tao books discussion

You are taking very literally the phrase "he who knows does not talk; he who talks does not know". Hehe

Well, I will talk. I'm an author from Puerto Rico (latest title "From Tao to Psychology").

What type of books would you recommend as Taoist Fiction?

Seven Taoist Masters: A Folk Novel of China

Three Kingdoms. I own this one but haven't read it yet. I watched an old Chinese TV series that was pretty good.

Tales of the Taoist Immortals. Again, I own it but haven't read it yet. Right now I am reading Five Elements, Six Conditions: A Taoist Approach to Emotional Healing, Psychology, and Internal Alchemy, which passes as taoist but not as fiction.

I've read "Tales of the Taoist Immortals" in Spanish, and I liked it. I'm interested in "Seven Taoist Masters". Thank you!

How many books do you own but haven't read it yet? Hehe I'm curious...

Well, I've read many more books that I don't own, than books I own that I haven't read. ;-) There always seems to be more to read than I have time for. Attested to by my continually growing to-read list on Goodreads. Sometimes I want to create a to-read-next-lifetime list, and move half of the books there. :-p

Ha! That to-read-next-lifetime would be ideal.

I read that you like LotR. Are you happy that The Hobbit is going to be a 3 movie thing?

I read that you like LotR. Are you happy that The Hobbit is going to be a 3 movie thing?"

I don't know much about the Hobbit movies, as I tend to avoid learning anything about movies I know I am going to end up watching. I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to LotR, so being true to the original novel is very important. In that regard, I imagine longer is better.

Anyone else have any favorite taoist fiction?

John wrote: "Anyone else have any favorite taoist fiction?"

I had to search a bit to find books that might qualify as taoist fiction. I was happily surprised one of my favorites showed up, "The Lathe of Heaven."

Here's taoist info about the title (which apparently may be a mistranslation):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lath...

Have you read that book?

Hi Dave! I read that book a long time ago, as a teenager I believe, and for some reason ended up disliking it. I think it's time to give it another try though, because two people I know have strongly recommended it to me over the last month. Thanks!

Hi John- I hope you like it better the second time around. Post your review :)

Hi Michael!

Thanks for posting. I don't know anything about publishing. I haven't really gotten past the rough draft of a first chapter stage of writing a book. I think there are a couple of published authors in the group, though. Maybe they could chime in?

I don't know a whole lot about Buddhism, but I think there are some important differences between Buddhism and Taoism. As I recall, in Buddhism they talk about the world being an illusion, and all of the pleasures of life are mere distractions on the journey to enlightenment. Taoism is quite different than this. Here, the "ten-thousand things" - the things of the world - are real things, manifestations of the Tao, and the pleasures of life are to be enjoyed. In Taoism, even the enlightened one still loves and maintains their body and bodily needs.

I think this difference is strongly reflected in the primary modes of meditation for Buddhists and Taoists. Buddhists sit still, and bring their attention directly towards quieting the mind. In Taoism, we feel that you cannot fully relax the emotions and thoughts so long as your body and qi body are not also relaxed. So when Taoists meditate, we often move. We first study taiji, or standing or moving qi gong, to clear the energy blockages of the body. Once the body and qi body are reasonably clear, then we begin to practice sitting meditation, and focus more directly on calming the emotions and thoughts.

I don't know why I like to focus on the differences rather than the similarities? Things are a bit different from a Chinese perspective. In the West, both Buddhism and Taoism are relatively new, and quite different from most of the religions and systems of philosophy familiar to Westerners. In China, Buddhism and Taoism are both very familiar, and have lived side by side for many hundreds of years. So it's more natural to see the contrasts from a Chinese perspective. And up until the last century or so, Taoist has been strictly a Chinese religion, whereas Buddhism has long been an international religion, stretching at least from India through to Japan.

Good to have you here Michael! Thanks for joining.

Hello everyone. I've just released my new book, "The Red Pill: A Modern Tao Te Ching" and invite you to take a look at it. It is a bold reformulation of the ancient Chinese classic, that makes its wisdom more accessible, and *actionable*, than ever before.

Here's the website: www.theredpillbook.com
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/YJnCbO

Thanks,

Rick

John wrote: "Anyone else have any favorite taoist fiction?"


