by silent thunder

[silent thunder]

Also, I'd add any books or lectures on the topic by Alan Watts.

He was a gifted speaker and a master at explaining Eastern Esoteric teachings in ways that were approachable to Western minds.  There are a plethora of his old recorded lectures available on youtube, just pop in 'Alan Watts' and 'Taoism' and enjoy.

[doc benway]

I’ll offer an unorthodox secondary source, Osho’s When the Shoe Fits was a very accessible intro to Zhuang-zi for me.

 

Primary texts in the Daoist canon can be elusive for the Western student as they are deeply steeped in a cultural and linguistic richness that can be foreign and easily misinterpreted. I would say this is very true in the Zhuang-zi, less prominent perhaps in the Lao-zi. Read them very slowly and compare translations and commentaries. There are great resources here for several important scriptures here - https://www.thedaobums.com/forum/179-daoist-discussion/

 

I am another one of those who feels that an appreciation of the true meaning of Daoism best comes through being able to link the concepts to your life experience. Consequently it is very valuable to invest in expert guidance in an authentic Daoist discipline, whether it be meditation, martial art, qigong, yijing, etc…

[Eduardo]

The first verses of the DDJ, have not only one interpretation but many, however, I have stayed with this:

 

1. The Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao. (It is an allusion to the unmanifest, unnamable as the eternal Tao, The ABSOLUTE: the Maha-Parabrahman of the Vedantins or the One Reality, Sat)

2. The name that can be named is not the immutable name (Another allusion to the absolute, unknowable as the real essence or Tao as the first Logos the impersonal Logos, and in philosophy, the unmanifested, the precursor of the Manifested. This is the "First Cause”)

3. Non-existence is the beginning of heaven and earth (In the East, ancient wisdom has affirmed that non-existence, that is, the absolute understood as the unexpressed or manifested, is the beginning of heaven and earth, that is, of the material and the subtle)

 

4. Existence is the mother of all there is. (Once the unknowable is expressed in space-time through the initial Verb, everything in theosophy originates, it is The Second Logos: Spirit-Matter, Life; the "Spirit of the Universe", Purusha that emanates Prakriti)

 

 

[awaken]

如果要從道德經開始你的學習，建議你要買老子帛書，因為現在道德經的版本，是被篡改過的

 

If you want to start your study from the Tao Te Ching, it is recommended that you buy Lao Tzu's silk book, because the current version of Tao Te Ching has been tampered with

 

[silent thunder]

23 hours ago, steve said:

I am another one of those who feels that an appreciation of the true meaning of Daoism best comes through being able to link the concepts to your life experience.

Well said.

 

This has been a barometer of sorts for any information I've encountered, whether from a live teacher, or the teachings found in writing. 

 

Practicality, functionality and Personal connectedness.

[awaken]

在生活中找，很容易就找到那種販賣氣功的假大師

 

Looking for it in life, it is easy to find the fake master who sells qigong

 

最好還是要讀些經典比較好

 

Better to read some classics