I have only joined recently and I came across your request for information on novels dealing with Taoism.

 
Colin Mallard Ph.D. has recently written a book called called Stillpoint- a novel of war and peace. He  has written two earlier non fiction books which have won awards in the US. The first books is: Something to Ponder, reflections from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. (In India and south Asia it is called “Reflections from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching.)

The second book called, Understanding the simplicity of life, draws from Taoism, Zen, Advaita Vedanta and Sufism, which as the author suggest, point to the same underlying reality, despite being culturally and linguistically different. 

The book, Stillpoint, a novel of war and peace, is rooted in Taoism and Tai Chi.  It is a fascinating read, deeply moving, and spans two continents and the time between 1946 and 2002.  Much of the book takes place in the Middle East and addresses the current conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis. It brings a fresh and hopeful perspective for eventual peace in the region.  But the book is much more than that as it causes the reader to think about issues of power and powerlessness, wealth and poverty, selfishness and generosity, kindness and cruelty, certainly issues before us today. 

Again, like his other books  Stillpoint is easy to read.  The reader is quickly drawn into another world and another time inevitably leading us to the consideration of a more useful way of dealing with contemporary events. I have added an excerpt from  the book. Nassir, a  sufi mystic and seer is talking about what is at the heart of All Religions.

“A wagon wheel has many spokes, surrounded by a wooden and
steel hoop. At the center is the hub, where the spokes are attached.
In the center of the hub is a hole around which everything else
turns. The spokes come from the four corners of the world and
arrive at the center. The center is nameless and formless.
“Out of necessity, we have given it names: Allah, Yahweh,
Vishnu, or God, It’s all the same. The spokes represent the many
paths that lead there. The farther they are from the center, the more
distinct and separate they appear. At the outer limits, beliefs are
rigid. Those found there believe their particular spoke represents
the ‘one and only true way.’ Those close to the hub already sense
that all spokes lead to the same place; their beliefs are less rigid.
Those who find themselves at the hub have discarded belief
altogether. They understand that all spokes, though coming from
different places, arrive at the same hub. When this is known, it’s
not long before each one dissolves into the formless center. This
is the end of the journey, the union with the Holy One, which
words cannot describe.”

I am new to this group and am very eager to share in all things Tao! I am a lover of the concept of balance in life and have even gone so far as to draw correlations between Taoism and its western equivalent-Stoicism.
My book, "The Arcana of the Two Hands of God" was written to clarify these common traits and to bundle these ancient codes into a new and modern philosophy of life in balance. A completely original version of the Tao Te Ching comprises the first section of my book. Cheers!

Anybody out here? I just saw this group and was wanting to chat with other Taoists.

Julián wrote: "Ha! That to-read-next-lifetime would be ideal.

I read that you like LotR. Are you happy that The Hobbit is going to be a 3 movie thing?"

I still haven't seen the third movie yet. I do like the way they incorporate some parts of the LotR books that didn't make it into the LotR movies. At first, I was not too happy with the movies, as they diverged from the book so much, and included so many Hollywood-style completely unrealistic action scenes. Since then, I've begun to appreciate these movies more as a retelling in another media, and that the changes made make sense in the new media. While I would be delighted with a full and true retelling of these books in film, I no longer feel that the movies to a disservice to the books.

Amy wrote: "Anybody out here? I just saw this group and was wanting to chat with other Taoists."

Hi Amy! There doesn't seem to be a lot of active discussion, but yeah, we are here. :-)

Hi John,

Thanks for responding. Looks like the board has had a few more things since I last wrote that. Good! I have a blog and I write about the Tao Te Ching on my blog. I came out here wondering what people recommend. I have seen a couple of comments about Colin Mallard. I've never read his work so I may have to check it out!

John wrote: "Hi Michael!

Thanks for posting. I don't know anything about publishing. I haven't really gotten past the rough draft of a first chapter stage of writing a book. I think there are a couple of publi..."

This is very interesting, John. It certainly does seem like there are not as many in the US who understand Taoism. Probably more Buddhism than Taoism.

Julián wrote: "You are taking very literally the phrase "he who knows does not talk; he who talks does not know". Hehe

Well, I will talk. I'm an author from Puerto Rico (latest title "From Tao to Psychology").

..."

One of my favorites for Taoist fiction is Chronicles of Tao by Deng Ming-Dao. It is really a biography, but it is a story. Hua Ching Ni tells many stories in his books also. He has written over 75 books on Taoism, maybe more!

Ursula Le Guin's works are often enthused with daoism (she has also written a reinterpretation of the daodejing), so if you're interested in reading some subtle daoist literature I'd recommend 'A Wizard of Earthsea'. I'd also recommend reading 'The Neverending Story' by Michael Ende as well, as I believe he was also influenced by the dao. Here are some of my favourite daoist quotes from literature to back up my claims (there's many more IN the literature for you to discover ;) ):

"To light a candle is to cast a shadow." - Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea

"You must let what happens happen. Everything must be equal in your eyes, good and evil, beautiful and ugly, foolish and wise." - Ende, The Neverending Story.

"Nothing is lost, everything is transformed." - Ende, The Neverending Story.

Here's a quotation from L. Frank Baum's 'The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus' concerning zìrán or pǔ:

"Childhood is the time of man's greatest content. 'Tis during these years of innocent pleasure that the little ones are most free from care. [...] Their joy is in being alive, and they do not stop to think. In after-years the doom of mankind overtakes them, and they find they must struggle and worry, work and fret, to gain the wealth that is so dear to the hearts of men."

My two favorite books by Ursula Le Guin are The Telling and The Dispossessed, the former about Taoism and the latter about anarchism. They compliment each other quite well.

The defining principle of Taoism is wu wei, which is most often literally translated as "not doing," but in practice means "that which arises of itself. Wu wei does not mean "don't do anything." It's meaning is closer to the phrase used by Valentine Michael Smith in Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land: "Waiting is."

Wu wei is not taking precipitous action before the event can "arise of itself." If we act precipitously, we often prevent right action and make the situation worse rather than better.

Wu wei is masterfully depicted in The Telling, as are the concepts of of Te (integrity) and Pu (The Uncarved Block).

Michael, The Telling sounds wonderful, I'll have to follow up on that one.

I agree that Heinlein is quite Taoist. Waiting is... or By letting go it all gets done.

A Tao book that is both profoundly philosophical and filled with fun invites you to play! Here's info on the Goodreads Giveaway of The Tao of Sudoku- Yoga for the Brain

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Michael wrote: "My two favorite books by Ursula Le Guin are The Telling and The Dispossessed, the former about Taoism and the latter about anarchism. They compliment each other quite well.

The defining principle ..."

Hi All, I'm new to Goodreads and was pleased to find this group. Michael,

I've added The Dispossessed to my Want to Read list. It sounds interesting.

Wu wei is also translated into effortless effort or effortless action. It is the opposite of using force and rigidity. A good way to experience wu wei is to take up tai chi chuan. Tai Chi push hands, a two person exercise that tests one's ability to put into practice tai chi and Taoist principles and teaches one to use and have an experience of wu wei. It is sensitivity and awareness training and requires stillness and being centered while sticking to and flowing with your partner or "opponent."

If people are interested in learning more about tai chi chuan, two excellent books are Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan by Wu Kung Cho and Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan - Ancient Chinese Way to Health by Dr. Wen Zee.

Julián wrote: "You are taking very literally the phrase "he who knows does not talk; he who talks does not know". Hehe

Well, I will talk. I'm an author from Puerto Rico (latest title "From Tao to Psychology").

..."

Re: Taoist fiction

I’ve written a novel that’s been called “Daoist cli-fi” (climate change fiction). The main criticism it’s received so far has been that it’s got a little too much Daoism in it! With that in mind readers in this group might find it more interesting than the average reader. I’m doing a paperback giveaway on goodreads for the month of April. The kindle version is only 2.99 and free with kindle unlimited. I hope you’ll check it out. Thanks.
Voice of the Elders by Greg Ripley
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Looks like this group has been quiet for a while...

I'm reading "The Man Who Loved China," by Simon Winchester, a biography of Joseph Needham.

I knew the name was familiar when I started, then read that he translated many Chinese documents and books into English. And sure enough, I've found Needham quotes throughout my China books, including translations of the Tao Te Ching.

I highly recommend Winchester's book for Chinaphyles.